Welcome to another episode of the podcast that teaches you how to be a ridiculously good virtual assistant.
Today I want to talk about your mindset around selling your VA services.
Today’s Quote: “Whether you think you can or think you can’t, you’re right.” – Henry Ford
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Connect with Tracey D’Aviero, VA Coach and Trainer
Episode Notes:
Mindset isn’t just some fluffy concept reserved for self-help books and vision boards. It’s the foundation of your business. Your beliefs, your self-talk, your expectations.
These are the things that shape your actions every single day. And in turn, those actions determine the results you get.
In this episode, I want to talk about the one mindset shift that I believe every VA needs to make in order to grow a truly successful business.
Not just a side hustle. Not just a bit of extra income. But a sustainable, fulfilling, well-paying VA business that you’re proud to run.
Let me start with a quick story.
I worked with a VA once who really had it all together – she had figured out her services, set her rates, created packages, published her website, and she really knew how she could help her clients. But she could not put herself out there.
She was such a strong background force for her former employers, and she did a bang up job with everything that she needed to do for her business – except for one thing: talking about herself.
She became totally paralyzed when it came to talking about how good she was at what she did. That mindset comes with thinking you have to ‘sell’ yourself.
We worked together and I helped her realized that she didn’t have to sell anything, she just had to find the people that she could help and become a part of their community. To genuinely help them in that community.
It’s a big shift, and one that often requires support. I help lots of VAs with their mindset. Most of the time you don’t even realize that you are stuck – until we start talking it through!
Most of the VAs I work with already have the knowledge. They’ve taken the courses, they’ve learned the tech, and they’ve even started putting themselves out there. But they still find themselves playing small. They second-guess everything.
They hold back from raising their rates. They hesitate to pitch themselves, to post content, to set boundaries. And when you dig into why, they always say something like, “I don’t feel ready,” or “I’m afraid I’ll lose the client,” or “Who would hire someone like me?”
The truth is, it’s never really about the tools or the systems or the marketing.
Those things matter, yes, but they only work when your mindset is aligned with growth. You have to believe that you deserve success before you’ll actually take the actions that create it.
So what is this mindset shift I keep talking about?
It’s this:
Stop thinking like an employee or a freelancer… and start thinking like a business owner. A real CEO.
When you first become a VA, it’s natural to think like an employee. After all, that’s probably the environment you’ve come from. You’re used to being told what to do, how much you’ll be paid, what your schedule looks like, and whether or not you’re performing well.
But when you start your VA business, that role doesn’t exist anymore.
You’re the one making the decisions. You’re the one deciding your pricing, your services, your hours, your boundaries, your direction. You are not applying for a job, you are offering a solution. You are not hoping to be picked, you are positioning yourself as a business owner who can help solve a problem.
This might seem like a small distinction, but it changes everything.
Because here’s what happens when you think like an employee or a beginner freelancer:
You undercharge. You hesitate to raise your rates, even when your work has clearly outgrown your pricing.
You say yes to every client and every request, even when something doesn’t feel right.
You wait for permission for everything – to launch something, to show up more confidently, to say you’re an expert.
You doubt yourself constantly. You wonder if you’re good enough. You assume other VAs know more than you.
You downplay your business to friends and family, maybe even to yourself.
But when you shift into that CEO mindset, when you own the fact that you are running a business, things start to feel very different.
You start setting boundaries.
You begin to value your time and expertise.
You see client work as collaboration, not applications.
You talk about your business with pride.
You become selective about who you work with and how.
Here’s the reality: if you’re still thinking like an employee, you’re going to attract clients who want to treat you like one.
They’ll micromanage everything you do. They’ll expect you to be on call, or at least at their beckoned call.
They’ll resist or try to negotiate your rates.
They’ll question your decisions, and they’ll ask why or how far too often.
And eventually, you’ll burn out. Or worse, you’ll quit altogether, believing that business ownership just wasn’t for you.
But if you shift your mindset first … if you truly begin to see yourself as a business owner … then you’ll show up differently. And clients will respond to that energy.
It’s true that what you put out there is mirrored back to you.
Let’s talk about some signs that you might not have made this shift yet.
If you’re still charging hourly and constantly working just to break even, you might be stuck in an employee mindset.
If you keep saying yes to clients who aren’t a good fit, or work that doesn’t light you up, because you’re afraid of losing income, that’s a big clue.
If you feel nervous every time you introduce yourself as a virtual assistant, or if you struggle to talk about what you do with confidence, that’s another sign.
If you’re constantly researching and learning, but rarely implementing or promoting your offers, that’s often mindset.
