“The really unhappy person is the one who leaves undone what they can do, and starts doing what they don’t understand; no wonder they come to grief.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
I recently came across the quote and I was immediately struck by it.
One of the big problems I see with Virtual Assistants who are either just starting out, or who are trying in vain to grow their business, is exactly the essence of this quotation.
They try to build their business doing something new or something that they have not gained expertise with.
I have had many conversations with people who are starting their VA business, and they don’t realize how much value they have in the experience that they possess RIGHT NOW. They have been working in the corporate world for maybe 20 years, and they can not see their own value as a support professional. They think they have to learn things like HTML and website building and graphics or desktop publishing, or even social media – just to build a viable business.
This couldn’t be farther from the truth.
Think about it this way: small business owners are (in general) the majority of the people that need to outsource their support needs. Small business owners are being told that they don’t need a full-time assistant in their office to get the things that they need done, to run their business more successfully.
What they need is an admin specialist. Everyone – or almost everyone – starts there. That doesn’t mean they don’t need a website built, but they will need ongoing admin support for the entire duration of their business.
That’s where the former EAs and PAs come into play – they have the knowledge and experience ALREADY to serve this market, to take care of this essential service for all small business owners across the globe.
So why would you abandon everything you know – and everything you have learned over your entire career – to try to start from somewhere that you have never been?
Start where you are. Start with what you know.
It’s a great idea to figure out where you want to go, and to take classes or training to get there (I wholeheartedly support that, as it has been my own business model), but don’t make the mistake of thinking that you can’t start your business because you don’t know how to build a website or a Facebook strategy.
Think about this – if you get your training in one of the aforementioned skills, and you have not got any experience to speak of, how do you expect to market that to people? It is far more difficult to try to sell a service to someone when you have nothing to back it up. Why throw away your 20 or so years of admin support experience … this experience should be the foundation of your business.
Marketing your expertise is the key to building a successful business. And that means marketing your skill set as it is now. That’s where your current expertise lies. If you don’t see that, then it’s your own value that you are not seeing. Start there – work on your mindset – and go out and get clients right now.
Then make a plan to build your business with new and exciting skills.
It is absolutely acceptable (and encouraged!) to build and grow your business into exactly what you want it to be, but you will see far more success if you start where you are, get clients now, and then build it into what you want it to be as the months and years pass. Your business will be happy to morph and grow with you – but you have to get it started first!
If you want to learn more about how to strategically form your best list of services – listen to my free audio ‘Streamline Your Services to Make More Money‘
I’d love to hear your comments about this article, or the audio – leave them on my Facebook page: www.facebook.com/yourvamentor
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Guilty. I’m reading this at the perfect time. Over a year of planning my business, along with courses and webinars to learn new skills, and I still have not even begun marketing. I spend most of my time feeling overwhelmed because how am I supposed to master this new Social Media thing, set up my own strategy (including the graphics and technical aspect of which I know NOTHING!), market and handle client work while I’m working a regular 30 hr/week job and taking care of a toddler. No wonder I’m exhausted and not getting anywhere. It’s ironic because “Start Where You Are” by Chris Gardner is one of my favorite books. I was not seeing the point in relation to my business. I don’t have to learn more for someone to need help with what I already know. Thanks for giving me something to think about.
Love this comment Deb! But of course, what you need now is ACTION, not more thinking. 🙂 But you already know that LOL. Setting up just a few actions for yourself every day (or week, if daily is too intense for your schedule) and just getting them done – will help you go a long way in your marketing efforts very quickly. Set a goal for 30 days from now and then do baby steps – for instance, network on one social network for 15 minutes per day (with the right people!); ask for 2 appointments/sales calls every week (that’s 8 sales calls in one month); reach out to (or connect with) 2 prospective clients each day, and so on (that’s 60 reaches in one month). You will be surprised at how tiny efforts done regularly can be most effective in your schedule and your business. 🙂
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