The Sam + Jo VA Show

Would you love to have an ongoing, steady stream of leads knocking at your door – all from online networking? Well, you’d better stop breaking our #1 online networking rule then! If you’ve been guilty of dropping links and running instead of building meaningful relationships and showcasing why you’re the right VA for a potential client, then keep listening … And if you’re a VA who DMs potential cl...

You’ve got problems! We’ve got answers - quick-fire style! There’s no pussy footing around in this episode virtual assistants! Coz whose got time for fluff and beating around the bush? Not you that’s for sure! In this episode you’ll learn what to do if: You’ve got clients, but not making money. Clients are saying they can’t afford you. Leads are ghosting you. You can’t get work out of clients. You...

Ask anyone what's the first thing that comes to mind when they think of AI and it’s likely they’ll say “ChatGPT!”. Since its launch 2 years ago other competitors have come to the market, but there’s no doubt ChatGPT is the most well-known of all the AI tools, and we’re certain it’s the one the majority of VAs are cutting their AI teeth on. Like any new technology, it's taking users a while to get...

You’re not an expert at everything – and no one expects you to be! We all have our zones of genius and we all need help occasionally to succeed in the things we don’t know yet. But even if intellectually we know this, we still discount – or outright ignore – great advice. ( And yeah, right now we’re specifically talking about our advice that you’re ignoring! ) So the question is why? Why are you i...

Witnessing a virtual assistant's journey to going all-in on a niche or speciality is a truly beautiful thing, and we’ve had ringside seats for Transcend Admin’s rise to VA fame. VA biz owner Mandy Purdie has found not only her niche – but her calling, and she’s reaping the benefits both personally and professionally that come from scaling New Zealand’s first (and only!) ADHD-friendly virtual assis...

Are you an aspiring or established virtual assistant agency owner wanting to grow a team while remaining ‘affordable’? Are you struggling to scale, unhappily working all the hours, unable to fully switch off while taking time off and sick and tired of juggling client work alongside recruiting and managing your team? Are you reluctant to put up your prices because you’re worried leads will balk at...

It’s likely you became a VA ‘cos you were over the 9-5 grind. You may have wanted to have more freedom and flexibility than a traditional corporate role allowed you. Or perhaps your priorities changed since starting your family? But let’s be honest, you also became a VA to earn a decent income from home! Otherwise, why bother? 🤷‍♀️ So why are there so many virtual assistants out there having to w...

Are you really a fully-fledged virtual assistant unless you’ve received a “I’ve been ghosted 👻" badge? If being ghosted by a lead, client (or yes, even team member!) hasn’t happened yet, in the words of Alexander Hamilton … “Just you wait” 🤪 Being ghosted can often trigger VAs into a spiral of self doubt. It’s common for the VA to take it personally, question everything and make some massive ass...

It’s a cold hard fact that people do business with people, and this couldn’t be any more true than inside the virtual assistant industry. The quicker you can build the know, like and trust factor online the quicker you’ll become fully booked with a steady stream of leads knocking at your door. And the best strategy to achieve this fast is being the face of your business. The worst strategy to achi...

Last year we released the What’s Your VA Pathway Quiz to help guide aspiring virtual assistants to find their perfect pathway to success. Those that take the quiz get one of four results: Sub-contractor, Freelancer, Agency Owner, and …. Not Ready. Every time someone receives the ‘not ready’ result a little part of us dies. We know seeing these two words pop up on the screen is disappointing for so...

The knock-on effect of the introduction of AI is HUGE. No one is immune – least of all virtual assistants. We may not have a crystal ball that will predict the future (wouldn’t that be nice!), but we do have a decade plus of industry knowledge and hundreds of hours of research, testing and speaking with other experts in our greater network under our belt. All of which has culminated in us being ab...

Do you pay your friends to hang out with you? Do you expect your friends sign contracts before hanging out with you? No? Then why are you treating your clients like friends? It's only natural you'll get close to certain clients, especially the long-term ones who you feel comfortable having a laugh, coffee or a cheeky wine with. But when the lines start blurring between professional and personal, w...

