What about your virtual assistant business in 2011?
For most small business owners – the month of December is a time of reflection, looking back over the year and planning for the next one. You see it in year end reports (I did one myself it was an interesting exercise…), blog posts, videos, teleclasses and even in social media.
As virtual assistants we also get bombarded with trends for the coming year, what skills are you going to improve, grow or add to your list? Will you specialize more etc. Great questions and great content shared but it can be a little much at times and complicate the plans you have started to develop for you and your business.
One thing that gets left out many times is the need to connect. Yes we hear about connecting with your clients, developing relationships with them, but when was the last time you heard about connecting with your fellow VA’s?
As you can see from the sporadic blog posts this year, 2010 has been a year of investigating, thinking and planning. Now it is 2011 and this is a year for action, moving out of the comfort zone and taking a few risks. In 2011 a goal I have is to connect with my fellow VAs. While there are great forums, virtual assistant associations and conferences out there but these are not the connections I am looking to develop. I’m looking for a group of VAs….
- Who are ready to grow and change their business
- Who view their business as an opportunity to create something special, something out of the box and unique that allows them to have a business that works for their life and not fitting life around their business.
- Who are looking to push the envelope of what a virtual assistant business is and can be.
- Who are willing to be held accountable while pushing back and holding others accountable
This will be a smaller group and will be limited in number to keep the connections real and personal. It will be a way to dive deep into one another’s business, provide honest feedback, support, accountability and encouragement to one another. It is also an opportunity to create a network of resources, ideas and referrals – I’m sure we could all use that in our businesses.
Virtual Assistants are entrepreneurs and many times on the leading edge of creating business models that work and work well. The creative energy of being part of a group like this is exciting and motivating. Exciting to see and be a part of the success of others and it is also motivating to keep charging ahead when the road gets bumpy.
If this sounds like something you would like to be a part of this virtual assistant mastermind group, let me know. I have some ideas and plans but would love to have feedback and suggestions on creating a group that would fit you.
Making your virtual assistant business your own
I don’t know about you but for me and my virtual assistant business I have been doing a lot of thinkin’ and asking a ton of questions.
Where is my business currently at?
Where do I want it to go?
How do I create a business model that works for both me and my clients?
There has been a theme in the newsletters and blog posts coming to my inbox lately….
1) The Art of Non-Conformity by Chris Guillebeau, after a recommendation from a friend and colleague I checked out the book and Chris’ website. The book by the way immediately landed on my “to-read” list and I highly recommend signing up for his newsletter and downloading his free eBook, “A Brief Guide to World Domination: How to Live a Remarkable Life in a Conventional World”.
2) Karyn Greenstreet of Passion for Business has been writing thought provoking articles on her blog, RoadmapToReinvention.com about not copying the business models but create your own. In looking at her business transformations in the past, her success came from stepping out of her comfort zone and creating something different. This is another resource I highly recommend checking out – follow the feed from her blogs and sign up for her FREE monthly calls, I always get something out of what Karyn has to say about business and what she has learned.
For many if not most VAs we have created the standard, normal run-of-the-mill virtual assistant business. We get the website up and running, find a niche, start marketing and perform the work.
How to partner with your client the right way
In doing some research last night I ran across this blog post from Karyn Greenstreet of Passion for Business, How to Choose a Virtual Assistant. It made some interesting points and had great tips for small business owners who are in the hunt for some help.
There was one section that stood out to me though and had me thinking about it still this morning…
Some VAs are taught that they should be a “partner” with you in your business. On the surface, this sounds great. However, I have heard too many horror stories about VAs who did things without asking permission, from modifying website text to changing established class titles.
This was one of those statements that make you stop and think. Karyn is right, we are taught to think like a business partner. I’m wondering though, have I/we properly defined what a partner is? For instance I would never dream of changing text, class titles etc. for a client without express permission but I would want to be proactive and make suggestions on changing copy or class titles if I noticed something was not quite right.
I like this definition of partner from Wikipedia:
A friend who shares a common interest or participates in achieving a common goal.
And this one from Dictionary.com:
A person who shares or is associated with another in some action or endeavor; sharer; associate.
In both definitions the word share comes up and I think that is a key point. As virtual assistants, virtual support professionals, online business manager… or whatever name you give yourself, have you properly defined for you and your client what the word partner means?
