Welcome to another episode of the podcast that teaches you how to be a ridiculously good virtual assistant.
Today I want to talk about where to get the best advice for your VA business.
Today’s Quote: Find a group of people who challenge you and inspire you, spend a lot of time with them, and it will change your life. – Amy Poehler
Click the play button above to tune in, or choose your favourite podcast player below:
Connect with Tracey D’Aviero, VA Coach and Trainer
Episode Notes:
Getting advice about your Virtual Assistant business is such an important thing to do, and to plan for.
Two heads are better than one they say and I agree – in most circumstances, I think.
For whatever reason when we are a solopreneur, we think that means we have to do it all alone.
But I’m here to tell you that all of the best business people have help.
Why would you want to do it alone?
Because you think you should be able to is definitely not the right answer.
When we suffer, or make mistakes, there are solutions. There is always a solution to whatever has gone wrong.
Usually we don’t want anyone to know that we failed, or that we did something stupid, so we keep it to ourselves.
We think no one will understand, that no one else could possible have made the same mistake that we have.
But you know what? They have.
And the biggest issue is that if you don’t know how to fix the problem, then you will struggle even more on your own.
If you keep everything to yourself, you probably not make it in business.
Not only will it be much harder for you, but it will be lonely.
Not to mention, what will you do when things actually go well??
Who do you have to celebrate with?
You need peeps! Peeps who understand, and are there for you.
No one expects you to do anything on your own. Let alone everything.
There are people who can help you with your business stuff. People you can get advice from. Get support from.
VA Colleagues
Let’s start with your colleagues.
Other VAs. Women who do what you do. Who understand some of the things that you are going through on a daily basis.
Without our VA colleagues, we would be lost. I would be lost.
I don’t know if there is another industry that is the same as yours in terms of helpfulness, advice, and collaborativeness. Is that a word?
Our colleagues are amazing.
They get it – and often they even have similar personalities. I’m not sure if that’s because of the nature of what we do, but I like to call VAs support professionals.
We are service based businesses and that means we help people.
So when we are talking with our colleagues, we naturally are helpful.
VA colleagues can be an unbelievably amazing support system for you in your business.
Ask a question, you better believe you will get an answer.
BUT – and this is a really big but – be sure that whoever you are taking advice from has done what you want to do.
I see it every day in the VA groups online – someone asks a question and then they get tons of advice – some of which is absolutely terrible (in my opinion).
If someone has not done what you are trying to do, their advice might not be what you need.
It can be hard to determine what is the right thing to do when you ask out loud, although I still don’t really advise against asking out loud.
But it certainly can make things worse – you can become more overwhelmed than you were when you started, so you have to use caution.
The beautiful thing is, the more questions you ask in, say, a VA group, the more trust you will build up with those in the group.
It’s one of the reasons that I talk so much about becoming a part of a community – and not just using a VA group as an FAQ, or popping up when you have a stressful issue, is so important.
Becoming a part of a community means you are there for the good and the bad, and that’s what your colleagues should be there for.
You want to give as much as you get.
You want to genuinely get to know your colleagues.
Community is amazing when you do it right.
And being able to get the right advice take effort from you too.
Take the time to find your community and really become a part of it and then you will know that they have your back when you have something you need help with.
VAs also do vastly different things in our businesses, so your colleagues can be an amazing resource for learning new things, or deciding which platforms or tech to choose for yourself or for your clients.
Drawing on the experience of others is simple – because we all speak the same language per se, it can be easy to get recommendations, referrals, and honest reviews of things that you are considering using in your business.
To make the best of getting advice from your colleagues, my best tip is to be specific in what you are asking. So many times I see VAs vaguepost and then they don’t get the right feedback or responses or input.
Take the time to really think about your question and provide the necessary details to help your colleagues help you.
And don’t forget to reciprocate! Offer advice when someone else asks. You can’t be a one-sided part of a community, it doesn’t work. You have to give as much as you take (sometimes more).
Sharing your own experiences and knowledge is important as well. Not only does it help others but it will help you too.
No matter what is going wrong in your business, you are also doing so much right. You have done so much right before. You have experiences that others don’t, and you have value and you have knowledge that others can use.
