You are not an employee: you're a business owner
How do you feel about putting boundaries in place with your clients?
Do you always say yes to the things you want to say yes to and no to the things you don't?
Do you ask for permission to have time off instead of informing clients you'll be away?
If you're in the 'ummmm, sometimes I have boundaries but usually I bend over backwards' camp then, firstly, you're not alone.
Even NOW (5 years later) I have to take a step back before I reply and say 'yes, sure!' to a request that is actually not something I offer OR something I just don't want to do.
And in 2016 when I was just starting out I pretty much replaced my corporate job with my own one.
- I sat at my desk from 9am-6pm, even though I craved the freedom and flexibility to work shorter hours
- I said yes to work I hated
- I accepted a rate I knew was way too low for my skills
And then one day I had a huge realisation:
I'm not an employee!!
And my clients aren't paying an employee salary either. They're paying a freelancer for their excellent skills and experience, and NOT a full-time salary.
So:
You DON'T have to work during office hours if you don't want to
You DON'T have to do every single task you're asked to
You DO have the choice to say no if you want to
You DO have the option of raising your rates whenever you damn well please
If one of the many reasons why you decided to become a VA was because you didn't want to be an employee anymore, then the biggest piece of advice I can give you is to put your business owner hat on (and NOT your employee one!)
