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In Words:
Recently, I had a conversation with a potential client and the call went great – loved it. Towards the end she had a question and she was asking me about the better tools to use for social media. Being totally honest with her, I just let her know:
You’ve got to start where you are.
Really, the tools don’t matter if you’re not doing anything with them. It doesn’t matter whether you use HootSuite, Sprout Social, SocialOomph, Facebook directly, or Twitter directly. It doesn’t matter if you’re not showing up, if you’re not using the information.
The same goes for us when we acquire training or register for courses, different things like that. It doesn’t matter who we are listening to. Well, let me not go to that extreme.
It does matter because you want somebody that knows what they’re talking about, that has your best interest at heart, etc. But saying all of that is the same for each one of those systems and people and information.
It doesn’t mean anything if there’s no action put behind it. You can buy all the courses in the world, but if nothing happens, if nothing is put to the test, it means nothing.
The things that we share on this podcast are meant to inspire you, motivate you, and encourage you to actually DO something.
On the last episode we talked about specializing as a VA, and hopefully you took that to heart and looked at what you’re providing and what you’re doing for clients. Some of you may be ready to specialize and some of you might not because you’re at the very beginning stage.
Regardless of where you are, the biggest key is to plan, do, so that you can tweak, modify, respond, and work it out from there.
Perfect example: there is a free eBook on my website 15 Known Secrets to Getting Started as a Virtual Assistant. If you don’t have that, you want to get that for sure. It gives you 15 steps—action steps, things to do so you can get started.
If you’ve been listening to me for any amount of time, you know I’m a huge advocate for getting started on the job boards.
When clients are told by their mentors and coaches about outsourcing, and they are, they still are to this day. People are still encouraged to outsource because they can’t get to the level they want to get to in their business by doing everything.
Your clients are business owners, and they’re creators, and they’re visionaries. They can’t do every single thing in their business, just like you in your own virtual assistant business.
You are the creator, the visionary, and while you are doing everything now, at the beginning, just like your clients were doing everything now, at the beginning, it won’t always be that way.
There are going to be some things right now that you’re going to have to get some help with. It may be technical related or it could be editing, whatever it is.
There’s probably something that’s got you stumped that is causing you to not move forward in your business.
A lot of my clients, because I’m a technical virtual assistant, a web designer, a lot of my clients come to me because their website has been the hump that’s in their way.
I’ve got a client now, I spoke with her at the beginning of the year and she was going to choose another option for her website. However, she’s since come back. I worked on another website for a friend of hers. That one’s done; she’s off and running.
The client I spoke with back in January or February it was, her website is not done yet. It’s April, she’s ready to go now. It’s been a stumbling block that’s been in the way, keeping her from doing what she needs to do for her business.
My clients do list building. They need a way to capture names and email addresses, and in order to that they need a website. If there’s no website, there’s no progress to the list building.
What is your stumbling block as a virtual assistant? What is it? Is time a stumbling block?
Let’s say you work full-time at another job and you want to start part-time as a virtual assistant. It’s possible! That’s how I started, so I know firsthand it’s possible.
You have to look at things realistically. Maybe that means you take on one or two clients, which is great because it gives you a chance to know, is this something that I could so? Am I disciplined enough to do it? Am I excited enough about what I’m offering that I’ll do it on a Friday, Saturday, Sunday, or in the evenings? You know, whatever you choose.
Is your stumbling block the fact that you’re ready to go, you’ve got your skills, you know what you’re doing, but there are no clients?
This is exactly why I love the job boards and push you in that direction to start. Not to finish. That is your start. Why? It’s a marketplace for people who are looking for what you have to offer.
You can see what their needs are and compare them to what you offer, and put your bid in. You have nothing to lose by doing that. Nothing!
Is fear a stumbling block? Are you afraid? You’ll have to dig a little deeper. What are you afraid of? Oh, I might not meet the expectation of the client. Big tip on that: you won’t ever know until you get a client.
We all have those fears like, oh, is this really what they want? But you won’t know until there’s a client before you that you are able to service.
Their feedback, positive or negative, is going to help you. It’s going to help the future of your business. It’s going to help you refine and tweak.
Every experience in your virtual assistant business, whether it’s good or bad, every experience will help sharpen you, strengthen you so you know what you’re doing and are clear on what you want to do.
That just kind of brings me off-topic. It makes me think about boundaries. On being clear on what you want to do and setting boundaries.
For example, I got an email. I do peek at my email on Saturday morning. I don’t respond to email on Saturday morning unless I’m in the midst of a project and I’ve told someone I would. But nine times out of ten, I don’t respond. But I do peek at emails on Saturday morning because I don’t like surprises on Monday morning.
There was a request for a consultation on Sunday. What? You want a consultation on Sunday! Absolutely not! No, no, no, no, no. no. Our hours are on the website: Monday – Friday, 10am – 7pm Eastern time.
The reason why I’m so clear on that is because I know that, yeah, I could easily accommodate, but I’ve accommodated in the past and been upset with myself because I accommodated someone else’s situation. Out of the question.
So you have to know what your boundaries are. What are your boundaries?
Back to the stumbling blocks.
Is your stumbling block your skill? Like do you think no one is looking for what you have to offer? Well, you’ve got to go find out, and where do you go find out? Elance.com – you go find out, does someone need what I have?
And you have a lot. What are you doing on your job now? You’ve got a lot.
I used to have a client and we managed their emails. We’re all responding to emails, whether you’re working from home, working as a VA, stay-at-home mom, or working in a full-time job. We all have email, right?
There’s definitely something that you could offer that someone else wants, and the job boards can help you find out what those things are.
Don’t allow a stumbling block to keep you from your dream.
Your dream may not even be to end with a virtual assistant business. This may be just a way to earn money so that you can go into other things like creating products—training programs, videos, you know, whatever it may be.
A lot of coaches out there started out as service providers. It’s a great entryway to test your skills so you’ll even know how to teach somebody, if that’s what you’re looking to do, or how to mentor somebody. You test it out yourself.
Whatever it is that’s been getting in your way, I challenge you to no longer allow it to get in your way. I challenge you on that!
If you don’t step out and get started on what you’re dreaming about, when will you start?
You see the time; it’s going by so fast. We’re in April. We’re in April, y’all! Time is ticking and tomorrow is not promised. Go for it! You can do it. You can accomplish your dreams.
I want to hear about it. Tell me all about it! Tell me what your challenges are. What’s stumping you? Let me know. Let me know in the comments of this podcast. Let me know over on Facebook. You can find me at tiffanyparsonbiz.
Let me know. What’s holding you back?
If you just need to have a session in a closet, a come to Jesus meeting, get in the closet and talk to God. Find out, what is it that you want me to do God? For most of us, we already know. We already know.
If you go back to what you were doing as a kid when you had no restrictions, no limits, no boundaries, what were you doing then? Of course, you know, we didn’t know anything about a virtual assistant, but I’m saying what did it look like? What did your child’s play look like as a kid?
Get back to your original design. Get to your dream. Make it so.
Don’t enter another month, another season, another day without taking a step towards what you want to accomplish in life.
Thank you so much for taking the time to listen. I don’t take it for granted in any way. I appreciate you and we’ll see you on the next time.
Have a great one.
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