They say that you only need to be one step ahead of someone else to teach them what you know, and that goes for advice too.
If you just landed your first client last week, you can tell someone else who has never gotten a client how you did it.
That’s always amazing advice!
You can also be someone else’s cheerleader, which we all desperately need at times.
And let’s not kid ourselves, helping other people makes us feel better. I know it makes me feel better!
There is nothing like helping a VA through a place where they have been stuck, to see them succeed. I run my business specifically to do that!
So that’s why colleagues is my number one biggest place to advise you to get advice for your business.
Be wary of the negative folks, and of the ones who are giving advice but they haven’t done what you are trying to do yet, but BE in your VA community and you will find amazing support!
And the last thing I want to caution you about with getting advice from your VA colleagues is to not become TOO reliant on them for advice.
Mike Michalowicz wrote an interesting book called Clockwork that talks about creating a business that runs efficiently on its own, without you making every little decision.
One of the tactics he teaches in this book is to empower your people to make their own decisions. Now you may not have employees or be outsourcing parts of your business to others, but stay with me here and I’ll explain how this is relevant.
Think back to your corporate job if need be to reference this. Trust me, it’s good advice!!
The person in charge (you, in your business … your boss in your old workplace … even your clients that you might be working with right now) has to make all the decisions in order for things to run smoothly. The people who are in place to do the actual daily tasks come up against a bottleneck every day waiting for that person to make decisions, even though they have been hired for that job because they are capable and knowledgeable.
When the staff or help is constantly asking questions before they proceed, that becomes the normal response.
They don’t figure things out on their own. They don’t proceed without your approval. Things do not move fast. Things often stand still.
But when you (or your boss, or your client) empower the people that – once again – were HIRED to do this task or job, to make the decisions, then they take more responsibility and figure things out when they need to.
You may be playing that role with your clients now – are you asking them questions every time you turn around? It becomes a habit very very quickly.
But you are smart. You know what you’re doing. You can make a decision. You can make a lot decisions.
And business runs better when you use your brain and your experience and your intellect – and the same goes for asking your colleagues for advice about your business.
You are brilliant. I know you are. There are things you aren’t sure about, but you are much smarter than you give yourself credit for. Trust me. I talk to VAs like you every day and I can see your brilliance, all of you
So be careful of relying too much on advice from others.
Do your research. Get input. Make your decisions. Make progress.
When you make your own decisions, your self confidence skyrockets. It’s a great habit to form, and it’s really easy when you just take a step forward.
Accountability Partner
Finding an accountability partner can be a bit touch and go but when you find a great one, hang on to them!!
I have had my accountability partner for a long time, probably at least 10 years.
An accountability partner is someone that you trust to talk to about your business … but so much more than that.
It’s someone that really gets to know you and your business, and understands your personality and your tendencies, shall we say!
They help you when you need help, they support you when you succeed.
Sounds the same as your colleagues, and they are, but there are a few things that you need to keep in mind.
First, you need to find a personality fit.
I went through a number of accountability partners before I landed on Kathy.
The others just did not fit for one reason or another.
My accountability partner has also become one of my besties, which doesn’t always have to happen (I can’t imagine being besties with some of my other accountability partners LOL)
What to look for in an accountability partner?
They need to be as ambitious as you are, for one thing. You both need to be pushing forward in the same way.
What I mean by that is if you aren’t both working on building your business, then one of you will fall behind.
And when you don’t move forward at approximately the same pace, then your partnership will suffer.
The key to getting great advice from your accountability partner is to be honest and to consistently meet for checkins.
I suggest a regular schedule of whatever communiciation you want. I am obviously partial to Zoom meetings, they are convenient, but phone calls and in person meetings also work. Whatever you like.
Schedule a day and time to meet and stick to it like clockwork (not the book LOL).
My partner and I meet every 2 weeks by phone. We talk for 90 minutes – 30 for her, 30 for me, 30 for just shooting the breeze, which often brings up things that we forgot to mention in our 30 minute accountability stuff.
But we are besties, so you don’t need to do the extra 30 if you don’t want to.
Your accountability partner should ask you good questions to challenge your decisions or activities, and they should help you stay accoutnable to get done what you say you want to get done.
