When I decided to start a Virtual Assistance business, I wondered if I could do it. I mean, I knew I could do the work. But could I run a business? See, I’m what is known as a free spirit; in other words, I’m undisciplined and easily distracted. That flies in the face of being very organized, which I am (no wonder the person I fight with the most is me!).
I wrote in my business plan that I would take a project and turn it around in 24-48 hours. Pretty unrealistic plan because what if I got six projects at once? And who knew what the complexity of those projects would be? I had guaranteed failure. So, for months, I was in the frame of mind that if I got a lot of projects to do, I would fail because I couldn’t do them all at once. My subconscious mind was not letting me find clients. Thus my business was failing. I was miserable. During that time I joined the VACOC and subsequently left because I didn’t have time for it. I was too busy failing.
When I came back to the VACOC in October, I decided to purchase their forms. I had to do something besides get a full-time job. Those forms, along with actually participating in the forum this time, has made all the difference. I now realize my limitations are not that I’m undisciplined and can’t run a business. I am running a company and being undisciplined spurs my creativity. My limitation is time and time can be managed. The best way to manage time as a VA is to have retainer clients and the equivalent of one day dedicated to taking care of the business. Take care of the business . . . take care of yourself. They go hand-in-hand.
Two weeks ago I changed my hours from Monday-Friday to Monday-Thursday. Friday belongs to my company. The past two Fridays I haven’t spent a lot of time on the business, per se. What I have done is cleaned out and cleaned up my home. I removed nine large trash bags of clothing and linen, threw out enough stuff to fill three wheeled bins, moved two pieces of furniture to the basement (The cellar will receive the same cleansing at the end of June.). Yesterday I cleaned the house from top to bottom – that was a really good thing because the cat hair was getting kind of thick – lol!
Suzanne Evans of Blueprint Life Coaching started me on this quest. Now I feel so much cleaner, organized, lighter, refreshed. And because I got rid of so much, I have room for those two or three other retainer clients I want.
Have you made room for what you want in your business and your life?
