The Sam + Jo VA Show

The question most asked by virtual assistants who are also parents to young children is … “Should I highlight my mum-status online? Should I have photos of my kids on my website and should I be posting about how I juggle business and motherhood across social media?” Hold on to your hats VAs! It doesn’t happen often, but this is one of those rare topics that we have different advice on!! In this ep...

Twenty-three year old full-time virtual assistant Taylor Bignall has embraced her Gen Z strengths to become an in-demand and fully booked virtual assistant in just months. It hasn’t been all rainbows and unicorns, but Taylor’s early struggles with uncertainly around her age vs her value are a distant memory and she’s now killing it online (Instagram being her platform of choice!) and is going from...

No matter how desperately we want to sign on a new client, if they aren't flying any green flags then you need to stop for a moment, take a breath, remind yourself of your WHY, and ask yourself whether or not accepting this new lead is the right decision for YOU. If you look at red flags as being potentially detrimental to your mental (and financial) health, then consider green flags to be the pol...

Spring cleaning your client list is a great way to become more profitable! It's healthy to give our homes a regular spring clean, so why not treat our businesses the same way? Just like the clean, fresh and decluttered feeling a house cleanout gives us, the same goes for saying goodbye to clients that are no longer a great fit. In this episode you’ll learn: The benefits of spring cleaning your cli...

Credibility is one part of the all-important Know, Like and Trust factor we talk about. Coming across as a credible virtual assistant means that leads will feel confident that you're someone to trust, that you’re going to fulfil your promises to them, that you’re reliable, professional, and that you’re going to do a great job for them. And the more credible you're coming across to potential client...

Are you thinking about growing your team by bringing on client facing VAs? Or maybe you’ve already got a team but it’s time to take a step back from client facing work in order to focus on growing your business? Either way, there’s a major mindset shift you need to make when bringing on client facing team members AND a language shift too. In this episode you’ll learn: Why this language shift needs...

We often get asked how to best sell the virtual assistant ‘concept’ to an employer used to hiring part or full-time team members. Whether it’s broaching the subject with your existing manager so they become your very first client, or applying for a new position you’ve seen advertised online, there is definitely language you can use which showcases a VA hire as a great option. In this episode you’l...

Bringing on sub-contractors to grow and scale is an exciting time for virtual assistant business owners! But the burning question is … how do you transition your current clients, who are used to working with YOU, across to new team member/s? How do you best approach this conversation? How are your clients going to react? What if they say no and flat out refuse to work with anyone else other than y...

One of the biggest service plan mistakes we see virtual assistants making is allowing clients to rollover unused hours. Unlike service plans provided by mobile phone providers, virtual assistants need to stop allowing any unused hours rollover to the next month (or beyond!). And before you freak out, having a no rollover policy is very common practice in the business world - especially for freelan...

We’re celebrating 100 episodes of The Sam + Jo VA Show! In this special 100th episode Sam and Jo celebrate by looking back at the past two years of podcasting and play back some of their best bits from 100 consecutive weeks of episode releases. Join the Scale It! Mastermind for established virtual assistants looking to level up their business. Make more money, get more clients and grow your team t...

You’re spending so much time marketing your business, it's vital to be getting something in return for the energy you’re putting in … e.g. getting more clients! But how do you know what marketing strategy is working for you, and what’s not? How do you ensure your precious ‘on your business’ working hours are actually helping you reach your marketing goals? It's time to pinpoint the activities that...

For those new to the VA space, often this is the first question they have when the time comes to figure out which services they will be providing their future clients. So, without further ado, we give you … the Top 10 In-Demand VA Services for 2022!!! In this episode you’ll learn: The top 10 In-demand VA services in 2022, and WHY they’re on the list. What to do if the services you provide aren’t o...

When virtual assistants are on the hunt for ‘premium’ clients, it means they want to attract the ones willing to pay premium prices for premium services. A premium client is one who won’t tell you you’re “too expensive”. They aren’t strapped for cash, but they are very much time-poor. But premium clients have high expectations and are likely to put the quality of the service you’re providing above...