You can be as strict on this as you like, but we have found over the years that sometimes life does indeed get in the way of our goals, and that’s okay sometimes.
Don’t let your partner off the hook all the time, but instead help remindd them why they are trying to reach the goal they have set.
Be honest and communication clearly when you think something isn’t sounding right – and make sure they do the same for you.
Sometimes we get shiny object syndrome or advice from someone else that we get exciteda bout, but might not be a good decision for us, and if you have a good accountability relationship, your partner can see the red flags coming a mile away
It’s a great way to get really consistent and trusted support.
The best advice I can give you about working with an accountability partner is to set goals. It’s right there in name, accountability. You need the checkins and the advice, but you need to have the goals to know what you are trying to achieve, and that’s the key. Make sure you are setting goals and then setting action steps in place to get to where you want to go before you talk again. Give yourself homework and do it. If you have a busy couple of weeks coming up, set a tiny bit of homework. It’s not about overloading yourself, but it is about progress.
And of course, again you want to be cautious of becoming too reliant on your accoutnability partner, but I would challenge you to find someone that you can work with one to one. It could be the difference maker in your business.
Group Mastermind
Joining a group mastermind can be an amazing decision for your VA business.
One of the reasons is that when you put some skin in the game, you immediately become more committed to the results.
Making an investment in your business is an excellent way to ensure that you are commiting to moving forward.
You will have a reason to show up and get the right support.
You will prepare for your meetings so that you can get the advice you seek, and you will use your experience to help others.
Masterminds are awesome because you aren’t just a student, you are an active participant. Your knowledge is an important part of the group, and you can share it with your colleagues who have also invested in their business to grow.
A mastermind provides collective wisdom, it’s not just the mastermind leader or coach that you get help from. I love running my mastermind group because of all of the wealth of knowledge that the members bring.
I will be the first one to tell you I don’t know everything, and in my mastermind group for VAs I am always amazed by what nuggets are shared by the other members in the group. Excellent advice, resources, and more.
Even networking becomes easier when you are a part of a mastermind group. You have regular business conversations with your VA colleagues and that makes conversations with others come more naturally to you too.
And yes, of course, you can join a mastermind that is for all kinds of entrepreneurs, not just VAs. But where’s the fun in that? LOL
Just kidding. When I started growing my VA business, I joined a mastermind group that had all kinds of entrepreneurs in it.
I learned so much from all of them, and I learned just how much we have in common, even though we do very different things.
The best advice I can give you about joining a group mastermind is to try it, if you havne’t already. You can’t know the support you will get, and the way you will grow as a business owner, until you have invested in yourself like this.
When you take that step, sign up, and show up, you will see yourself in a different light. You will see how much you know and can share. You will get the support and advice you need. And you will get things done.
I highly recommend it, and not just because I host one. Because I have done it.
Private Coaching
And last, but certainly not least, is working with a coach.
There are a number of ways you can work with a coach – self study learning, one off consults, events, in a group setting …. but in this case I want to talk about private coaching. One to one coaching.
Working with a coach might be exactly what you need to get to where you want to go.
I always tell VAs that if you have a clear goal and a deadline to achieve it, then consider working with a coach to achieve it.
The deadline is the thing – quite simply, you will get faster results by working with someone one to one.
You can get to where you want to go on your own – but investing in someone to guide you along the way makes the journey quicker. Cut the cheque to go faster.
A coach will help you set the action steps in place for your goal, and will hold you accountable to move through those action steps.
When you hire a coach you are hiring them for their expertise – in terms of a VA coach, make sure that you find someone who has done what you are trying to do.
I have said that you can give advice to anyone that you are one step ahead of, and that is true, but when it comes to getting a coach, one step ahead really isn’t the best investment for you to make.
There are lots of ‘new’ VA coaches out there that are pitching their services. It doesn’t mean they can’t help you, but if someone hasn’t been in business for at least a year, then be cautious of getting their advice and support. Especially if you are paying them for it.
If you are looking for a coach, ask them how they can help you. What is their strategy or structure?
I work with VAs to start or build their business.
For the ones starting out, we build their business plan. I task them with deciding what their best services are, we set their rates, sometimes create packages, or at least billable rates for their service offerings. We choose their target market and start connecting with them. We talk about time management and managing multiple clients. We figure out where they need to be marketing their VA business. There are lots of things that go into setting up your VA business, even if you can start quickly and easily.
