Here’s what others have said
about working with MaplewoodVA
The testimonials are grouped by the types of services provided. Scroll down the page to the services of interest to you.
Ruth is great to work with. She listens “between the lines” and helps draw out what needs to be said. Her advice is right on target.
~Donnette Cowgill, Transcriptionist, of Pros and Commas
Ruth is amazing to speak to! I was so confused and overwhelmed with all the clients I had and not having any time for myself or to run my business. After an hour on the phone with her I had a written-out plan of what I needed to do to gain control of my virtual assistant business and organize my time/client load. Thank you so much, Ruth!
~Yoana Pedroso Brecker of Advantage Virtual Support
I received two leads this week on my website for podcast services. I firmly believe the strategies you encouraged me to do last year are finally paying off. Especially now that I have a method to posting my blogs on LinkedIn, on my site, and on social media. I also am now diving into niche groups. I would have NEVER done any of that if it weren’t for your call and calendar. It was a bit of a struggle to get back into the marketing frame of mind after being away from that world for about 3-4 years. So, really, thank you! I just think to myself “Hot damn, it’s working like it should.”
~Darlene Victoria, Owner & Podcast/Digital Media Specialist, of Darlene Victoria Digital Media
Mentoring like teaching requires compassion to achieve successful results. Ruth Martin, MaplewoodVA is one of the jewels that has the compassion and inspiration that guides aspiring virtual assistants (VA) to success. Ruth’s practical approach helps protégés understand the commitment and work required to reach their business goals. In the International Virtual Assistants Association (IVAA) mentoring program, Ruth also goes the extra mile. She gives books and develops friendships beyond the six months she works with each protégé. IVAA has been lucky to have Ruth volunteer as a mentor; [Ruth served from 2012-2017].
~Electra Ford, Online Marketing Consultant, Virtual Office Center [Electra managed the IVAA Mentoring Program]
Ruth takes the time to answer your questions thoroughly and in a timely manner. She has a very professional demeanor and is pleasant to work with. Ruth is very knowledgeable and experience in her field. I highly recommend Ruth, for she is the go-to gal.
~Jerri Gorranson of Virtual Office Visions
Working with Ruth as my mentor has had a profound impact on my business as well as me personally. She has challenged me in the areas I needed to address, counseled me to get beyond obstacles that were holding me back, and readied me with the tools and vital insights necessary to be successful. Her targeted action plans have kept me focused and accountable in achieving milestones I had begun to think impossible, and she’s been there to provide candid and incisive feedback every step of the way. I have found her tips and suggestions for language in handling specific business situations particularly useful and effective. I hang up from each session feeling energized and empowered to tackle the next step in this journey.
~Hallie Bauer, Online Operations Manager, of HallieBauerVA.com
I have had the privilege of being coached by Ruth Martin. She is very knowledgeable, has a gentle way of encouraging growth by helping set attainable goals, and is a great “cheerleader!” The hours that Ruth has spent with me in helping me move to the next level in my business is incredibly valuable. She understands the market and knows how to communicate that knowledge! I highly recommend her as a coach and a business partner.
~Debra McGill of Integrity Administrative Solutions
The Long Meadow Volunteer Fire Company contracted with Ruth to completely dismantle our out-of-date website and produce us a modern website complete with pages on our company history, apparatus, officer profiles, events, call photos, donation, and a safety blog. Ruth was extremely proficient at communicating with us on the current status of the project and advising us of what information she would be in need of next. She was able to keep the entire project moving forward on a fast but manageable schedule [completely revamped with new images and copy and published within 60 days!] while editing articles and copywriting materials as they were sent to her for review and publishing. As the project approached completion Ruth also completely revamped our companies internal email management. Ruth was a pleasure to work with and the Fire Company could not possibly be more pleased with the quality of the finished product.
~Board of Directors, Long Meadow Volunteer Fire Company
Hagerstown, MD
Thank you, Ruth, for helping me get through the website launch. Phew! Really appreciate your support and answering a gazillion questions. I appreciate your steadiness and expertise so much. Hiring you this year was one of the best investments that I have made for my business!
~Elizabeth Barbour, Women’s Wellness and Work/Life Balance Coach & Speaker of ElizabethBarbour.com
Ruth is the real deal when it comes to copywriting. There’s nothing cookie cutter about her writing. Give her a topic idea and she’s guaranteed to come back with a fresh perspective or unique writing angle. I like this.
