Reasons that stop people from becoming VAs (and why they should ignore them)
I’ve lost count of the amount of times I’ve heard people say ‘I want to become a VA but I can’t because of…….X’
And the ‘X’ is usually a pretty understandable fear, but one I KNOW can be pushed aside. And the reason I know that is because I was worried about a lot of the same things. But it’s 6.5 years into my VA business and I haven’t regretted it for a second. In fact, it had been the single best career decision I ever made, and I wouldn’t go back to my corporate cubicle if you paid me double my last salary!
I’m not here to persuade anyone to become a VA, but I AM here to reframe some of the reasons why some people think they can’t start and succeed in business as a VA. It seems such a shame for potentially brilliant VAs not to even start because of a misunderstanding/fear, so if that sounds like you keep reading!
A bit about your beliefs
Ultimately behind every single reason why it can’t work for you is a limiting belief. A limiting belief is something that keeps us small. It could be an old belief that we don’t even remember believing in the first place, or a relatively new one that we’ve picked up along the way. These beliefs are literally all in your head, and they’re holding you back from running the VA business that you dream of having. One that allows you to leave a job you hate, choose where and when you work, and one that enables you to have the freedom and flexibility over your schedule that you desire.
‘Whether you think you can or think you can’t, you’re right’
I think this one was Henry Ford, and it’s absolutely true. So let’s get some self-belief around here, ok?!
I can’t make enough money
Fairly recently I exchanged messages with someone asking me about my experience of running my VA business and being a mum. Her response was:
‘Obviously know I couldn’t leave my job but maybe one day even reduce my hours there. I mean that’s so good you could leave your job through it’
My internal reaction? Why is it obvious you can’t leave your job? Why wouldn’t you be able to?Yes, of course I could leave my job. I wanted it to be a full-time income so I made it so.
The ‘I can’t earn enough’ worry is soooooo common, but ultimately it’s rooted in a ‘lack’ mindset. Sounds pretty woo and there’s heaps of stuff out there about abundance vs. lack, but as mindset plays an extraordinary role in any success, I’d be doing you a disservice if I didn’t mention it.
Some of the hiccups that prevent women from starting VA businesses include:
Thinking you need to charge a low rate because of XYZ, and therefore you can’t afford to leave your job
Thinking there aren’t enough clients out there to pay you
Thinking you don’t have skills clients would pay you for
You can earn as much money as you like as a VA. Yes, it might take a bit of time to build things up. And yes, you might have VAs in Facebook groups advising you to be ‘realistic’, but screw that. Your earning potential is completely unlimited.
It’s a side hustle only
Some VAs choose to have their VA business as a little side hustle which provides them with the money they want, but don’t necessarily ‘need’. That’s completely fine, and a wonderful way to keep your toes in the working world.
But that doesn’t mean you can’t have your VA business as the entire source of your income.
This misunderstanding might have cropped up because lots of women start their VA business while in their full-time job, and they build it up until they’re ready to hand their notice in.
There aren’t enough clients to go round
‘Finding clients is hard’………’I don’t know where to find clients’……..’I don’t know how to show up online to attract clients’……..’the VA market is saturated and there aren’t enough clients to go round’……..
I can think of plenty more of these fears too, but ultimately it’s just not true.
There are so many potential clients out there for you, it’s kind of ridiculous.
Last year alone there were 810,316 new businesses registered in the UK. That doesn’t take into account all the businesses that have been kicking around longer than that. And then think about the global view too. You work online as a VA, which means you can work with anyone with an internet connection. There are 333.34 million companies worldwide. Even if only 1% of those businesses needed a VA, thats 3,330,000 businesses. And I don’t even think that number takes into account self-employed traders either.
And the saturated market bit just isn’t true. Yes, there are more VAs out there now. But are they all excellent, high quality service providers? Do they have your unique skills and experiences? Do they know the exact same people you know?
No. They don’t.
I don’t know anything about running a business
Neither did I when I started out. It’s not generally something you get taught at school, and even if you DID do a business studies GCSE (I did!) the information is completely outdated and irrelevant for an online business owner.
But it’s not that hard. Seriously. It’s not bloody hard. You just get the set-up out of the way early and you’re done. I cover it in Module 1 of The Virtual Assistant Toolkit.
I’m not tech savvy
Every single skill you need can be learned. Every single one. Tech is only hard if you tell yourself it’s hard. Plus I’ve never come across an online tool that doesn’t also come with free learning resources!
Learning a new thing can of course feel daunting. Think back to a time at work when you needed to learn a new system or a tool used in-house changed. Did you know it back to front straight away? Probably not. But you learned it, and then it became second nature. The same can be said of any online tool clients might need support with.
I think the tech fear goes hand in hand with a general misunderstanding about the skills needed as a VA too. No client is the same as the next, so you probably don’t even need to learn the number of tools you think you do anyway.
The thing is, the more you embrace the tech, the more you can earn. Master a few in-demand tools and you can position yourself as the go-to VA with that skillset.
A final note
You’ll never feel 100% ready to start a VA business. The timing will never be perfect. But ultimately it’s a choice. I always knew that I’d massively regret not trying. I might feel disappointed if it didn’t work out, but the regret of not even trying in the first place pushed me to take the leap. And it’s a leap I’ve never once regretted!
