The No Frills VA Podcast

In this episode, AVA Founder & CEO, Melissa Smith shares her love of networking and how to consistently network in order to build your business. In this week’s episode, Melissa shares:1:02 - Why she started networking;1:50 - How Melissa discovered the value of having even a small network;2:50 - The kind of networking Melissa does not enjoy;3:35 - Specific purpose networking;7:57 - Why it’s no one’s job to refer your business;8:25 - How Melissa stays connected to her network;9:15 - Asking for referrals;12:32 - Networking too late;13:00 - Knowing why you want to network;13:26 - Knowing what you give when networking;14:10 - How to know if your networking is successful;15:45 - Networking consistently;17:15 - Putting bad networking events into perspective;Why do you network?Prefer to watch the video? Click here to watch it by visiting our YouTube channel. Remember to subscribe to our channel so you get notified of future videos.Connect with Melissa on social media!Instagram: @melissasmithva LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissasmiththepva/Like the podcast? Want more with VAs like yourself? Join the AVA when membership opens up again. We’re at associationofvas.com. We’d also love for you to share! You can tag us at @associationofvas on social media.Support the show

In this episode, AVA Founder & CEO, Melissa Smith shares the struggle, pain, persistence, lessons learned, and the ultimate joy if you have a business that is growing slowly.In this week’s episode, Melissa shares:2:07 - What drives Melissa;3:03 - Why growing your business slowly affects all business owners;4:05 - Coping with slow growth;6:40 - The great thing about slow growth;9:44 - How Melissa knew her business was growing every single day;11:15 - Harnessing a gardener’s mindset;13:15 - Asking yourself what is the lesson to be learned;16:05 - Why growing your business slowly isn’t the worst thing in the world;What lessons are you learning from growing your business slowly?Prefer to watch the video? Click here to watch it by visiting our YouTube channel. Remember to subscribe to our channel so you get notified of future videos.Connect with Melissa on social media!Instagram: @melissasmithva LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissasmiththepva/Like the podcast? Want more with VAs like yourself? Join the AVA when membership opens up again. We’re at associationofvas.com. We’d also love for you to share! You can tag us at @associationofvas on social media.Support the show

In this episode, AVA Founder & CEO, Melissa Smith shares her thoughts on vacationing as a VA.In this week’s episode, Melissa shares:1:35 - The importance of knowing yourself;2:44 - Where to start in vacationing planning;5:40 - What VAs usually leave out of vacation planning;8:50 - The most important part of a vacation;9:42 - The best vacation plan;How do you set yourself up for vacation success?Prefer to watch the video? Click here to watch it by visiting our YouTube channel. Remember to subscribe to our channel so you get notified of future videos.Connect with Melissa on social media!Instagram: @melissasmithva LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissasmiththepva/Like the podcast? Want more with VAs like yourself? Join the AVA when membership opens up again. We’re at associationofvas.com. We’d also love for you to share! You can tag us at @associationofvas on social media.Support the show

In this episode, AVA Founder & CEO, Melissa Smith shares the great thing about making mistakes and how all mistakes are not created equal.In this week’s episode, Melissa shares:0:55 - Why Melissa wants you to make mistakes;2:15 - The place Melissa leads from;3:15 - Flipping the script on the mistake warnings;4:57 - Why someone else’s mistake is not yours;6:08 - The type of people Melissa loves to work with;6:58 - Why you shouldn’t focus on mistakes;9:12 - Seeing mistakes as a bump in the road;Have you ever made a “mistake” that worked in your favor?Prefer to watch the video? Click here to watch it by visiting our YouTube channel. Remember to subscribe to our channel so you get notified of future videos.Connect with Melissa on social media!Instagram: @melissasmithva LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissasmiththepva/Like the podcast? Want more with VAs like yourself? Join the AVA when membership opens up again. We’re at associationofvas.com. We’d also love for you to share! You can tag us at @associationofvas on social media.Support the show

