I’ve written about how to say no to “well-meaning” saboteurs called naysayers, but what I haven’t done is give you examples of what they might say so you know what to say no to! Whether you’re on the receiving end of a negative comment or battling your own negative thoughts, it will help to have a good response ready.
People often email me their questions and concerns about becoming a Virtual Assistant, and while I suspect I’ve heard pretty much every mindset stumbling block under the sun, I still haven’t found one single good reason why someone shouldn’t set up their own business. Here are your biggest fears and how to overcome them.
If you’re still in the setting-up phase of your VA business wouldn’t it be great to receive some personal advice from established Virtual Assistants who have walked the path before you? I mean, imagine how helpful it would be to hear some words of wisdom, get some pointers and find out what the best course of action would be? Oh wait… there is!
As I write this post in response to the global Coronavirus pandemic, I feel lucky that the VA industry is so robust. Virtual Assistants have numerous transferable skills; we can work with any type of business, in any location, in any timezone and in any currency. Virtual Assistance is a highly agile business model that withstands turbulent times.
Whenever the world experiences a period of economic and political uncertainty, people who work for themselves aren’t as worried about their options. In fact, historically, freelancers usually do quite well during these periods because they are more in control of the situation and can use their flexible business model to create opportunities for themselves.
Early in 2017, I decided to ‘properly’ invest in my business. I wanted to up my game and to do that I knew I needed to learn from people who were better than me. So I bought a 2-day ticket to the Expert Empires event in London. I wanted to see Gary Vee and Ryan Deiss and didn’t spend that much time researching the other speakers… big mistake.
Recently I spent the day watching remarkable people give remarkable presentations at TEDx Brighton. I always make time for events like this because I love exposing myself to new ideas, they make a huge difference to my life and business, and I always come away from them enlightened and full of inspiration. And this one was no different.
Although you may really want to set up your own VA business, stepping into the unknown can be quite scary. Because I know that going freelance will change your life in so many fantastic ways, I asked members of my VA Handbookers Facebook group what the best thing about being a Virtual Assistant was. This is what they said:
I’m sure you’ve heard me say a billion times how important it is not to sleepwalk through life and fail to do anything with it. We only get one so it’s important to own it. But just in case you want to know what happens to those who do take action and practical steps towards creating the life they want, this post is for you.
Most Virtual Assistants will tell you that working for yourself is wonderful and will bring you unbelievable satisfaction and freedom. But what they often won’t tell you is that it’s also often confusing, scary, frustrating and stressful. Existing VAs will hopefully read this article, laugh and nod their heads with recognition – and new ones will get an insight into what’s coming!
