The Ridiculously Good Virtual Assistant Show

When I first decided to do a podcast for you (and for me, truthfully!), I did a lot of research. I knew what kind of content I wanted to provide, but was that something you would tune in to hear every week? That's what I needed to know. After doing 100 episodes, I can honestly say that yes it is something you enjoy. I appreciate every single one of you, and the time you take to learn from me. And...

First things first, yes, today's episode is my 100th episode of The Ridiculously Good VA Show and I'm thrilled to be marking this milestone with you. When I decided to do the podcast back in 2022, I did it so that I would have a central hub of content for my audience of VAs just like you. I found that I was creating content in about 5 different places and it was hard to keep up, and keep it all fr...

So today we are talking about the very common question ... how to bill your Virtual Assistant clients. There is a misconception that billing by the package is better and smarter. But that's not always the case. Why do VAs want to charge by package? The main reason is they want to stop tracking their time. But you still need to track your time with packages! Well, in a manner of speaking anyway. Wh...

Before a Virtual Assistant client signs on the dotted line, they may ask you for some kind of proof that you can, in fact, do what you say you can do. I have talked to lots of VAs who seem to get offended by this. Often because the request comes in the form of asking for references or for a resume. They stick their nose up and say they don't want to do those things because they are not an employee...

Learning to do marketing is one of the most important skills you can master with your Virtual Assistant business. But sometimes we get overwhelmed by what we should be doing to get the word out about our business. Let's talk about it. What does marketing mean to you? To me, when I was starting out, it meant advertising. Promotions. Getting customers. Marketing is not selling, although it does prod...

Starting a VA business is pretty simple. It's a service business, so there isn't a lot of startup cost involved - I always say if you have a contract and a way for your clients to pay you, you can start taking on clients. Of course there is more to it than that, but essentially that's all you need. So many women get stuck on allllll the details and never get started. But if you have admin experien...

Finding high paying clients. It's what we all dream of when we think about starting our Virtual Assistant business. I know I did, when I first got started. You probably did too. We have these dreams of getting paid well, doing things we love, being in charge of our own schedule, being there for whatever our family needs. So we start our VA business. Then the other shoe drops. It's harder than we t...

If you can find one client you can find many clients. It's a fact. Once you figure out how to get one client for your VA business, you can get as many as you like. And yet, the one thing that many Virtual Assistants fail to do is to learn how to get that ONE client. They fail to focus on what it takes to get a client, relying instead on luck. You can't build a business with luck. Well you can, but...

‌I get so many questions from Virtual Assistants about how to help our clients find us and notice us. The idea with marketing your VA business is to get noticed - get visibility. Yes it's about getting clients but what we really need to do is to get ourselves and what we do to help our clients 'out there'. Getting clients usually comes from having a conversation with someone who has heard about us...

So many Virtual Assistants make business too hard. We start by thinking we have to be someone else - a business person. Someone who speaks a certain way, who learns certain things, who does certain things. But I remind VAs every day that we are service business professionals. And that means that our product is ourselves. Us. So why would we need to be anything other than ourselves? First of all, i...

Finding Virtual Assistant clients online is not hard. In fact, it's very simple. If you are struggling to find VA clients online, then you are probably missing one or more important pieces of the puzzle. Today I want to talk about some simple things that you can do to find your best clients online. Everyone will tell you that the demand for VAs is increasing - they are right. Since the pandemic, t...

I tell you all the time that time is money for Virtual Assistants. Literally time is money. Your time. Your client's money. So everything you do - and how you do it - is costing the client a certain amount of money. And, you are also doing a lot of things. Possibly for a lot of clients Doing a lot of things at once for a lot of different people means that we can often get overwhelmed. Or busy. So...

There are a lot of questions I answer on a regular basis - over and over and over again. So hopefully this episode will serve as an FAQ for those of you who are just starting to look at the VA industry as an option for you. Tune in to hear the answers to these 20 questions: Can I really make a living as a VA? How much money does a VA make?  What skills do I need to become a successful virtual assi...

Welcome back to another episode from my VA Snapshot series of The Ridiculously Good VA Show, where we talk about the specific services that Virtual Assistants can offer different target markets. When you choose a target market, you learn about what they do in their business - how they find their clients, how they work with their clients, and what kinds of things they need help with in their busine...

In this episode we talk about the various phases of being a VA. From the research phase to working with clients, you will probably find yourself in one of these phases. It's a pretty simple concept. No matter which phase you are in, you need to move forward so that you can succeed. If you need more clients, or more money, or if you need to be better organized, you'll need to make some changes, and...

In this episode we talk about the challenges faced by Virtual Assistants (VAs) in balancing their work and personal lives. We emphasize the importance of self-care and setting boundaries to maintain the balance that we need. We talk about managing multiple clients, household responsibilities, and leveraging technology to streamline tasks. You'll get lots of tips on how to manage your communication...

Today we are talking with VA Jacki Hollywood Brown, about how she got started as a VA, the services she offers her clients, and what business owners should know about working with a VA. Jacki is an organization specialist who helps her clients by designing structures and procedures to help them improve their efficiency and productivity. Tune in to learn about: What expertise she brings to her clie...

Today I want to talk about marketing your VA business. Specifically, about using Facebook to market it. Quote: Giving a brand personality is what separates your brand from the status quo. - Pam Moore Hey that quote doesn't mention Facebook - I know, right? It's because the vehicle you use to gain visibility doesn't really matter - it's about what you put out there. Here's what I mean. Let's go! We...

Today I want to talk about rates. It's a common topic of discussion with VAs at all levels of their business - and we all struggle with it at times. Quote: Don't fall into the irresponsible trap of setting low prices. It will kill your business cold. Low prices attract cheap customers with luxurious demands. ― Mac Duke The Strategist How awesome is that quote!? I love it - I think it's so importan...

Hey there, welcome to another episode of the podcast that teaches you how to be a ridiculously good virtual assistant. Today I want to wish you a very happy new year - 2024 is here! - and i want to focus on the possibilities that lie ahead for you this year. Quote: The new year stands before us, like a chapter in a book, waiting to be written - Melody Beattie It is true that we are the master (or...

Here we are the end of another year and it's time to reflect back on what we did well in our VA business, what didn't go so well, and what we want to do differently in the coming year. It's not that we need a huge shakeup, but it is a good time of year to make some decisions. i teach a process I call my Lookback Process, and what that does is helps you identify first of all what you did, second ho...

It seems like Chat GPT is everywhere these days. People are talking about it online - and because we spend so much of our time in various places online, we see it. Everywhere. What is it, and why should we be using it for our VA businesses? Simply, Chat GPT is a chat software that allows us to do research that gets more intelligent, or more specific, the more information we provide for it. Think a...

Several years ago I was invited to submit a chapter for a book collaboration. We were 20 business owners who were part of a group and we published a book called Thought Leaders: Visionaries and Influencers. While at the time I didn't believe myself to be any of those things, I was looking to become that. Someone that VAs like you, and business owners alike, would come to for advice, support, and g...

You know the type. That client that is always asking you to do something now, urgently, last minute, whatever. What do you do? How do you handle that? If you are like most Virtual Assistants, you will probably go ahead and do it, even if you are grumbling under your breath the whole time. It's hard, because we are literally in the business of helping our clients. We are service professionals. We d...

In this series we are talking about how to think about your services from the perspective of you clients. It's easy enough to say that you provide email support, but how do your clients think about that? How much importance do they place on that thing? Why is it important for them to get help with a particular service? And how do they actually use that service, or describe it? When you really look...