In this episode, AVA Founder & CEO, Melissa Smith shares how to recognize when your ceiling becomes your floor and how to frame your mindset to take your business to the next level.In this week’s episode, Melissa shares:1:07 - What it means to have your ceiling become your floor;3:53 - The danger of not recognizing when your ceiling dropped;4:25 - Rethinking and starting over;5:15 - What it means to take your business to the next level;6:28 - The great misconception regarding starting over;9:41 - Why set it and forget it doesn’t work in business;8:53 - The power of reflecting on past achievements;10:18 - Melissa’s hope for your next level business;How did you know when your ceiling became your floor?Prefer to watch the video? Click here to watch it by visiting our YouTube channel. Remember to subscribe to our channel so you get notified of future videos.Connect with Melissa on social media!Instagram: @melissasmithva LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissasmiththepva/Like the podcast? Want more with VAs like yourself? Join the AVA when membership opens up again. We’re at associationofvas.com. We’d also love for you to share! You can tag us at @associationofvas on social media.Support the show

In this episode, AVA Founder & CEO, Melissa Smith shares how turning your soft skills into power skills will transform your business, making you more powerful and confident.In this week’s episode, Melissa shares:0:50 - The purpose of turning soft skills into power skills;2:10 - What happens when we feel powerless;4:15 - Smiling as a power skill;6:05 - Keeping a compliment journal to find your powerful value;6:38 - What happens when all you look for are dollar signs;7:20 - How learning to celebrate ALL your wins is powerful;8:53 - The power in reflecting on past achievements;9:45 - Powerfully replacing negative thoughts;13:30 - How to powerfully build yourself up;What is your power skill?Prefer to watch the video? Click here to watch it by visiting our YouTube channel. Remember to subscribe to our channel so you get notified of future videos.Connect with Melissa on social media!Instagram: @melissasmithva LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissasmiththepva/Like the podcast? Want more with VAs like yourself? Join the AVA when membership opens up again. We’re at associationofvas.com. We’d also love for you to share! You can tag us at @associationofvas on social media.Support the show

In this episode, AVA Founder & CEO, Melissa Smith shares not only the problems but the dangers of trying to convince clients and potential clients that you are their VA.In this week’s episode, Melissa shares:1:10 - How to really define a client;1:30 - The real problem with convincing;3:30 - The secret dangers in trying to convince a potential client;5:20 - The red flag you need to watch out for;Do you struggle with trying to convince potential clients?Prefer to watch the video? Click here to watch it by visiting our YouTube channel. Remember to subscribe to our channel so you get notified of future videos.Connect with Melissa on social media!Instagram: @melissasmithva LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissasmiththepva/Like the podcast? Want more with VAs like yourself? Join the AVA when membership opens up again. We’re at associationofvas.com. We’d also love for you to share! You can tag us at @associationofvas on social media.Support the show

In this episode, AVA Founder & CEO, Melissa Smith shares the different types of confidence and how to use them to your advantage. What kind of confidence do you have?In this week’s episode, Melissa shares:1:26 - Why we need to understand more about confidence itself;1:45 - The different types of confidence;7:25 - What confidence really is;9:15 - Having confidence in what you don’t enjoy;What type of confidence do you use most often?Prefer to watch the video? Click here to watch it by visiting our YouTube channel. Remember to subscribe to our channel so you get notified of future videos.Connect with Melissa on social media!Instagram: @melissasmithva LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissasmiththepva/Like the podcast? Want more with VAs like yourself? Join the AVA when membership opens up again. We’re at associationofvas.com. We’d also love for you to share! You can tag us at @associationofvas on social media.Support the show

In this episode, AVA Founder & CEO, Melissa Smith wants to know if you’re navigating your VA business based on assumptions or with the spirit of curiosity.In this week’s episode, Melissa shares:0:45 - What Melissa offers to VAs in order for them to navigate their businesses;1:11 - Why we need roadmaps;1:55 - The problem with basing your business on assumptions;3:43 - What to do instead of assuming;6:13 - The questions to bring out curiosity;6:40 - Setting your intentions to be surprised;How has curiosity surprised you in your business?Prefer to watch the video? Click here to watch it by visiting our YouTube channel. Remember to subscribe to our channel so you get notified of future videos.Connect with Melissa on social media!Instagram: @melissasmithva LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissasmiththepva/Like the podcast? Want more with VAs like yourself? Join the AVA when membership opens up again. We’re at associationofvas.com. We’d also love for you to share! You can tag us at @associationofvas on social media.Support the show

