business strategy tips for vas

3 Simple Tips To Value Your Virtual Assistant Clients

Without clients we don’t have a VA business. So we need to be sure we appreciate our clients – even on the difficult days! Your clients are the people who pay you money to do what you love. We appreciate that, of course, because we need them to keep doing that so we can stay in business. But it is important to nurture your client relationships to make our daily work more enjoyable too. Whether your relationship is in the beginning stages, or has existed for a long time, focus on how valuable the client is. When you first start working with someone there is always a learning curve as you get to know each other, and communication is really… Read More »3 Simple Tips To Value Your Virtual Assistant Clients

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7 Communication Tips to Make You a Better VA

Do you think of yourself as a good communicator? To work virtually like we all do as VAs, communication is one of the most important skills you should build. I often get asked what the most important skill is for a Virtual Assistant to have. Hands down I would say good communication skills – actually GREAT communication skills. When we work mostly virtually (usually via email or a project management system), how we work with clients comes down to how well we understand each other. You need to understand what your clients are asking you to do. Your clients need to understand how or when you work as well as when you will deliver, and how to get what they… Read More »7 Communication Tips to Make You a Better VA

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7 Tips to Being a Great Subcontractor VA

When you start your Virtual Assistant business, you usually have visions of working with great clients and making a good living. You may realize quickly that it’s a lot more work than anyone told you, and getting clients is hard. Without a plan and a strategy, it can be an uphill battle to fill your client roster. Maybe it’s your lack of confidence that is holding you back. Maybe you are an introvert and you find the networking part scary. Sometimes we just love to do the work but finding the clients is exhausting. Subcontracting for another VA is a great way to be a VA without having to do the stuff that is challenging for you. But it’s not… Read More »7 Tips to Being a Great Subcontractor VA

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When Is It Time for a Virtual Assistant to Hire a Coach?

If you are spinning your wheels in your VA business, it might be time to start working with a coach. Now I know I’m a Virtual Assistant coach, but this is not an article trying to convince you to hire me! What I want to talk to you about today is how to figure out when it might be time for you to hire someone to coach you (me, or someone else!). Because the time is not always right. But sometimes it is. Many people I talk to about coaching are happy when they realize I am not a high pressure kind of coach, who tells you that you need coaching for every little thing in your business. But I… Read More »When Is It Time for a Virtual Assistant to Hire a Coach?

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Rental cars and fire alarms: how to adapt when things go wrong

What do you do when things don’t go exactly the way you plan them? Stay on your path no matter what obstacles get in your way! See if you can find the path through whatever is going wrong. I am a planner. I like to be ready for what is coming. But sometimes things don’t go according to plan. Here’s a little story on how you can keep going when things seem like they are not quite right. I was recently getting ready to travel to Toronto for a speaking engagement with the Association of Administrative Professionals Toronto Chapter. Sure it’s a long way for me to go for a talk, but it’s a group that I have built a… Read More »Rental cars and fire alarms: how to adapt when things go wrong

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3 More Reasons Your Business is Stuck (and how to fix them!)

Last week we talked about 3 ways your business is stuck and what to do about them. Feeling stuck in your business manifests itself in many ways: lack of revenue, lack of clients (or lack of good clients), exhaustion, burnout, and more. No matter what is making you feel stuck, you just need to focus on one problem at a time and fix it. So what is keeping you stuck? As I promised, here are three more reasons!  1. You are focused on your rate, and not your value.  Virtual Assistants are service professionals, and so it can be very common to trade time for money. It’s also a really easy way to set your business up when you first… Read More »3 More Reasons Your Business is Stuck (and how to fix them!)

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3 Reasons Your Business is Stuck (and what you can do about it)

Are you feeling stuck? Do you wake up every morning (or in the middle of the night!) thinking about how tired you are of trying to figure it all out? Not enough clients, not enough money, and you are beginning to dread starting your work day? I’ve got some good news for you. You’re just stuck. You don’t suck. Your business doesn’t suck. And it’s temporary. Because with a little strategy, you can pull yourself out of it, and love your business again. Here are 3 of the most common reasons that your business might be stuck (and what you can do about it!): 1. Your goals are not clear. Do you set goals in your business? Many VAs don’t,… Read More »3 Reasons Your Business is Stuck (and what you can do about it)

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What Firing My House Cleaner Taught Me About Communication

Do you have an onboarding process for a new client? How about for a new team member? When you bring someone in to work with you in any capacity, you should have an intake procedure that helps you get the information you need from them, and give the information to them that they need to do their job properly. What about communication policies? Do you have a set of rules around how you communicate with people in your business? You should be very clear about who does what, and how everyone communicate with each other. I learned a valuable lesson about both of these things recently – and it had nothing to do with clients or team members (well, not really!). It had… Read More »What Firing My House Cleaner Taught Me About Communication

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