And if you’re waiting for someone to give you permission to charge more, to specialize, or to grow, then this episode is for you.
So how do you actually make this mindset shift?
First, you have to start making decisions like a business owner.
That means asking yourself: what is best for my business? Not just what feels easiest or least scary in the moment. If you’ve been undercharging, it might feel easier to just stay where you are. But what’s best for the business? Raising your rates.
If you’ve been saying yes to every client, even the red-flag ones, it might feel safer not to rock the boat. But what’s best for your business is to work with clients who value you and respect your boundaries.
Second, start thinking in terms of value, not time.
Business owners don’t get paid for the number of hours they sit at their desk. They get paid for the results they provide. So if you’re constantly trying to justify every minute or track every hour, it might be time to reframe how you offer your services.
You are not just a “pair of hands.” You are a partner, a strategist, a contributor to your clients’ success.
Third, take control of client conversations.
A lot of VAs think of discovery calls as interviews where they have to prove themselves.
But when you’re in the CEO mindset, you approach those calls as equals. YOU ask questions. You assess whether the client is a good fit for you. You’re not hoping to be chosen, you’re deciding if this relationship makes sense on both sides.
Fourth, invest like a business owner. That might mean investing in coaching, training, tools, or systems that save you time and help you grow.
Business owners don’t wait until everything is perfect or until they feel “ready.” They take calculated risks. They invest in the next level version of themselves, even before they fully feel like that version yet.
And finally, create daily habits that reinforce this mindset. Track your wins, even the small ones, so you start to build confidence in your own results.
Practice saying no to things that don’t align with your goals. Remind yourself daily: “I run a real business. I’m building something meaningful. I make decisions that support growth.”
Let me give you another example here.
One of the VAs I coached was stuck in employee mindset. She didn’t feel confident setting her rates where she needed them to be. She settled into discovery calls and handled them like interviews where the client asked the questions and then they always nickeled and dimed her where money was concerned.
We worked on her mindset, yes, but we also set her up with the tools that she needed to shift all of this. We calculated the rates she needed to charge in her business. She could clearly see how she needed to charge X dollars because she wanted to pay herself this much, and her expenses were that much.
When she saw the numbers, she knew why her rates were what they were – and it was easier to talk to clients about.
We also looked at who she was connecting with – she had no strategy for finding the clients that were suitable for her, and so she just said yes to everyone. We stopped that too.
And finally I worked with her to create a discovery call checklist that helped her be in charge of the calls – and kept the client on topic, to determine if they were a good fit. No more interviews.
This is what I do to help VAs take charge of their own mindset – and their own mindset. It changes everything when you start showing up differently. You get results. You get clients. Great clients!
When you make this shift, you begin to attract better clients.
You start to feel confident promoting your services. You stop underpricing and overworking. You begin to feel proud of the business you’re building, because it reflects you, your values, and your long-term goals.
And here’s the best part: you don’t need a huge audience or perfect branding or a long list of services to make this shift. You can start today, right where you are, with a simple decision.
So here’s what I want you to do next.
First, write down one belief that’s been holding you back in your VA business. Something like “I’m not experienced enough to charge more,” or “I need to say yes to every client to keep my business going.” Once you have that belief written down, challenge it. Ask yourself: is this actually true? What’s a new belief I could choose instead?
Second, I want you to practice introducing yourself this week. Not as “just a VA” or someone “trying this out”, but as the confident business owner you are. You don’t need to fake anything. Just start owning what you’ve already built.
Third, look at your current services. Are they aligned with the kind of business you want to run? If not, you don’t have to change everything today, but take one small step. Whether it’s changing your rate, refining a package, or simply saying no to a task you’ve outgrown, it counts.
Do You Need Help?
If this episode resonated with you, this is the exact kind of work we do in my coaching programs.
I help VAs just like you shift into that confident business owner mindset, and combine that with practical strategies to attract clients, price your services, and grow sustainably. If that’s something you know you need, reach out to me. I’d love to support you.
I’m here to help – you know that’s the only reason I’m here at all – to help you become a ridiculously good VA.
Remember, you don’t have to wait until you feel confident to act like a business owner.
Confidence comes from taking action. From showing up. From deciding that you’re done playing small.
The shift starts with a choice. And you get to make that choice today.
If I can help, let me know.
In the meantime, be sure to connect with me on your favourite social media platform. Find my links at YourVAMentor.com/links.
That’s all I’ve got for you this time. I’m Tracey D’Aviero, The Confidence Coach for VAs and I’ll see you next time!