For me a partner is someone you can bounce ideas off of, who tells you it is time to slow down or maybe gives you that needed kick in the tail. A partner shares the load, helps you out when you are overwhelmed. I think it also means you have an interest in their success, that you have a desire to help them bring their business ideas to life. When you get to know their business and understand their goals, you can make helpful suggestions, offer ideas and strategies that may work in a current project.
Being a partner is not about taking control or making independent decisions, but it is about sharing and support.
Being a partner is about being proactive in saying… “Here is what I can do for you” and not just asking the question, “How can I help?”. (Thanks to Tina Forsyth on this one, she talked about this concept in a preview call for the Virtually Successful Telesummit. It has stuck with me ever since 
)
When you talk to your client about being a partner in their success, does your definition send them running for cover? Or does it go the other way and they rely on you so much that it becomes overwhelming?
Defining up front what is means to be a partner in the business is vitally important. As Karyn mentions in her blog post – set boundaries up front. This goes both ways, the extent of your authority and decision making power AND it also applies to the business owner and their expectations of you.
Not every client is looking for this level of partner/support, some are just looking for that key help when they need it and our job is not to force that role onto them.
This has made me go look at my own personal definition of ”partner”, how I talk about it, what I mean by it and how I present the idea to my clients both current and new.
What about you, what do you think the word partner means for you and your clients?
Success Groups & Masterminds
I just had this article come through my inbox and loved the name Success Groups. What a fresh take on the name Mastermind Group. Kerry Beck is someone whom I have followed and admired for quite some time, she and her husband Stephen are excellent examples of a family who have developed a heart based, values based business that is highly successful.
They practice what they preach and as a result have successful businesses and have children following in their footsteps. What great examples to pay attention to.
How Can Success Groups Help Your Business?
by Kerry Beck
Interaction with other entrepreneurs could be the number one activity for true success in a home based business. Isolation is a killer! So, what should you do?
When you have someone with whom you discuss your goals and dreams, you have someone who can check up on your activity to see if it matches your goals. You also have a fellow entrepreneur who can help you solve problems, motivate you and encourage you to choose the right activities each day as you work your home business. There are many other reasons you should have an success partner. Let me give you a few to ponder.
1. Accomplish more goals
When you make your goals public with an success partner, you are much more likely to follow through with the activities needed to meet those goals. When I tell someone that I want to launch a product by a certain date, I don’t want to look inept. I want to look successful So, I will work as hard as necessary to complete that goal. For me, putting a goal on the calendar and discussing it with Steve is a fantastic way to make sure we succeed. Steve is my success partner, but not everyone has a success partner at home.
2. Right thinking for success in your business
Have you ever heard that your perspective on life is similar to the 5 people you are most around. When you spend time with success partners, you will begin to think like they do. When your success partner is a home business entrepreneur, you will be encouraged to think outside the box, like they do. The right type of thinking is imperative to succeed in a home based business, especially when you are working on your own at home.
3. Motivation and encouragement when times are tough
Success partners are terrific at motivating each other when times get tough. When you are working alone at home, it can sometimes be hard to keep going through difficult problems. A success partner is great at encouraging you during those tough times. Success partners are also helpful in motivating each other to complete tasks and project for long-term success. You need other people to succeed in life or in your business.
4. Brainstorm best solutions to any problem
As entrepreneurs, we all encounter problems in our business. Success partners are great to discuss solutions. In your discussion, you have the opportunity to brainstorm alternative ways to handle the problem. In this way, you have several possible solutions to a specific problem. Then, you can look at each solution and decide which one works best. Steve & I have each other. We often leave the house and discuss our problems. As we talk through solutions, we come up with other possible ways to work out our problem.
5. Less likely to quit
Do you ever feel like quitting on your home business? We all have those days when everything falls apart and we want to “throw in the towel”. When you have an success partner, you can call them when you are down. At that time, they can encourage you to keep going. We all need others to keep us motivated so we won’t quit. When Steve is down, I am usually up. When I am doubtful, he is usually positive about our business. That’s what success partners are all about.
Do you have an success partner? If not, you need to get one to encourage and motivate you to keep up the good work.
If you don’t have a success partner, consider joining our Couple Next Door Master Mind. Over the next few weeks, we will be putting Master Mind members together as success partners, in groups of 2-4. To find out how to become a CND Master Mind member, check out his site: http://www.CoupleNextDoorMasterMind.com
We can’t wait to see how Success Partners help you succeed in your home business.
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Copyright Kerry Beck, 2009
Kerry Beck focuses on teaching others to make a living through giving. Find out how your family can make a difference through giving now by going to http://www.CoupleNextDoorCards.com.
