Mindset Tips for Aspiring Virtual Assistants
Building a positive mindset is the foundation for building a successful virtual assistant business. Being a VA can be difficult. You have to deal with many different deadlines, client needs, and client personalities. Managing all of these things can be difficult without a strong, positive mindset.
Here are seven mindset tips you can use as you build a successful Virtual Assistant business!
1. Perfection is not the goal
Perfection should never be your goal. Goals should include words like growth, excellence, quality, or other descriptors. First, perfection is not obtainable. Second, it is a subjective term, so what’s perfect to you may not be perfect to others. Third, it also is a huge time waster. If you wait to provide a client with perfect work, you will either miss deadlines, work extra hours that aren’t billable, or burn out on your work. None of these are helpful when building your business.
Instead, work with your client to develop success indicators for projects and decide for yourself what success looks like for you in your business. For example, when posting something on social media, instead of spending hours cultivating the “perfect” post, think what your goal with the post and what is the minimum amount of work you can do to make that goal happen?
2. Be ready to learn
It’s important to remember that you are worthy of success today, just as you are. It is equally important to remember that growth and learning are vital to building a successful business. Some of the best CEOs, VAs, and business leaders dedicate a large part of their day to education.
VAs and entrepreneurs are the leaders of their businesses. They drive strategy and make high-level decisions for themselves, their business, and maybe even their employees. So, gaining as much knowledge about your industry will help you make better and more informed decisions for yourself and your business.
3. Reframe “selling”
It can be hard to sell yourself on social media and other marketing platforms. It can be hard to raise your rates for fear of losing clients. But really, your clients need your services. They need help running their businesses, and they are willing to pay you to help them. Instead of stressing about how to sell your services, think about your strengths and skills and how you could leverage them to help people succeed. Think, “how can I help people today?” instead of, “here is why you should buy from me.” They both might get to the same endpoint, but the first feels more authentic and takes the fear out of selling.
4. Take risks
It’s important to take calculated risks when building your business. Calculated risks are different from other types of risks because calculated risks have been thought about extensively, and the consequences of success and failure have been measured. Hiring your first employee to free up more of your time or increase service capacity is a calculated risk. Offering discounts to return customers is a calculated risk. Without some level of risk, a business cannot grow or prosper.
5. Release control
Whether you’re building a business or you already have a thriving VA agency, there will always be times when things don’t go according to plan. Whether a client doesn’t get you the deliverables you need to start a project, there was a miscommunication, or something else; it is essential to learn to remain flexible and pivot as obstacles arise.
6. Be proactive
This mindset shift is one of the hardest to implement but one of the most rewarding. Basically, it means you should start taking action now. Before the moment is right, before you have a perfect website, before you’ve made a beautiful pricing list, before anything else, start taking action. Start connecting with people in your desired industry to learn more about their pain points and learn how to support them. Start calling, emailing, and messaging people to see if they need your services. Start researching your competitors to learn what they are doing right and what you could improve on.
Then take this mindset into the next phase of your business. Continue to take action and be proactive about getting and serving clients to the best of your ability.
7. Be a leader
Instead of working with clients like you’re their employee, treat yourself like a business owner. Teach your clients through actions that you are in charge of your own time, pricing, services, etc. Getting to this mindset involves getting rid of people-pleasing tendencies and gaining the confidence to own your worth, but it is a journey worth taking.
Implementing these seven mindset tips will help you set up your business for success! Work to get rid of perfectionistic standards and people-pleasing behavior while learning from others and being proactive about supporting yourself and your clients!