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A Better Way to Measure Your Success as a VA

When I ask you if your VA business is successful, how do you measure that? Some of the common ways people measure success are: how much revenue they are bringing in, how profitable they are, how many clients they have. And we always talk about growing. Growth. Building our business. It can kind of be daunting to always talk about growing. That’s why when I learned something new this week, I wanted to make sure to share it with you. Dan Sullivan and Ben Hardy are the authors of a great book called The Gap and the Gain. We recently read it in my business book club. The concept is super simple, but so amazing. It’s this: when we talk… Read More »A Better Way to Measure Your Success as a VA

How to Improve Your Self-Confidence As a VA

How would you rate your self-confidence as a Virtual Assistant? Are you near the top of the scale? Or are you closer to the bottom? If you’re near the bottom, don’t worry – it’s not just you (and it’s easier to fix than you think!) I read the most interesting fact recently. Most women won’t apply for a job unless they meet 100 per cent of the qualifications. Men will respond if they have only 60 per cent of the qualifications. Well it was a fact shared by Sheryl Sandberg, but I can tell you in my experience that it’s absolutely true. I see VAs all the time who will not put their hat in the ring for an RFP… Read More »How to Improve Your Self-Confidence As a VA

Stop Doing This Now To Become a Better Virtual Assistant

You teach people how to treat you (especially as a VA). This lesson was engrained in me by one of my business coaches, many years ago. When I got into business, I didn’t know how to be a business person. I am guessing it was the same for you. I knew how to be an assistant – doing whatever my ‘boss’ (client) needed done. I was very good, though. I could anticipate a lot of things. One of my managers called me ‘Radar’ like the character on the tv show M*A*S*H. I could get things done for him before he even knew he needed them. I was an excellent assistant. When you make the leap to becoming a Virtual Assistant,… Read More »Stop Doing This Now To Become a Better Virtual Assistant

Are You Still Afraid to Niche Down Your VA Services?

Fear of niching down is very common for Virtual Assistants. Is it for you? Every time I ask VAs who their target market is, or what their service offerings are, and I get a vague answer, I know they are afraid to specialize in one or the other. I ask them, of course, why they haven’t defined those things, and they tell me that they don’t know yet, or they don’t want to miss out on clients, or they don’t want to say no to someone who asks them for help. The funny thing is that you never have to say no to someone if you want to work with them – ever! And honestly, if you have a business… Read More »Are You Still Afraid to Niche Down Your VA Services?

Is Your Virtual Assistant Business Profitable?

Is your VA business profitable? Sure, you may be making money because your clients are paying you, but are you keeping as much money as you should be? Profitability isn’t usually something that comes to mind when you are operating a service-based business. We always say we trade our time for dollars. And we do, as Virtual Assistants. Whether you are charging by the hour, by the task, by retainer or by the project, you are still doing work in return for money. Our rates are all based on how long it takes us to get something done. So we don’t think of our business in terms of profit. But we should! Your business should be profitable, like any other… Read More »Is Your Virtual Assistant Business Profitable?

5 Steps Virtual Assistants Need to Take to Fix Mistakes

We all make mistakes. It’s how you handle them that can set you apart from your Virtual Assistant colleagues. What do you do when something goes wrong for one of your clients? • Maybe you have sent something out with a typo or a broken link on it.• Maybe you have answered a client request incorrectly.• Maybe you charged a client the wrong amount for something they bought.• Maybe you forgot to schedule important social media posts.• Maybe you have taken three times as long to complete a task as they budgeted.• Or maybe you have done something differently than what the client expected you to do. The list can go on. We are all human, including our clients. Mistakes… Read More »5 Steps Virtual Assistants Need to Take to Fix Mistakes

Setting Goals to Find Virtual Assistant Clients

If you are struggling to find clients for your VA business, it could be the way you are going about it that just needs a little work. I talked to a VA this week that was trying to connect with potential clients, but she wasn’t having any luck. She didn’t have a real plan or strategy. She didn’t have a goal. And as a result, she was spending a lot of time, getting nowhere. Setting goals is a really helpful way to make finding clients easier. How does it work? When you set a goal, you create a focus – a target that you can follow – and follow up on. Goal setting is much like a roadmap. If you… Read More »Setting Goals to Find Virtual Assistant Clients

Create an Onboarding Process for Your VA Clients

First impressions matter, in every relationship – but especially in business. When a client has paid you money or agreed to work with you, their expectations kick into gear immediately. If you aren’t providing a great first impression, you could be losing a bit of your client’s trust before you even start working together. Have you developed a great onboarding process for your new clients? If you haven’t, I have some great tips for you. Your process for onboarding clients should be all about clarity and communication. 1. Send a welcome letter or email. Once a client agrees to work with you, clearly outline what comes next for them. Be succinct in your emails – try not to get too… Read More »Create an Onboarding Process for Your VA Clients