Having too many clients is a great problem to have! But when there’s not enough supply to meet the demand, you're going to end up overwhelmed and possibly burnt out. In this episode you’ll learn: What to do when you’ve got more clients than you can handle. The 3 simple words you need to get comfortable saying. How to figure out how many clients is too many. Our predictions on human cloning. Join t...

Are you looking for that shiny silver bullet that will … Get you fully booked? Increase your engagement online? Turn your website visitors into paying clients? Have your phone running off the hook and inbox full to the brim with leads? Then keep listening … Join the Scale It! Mastermind for established virtual assistants looking to level up their business. Make more money, get more clients and gro...

“Being on brand is the new professional.” Peti Morgan This week we chatted with personal brand specialist Peti Morgan about how virtual assistants can become more visible online with an unapologetically authentic personal brand. Peti shares with us some top personal branding tactics and strategies, as well as her own outsourcing experiences, how she found her very own right-fit VA and why their ow...

Hands down one of the most stressful things new virtual assistants have to tackle is when they're asked to provide a proposal or quote for task/s they've got no idea how long will take to carry out. The bad news is that you’re going to get it wrong. You’re likely to underestimate the time it will take, and you’ll forget to charge out for certain things. But the good news is that it’s okay to get i...

Having been mentors to hundreds of virtual assistants over the past few years, we can say with absolute certainty that all that learning you’re doing is a waste of your time, energy and finances unless you’re taking action! If you’re guilty of paying for courses you never watch and summits or workshops you never attend, if you’re reading all the books and listening to all the podcasts but not maki...

In February 2022 Jo’s Virtual Assistant Agency Strictly Savvy reached a huge milestone by bringing in over $1million in revenue. And it’s not the first time it’s happened! Learn how you too can reach your financial goals – even in the uncertain Covid environment we find ourselves in – as Jo opens up her books and shares with us the secrets to her million dollar success (including what brought in a...

The list of paid tools virtual assistants should invest in (especially when first starting out) is a pretty short one as we don’t suggest spending money on your business before you’re earning a profit on a regular basis. However, there is one tool on our Must Have (and yes, pay for it) List, and that’s a password manager. Not only does a robust password manager strengthen security for both your ow...

EI or EQ … it really doesn’t matter which term you use. The important thing is that you’re aware that having a high level of emotional intelligence is key to leading your dream team, dealing with difficult clients and changing your victim mindset to a victorious one. The most powerful introduction to the ‘above the line’ concept is the OARBED model, and in this episode we share real life examples...

Is this VA gig not what you expected it to be? Have you tried it all but still not seeing the results? Are you considering giving up on your virtual assistant dreams? In this episode you’ll learn: The alternative options that mean you don’t have to give up. Why giving up doesn’t make you a failure. How to know if you have a victim or victor mindset. Join the Scale It! Mastermind for established vi...

There is one major difference between a successful, thriving virtual assistant agency and a wanna-be agency whose growth has stalled. And it’s no surprise that one difference is a mindset one. The longer you resist making this mindset shift, the longer it will take for your business to move from ‘meh’ to ‘wowzers! ’If you’re a VA Agency owner, or you’re thinking about growing your team, then this...

Happy New Year! Our very wise friend and planning & mindset coach  Tracey Hancock  often talks about the importance of regularly looking back on what’s been and done with curiosity and kindness. We both do this on a weekly, monthly and yearly basis and decided this year we’d share our yearly wrap-up session with you! In this episode you’ll learn: Our biggest lessons from 2021. The lowlights th...

If you don’t value your time how do you ever expect your clients to value it?! Not charging for everything, always discounting, inconsistently invoicing, working for free … no matter how your personal money blocks are showing themselves in your business you’ve got to put a stop to them. And if you can’t do it for the sake of your own business, then it’s time to think about how it’s affecting your...