attitude – Virtual Assistant Success Strategies

Wil Hart on December 3, 2013

Discover Your Fears And 3 Ways To Overcome Them

One of the best definitions I have ever heard for the word FEAR is False Expectations Appearing Real.

It goes without saying that starting and running your own business can appear to be a scary undertaking. For some it is horrifying. For many others, it is a thrilling prospect of creativity and opportunity.

Fear can sap your energy and hold you back from making progress in your business. How though, can you discover whether or not fear has a grip on you?

Start by analyzing your habits. When you have an important task to complete, do you have the habit of diving into the work and completing it as soon as possible? Or, do you put the task off for later because you want to make sure that everything you need is in the right order and perfect.

If you tend to put things off by allowing ‘busy work’ and distractions to overwhelm you, it may be that you have the fear of completing tasks. Just thinking about the work that it will take to get a new client, write a few blog posts, or attend a networking event seems exhausting and complicated. This is a prime case of “ready… aim… wait“! Continue Reading>>

Wil Hart on November 18, 2013

Virtual Assistants Remember This Number: $989.6 Billion

Yes, BILLION with a capital “B”.

What is significant about this number and how does it affect you as a Virtual Assistant? First, let me tell you where I found this number and why I was so excited about the other statistics that go along with it. I was reading Forbes.com and came across an article that was written by Jason Nazar.

The article highlighted some very helpful information. First, I want you to think about the number of clients that you need in your business. Is it 5, 7 or 10? Whatever it is, you should determine how many clients you need and the amount that you will charge them for working with you. Here is why! The article pointed out that there are over 22 million entrepreneurs that are self-employed. Of course that include you and me, and many of our friends and colleagues. How many of the more than 22 million do you need to enroll as clients?

Another really cool and exciting figure is $989,600,000,000! In the year 2011, the mass of self-employed businesses generated $989.6 billion in revenue. What was your cut of that amount? What is more important, can you see the possibilities that are available for your business? You as a Virtual Assistant have the possibility of cutting yourself a slice of a ginormous pie. How can you do it?

Upgrade Your Mindset

One of the major hurdles that we at EAtoVA help our clients to overcome is limiting beliefs that Virtual Assistants contend with. When working as support personnel in the corporate world, you were told to get this, handle that, be here, go there and here is how much you will get paid. Now, as a self-employed individual, you may forget that you have full reign to call the shots of your business. So, it becomes difficult to step into the roll of a boss because you are so used to having your schedule and your value dictated to you.

You can end that trend by developing the determination to succeed. Start by acknowledging the beliefs that are holding you back from creating the life that you desire. Think about how those beliefs are affecting the progress of your business. Set business goals for yourself. Create a plan that will help you to get there. Stay focused and follow through on your plan.

I invited you to listen to a workshop that will assist you in doing just that. To get your copy of this helpful information, CLICK this link. I look forward to seeing you tap into the wealth of opportunity that is just ahead of you!

Wil Hart on November 20, 2012

Take Your Next Step Now

At this time today, as you read this blog post, you have a set of actions that you need to take at some point. Your action steps are related to building your Virtual Assistance business, improving your skill, increasing your knowledge or a host of other activities.

My question to you is, “What is holding you back?”

In order for you to make progress you have to take the next action step. So, look at your list of things that you need to accomplish this week. Take out a pen and write down the very next progressive step in each important activity.

There is a caveat to this simple instruction of taking the next progressive step. Try hard, I mean really hard to not live in the past. If you have a long list of to-do’s that you know should have already been completed, don’t stress about it. They are not done, but you still need to get them finished. Start where you stand! Take the next progressive step.

After you have taking the next step, be clear on the subsequent actions that need to be taken so that you can continue to make progress towards accomplishing your goals. Develop the ‘what-is-my-next-step’ attitude. Clarify the next action step and then get involved and complete it. What is your next progressive action step for your most important activities? Share them with us below.

Wil Hart on November 19, 2012

How to Face Your Fears and Defeat Them

Fear is a natural part of our emotional make up. It is even helpful at times. For without fear, we’d certainly walk into many unnecessary dangers. When it comes to being successful in your Virtual Assistance business, you may have many fears that hold you back from making the progress that you deserve.

Do you find yourself ignoring your fears in hopes that they will go away and never return? That is one method of feeding your fears so that they will never be eliminated.

So, what are some of the fears that you have? Is it the fear of failure? Could it be the fear of rejection? Some fears actually stem from the fear of success. Imagine that!

Here is a formula for facing your fears and dealing with them appropriately.

Acknowledge the fear that you have. Say out loud, “Yes, I’m afraid.”
Isolate the fear. Determine exactly what that fear is.
Take some action to eliminate the fear.

Now, we are going to make this practical and applicable.

You are trying to build a successful business. However, one of the obstacles that holds you back is a fear of meeting people. Do you remember what step one is? Say to yourself, “Yes, I’m afraid.” Next, you want to pinpoint the fear. The fear is meeting new people. The last step is to take some action towards eliminating the fear.

There are several things that you can do in this regard and they don’t all need to be business related. It could be something as simple as introducing yourself to a neighbor that you have never met before. Meet someone at the grocery store or at your child’s daycare. The more people you put forth effort to meet, the easier it will become. That particular fear will become a thing of the past.

If you face each of your business fears with this process, you will soon become a habitual ‘fear crusher’. Remember this, indecision and procrastination fertilizes fear. Action cures fear.

Do you believe that these steps will help you in your business?

Wil Hart on September 6, 2012

How Does Good Health Build Your Business?

It is possible that you have heard of the many wonderful benefits of regular exercise. My question to you is this, ‘Why should you seriously consider the powerful connection between good health and how it can help you to be successful as a Virtual Assistant?’

