??♀? Cartoons, hacks, and a ban on the number seven

Good morning!

I hope all is well in your world.

I haven't been up to much lately to tell you the truth. I've just been working, enjoying the longer days, marvelling at the birds in my garden, chilling with friends, and discovering new walks with Monty. ??

Talking of my darling furry-faced little pupster, I've been playing with AI a lot lately and having fun with the Cartoonizing Yourself ChatGPT plugin.

You upload a photo and it turns it into a brilliant Pixar-style image. It's really clever and the results are fantastic.

But I'll let you be the judge of that. Tell me, which one do you think most like Monty? Picture number one or two?

THREE THINGS FOR YOU

1) How to complete the custom instructions box in ChatGPT

If you've attended any of my ChatGPT workshops you'll have heard me explain the importance of the custom instructions section.

This is because when you tell ChatGPT about your services, target audience and objectives, the responses it gives you are 100 times more accurate and relevant.

As completing the custom instructions section makes such a huge difference to the output you receive from ChatGPT I've just published a blog post about it.

In the post, I not only give you a couple of VA-specific examples but I also provide a handy template so you can write your own.

2) Opus Clip

See the image below? It's a screenshot of a video short I made for free in just a few minutes using Opus Clip.

The short was made from a 19-minute video interview I held with International Contracts Lawyer Janet Alexandersson on what to do when a client wants to change a clause in your contract.

Note that I said when and not if because I guarantee that at some point, one of your clients will query one of your clauses!

Opus Clip is a fab generative AI video repurposing tool that takes videos, cleverly selects the best bits and rearranges them into viral short clips you can use on social media.

If you're interested in making an eye-catching social media short from one of your/your client's videos then watch this quick demo of me using Opus Clip to find out how. ??

And, if you want to know what to do when a client questions a clause in your contract, read the video transcript of my interview with Janet here. The post also contains a link to watch the full video.

LinkedIn doesn't allow you to add a GIF or video to a newsletter so I had to use a screenshot.

3) Ban sevens from your life

Pretty cryptic headline, right? Let me explain.

A while back I was reading a post on the unique hiring process of a business owner and the method he used for making difficult decisions completely bowled me over.

In the post, the business owner was looking to expand his team. After the interviews were done, he had some definite nos and a couple of people he wanted to bring back for a second round of interviews.

But there were a few candidates he wasn't too sure about.

He'd marked their interview a seven out of ten so he said to himself "What number would I give if I wasn't allowed a seven? Was the interview a six or an eight?"

A six was a definite no and an eight put them into the second interview category.

Removing a seven from the equation made his decision 100% easier but I loved the concept so much I've been using it in all areas of my life for a couple of years now.

If I'm unsure about something, I score it out of ten. I'm not allowed a seven so I have to decide if it's a six or an eight.

An eight is pretty good but a six is mediocre which means it's a no.

Give it a go yourself and see what you think.

??? UPCOMING EVENTS

The AI events keep selling out so I've scheduled more for March along with a couple of member-requested Power Hour Clarity Sessions.

~ ChatGPT With Me: these are overview sessions where I show you all the eye-opening ways you can use ChatGPT and other AI platforms.

~ Elevate Your Social Media Content: these workshops are solely about creating stand-out engaging social media content for you and your clients.

"Jo, you were right, my mind is blown! What a great session the ChatGPT session was and such great value, I highly recommend it to anyone who is slightly on the fence about AI and social media as I was, it's a real eye-opener" Claire B

~ Power Hour Clarity Sessions: Whether you're stuck on pricing, niches, LinkedIn, content writing, AI, client consultations, services, websites, marketing or even how and where to start your VA journey, book yourself on one of these sessions and let's chat.

The great thing about Power Hours is that you also get to hear the answers to everyone else's questions!

You receive personal advice at every event but numbers are limited (there are only 4 places on the Power Hours) so book quickly if you want to secure your spot. ?

View all events and book.

?? MY FAVOURITE THING THIS WEEK

Hemingway Jones on YouTube

Hemingway Jones's YouTube channel is a cosy little corner of the internet dedicated to fountain pens, inks, journals and journaling and I am obsessed with it. ??

In fact, I nearly didn't tell you because I wanted to keep it all to myself!

If you are a fellow lover of stationery and all things "wordy" head on over and take a look because I bet you'll love his channel as much as I do.

Okay, that's it for this week but whether you're looking to set up your own business or you're already a hotshot VA with a stable of clients, I have a ton of guides, downloads, templates, checklists and courses to help you get where you want to go.

Jo. x

~ The VA Handbook website

~ Join over 23,000 global members in the VA Handbookers Facebook group