The Ridiculously Good Virtual Assistant Show

If you are asking yourself, I am so busy with VA work, I feel like I'm running to catch up all the time? you are in the right place. Mastering time management is far and away one of the best things you can learn to do as a VA. If you are struggling with it, grab a coffee and settle in. The quote for today I think is especially relevant when we talk about time management: "Until we can manage time, we can manage nothing else." And I think that is particularly true when you run a virtual assistant business. Because when you work for yourself, there is no one standing over your shoulder telling you what needs to be done next. There is no manager handing you a schedule. There isn't necessarily a set time when your workday begins and ends. That freedom is one of the best things about being a VA. It can also be one of the most challenging. I always say that when you are a VA time is money – it is your time, and your client's money. So it really is kind of more important than just time management when you think about it, because it doesn't just affect you – it affects them. As a VA, you suddenly have client work, emails, messages, meetings, bookkeeping, marketing, social media, proposals, networking, professional development, your own business administration, and probably a whole list of things you would like to get done soon, someday, or farther in the future. Your time has to be split up between your family, your home, appointments, errands, dinner, maybe kids, maybe pets, maybe a million other things that have absolutely nothing to do with your VA business but still need your attention. Today I want to talk about how to manage your time like a pro as a busy VA. And when I say "like a pro," I don't mean that you need to become obsessed with productivity or squeeze every possible minute out of your day. That would probably make things worse, to be honest. What I mean is knowing what deserves your time, protecting that time, and making intentional decisions about what you are not going to spend your time doing. It's a much different approach. Master your time management and you will be managing your business, and your life better. If you need help figuring that out, get in touch with me. You can find me at YourVAMentor.com/links. I'd love to help you become a ridiculously good virtual assistant. Time management is one of the BEST things you can get better at. Time IS money and when you master is, you will wonder how you ever did things any other way. That's all I've got for you this week. Thanks so much for tuning in – I will see you next time!

If you are a new virtual assistant and you are sitting there wondering, "Okay, but how do I actually get my first client?" this episode is for you. I'm so glad you found me! Today I want to talk about how to get your first (or next!) VA client, even if you have no idea how. Here is usually what happens. You decide you want to become a VA. Maybe you take a course. Maybe you took my Getting Started as a VA course! You start researching services. You set up your business. You create a website. You make a social media account. You spend a huge (probably embarassing) amount of time choosing fonts and colours. And then eventually you look at your beautiful new business and think, "Okay... now what?" How do I actually get somebody to pay me? And that is where a lot of new VAs get stuck. Not because they are incapable of getting clients. Not because there are no clients out there. And not because they need another six months of training. They are stuck because nobody has really explained what getting your first client actually looks like. There is no magical button that says "find me a client." There is no secret website where all of the business owners who need a VA are waiting for you to arrive. And you certainly do not need to have your entire business figured out before you start. In fact, one of the biggest mistakes I see new VAs make is believing they need to know exactly what they are doing before they can start looking for that first client. You don't. You need to know enough to help someone with something they actually need help with. That's a very different thing. So today I want to walk you through how you can start looking for your first VA client, even if you feel like you have absolutely no idea what you are doing. Trying to find a client, whether it's your first or next, is about taking action right now, with what you have and where you are. You don't need to become someone else, you don't need to learn anything new, you just need to start those conversations. Talk to people about what they need, and let them know if you can help. If you need help figuring out how to begin those conversations, reach out to me. You can find me at YourVAMentor.com/links. That's all I've got for you this week, thank you so much for tuning in. I'll see you next time!

