TBBVA 130: Shift Your Focus

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Links Referenced:

• Upwork
• Facebook Page
• Twitter Page
• Instagram

Tweetables:

Don’t focus on what’s going wrong. Focus on how to make it right. #vatip Gotta Tweet!
Be bold about saying what sets you apart. #vatip Gotta Tweet!
There is something about you that’s unique. Start sharing it with the world. #vatip Gotta Tweet!

On Video:

In Words:

Hi and welcome to The Business of Being a Virtual Assistant.  I’m your host and your virtual coworker, Tiffany Parson.  You’re listening and watching episode number 130.

Now, I’ll tell you, I have stopped and started, stopped and started on this recording.  I’ve thought about different topics and I’m really feeling blank right now.  But I went ahead and I pressed record because I feel like this week was a tough one, and you pressed through.  You made it.  Things may have been out of your control, but you shifted where you needed to shift and you did not delay.  You kept it moving.  You kept going.  You didn’t stop.  You pressed through.

Ahhhhh [Clapping] Happy Dance.  Happy Dance.  Happy Dance.  That’s how it feels today.  It’s a beautiful Friday.  I am feeling great.  Let me tell you, all kind of bumps this week.  Software acting up, computer keys acting up, but press through.  Every single day, 8:00 came, 9:00 came, oops, I forget to record, but pressed through.

What do you do when things get out of control on your end?

Do you get mad?  Do you get frustrated?  Do you step off?  Do you just say, you know what, forget it?  This wasn’t meant to be.  I give up.  If that’s the case, it’s all right.  But the next time, try this: shift your focus.  If things are going left, but you know it ought to be going right, if you know it’s time for you to make a move, it’s time for you to shift, it’s time for you to transition, focus on that.

Don’t focus on what’s going wrong.  Focus on how to make it right.

If the thing that is wrong is not necessarily wrong for the thing, but it’s wrong for you, you shift.  You shift and you put forth the focus and the effort towards that.  Before you know it, you’re moving forward, moving forward, feeling good about everything that you’re doing.  Even though things got a little crazy over here, because you shifted, you’re refocused.  You allowed yourself to experience whatever it was.  If it was exhaustion, frustration, whatever, you keep moving.  Not in the wrong direction for you, but in the right direction for you.

I don’t know who this is for.  I know it’s for somebody because of how this content came to me for this week’s episode.  If you’ve been listening to the podcast for a while, you know I let you know when it’s been a difficult week, or you know, the camera is not working or I’m, you know, the audio is tripping up on me.  I know it’s a special episode.  I know it’s sensitive.  I know somebody needs to hear what I’ve been given to say.

I don’t take the content of the podcast lightly.  I recognize some weeks we need motivation, some weeks we need to be really specific about The Business of Being a Virtual Assistant, and other weeks we just need somebody to come along side us to let us know it’s not always perfect.  It don’t always look good.  But, hey, shifted, focusing, moving forward in the right direction for us.  Before you know it, the sun is out.  There’s a nice cool breeze.  You’re getting a good nap in and things are good.  Things are good.

Now, I want to know what questions you have.  What is it that you wish I would talk about on this podcast that you haven’t heard me talk about yet?

I want you to ask me, to tell me, so that I can add this to my list and make sure that I address it, because I know we’re all in different stages of our business.  Some are just getting started.  Some are building a team.  Some are shifting.  Some are transitioning.

Some are just now getting the courage to turn in their notice to leave their full-time jobs.  Because maybe you were like me and your client load is overtaking your overall ability to do everything, and so something’s got to give.  When your, you know, clients are building up and you’re looking at that full-time job like, really?

So I want to know.  Tell me either in the comments if you’re watching on YouTube, or if Facebook is your deal, come on over to my Facebook page: TiffanyParsonBiz.  Tell me there.  You can post it directly on my page, or if it’s private, you send me a message.  You can also do Twitter or Instagram.  I’m on all of those.  Let’s see, Twitter: @TiffanyDParson and same for Instagram: @TiffanyDParson.

Wherever you are, whatever stage you’re at, I have been at that stage.  I’ve been at the beginning stage, just starting, not sure.  Is this a real thing?  Taken a few projects, but I don’t know.  Is this for real?  Even after the first few clients are paying you, you’re like, really, is this for real?  People are paying me to do something that I just love to do anyway.

Or you’re looking to build a team of virtual assistants who subcontract with you and you’re trying to figure out how do you find good virtual assistants?  You might be like your clients that are coming to you and like, “Oh, my gosh.  I’m so glad I found you because I have had the hardest time finding good virtual assistants.”

Like how do you sniff out good ones and bad ones?  I don’t have the secret method to that.  But I know when I find good ones, I hold onto them tight.  I know two good ones that are on my team.  They have a regular job, but they do virtual assistant work part-time, and I hold onto them very tight [laughs].  They help with social media and transcriptions.

Or maybe you’re shifting, getting more focused on a specific service that you provide.  You’ve been all over the place, kind of feel like you’ve been all over the place because you’re doing everything.  You just told people you’re a virtual assistant so you do everything.

When people ask you what do you do, are you, “Oh, I’m a virtual assistant.  I can help you with your admin work, your social media, your this, your that, everything” and it’s time to refine it and get very specific.  Not saying, you know, only newsletters or only funnels or only webinars or only helping people with their social media, but to have naturally a top focus, then a second and a third focus.