For the ones who are struggling, we talk about their target market, their service offerings. We create packages that make sense. We price them properly. We do market research to find out best clients and we start connecting with them. We learn to network, and we book discovery calls and create proposals. We work on whatever is holding them back from getting clients.
For the ones who want to grow, we rebuild the business part so they can bring in subcontractors or change their service offerings so that their clients only pay the for the things they want to do. We raise their rates, we communicate the raise to their clients. We take training and upgrade our skills.
My private coaching is very much tailor made for your needs and your personality, but I do have a structure to get you to where you want to go.
For private coaching, you are the one who must do the work, though. The coach is not there to do it for you or to push you. They are your advisor and you have to take action to move forward.
To effectively work with a coach, listen, do, and ask questions.
If you don’t understand what you need to do, get clarity.
If you are struggling with the actions, tell them so they can help you move forward.
A coach is the shortcut to the results you want, but of course that will cost you more than other types of support.
So honour your own investment and do the work.
My private clients get unlimited access to me in between our sessions so they can ask questions or update me on what they are doing. Not all coaches do that but I think it’s necessary to get the results. I couldn’t just talk to a VA every week and expect that they will reach their goals. It’s the work time in between that is as important, or maybe even moreso than the calls themselves.
I’m going to leave it off here for today.
Let’s circle back to Amy – Find a group of people who challenge you and inspire you, spend a lot of time with them, and it will change your life.
THIS. It really will change everything when you stop trying to do it all alone.
That’s my main message here today – don’t do it alone. You don’t need to, and you will struggle more if you try.
Find your people. Be their people. Grow together.
Do You Need Help?
If you need help starting your VA business, or getting out of where you are stuck, or growing your business, get in touch with me. I’m here to help.
It’s the only reason I’m here at all, as you know. To help you become a ridiculously good VA.
I have helped hundreds of VAs who are stuck get moving through private coaching, group coaching, and live and self study trainings. If you want to talk about how we can work together, let’s connect on a Cut to the Chase call. You can book yours at YourVAMentor.com/chase
Thanks for tuning in this week! I’ll see you next time!
What You Need to Do Next:
PRIVATE COACHING: Let’s work together privately to get you to your really big goal. It’s the fastest way to get results and we can start right away. Learn more about private coaching here.
GROUP COACHING MASTERMIND: The Virtual Circle is a group coaching mastermind option that costs less than private coaching, and can help you achieve the goals you set for yourself. We have one group training call and one group coaching call each month that will help you set goals and plan and implement the action steps to achieve them. There is also a VIP level of TVC that includes a monthly private coaching call, if you want a little extra personal attention. Check it out here: https://yourvamentor.com/TVC. We’d love to have you join us!
MONTHLY EMAIL MEMBERSHIP: I also have a brand new low-cost monthly membership program that will help you build your VA business – and it doesn’t require you to be on social media! It’s an email membership that I call The Virtual Toolkit! Every Monday morning you’ll receive a lesson and a downloadable resource in your inbox, that you can use to take a step further in your VA business. I’ve created TONS of amazing resources for you – from business foundations and building resources (financial stuff, calculators, productivity, tech tips and tools, website planning guide) to marketing tools (branding worksheet, blogging templates, content calendar, client acquisition, marketing campaign planner) to advanced business skills (package planning, branding tools, onboarding checklist, seo checklist, client management) and personal growth stuff (goal setting worksheet, networking, speaking tips and tools, conflict resolution tips). All of this is available to you for just $9 a month!! You get your first resource as soon as you register, and every Monday morning after that you’ll get a fresh new one. Get more details and sign up here now!
SELF STUDY PROGRAM: My self study program Getting Started as a VA can help you get your VA business started easily and quickly too. You can sign up right away and be on your way to getting clients by the end of the program, with all the right foundations in place. Check out the program here.
COMPLIMENTARY CONSULT: Reach out to me if you need to talk about where you are stuck and what the right option might be to get you moving. It’s literally all I’m here to do is help you get to where you want to go. Book a complimentary Cut to the Chase call with me here.