In this episode, AVA Founder & CEO, Melissa Smith is flipping the script on Disasters, Disappointments & Defeats. She will challenge your mindset, as well as your response. In this week’s episode, Melissa shares:1:09 - What all these things have in common;1:54 - The opportunity you may not see at first glance;2:45 - What Melissa encourages you to do;4:55 - Melissa’s response to pick herself up;6:39 - What really defines you in these moments;What do you do when you have disasters, disappointments, and defeats?Prefer to watch the video? Click here to watch it by visiting our YouTube channel. Remember to subscribe to our channel so you get notified of future videos.Connect with Melissa on social media!Instagram: @melissasmithva LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissasmiththepva/Like the podcast? Want more with VAs like yourself? Join the AVA when membership opens up again. We’re at associationofvas.com. We’d also love for you to share! You can tag us at @associationofvas on social media.Support the show

In this episode, AVA Founder & CEO, Melissa Smith is asking how you are Making Your Requests Known. Plus, she’ll share how to know if it’s working or not.In this week’s episode, Melissa shares:0:44 - Why this profound question should be answered with a yes or no;1:40 - The importance of making your requests known;5:08 - How making your requests known applies to your VA business;6:23 - What makes a good request;7:34 - The underestimation VAs often make;8:43 - What to be concerned about (it’s not being salesy!);10:16 - Why Melissa wants you to make your requests known;How will you make your requests known?Prefer to watch the video? Click here to watch it by visiting our YouTube channel. Remember to subscribe to our channel so you get notified of future videos.Connect with Melissa on social media!Instagram: @melissasmithva LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissasmiththepva/Like the podcast? Want more with VAs like yourself? Join the AVA when membership opens up again. We’re at associationofvas.com. We’d also love for you to share! You can tag us at @associationofvas on social media.Support the show

In this episode, AVA Founder & CEO, Melissa Smith shares her word for 2023 and what it means.  In this week’s episode, Melissa shares:0:43 - A reminder of her word from 2022;2:08 - Why she gives herself a year to live to out her word;3:35 - How Melissa picked her word for 2023;4:55 - Melissa’s word for 2023 and what it means;6:56 - What she encourages you to do with your word;What is your word for 2023?Prefer to watch the video? Click here to watch it by visiting our YouTube channel. Remember to subscribe to our channel so you get notified of future videos.Connect with Melissa on social media!Instagram: @melissasmithva LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissasmiththepva/Like the podcast? Want more with VAs like yourself? Join the AVA when membership opens up again. We’re at associationofvas.com. We’d also love for you to share! You can tag us at @associationofvas on social media.Support the show

In this episode, AVA Founder & CEO, Melissa Smith shares why she’s already overwhelmed this year and what she’s doing about it. It can work for you too! In this week’s episode, Melissa shares:0:45 - Why she is overwhelmed;1:02 - Where the overwhelm is coming from;2:55 - Why goals are goals, not deadlines;3:15 - What to do when you’re overwhelmed;5:25 - Why you don’t need to overwhelm yourself;What’s your best tip to beat feeling overwhelmed?Prefer to watch the video? Click here to watch it by visiting our YouTube channel. Remember to subscribe to our channel so you get notified of future videos.Connect with Melissa on social media!Instagram: @melissasmithva LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissasmiththepva/Like the podcast? Want more with VAs like yourself? Join the AVA when membership opens up again. We’re at associationofvas.com. We’d also love for you to share! You can tag us at @associationofvas on social media.Support the show