~Terry Green, Owner, BizEase Support Solutions
Ruth Martin is an exceptional editor, copywriter, and ghostwriter. I am publishing a book thanks to Ruth’s work. I have been blown away with her attention to detail, how she makes her line editing align with not only MY voice, but with who I am as a writer. She provides thorough explanations and expert recommendations on my manuscript and content and this has helped me grow as a writer. Ruth is a top-notch professional, fast, and accurate—a wonderful human being, and I trust her work thoroughly. My website traffic has increased in the past year, attracting more visitors and potential clients who read my wellness blog, promotional and marketing content, and have found value. Ruth’s exceptional work has helped me grow my business. I have found an editing partner who cares about my content just as much as I do. Thank you, Ruth!
~Diane Randall, M.A., Whole Living Consultant, of Diane Randall Consults
I have had Ruth of Maplewood Virtual Assistance writing blog posts for me for quite some time now. I give her the topic I want and some times I give her specifics points I want to be included and at other times I just give her the topic and let her run with it. She does a fantastic job of writing exactly what I want. She also makes suggestions for others posts that would be beneficial for my niche. She is personable and easy to work with. I would definitely recommend her to anyone.
~Melissa Sasser of Polished Tasks
I have had the pleasure of working with Ruth for many years. She has been instrumental in supporting my business by providing assistance with social media, email newsletters, blogging, and copywriting. She is easy to work with, extremely organized, and is always full of great ideas. I would recommend Ruth to help manage anyone’s business!
~Megan Barber, Co-Owner, of List to Close
Ruth is a highly skilled writer that is able to take your topic and expand on it while maximizing it for SEO (search engine optimization). She writes for several of my real estate clients and they all are very pleased with the caliber of her articles. She is very easy and pleasant to work with as well.
~Serita Diana, Co-Owner, of List to Close
I hired Ruth Martin to change my website’s home and bio page copy. Ruth made the process simple, and I was impressed with the turnaround time. When I was not able to be 100% helpful in the process for various reasons, her gentle prodding, questions, and suggestions helped me get over the bumps to get the information she needed to help me. Ruth’s end product was exactly what I wanted and nailed the tone of speaking that was me. In less than two weeks my website page rank went up one point – an amazing testament to her work. I highly recommend Ruth’s 5-star services and have used her services again and will continue to do so for myself and on behalf of my clients not only for web copy but administrative support, she is one of the FEW people I would trust with my clients and my business.
~Cyndi Papia, WordPress Web Designer, of Office To-Go
I’m getting ready to launch my virtual assistance business and was building my web page when I decided my content wasn’t really interesting. In blunt words, the copy sucked. It said what I wanted to say but didn’t reach out and grab like I wanted. I started looking at websites of members on VAnetworking and found one that felt like I wanted my website to feel so I contacted Ruth Martin and I’m so glad I did! First of all, Ruth is a gem to work with. She took my words and ideas and made them into copy that is both interesting, informative, and not stuffy; exactly what I wanted for my site. Kudos to Ruth and the work she does. I’ll be ready to launch the business on my target date and am very excited. Thank you so much, Ruth, for being there when I needed a helping hand and for doing such a fantastic job.
~Jenny McKinney of Try Feng Shui
As the Content Director of CWAHM, I managed multiple bloggers and post submissions. Ruth was a true gem. Her posts were always submitted in a timely manner. I reviewed every submission before posting and don’t recall a single error in any of her posts. Additionally, she never ‘phoned it in’ with any of her posts. They were always informative, up-to-date, and never barely meeting the minimum word count. [Ruth was a feature blog writer for 3 years writing the Life as a Virtual Assistant column.]
~Pebbles J., Content Manager at CWAHM – Christian Work-at-Home Moms
Ruth has been the most wonderful addition to my team. She is conscientious, thorough, and responds quickly. She has helped me envision some of my marketing from a different angle and perspective that is current & relevant. I have thankfully been able to take my content to a higher level with her assistance. I would refer her to anyone looking for help. Top-Notch for sure!