Or maybe you’re at the point where you have make a decision.  You have to decide am I going to build this to where I know it needs to go?  Because see, sometimes our business pushes us.  What I mean by that is you have clients coming, coming.  Some, you have to turn down.  Others, you work with.  But it’s coming.  It’s building.

Where you think the chips are down, God shows you, no, more, more, more.  It’s like your business pushing you forward.  You know you haven’t done the marketing for it, but it’s pushing you forward.  All signs are saying this way, go, and this way is forward and it’s time to step out on faith with your marketing.  Not, you know, to get clients, because they’re coming.  But, you know, you know what, I could really grow this thing.

You know, I was describing this to a friend the other day and this is where I am.  All that I’ve done in the past almost ten years and I know all the things to do, to market, to put yourself out there, dah, dah, dah.  But it’s scary.  It’s scary because, see, for me, I don’t want to just do a stock photo because my clients don’t work with stock photo.  They work with me.  So it can’t just be, you know, stock photos when I market.  I want it to be me.

I think about it like how, you know, people look at real estate agents and real estate agents put their face out there.  Because to help someone find their home and to get into their intimate space, their home and then their finances and their credit and stuff, people need to connect with the person, and that’s how I feel for us.  People want to connect with the person.

That might be the missing link to finding really good virtual assistants is that there are sites, and you know I’m a fan of Upwork.  That’s, you know, when people want to know where to get started, that’s the number one place to hone in your skill and get started.  Those are great for what I consider like one and done because most people are looking for one project right then versus ongoing building relationship.  If it’s ongoing, building a relationship, people want to connect with you.

I have just really gotten into less getting people on the phone and more face to face like this.  Like this, but being able to see them on the other end.  So, you know, I’ve started doing in my calls, initial calls to decide are we a good fit?  How do we know we’re a good fit if we can’t really connect?

The camera helps us connect.  It doesn’t matter where you are.  It doesn’t matter where your potential client is.  The camera helps you to connect. 

It’s scary thinking about advertising because it’s like you think about the billions of people on Facebook, and yeah, there are issues right now about data and privacy and stuff like that.  You know, but stop giving Facebook all the stuff you don’t want Facebook to have, right.  Anyway, we have control over what we give [laughs] and what we click.  We have control over that.

Anyway, so it can be, you know, scary putting yourself out there.  But you know, and this is what I was telling a friend.  It’s like I know I have literally scratched the surface like a little scratch.  Yes, a little scratch because I know all the people who need help, who are frustrated because their website doesn’t work or they’re not sure how to connect with their clients or they know they should do social media and they don’t have time and they need someone to partner with them and walk along side, someone who can be the backend while they be the frontend.

You know, as a virtual assistant, we are like the backend of things.  We’re the mechanic of it, whether you are technical or not.  Think about us.  We’re the mechanic.  We’re not the driver of the car.  People see our clients driving, but they don’t know about all the work behind the scenes to get it nice, refurbished, running smooth, new battery, tires, this and that, and I don’t know why I’m using car references because I don’t know anything about cars and specifics.

But you get my point?  If you know that’s you, it’s time scratch a little more, a little more, a little more, a little more if all signs are pointing to keep going, keep going, keep moving forward, and not being afraid to step out and make the connection.

When you become who you are in your business and what sets you apart from the rest, the fear may still there because it’s unknown.  But you no longer have to figure out what to say.  You know, that used to be an excuse for me.  I don’t know what to say.  I don’t know.  You do.  You do.  You know what to say.  When you know what sets you apart, start saying it.  Be bold about it.  What makes you different?  We’re all different, even if we’re providing the same thing.  We’re all different.

There is something about you that’s unique.  Start sharing that with the world.  Let’s do it together.

I know it sounds like I’m doing a frigging commercial, but it’s not a commercial.  I just want to encourage you to go beyond just a little surface scratch if you know you’re bigger.  Not because you’re bragging or boasting, but because you know who God created you to be, and even when you try to shrink back, it won’t happen.  Try to shrink, but then you get pushed forward and forward and forward.  People asking you to do things that you secretly, secretly have wanted to do.  I’m going to try not to cry.  Oh, my gosh.

If you’re new to the episode, I don’t take anything out of my recordings.  I leave it all in because we’re having a face to face conversation.  When people start asking you to do things that secretly you’ve wanted to do, but nobody knows but you and God, move forward.  Don’t be afraid.  Go get it.  Go after it.  No more little scratch.  You want all that’s out there for you.

I’m going to end right here before I just, whew, hoo, hoo, hoo [laughs].  I don’t know how Shannon’s going to describe that in the transcription.  Get emotional.  You can say that, Shannon, get emotional.  So anyway, thank you guys so much for listening.  I appreciate you.

You know, I started doing podcasts almost, oh, gosh, seven years ago, I think, and I didn’t know if I’d have one listener.  To this day, right now, as long as there is one person listening, one person watching, it’s all worth it.  You’re amazing.  You’re awesome.  I cannot wait to see what you do.

Find me online.  YouTube, if you’re watching.  If you’re listening, come on back, Twitter, Instagram.  The links, I think I said them earlier, so I won’t repeat them again.  But, anyway, you have a wonderful and fabulous day.