Deborah Taylor

Hi. I am Deborah Taylor, owner and operator of AVA Business Services, as well as its sole Virtual Assistant. It is very nice to 'meet' you.

On this page you will learn more about me and my background. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask in my contact form.

I look forward to being of service to you and becoming a valued team member for your business.

Thank you for stopping by my virtual office.

Administrative Profile

I am a seasoned diversified Administrative Professional with 25+ years of varied and progressive experience in all areas of office management and administration. The vast majority of my experience has been gained through employment in several different industries and capacities; however I have also been involved in many side ventures throughout the years that has added to my skills and experience.

A summary of my background:

Business Administration Experience

  • Office Management/Administration/Organization
  • Accounting: Accounts Receivable, Accounts Payable
  • Order Processing
  • Customer Service
  • Reconciliations
  • Payroll
  • Government Remittances (Ontario, Canada)

Computer Knowledge

  • MS Office Suite: Outlook, Word, Excel, Publisher, Powerpoint
  • Google Suite: Gmail, Docs, Sheets, Google Drive
  • Adobe Suite: Acrobat, Photoshop
  • QuickBooks
  • Internet Savvy

Major Accomplishments

  • Assisted in the organization and process of closing a business office.
  • Restructured physical and electronic filing systems.
  • Developed company-specific manuals and course materials for leading in-house training and workshops.

Website Development Experience

I love computers and technology and creating! I have spent a lot of time over my career, and in my personal life too, on my computer learning whatever I can about the different software packages out there.

In 2006 I had the opportunity to learn a bit about WordPress, which was fairly new at the time. I was smitten! Not only could I be on a computer for hours on end (my happy place) but I could create things too.

Since that time I have taken many courses on WordPress, and related technologies such as CSS, HTML, PHP, and JavaScript, to upgrade my skills, spent lots of time in the trial and error phase, and have close to 50 sites. (Some are still online and can be seen in my Portfolio. Others, alas, have fallen away.)

In addition to WordPress itself, I have learned how to modify templates with HTML and PHP, as well as customizing styling with CSS.

Working with WordPress is a passion! It gives me such satisfaction to see a client's idea come in to being and hear how happy they are with the finished product.

Other Ventures

Over the years I have assisted many business owners and managers of clubs and organizations set up and/or re-organize their offices. This has included creating or re-creating both physical and electronic filing structures, and on occasion, setting up a series of spreadsheets to fulfill bookkeeping requirements and templates for business forms.

I have also been involved with direct marketing companies, as an Avon representative for over 10 years, and a PartyLite Consultant/Hostess for about 7 years. Both of these entrepreneurial activities required time management skills, as well as bookkeeping and other record keeping.

Education

I am rather a perpetual student, learning what I have to know as I move along through my life and career. Some courses and workshops in the list below were taken within a group classroom setting, and others through independent study.

  • H&R Block Personal Income Tax Preparation Course (Canada)
  • Bookkeeping Certificate (Granton Institute of Technology)
  • MS Suite"Word, Excel, Outlook, Publisher
  • Programming: HTML/XHTML, CSS, JavaScript (basic)
  • Website Development: WordPress, WooCommerce, Shopify.
  • QuickBooks
  • Adobe: PhotoShop, Illustrator
  • InkScape

I live by my own adage of 'just because I don't know it today doesn't mean I won't learn it tomorrow!'.

And on a personal note...

I have a flair and passion for organization and enjoy planning events such as birthday parties, showers, weddings, etc. I like to read and crochet when time permits. And spend time on my computer learning and playing whenever possible.

I am also an animal lover, and have a super soft spot for cats. The kitty in residence, Chester (aka 'The Boss'), keeps me amused and entertained. He can often be found sprawled out on the corner of my desk watching me work. (Did I mention 'The Boss'!).