~Sara Nguyen, Realtor & Relocation Specialist at Sara Lyn Homes and Better Homes & Gardens Gary Greene Real Estate
In a short time, she has revolutionized my business and enabled me to move ahead on projects I’ve literally had in the works for years. They don’t call her the “Details Diva” for nothing…although diva is the last word I would use to describe Ruth. She is so pleasant and efficient. I’m going to keep her as my own trade secret.
~Allison Ricciardi, LMHC, Founder & Director, The Raphael Remedy & CatholicTherapists.com
Because of Ruth’s understanding of relationship marketing, she was able to assemble a Keeping-In-Touch Program customized to how I interact with my clients. I have already received several comments on how nice it was to receive a hand-written note and I have Ruth to thank for it all! Her keen attention to detail assures that nothing falls through the cracks and special occasions are remembered. Ruth makes my business look good and allows me to give my clients that extra level of attention that they love. I highly recommend Ruth to any time-strapped entrepreneur looking for a truly personalized VA service.
~Deb Howard Greenleaf, Virtual Bookkeeper, of Greenleaf Accounting Services
Working with Ruth has been a tremendous boost to my business and medical endeavors. Through the management of my LinkedIn account and with very little work on my part my network and reputation have grown dramatically. Several significant opportunities have developed solely due to Ruth’s professional management.
~Ralph Salvagno, M.D., Orthopaedic Surgeon (retired), of Center for Joint Surgery & Sports Medicine
Ruth Martin needs a new title included in her profile…social media miracle worker! I recently reached to Ruth to assist with a client’s social media mess and in watching her work her magic there, it became clear that I needed her for my own social media issues. I promptly hired her, she set right to work, and the result is amazing! Ruth has all the knowledge, expertise, and intuition needed to establish and manage professional social media networks. My Likes and Follows have already increased significantly and it’s only been a week! Not only does Ruth know the technical aspects of social media but she is so insightful and intuitive when it comes to understanding what to include on your profile for the greatest impact, and the kinds of posts you need to reach the best audience for your niche. I love working with Ruth and highly recommend her to anyone wanting to increase their social media presence, and take the pressure and stress off your own shoulders! Thank you!
~Marilyn Stafford, Customer Care Specialist, of Alliance Virtual Solutions
I just want to thank you again for being such an outstanding professional. You are a true pleasure to work with, and I could not do without you. It is such a comfort to me to know that I can fire-off an email or two, and before I even remember I’ve done it, you’re on the task. I had a meeting today and we were discussing my subcontractors (there are two of which you are one). He asked what the status was of the tasks assigned to the other subcontractor and I went through this long list of reminder emails I’d sent and the follow-up that hadn’t happened as a result and then he said “Well, what about Ruth? What kind of backlog does she have?” I said “Well, she doesn’t have one. I just send her stuff and she does it.” Thank you for taking your business seriously and mine as well.
~Leanne Chambers, Paralegal
I have had the pleasure of working with Ruth for over a year and I count time as BR (Before Ruth) and AR (After Ruth). Ruth is client-focused, thoughtful, and solutions-oriented. She has worked beyond an assistant, where she has been instrumental in helping to create large reports, such as a series of compendium over 250 pages long. She has created the index and appendices, copy edited, and conducted quality checks on these reports. It is detail-oriented work and she does it all with finesse. (When her work was reviewed for quality checks, she’s passed with an average error rate of less than 1% for each project we’ve completed!) Above all, Ruth in an incredibly valued member of the team who is always there to help and make things better.
~Roko Yamaguchi, Ph.D., Education Research & Development Scientist, of Plus Alpha Research
I’ve had the opportunity to work with Ruth since 2013 on a number of publications and research projects. Every project has had multiple stakeholders and leaders, short timelines, shifting needs, and tight budgets. Ruth has worked professionally, flexibly, and in collaboration with our team. I can honestly say that she has been an integral partner. As challenges have arisen, Ruth has worked tirelessly to help problem solve and complete the tasks at hand. Specifically, Ruth has helped us schedule appointments with partners and research subjects, integrate text and excel data sources, build substantial components of publications and reports (e.g., indices and appendices), and assist with data collections (e.g., interviews). Ruth works well with a task, a timeline, and a budget, and she also works well integrated into the day-to-day of a project. This flexibility makes her a valuable collaborator.
