Welcome to another episode of the podcast that teaches you how to be a ridiculously good virtual assistant.
Today I want to talk about knowing where your VA business is going.
Today’s Quote: Your direction is more important than your speed. – Richard L. Evans
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Connect with Tracey D’Aviero, VA Coach and Trainer
Episode Notes:
Like anywhere you are trying to go, you need to know the way to get there.
You can call it a roadmap, a plan, a pathway, whatever you want – but basically it means you need step by step knowledge of the way from here to there, clearly mapped out, before you start.
When I tell you that you need to set your VA service rates, there is a process to do that the right way. You can’t just pick a number out of thin air.
When I tell you that you need a target market, it’s because you need to know who you are talking to and where you need to go to find them and talk to them.
When I tell you that you need to know how long everything takes you to do in your VA business, you need to actually do it and time it and set parameters about how you will do it again moving forward.
Before I did any of these things in my business, I did the wrong things.
I picked a number out of thin air. My business made no money for years.
I marketed to everyone. I had all kinds of different clients and did whatever they asked, and I never knew how to get a new client when I needed one.
I worked with open ended times for tasks. I wasted so much time doing things, and without processes I always had to try to remember to do something when I went to do it again a few months later.
Managing your time is so important as a VA, but being able to follow proven ways of getting things done matters too.
Not only do you work happier, you avoid burnout, you get more done, you make more money, and you deal with much less anxiety in your VA business when you have a roadmap.
What is a Roadmap for a VA Business?
Defining what you want from your VA business is a good start, but you also have to map out how you are going to get there.
Without a clear idea of what you need to do now, then what to do next, then what to do after that, you will spend a lot more time figuring things out than you need to.
You have to have a vision of what you want – of where you want to be – and you have to know what it takes to get there.
How can you do that if you have never been there before? You have to seek advice to figure that out.
Luckily, VAs are great at research and we can figure out the exact steps, even if we haven’t taken them before.
I tell you all the time that you need to have daily action steps so that you are working your way towards your goals every day.
Being able to plan for growth is one thing – but what about time off, what about bringing in new clients, what about introducing new services?
It all needs a plan.
Your to do list is just a short term plan. Your roadmap is more distant – although it doesn’t have to be a five year plan.
You can decide in October that you want to have 4 new VA clients by January. That’s long term enough.
You can map it out, plan it, and use your roadmap to work towards that every day for the next 3 months.
Your roadmap should include a vision, goals, milestones and timelines.
For instance, your roadmap to 4 new VA clients isn’t just ‘I want 4 new clients’ and it happens. The vision is ‘I want to make more money and do only xyz tasks.’ The goal is ‘I need 4 new clients for xyz service, and I will charge them abc dollars/month.’
The milestones are about how to connect with those people, how many you will talk to , how many discovery calls you need each week, how much content you need to prepare and where it’s going to go, among many other things.
And your timelines must be assigned according to the days and weeks that you have between now and your goal deadline.
A goal must have clearly defined steps that will take you from where you are to it, or it will never work.
Why a Roadmap is Essential for VA Success
A roadmap gives you the clarity you need – you know what you are trying to accomplish. You know why you need to do that thing now, and the other thing after it.
It helps you stay focused and on track to meet your goals.
It helps you avoid distractions – no need to take a Facebook Ads course now when your goal for the next three month is about focusing on signing new clients.
The FB ads course can be slotted in to your calendar when you are full of clients, and maybe you are looking to grow your business or introduce new services.
There is a time for everything, and giving yourself the clarity that you need to reach you goal is going to give you the best advantage to do exactly that.
When you have a roadmap, you can measure your progress along the way. You can celebrate how far you have come, and you can make adjustments where necessary too.
Every big goal should be broken down into smaller goals and milestones.
You know I am all about daily action steps, I say it all the time, and I’ll say it in this episode a few more times too. It’s such a smart way to move forward.
A roadmap also helps you make decisions that go along with your goals. One of my business coaches used to say – look at what you are doing right now. Is it leading you in the direction of your goal? If yes, great! If not, why are you doing it?
I did this for a long time and it eventually became a habit that I just love.
It helps you stay very focused on what you say you want. I highly recommend it!
Was I doing things that didn’t lead to my goal – all. the. time. Boy it’s so cool to see that, and be able to make the course correction right then.
A roadmap also helps you plan for growth – and again, you can do it a little at a time. If I wanted 4 new VA clients by January, I wouldn’t wait till December to try to bring them in. I’d want one right now – and another next month, and then another in December. Slow steady growth is so much better than all at once anyway.
That way you build your confidence, you can plan to bring in help or change up systems as necessary – everything can be done a little at at time. Just a smarter way to grow.