Shouldering the responsibility of running a business, wearing all the hats and knowing the buck is always going to stop at you can feel heavy. So heavy that it often puts aspiring VAs off from moving from lurker to launcher. Too heavy some days that even well-established virtual assistants feel the temptation of bringing on a partner to lessen the load. On paper, who wouldn’t want to go into busin...

It’s real talk time! Yessiree, it’s time to share some of our biggest biz “icks” as virtual assistant coaches, mentors and business owners. Some of these icks are instant turn-offs; our personal deal breakers. Others however aren’t as black and white as we initially thought they'd be prior to hitting record. But whether you agree with our Ick List or not, there’s no shying away from the fact that...

Some days social media seems like one massive highlight reel of gorgeous influencer-esq biz owners, working part-time hours from their spotless all-white WFH offices, who in their spare time enjoy baking with their well behaved cute AF children and make money while sleeping soundly in their super king sized beds alongside their super king sized partners 😉 And you know what they say about highligh...

We want to preface this episode by apologising to our American listeners😉 It’s time to talk all things … stock photos. In particular: Why we hate them. Why your leads are being put off by them. The only time you can get away with using them. What you can use instead of them. The things to look out for if you have no other choice but to use them. It may seem like a funny thing for us to get our kn...

Dude! There is no ‘easier’. There’s also no ‘quicker’, ‘faster’ or ‘better’ (in case you were wondering that too). Every aspiring virtual assistant is different. You have different skills, experience, personality types, available working hours and financial responsibilities. So instead of asking us which pathway is easier, ask yourself which are you better suited to? And if you don’t know, then we...

On paper your business looks great! You’re fully booked (or close to it), your bank balance isn’t looking too shabby and you may even be growing a team … It’s easy from the outside looking in for other virtual assistants to assume you’re successful, on top of things and freaking loving life! But the reality couldn’t be further from the truth. The reality is that you really want to love your busine...

Hey there VA Agency owners👋 Have you ever considered incentivising your team members with fixed fees instead of hourly rates? There are so many benefits to both you and your team member that it Just. Makes. Sense! But there are some clear dos and do nots to making it work well so that everyone involved is as happy as Ken hanging out in his Mojo Dojo Casa House. In this episode you’ll learn: The b...

There are a few pathway options aspiring virtual assistants can take, one of which is very uncommon. Why? Because skipping straight to ‘Agency Owner’ is not for the faint hearted, and you’ll need a very particular set of skills, skills that you will have acquired over time in your corporate 9-5. In this episode you’ll learn: Who can skip straight to ‘Agency Owner’. What your role would look like a...

We're officially dedicating this episode to all the admin superstars out there wondering whether their skills and experience are enough to move into the VA space. Spoiler alert: WE’RE 99% SURE THEY ARE! In this episode you’ll learn: Why downplaying your skills & experience as an admin support is doing you a disservice. The transferable skills that will make you a standout, in-demand VA. To cel...

What are you putting up with? Is your chair as wonky as Sam’s? Is the copy on your website not converting leads to clients? Maybe you’ve got an underperforming team member you’ve been avoiding having to deal with? It's time to say goodbye to not only those niggly little daily annoyances, but also the elephant in the room issues that can no longer be avoided. 'Cos the start of a new year is a great...

“But it’s just so hard for VAs right now!” “Man, it’s really tough finding clients – no one is hiring!” “It’s a slow time of year for sure”. NOPE! Stop it! It’s cold hard truth time lovelies. It’s NOT slow. Clients ARE hiring. We know first-hand this to be true. We’ve got evidence to back this up. So enough of the excuses. If you’re finding it hard right now, it’s certainly not due to the lack of...

We’ve coached some of the most successful virtual assistant business owners across New Zealand and Australia but Bri McDonald’s fast-track journey is one for the books! A fortnight after completing Launch in 30 Days Bri had onboarded 4 clients. Days later she resigned from her 9-5, and within a month she was fully booked and had replaced to her 9-5 income. But the icing on the cake …. 3 months aft...

Are you at risk of losing it all by having all your eggs in one basket? Do you have any back up eggs if the worst was to happen and you lost the majority of your revenue in one big ugly hit? You might be riding high right now, fully booked with one or two great-fit, chunky clients, but we want you to be fully aware of the risks around putting your all your client eggs in just one or two baskets. W...