Things I never thought I could do (that you can do too)
I’m EXCELLENT at celebrating other people’s success. When the VAs I mentor hit a milestone like signing their first client or surpassing their income goal, I love nothing more than giving them a virtual high five and helping them ride that wave of confidence straight onto signing the next one! (you can see some of their achievements here)
But am I that good at celebrating my OWN successes?
Nope. Not really.
The problem is that I downplay things and am always looking towards the next goal. So that mean I might rationalise things away as lucky (‘oh it’s lucky that client said yes to my daily rate’).
Sometimes I don’t even pause to pay myself on the back for something…….even if it’s a great thing!
But the BIG problem with this is that I miss out on celebrating all the amazing things I’ve achieved. Plus of course I’m missing out on sharing powerful pieces of marketing content too!
So this blog post is a selfish one of sorts, because I’m going to share some of the things I’m most proud of achieving since I started my VA biz in 2016.
But don’t worry - this isn’t going to be a me-me-me post leaving you with nothing valuable. I’m going to share what the experience was like before I did those things and what happened after. Because I guarantee that the things you’re scared of doing in business aren’t nearly as scary as you think they are. And the things you don’t think are possible for you absolutely are.
Basically, I’m sharing these things because I want you to know that it’s more than possible for you to do anything you set your mind to.
Showing up on video
Oh my gawwwwwwd, did I put this one off! The logical part of my brain knew showing my face and sharing my personality would help potential clients connect with me. But did I do this?
Nope.
In fact, it took me longer than I care to admit to actually get on Stories, and I bloody hated doing it. So if the thought of talking into the camera feels you with dread, don’t worry. I felt the same, and I’ve found the solution:
Prepare as much as you can. Even if it feels scripted, it’s better than not showing up at all
Ask yourself this question: What does my business need from me today? It needs you to find, speak to and connect with potential clients, and showing up on video is an excellent way to do this
Understand that you’re helping people find you. You have incredible gifts, a pretty darn good work ethic and unlimited potential as the excellent VA you’ll be. You’re doing clients a favour by showing up
Know that it’ll get easier with time. It does, I promise
The lesson: Potential clients will connect with you on a deeper level when they see you on video.
Build websites
The first time I saw the backend of Wordpress, I nearly cried.
Wtf do all these words mean?
And wtf is SEO?
What I soon found out was that I’d picked the most un-user friendly website builder for my first ever site. I did too much googling and too much listening to ‘you need a website that you can add XYZ widgets to’. The result was an ugly website with crappy stock images.
But when I discovered there were far nicer platforms out there, I switched to Squarespace. And then I built 4 other sites for VAs I mentored. So I wasn’t as shit with tech as I thought I was!
The lesson: You don’t need to build a big website from scratch on a complicated system. Use a simple, easy to use 1 page website builder (or an easy to use full website builder, like Squarespace). I feel so strongly about this that there are 2 website tutorials in The Virtual Assistant Toolkit)
Learning how to create workflows in Dubsado
Wtf is Dubsado?
And wtf is a workflow?
These are questions I asked a lot when I kept seeing the ‘Dubsado’ crop up on Instagram. And if you are as miffed as I was, Dubsado is an all in one workflow automation tool. Lots of online business owners use them to automate their client journey, but it can be a bit of a beast to set up.
The first time I logged on I nearly cried (actually, I think I did actually cry at one point). But I then went on to master it and sell 2 Dubsado set-ups. And 2 of my new clients have asked if I can help on their Dubsado workflows too, so I get to put these skills to good use even more.
Learning more tech tools that I can mention is something I’m especially proud of. I came from a corporate background with no tech experience beyond Microsoft Office, and I didn’t think I’d ever be someone who considered themselves as techy.
But tech skills are in high demand, and the more techy you become, the more you can charge.
The lesson: Tech doesn’t need to be scary or complicated. And you don’t need to have a certification to learn a tool and then use it for your clients. Oh, and you can charge more as a techy VA.
Earning a good income (not just a ‘getting by’ income)
I didn’t know much about the VA business model back in 2016 but from what I gathered I should find clients on Twitter (erm….) and/or on UpWork (erm…..) and take any work that came my way (erm…..)
Was that true? No.
Could I make the money I wanted as a VA? Yes.
Can you do that too? Yes.
Last month I signed 3 new clients in the space of a week. And every single one of them wasn’t the slightest bit bothered by my hourly rate.
The lesson: There is an abundance of clients out there. And when you’re a good VA and do a bloody good job, clients will happily pay for your support.
Don’t let anyone else tell you otherwise.
I would love to know which of these resonated with you the most. What are you looking forward to achieving, even if it feels a bit scary now? Pop it in the comments so I can give be your virtual cheerleader!