This month we’ve been bringing you the best of the best episodes of the year from the No Frills VA Podcast. Coming in at #3 is: Natural Born Leader with Latrice Prater. Latrice Prater is the CEO of The Digital Solutions Team, an agency providing tech solutions to female business owners. In this episode, Latrice shares her journey of solo VA to creating a team of 14 in just two years!If you want to be inspired just listen to this episode with Latrice and learn how far she’s come in a short amount of time then go follow her and see how much she still continues to strive for. Latrice will be the first to tell you it’s not always pretty and it’s not always easy, but it’s always worth it. Listen (or listen again) to her inspiring journey. In this episode, Latrice shares:2:20 - Latrice’s background prior to becoming a VA;2:41 - Why Latrice desired to become her own boss;3:30 - The mindset work Latrice did to prepare herself for business;4:21 - The power in being 100% authentic and transparent; 12:53 - How Latrice ensures her clients meet her values;18:15 - How Latrice went from no plans of having a team to hiring six people in six months;25:13 - Latrice’s struggle in delegating to her team;27:57 - The benefit of having started 10 businesses prior to her VA business;30:52  - Finding success and a winning strategy with ADHD;34:40 - Why even good CEOs want to throw their business away!Prefer to watch the video? Click here to view it on our Youtube channel and don’t forget to subscribe.Past Podcast & Blogs featuring Latrice:FREEDOM TO DESIGN YOUR LIFEBLACK HISTORY MONTH & VIRTUAL ASSISTANTS-CELEBRATING LATRICE PRATERBLACK HISTORY MONTH & VIRTUAL ASSISTANTS Connect with Latrice!Website: https://www.thedigitalsolutionsteam.com/Linkedin:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/latrice-prater/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vasupport4her/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/virtualsolutionsforher Like the podcast? Want more with VAs like yourself? Join the AVA when we open membership again! We’re at associationofvas.com. We’d also love for you to share! You can tag us at @associationofvas on social media.Support the show

This month we’re bringing you the best of the best episodes of the year from the No Frills VA Podcast. Coming in at #2 is: Transforming Your Life & Mind with Sherry Parks. Sherry is a CPA, a money mindset coach, and a certified Life Coach who helps clients escape feeling trapped by their finances.  She is passionate about helping them change their mindset, emotions, and actions regarding money. It’s always a good time to transform your life and mind and reach your next level in life and in business. Listen (or listen again) to this transformational episode. In this episode, Sherry shares:1:17 - How Melissa found Sherry;2:14 - Sherry’s background;5:07 - Why Sherry became a life coach;9:09 - How Sherry defines abundance;14:40 - Using affirmations to change your patterns;18:48 - What Sherry is looking for when she creates affirmations with her clients;20:00 - How Sherry uses emotions and actions to change mindsets;24:23 - What we can do to make mindset shifts;25:54 - The opportunity of being uncomfortable;29:44 - What we can do now to no longer feel trapped by finances;30:14 - How to get clarity on what you really want;Prefer to watch the video? Click here to watch it by visiting our YouTube channel. Remember to subscribe to our channel so you get notified of future videos.Connect with Sherry!https://www.facebook.com/groups/1412224992154642 ttps://www.facebook.com/sherry.parks.965www.livesinbalance.com Mentioned in the show:The Big Leap by Gay Hendricks8 Hacks to Attract Abundance - Sherry ParksLike the podcast? Want more with VAs like yourself? Join the AVA when we open membership again! We’re at associationofvas.com. We’d also love for you to share! You can tag us at @associationofvas on social media.Support the show

This month we’re bringing you the best of the best episodes of the year from the No Frills VA Podcast. Coming in at #1 is: How to Find What Your Clients Truly Value. This is a very popular topic among VAs so it’s no surprise this episode received the most downloads of the year. Listen (or listen again) as AVA Founder & CEO, Melissa Smith shares how she unexpectedly found out how to find what clients truly value and how you can too! In this episode, Melissa shares:0:47 - What Melissa struggled with when she first started her business;1:58 - A time when Melissa was floored by what someone valued;3:45 - The value of being a seat filler;5:00 - What you can do to find value;6:14 - The point of finding what clients value;7:50 - The only way to know what clients value most;9:12 - Finding the sweet spot of speaking value;What’s your story about finding value?Prefer to watch the video? Click here to watch it by visiting our YouTube channel. Remember to subscribe to our channel so you get notified of future videos.Connect with Melissa on social media!Instagram: @melissasmithva LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissasmiththepva/Like the podcast? Want more with VAs like yourself? Join the AVA when we open membership again! We’re at associationofvas.com. We’d also love for you to share! You can tag us at @associationofvas on social media.Support the show

