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Set Healthy VA Boundaries to Avoid Stress and Burnout

Have you ever felt that your clients are interrupting you, or seem too demanding? Many VAs I know have trouble with clients having expectations that they can’t meet. They struggle to make deadlines. They work morning, noon and night to get client work done. They are tired. And not very happy. Sometimes it starts because you allow clients to break your boundaries. Sometimes you don’t have boundaries to begin with. Either way, the key to happy clients and being a happy VA is setting healthy boundaries. Just because we are support professionals, does not mean that we have to do everything the client asks for – when they ask for it. What we need to do is provide the best… Read More »Set Healthy VA Boundaries to Avoid Stress and Burnout

3 Steps to Getting Better VA Clients From Discovery Calls

Do you find yourself doing a lot of discovery calls but not signing Virtual Assistant clients? The discovery call is usually the first one-to-one conversation you have with a potential client. The objective for any discovery call is simple: to sign the client. Right? Yes and no. If you are going into every call thinking that you need to sign the client, you are taking the wrong approach. And either you are not getting the client – or you are getting bad clients! Here are 3 steps to getting better VA clients from your discovery calls: 1. Ask Questions The most important thing you need to do on the call is to ask questions. What does the client need? Do… Read More »3 Steps to Getting Better VA Clients From Discovery Calls

Is It Time To Hire Subcontractors For Your VA Business?

When we start our Virtual Assistant business, it’s almost always just us doing it all. We do all the work, we bring on new clients as our schedule can manage it, and we build and grow at a pace that we can sustain. But at some point (hopefully!) it becomes necessary to consider getting additional help. Is it time for you to consider getting subcontractors? If so, here are a few pieces of advice to make sure you get the best help you can: 1. Be specific in what kind of help you need. When you know what you want to get help with, it makes the search easier. You will also know the skill level that you need. Sometimes… Read More »Is It Time To Hire Subcontractors For Your VA Business?

How Often Do You Say No as a VA?

When is the last time you said no to a client? A lot of Virtual Assistants I talk to say one of their biggest issues is doing tasks they don’t want to do every day. For some reason, they think they need to do whatever their clients ask them to do. But here’s the thing – you are not their employee. Yes, they pay you to do work for them. But that doesn’t mean that they get to decide what you do each day. You are a business owner in your own right – and you get to decide what services you offer – and which ones you turn down. If you are saying yes to your clients when you… Read More »How Often Do You Say No as a VA?

Still Struggling to Make a Go of Your VA Business? Read this.

If you are still struggling to make your Virtual Assistant business work, I am glad you are here. It’s time for a pep talk! So much of what we read online tells us what we are doing wrong, or what we should do differently to make our business work. I decided that today I want to celebrate YOU. I want to congratulate you for deciding to start. I want to congratulate you for learning SO many new things (some of which aren’t even interesting or fun!) I want to congratulate you for doing what so many people never do. And I want to congratulate you for believing in yourself. Because when you first started, you believed in yourself. Do you… Read More »Still Struggling to Make a Go of Your VA Business? Read this.

Help! How Do I Fix Scope Creep in My VA Business?

Quick question: do you love everything you do every day for all of your Virtual Assistant clients? Many VAs I talk to can’t say they love everything they do. Some of them don’t even LIKE what they are doing. It is so important for the longevity of your VA business (and you as a business owner) that you make it a priority to enjoy what you are doing every day. Ask yourself why you are doing things that aren’t really your specialty, or that you don’t really like to do. Is it because you are their ‘assistant’ and so you think you have to do whatever your client asks you to do? Is it because you are afraid that the… Read More »Help! How Do I Fix Scope Creep in My VA Business?

Managing Commitment Will Make You a Better VA

Here’s the story of when my piano teacher fired me for a lack of commitment. When you start learning something new, it’s not too hard to find your commitment – and motivation – to want to do it well. As time wears on, and the shine wears off, it becomes harder to keep up the initial level of commitment. We need to find ways to get motivated to keep going. Much of the time if we don’t get help with motivation, we simply give up. It’s why most New Year’s resolutions don’t last. It’s also why my piano teacher fired me when I was 15. I was a very good piano player. I could pick up a piece of music… Read More »Managing Commitment Will Make You a Better VA

What You Need to Know About Being a Virtual Assistant

Being a Virtual Assistant is a great way to be your own boss and to be in charge of your own schedule – right? Sure, but there is a lot more to it. When you start a VA business, you are not just offering services to clients in exchange for payment, you are becoming a business owner. If you want to be in business for any length of time, you need to start thinking of yourself as a business owner right now. I often ask VAs like you why they want to run their own VA business – and most of the time your reasons are very personal. • You want to be more available for your family • You… Read More »What You Need to Know About Being a Virtual Assistant