Common Mistakes When Building a VA Business Without a Roadmap
Without a roadmap, you can waste a lot of time.
You might have that shiny new object focus – isn’t doing something new exciting!? – but without a good plan you can dive in without a clear vision and get in over your head without a plan.
And when that happens, we can often stop suddenly and even abandon out plans. That sucks. Starting the right way just makes more sense.
Remember you say you want this. Give yourself the best opportunity to get it.
Inconsistency is also a big problem without a plan. Like I said, if you want 4 new VA clients by January, plan to bring in one at a time. For one thing it helps you create a framework that works for you to bring in a new client regularly.
Feast or famine just sucks and you don’t want to try to onboard 4 clients in January after not doing it for a long time. And then you’ll be so tired that you want to network anymore and you’ll abandon that – and you’ll be back to square one the next time you want some new clients.
Don’t create your opportunities randomly. Take the time to make the plan, follow it, tweak it where necessary – get HELP when you need it – and grow consistently.
Steps to Creating Your VA Business Roadmap
Define Your Vision – what do you want? what is your main goal? when do you want to achieve it?
Think about your dream life, Your dream day. What does it really look like? How much money do you earn? What do you to do earn it? What would you love your business to look like? What changes do you need to make to your existing business to get there?
Set SMART Goals – what are the goals you need to put in place to get to where you want to go? You have to define them, set deadlines for them, and they have to be measurable so you can monitor and adjust them.
Identify Key Milestones – what milestones can you set that will help you walk towards your goals? Do you need to join a new networking community? Do you need to create an onboarding process? Do you need to upgrade your services or create new packages? Whatever your milestones are, you need to write them all out – and prioritize them in the right order, before you can finalize your roadmap.
Create a Timeline – once you have everything defined, it’s time to set those deadlines. Give yourself time to get everything done – and this is the place where you break things down as much as possible so you can get to those daily actions.
Weekly Review – I highly recommend a weekly review to ensure that you a) did what you said you were going to do, b) review why or why not, c) adjust your timelines for the coming week or make adjustments to your actions if things aren’t going according to your plan.
Your roadmap is an adjustable, clear and focused plan of what you say you want.
You might need support. You might need training. You might need structure. You might need accountability.
When you know what you want to do, and you map it all out, you can see the gaps – the places where you might struggle, or the things you don’t know how to do.
The cool thing is that doing this for yourself really elevates the services you offer your clients too because once you learn the value of a process like this, you will no doubt bring it into your VA services.
Clarity helps you get it done smartly, but also helps you understand the WHY behind everything.
It bumps up your professionalism as a business owner and helps you communicate things like priorities and importance to others.
Simply setting your rates by doing the math helps you understand WHY you are charging what you are charging, and then explaining it to clients is no longer a negotiation, just a conversation.
Get your plan in place, work with it, and you will wonder how you ever did things before, without it!
I’ll ask you again – is what you are doing right now moving you in the direction of your goal? If not, why are you doing it?
If you haven’t defined where you want to go – that ideal VA business, that ideal day, then that’s where you need to start.
And of course, let’s have another look at our quote from this week: Your direction is more important than your speed. – Richard L. Evans
It’s not about getting somewhere quickly. It’s about having the right plan, with the right steps – and moving towards it every day.
One step at a time will get you there faster than you even realize.
I’d love to help you get there.
It’s time. I’m here to help. It’s the only reason I’m here at all, is to help you become a ridiculously good VA. But it’s you who has to take that first step.
Do You Need Help?
If you are looking to build the kind of business I’m talking about – a 50K and beyond VA business, that’s where I can help. I am here to help you become a ridiculously good VA.
I have helped hundreds of VAs who are stuck get moving through private coaching, my monthly mastermind group The Virtual Circle, my group coaching program 50K Bootcamp, and my self study trainings like my Getting Started program, my monthly email membership The Virtual Toolkit, and more. If you are ready to get my help, let’s connect on a Cut to the Chase call. You can book yours at YourVAMentor.com/chase
Thank you again for trusting me to teach you and to guide you. I truly love to be here for you every week.
If I could ask you a favour – to subscribe to the podcast or leave me a review if you haven’t already. That’s something I should say every week and I never really do. But it matters and it will make sure that I know you are finding value in what I create just for you every week.
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. . Check it out here: The Virtual Circle Group Coaching Mastermind for Virtual Assistants . We’d love to have you join us!
50K VA GROUP COACHING PROGRAM: If you have been struggling to build your VA business, get in on this live coaching program where we will help you create the framework for a business that can earn you 50K a year and beyond. LAUNCHING FALL 2024, stay tuned!
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. 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.