So we started with a quote from Peter Pan today but I thought it was just fitting for the topic. No, Peter Pan wasn't talking about building a virtual assistant business when he said that, but I think sometimes the biggest thing standing between you and the next level in your business isn't a lack of skill. It isn't a lack of experience, or even a lack of clients. Sometimes, it is just the story you're telling yourself about whether you are good enough to be there. I see this happening all the time with VAs. And if you've ever thought things like, "Who am I to charge that much?" or "There are so many VAs who are better than me," or "I don't think I'm ready for that client," or "What if they hire me and then realize I don't actually know what I'm doing?", then today's episode is for you. We're talking about imposter syndrome. I know I talk about this often, but it's because I had yet another conversation with a VA just last week about this same topic. It comes up so often I need to make sure that I'm helping you through it. More specifically, today I want to talk about how to recognize when imposter syndrome is showing up in your business, how to identify when it is actually a confidence problem (and when it's not), and most importantly, how to keep moving forward when your brain is telling you that you're not ready. Feeling like an imposter doesn't mean you actually are one. It is very important to make that distinction. Here's what I want to leave you with today: You can not be the finished version of yourself where you are in your business. You can only be where you are. You are allowed to learn, to make mistakes and to not know something. You are allowed to ask questions. You are allowed to charge appropriately for your service offerings. You are allowed to call yourself an expert, a professional. You are allowed to want more. And you are definitely allowed to feel nervous doing all of this. It doesn't mean you shouldn't do it. It doesn't mean you aren't capable. Feeling like an imposter doesn't make you an imposter. It just means you are moving outside of your comfort zone – which is where the growth happens! All you need to do is to take the next step. Not the next 10, just the next 1! Step by step, that's the way you walk forward. If you need help telling your brain that you can fly, reach out to chat with me. I'm here to help. It's the only reason I'm here at all is to help you become a ridiculously good virtual assistant. Go to YourVAMentor.com/links to find out how to connect with me and work with me. I look forward to chatting with you! That's all I've got for you this week, I'll see you next time!

Today's episode is a little about me, and a little about you!  We are talking about being authentically you in your business – and therefore in your marketing (so that people can get to know you!) Last month I had coffee with two people who had a huge impact on my business many years ago. They were Paige Stapleton and Brian Stark, my very first business coaches, and their brand when we worked together was Authentic Marketing. I learned a lot about it – and it has stuck with me ever since. Marketing is not about pretending to be someone you're not. It's about being you. And when I had coffee with them again after so many years, it drove home a reminder for me – that so many VAs are still making marketing so much harder than it needs to be. Marketing doesn't have to feel fake. It doesn't have to feel salesy. It doesn't have to make you feel uncomfortable. The most powerful marketing you'll ever create is simply letting people get to know the real you. Authentically you! It's not about posting, it's not about marketing, it's about being noticed and remembered. When you change your goal to that, everything works better. If you need help with your marketing, your messaging, or getting clients, be sure to reach out to connect with me wherever you are online. You can find me at YourVAMentor.com/links. That's all I've got for you this week! I'll see you next time!

Today I want to talk about marketing. VAs tell me, "I know I should be marketing my business... I just don't know what to post." Business owners tell me that too! If you've ever said that, it's not just you. It's a big reason that business owners - and definitely VAs - stay inconsistent and invisible on social media. They sit down, open Facebook or LinkedIn, stare at the screen for a few minutes, can't think of anything brilliant to say... and close the app. Or worse they sit there for an hour and waste their time, still not really posting anything that will work for them. They promise themselves they'll do it tomorrow. Tomorrow becomes next week. Next week becomes next month. Before they know it, they've practically disappeared. And then what happens? They panic because they don't have clients! They know they have to do marketing, so they spend an entire Sunday trying to create content, update their profile, redesign their graphics, and suddenly become visible again. Guess what? Marketing doesn't work well when it's something you only do when business is quiet.  It works when you make it a habit. When you take daily actions. If you need help figuring out your daily actions, reach out to me. Maybe you can jump in to our Get Your First (Or Next!) Great Client live workshop! It's taking place on August 19th and you can register at the early bird price of just $50 right now! Check it out at https://YourVAMentor.com/first-or-next Stop struggling, just learn what you need to do to start connecting with your best clients - and start signing them! That's all I've got for you this week, I'll see you next time!