~Adam Hall, Senior Research Scientist and Education Research & Development Consultant, of Plus Alpha Research
Maplewood’s Ruth Martin is my go-to person and company for my business. Ruth provides virtual assistance and invaluable help to me and my small company. Ruth is both a big picture, strategic thinker and highly detail oriented.As a solopreneur to have a skilled partner with whom to brainstorm about the succcess of my business—is a Godsend. And then I can gladly leave the details to Maplewood..Ruth know what to do! She is technically savvy, handling details like sending out my email newsletter, Ruth is superbly detail oriented and takes care of things. She very politely helps me to see what i could be doing next…sort of like a highly skilled Mary Poppins for my business! I highly recommend Maplewood and Ruth Martin for top notch Virtual Assistance.
~Bev Martin, Life & Business Coach, of Inner Active
Ruth is caring. She’s kind. She’s smart. She’s quick. She’s accurate. She’s responsive and professional. I enjoy working with her so much. She is very talented. She keeps me and my business and my disastrously messy inbox organized. She is amazing how she does it. We have worked out a fantastic system where if I need her to help me with something, all I do is send her an email and then I don’t have to think twice. It just gets done. If she has questions, she asks them very quickly, very succinctly so I can reply quickly because I’m a busy person. I don’t have time to answer long, long emails and don’t have time to write long emails myself. We have come to a fantastic, really partnership, in my business and Ruth takes great care of me.
~Felicia Slattery, Coach, Author, & Speaker, of FeliciaSlattery.com
Everything I have asked Ruth to do, she has asked me questions about to make sure she understands what I need and then cheerfully replied, “No problem.” And back comes the work I need on time, at a reasonable cost.
~Mara Braverman of Braverman Marketing & Communications
Ruth is very organized and provides excellent service as a virtual assistant. She is also a pleasure to interact with.
~Gavin Kilduff, Assistant Professor of Management & Organizations, NYU Stern School of Business
I have known Ruth for since 2007 through my VA membership site and have hired her to do some marketing work for my network. From our time working together, I’ve come to realize what a valuable asset Ruth is to my business, helping it to run smoothly without worry. Ruth is one of the most organized and thoughtful people I have met. Not only are her work assignments done on time but she also goes that extra mile and gives you, the client, a full rundown on what was done, the how, and why it was done. And she also kicks in her thoughts on what could be done to fill in any gaps she’s found. Ruth Martin would be of value to any business looking for a proactive virtual assistant to aid their business success.
~Tawnya Sutherland, Certified Internet Marketing & Business Strategist at MediaMage and Founder of Vanetworking.com
Ruth is a true professional and a pleasure to work with. Her work is highly accurate and timely and she readily grasps the task to be performed. In a recent project, her attention to detail caught some easily-overlooked but very significant mistakes, and she was instrumental in fixing them. If you want a partner for your business that you can count on to do the job better than you can do it yourself, you need to look no further than Ruth.
~Leanne Chambers, Web Designer, of Tiny Queen Designs
In a just a short time, Ruth Martin has changed my professional life. I hired her, terrified of all of the social media I knew I should be pursuing as a published author. Ruth took it all in hand and quickly launched me forward. I am astounded by the number of new readers and overall interest in my books that I’ve gained. Ruth pays for herself!
~Christine Trent, Historical Mystery Author of The Lady of Ashes series and the Florence Nightingale Mysteries series
I brought Ruth on to help out one of my long-term clients. He had written a book and was ready to have it converted to a kindle book to sell on Amazon. Ruth took the reigns and produced a wonderful product even with the obstacles the client presented. I was very pleased with her work, her communication and her knowledge. Would hire her again in a heartbeat!
~Christina Nelson, Virtual Business Manager & WordPress Designer, of Christina-Nelson.com
I’ve worked with Ruth on numerous eBook conversion projects, getting my publications ready for the Kindle market and she is nothing short of AMAZING. Consistently providing excellent value, above-and-beyond customer service and communication, and a truly perfect end result. I am very much invested in the details of my own projects and love knowing that when I send something to Ruth she is equally invested. After the first Kindle project (which was very much an experiment for me) I’ve sent numerous other Kindle projects to Ruth without hesitation. Highly recommended!
~Tess Strand, former Founder of VAForums, and Author
Most highly recommend MaplewoodVA.com for terrific virtual assistance in cool stuff like formatting your eBooks and working on marketing.
~Tamara Holland, Author & Artist at Bean Up the Nose Art
