5 Real-Life Lessons About Being A Virtual Assistant

Everyone has heard the famous line Lysander uttered in Shakespeare’s play, A Midsummer Night’s Dream: “The course of true love never did run smooth”.

Well, I hate to break it to you, but the course to becoming a truly savvy virtual assistant doesn’t run smoothly either. 

Thinking back on my journey, I realised I could share many things that could help potential Virtual Assistants that are starting out.

Things that I would have appreciated knowing before I started - but hey, in the end, blind ambition worked too! 

Without further ado, here are five real-life lessons about being a Virtual Assistant. 

Lesson #1

No matter how straightforward the basic concept of a VA business seems on paper, it l won't be easy.

Like any business, you’re going to need to put in the hours.

You’ll need to be focused, driven, and determined.

You need to be prepared to work. Hard. You have to roll with the punches and adapt.

Take advice and feedback on board and be willing to try new things.

Stay motivated; get up when you don’t feel like it, push yourself to stay on track, and great things will start unfolding.

Trust me when I say that you will get out what you put in.            

Lesson #2

Be prepared for a potential financial set back when you start out. Unfortunately, it is unlikely you will be earning a steady wage in the beginning; and probably not the amount you are used to receiving from your ‘regular’ job.

You'll need to build up to getting back to this level of income, which means you need to have a financial plan in place before you start.

This plan will be different for everyone but may include saving up a bit of a cash safety net, as well as careful planning to accommodate your regular outgoings and any financial commitments such as rent/mortgage etc.     

Lesson #3

Spend some time getting a robust accounts process in place. I don’t know what it is about new businesses, but I’ve noticed they seem to attract late payers, people who will argue an invoice or those who will simply refuse to pay at all.

Avoid this awful situation by ensuring your accounts and terms of engagement are made very clear. ‘Not negotiable’, even!

You’re a business, so don’t let people treat you like you’re happy to accept payment ‘whenever’. (Translation: When? Never!)

Lesson #4

Boundaries, boundaries, boundaries! Set them or you'll end up being contacted 24/7 by clients.

As the business owner, you get to set the rules, not the other way around.

Setting up business parameters is hard to put into practice when you first start out because you'll feel like you might run the risk of missing out on a client if you have too many rules up front. But the sooner you get brave about setting boundaries and taking control, the sooner you'll feel happier. (Bottom line and a critical point to remember is: Be true to your ‘why?’).

Your clients will appreciate knowing the rules and respect you for setting and communicating them with confidence.

You could have the rule that it's fine for them to message you 'after hours' but nothing will be actioned until the next day. Or if you're a night owl it may be that you like to work once the kids are in bed. 

It’s not just toddlers who like to test boundaries - it’s human nature, so if you let clients dictate your hours of operation or anything else for that matter, the behaviour will fast become the norm.

Lesson #5

What are you like when the pressure is on? How many hats can you wear?

Because you’ll fast become a dynamic, hat-wearing maestro once things REALLY kick off.

Virtual Assistants need to be up with tech, dynamic, and capable of switching and changing regularly, so you'll need to be a scheduling queen/king, and someone who can manage multiple jobs all at once.

Unflappable and resilient are two qualities that spring to mind when I think of what it takes to succeed. If you get stressed easily, being a Virtual Assistant might not be the job for you. (Better to know now!)

Never underestimate how full on things can get once you reach full capacity.   

If you consider these lessons when you start out on your own VA journey, I can guarantee you that you will be off to a great start.

Annnnnd, if you’re sitting there thinking “Surely there are more than five lessons to learn”, you’d be right.

Luckily, we have a Members Club Mastermind you can check out here. 

Jo 

PS: Let's connect on LinkedIn! Feel free to send me a connection request by visiting my profile here.