In this episode, AVA Founder & CEO, Melissa Smith shares why the practice of gratitude is not enough unless you return kindness to yourself. In this week’s episode, Melissa shares:0:43 - How returning kindness to yourself is part of the gratitude process;1:37 - How VAs return kindness to others but not themselves;2:25 - Areas where VAs can but usually don’t return kindness to themselves;3:03 - How you can be kind to yourself even in failure;5:22 - How you can be kind to yourself when you don’t hit your goal;6:37 - Being kind to yourself when you’re afraid;8:00 - Why your future self needs kindness;How will you return kindness to yourself?Prefer to watch the video? Click here to watch it by visiting our YouTube channel. Remember to subscribe to our channel so you get notified of future videos.Connect with Melissa on social media!Instagram: @melissasmithva LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissasmiththepva/Like the podcast? Want more with VAs like yourself? Join the AVA when membership opens up again. We’re at associationofvas.com. We’d also love for you to share! You can tag us at @associationofvas on social media.Support the show

Dorie Clark is the Wall Street Journal bestselling author of The Long Game and teaches for Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business.In this episode Dorie shares:3:29 - What it means to be a short-term thinker;6:41 - Why we should be excited about exponential growth;10:45 - The trade-off of being bad in order to be great;16:55 - How we can think in decades;22:09 - Learning to deal with obstacles differently;28:52 - Dorie’s advice to those with shiny object syndrome;37:26 - What to do when you don’t know where to start;The Long Game Self-Assessment: https://dorieclark.com/thelonggame/ Dorie’s Books: https://dorieclark.com/books/ Prefer to watch the video? Click here to watch it by visiting our YouTube channel. Remember to subscribe to our channel so you get notified of future videos.Connect with Dorie!Twitter: https://twitter.com/dorieclarkLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/doriec/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dorieclarkauthor/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dorieclark/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/DorieClarkLike the podcast? Want more with VAs like yourself? Join the AVA when we open membership again! We’re at associationofvas.com. We’d also love for you to share! You can tag us at @associationofvas on social media.Support the show

In this episode, AVA Founder & CEO, Melissa Smith dares you to be brave enough to create a 20-year plan for your life.In this week’s episode, Melissa shares:1:52 - Why this isn’t your normal VA plan;2:42 - Why knowing full plan details isn’t brave;4:57 - What your 20 year plan represents;6:20 - Melissa shares her very first 20 year plan;9:16 - The next 20 years;Are you brave enough?Prefer to watch the video? Click here to watch it by visiting our YouTube channel. Remember to subscribe to our channel so you get notified of future videos.There’s No Plan B for Your A-Game: Be the Best in the World at What You DoConnect with Melissa on social media!Instagram: @melissasmithva LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissasmiththepva/Like the podcast? Want more with VAs like yourself? Join the AVA when membership opens up again. We’re at associationofvas.com. We’d also love for you to share! You can tag us at @associationofvas on social media.Support the show

In this episode, AVA Founder & CEO, Melissa Smith shares why this time of year is the perfect time to say a good goodbye.In this week’s episode, Melissa shares:0:58 - Why it’s always a good time to ask yourself if you need a good goodbye;1:20 - What a good goodbye is;2:24 - Melissa shares one of her most profound good goodbyes;4:44 - Why good goodbyes can be challenging;5:45 - The importance of marking your good goodbye with an occasion;6:35 - What a good goodbye is not;What are saying goodbye to and saying hello to in the coming year?Prefer to watch the video? Click here to watch it by visiting our YouTube channel. Remember to subscribe to our channel so you get notified of future videos.The Good Goodbye: How to Navigate Change and Loss in Life, Love, and WorkConnect with Melissa on social media!Instagram: @melissasmithva LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissasmiththepva/Like the podcast? Want more with VAs like yourself? Join the AVA when membership opens up again. We’re at associationofvas.com. We’d also love for you to share! You can tag us at @associationofvas on social media.Support the show