Let us make the connection to some of the benefits of good health and good business practices. When you exercise you are likely to experience:

1. Increased blood flow to the brain – As you receive more oxygen to your brain, it will increase your mental alertness and concentration. If you find that you have difficulty staying focused on the tasks at hand, you may be suffering from mental sluggishness. Get out of that lethargic state by walking for 30-40 minutes each day.

2. Reduced stress – Because you work with clients virtually, you rely heavily on technology to help you accomplish your business objectives. It goes without saying that breakdowns in technology produces increased levels of stress. Another stress inducing situation is working with clients and the challenging personalities they may have. If you have a good exercise routine, you will feel better physically and reduce the anxieties that you experience in your work and life.

3. State of happiness – Regular exercise produces a good feeling in many people. When you feel good and happy, you are poised to be more productive and to increase the happiness of those who work with you. Your happiness will infiltrate everything that you do. When you correspond with your clients they will notice a good aura when they hear your voice, read your emails and collaborate to accomplish goals. You will show up well when you are marketing your business and seeking out new clients. I know that you want to draw new clients into your business. Being in a state of happiness will help!

Regular exercise will improve your well-being. It will benefit your relationships, your personal health and your business success. Why not use exercise as a business building strategy. Your success as a Virtual Assistant depends upon it. Get started today!

Wil Hart on May 22, 2012

5 Keys To Becoming A Successful Virtual Assistant

In 2009, there were 27.5 million businesses in the United States, according to Office of Advocacy estimates (per a report published in January 2011). What does that mean for you?

A) That number has only increased since 2009.
B) EVERY single one of those businesses needs some type of administrative support to function and be profitable.
C) There is more opportunity for you to be successful than ever before.

Since you have expressed an interest in becoming a Successful Virtual Assistant, I want to share with you all the tips, short cuts and resources that were not available to me when I first got started. I had to figure out on my own most of the things that I learned. I hope that you will utilize the tools that I give you so as to make your journey a LOT less stressful than mine turned out.

Fortunately, I kept track of every step I took, every mistake I made and everything that worked along the way. I didn’t have a real reason for doing so at the time, but I’m SO glad I did because now I can share them with you. When I look back I see that there are 5 critical keys you need to start and build a successful Virtual Assistance company:

1. Mindset: You may not realize it now, but to be successful as an entrepreneur, you have to THINK like an entrepreneur. As employees, we are conditioned to do what others tell us. Someone else typically decides our schedule, how much we get paid, who we work with and what projects we work on. When you become self-employed, YOU call all the shots. This is probably one of the things that is most attractive to you about the opportunity to be a Virtual Assistant. However, you must understand that you will have to go through some growing pains to make-over your mindset. You cannot operate your business they way you function as an employee. It simply won’t work. If you avoid working through this transition it could be the ONE thing that can make or break your business.

2. Infrastructure: What makes up the infrastructure of your company? Here are a few things to consider: 1) Insurances – health, life, disability, dental etc. 2) Technology – computers, phones, an online presence etc. 3) Operations – you must have operational systems in place such as accounting, tax filing, setting up new customers, processes for working with customers, etc. 4) Structure – will you set up an LLC or a Sole Proprietorship? 5) Finances – it takes money to make money. Considering these important matters and making well-informed decisions about which situations will work best for you, will enable you to start and manage a successful company.

3. Marketing: Marketing your services and getting clients boils down to one thing, ‘Offering solutions to people who are already looking for them.’ You don’t have to “hawk your wares”, you don’t have to convince people to hire you and you don’t have to take any opportunity that comes along. Marketing at it’s best is simple, focused and consistent. Those who do not market their company tend to find themselves out of business very soon. The best thing that you can do for your business is to know how to generate leads and enroll new clients. You do not want to wait to figure this out. You can develop a marketing plan even before you have made your first dollar, taking advantage of the resources, relationships and opportunities already within your reach.

4. Transition: Having a PLAN around your transition from Executive Assistant to Virtual Assistant will help you to make the leap from employee to entrepreneur smoothly. Please do not quit your job and then ‘hope for the best’. That is NOT a plan that leads to success. You want to make sure that you have not only your infrastructure in tact, but also a step by step plan that has dates attached to keep you focused. This plan gives you time and space to make the transition. In your mind you may think you can “wave a wand” and make the changes you need to make overnight. But that is an unrealistic view. Mapping out a realistic plan will help you to make steady progress, avoid unnecessary stress and minimize wasted time and wasted money.

5. Building Your Business: When you work for someone else, that company does all of the heavy lifting for you as an employee. The company is responsible for building the business so that you will have a place to work each day. Now, YOU are responsible for whether you win or lose. Success or failure is 100% in YOUR hands! You, therefore, have to perform all of the needed tasks to REMAIN in business. This includes constantly upgrading your skill set, setting up systems, marketing consistently and more.

If you would like help with each of these 5 Keys, I invite you to join me for a FREE training call on Thursday, May 31st, entitled “How to Use the Skills You Already Have to Add An Additional $500 – $5,000 to Your Monthly Income…Working From Home”. Click HERE to get the dial-in details!

Wil Hart on June 8, 2010

Develop a Client Attractive Attitude For Networking

Networking is a great way to meet people and build your business. While it may be easy for some people to just strike up a conversation and make all the right connections, it actually takes work to network. But the more successful you are at networking, the more successful you will be in your business.

One of the biggest indicators of your success as a networker is your attitude. Believe it or not, you demeanor says a lot about you before you even open your mouth. For example, think about the last time you went to the mall and sat on one of the benches to rest your feet and drink some water. What did you do? Well, if you’re like most of us, you watch people.

You know, you looked at all the people walking by you and thought about who they were and what they were doing and thinking…all in the blink of an eye. Admit it, you summed them up based on the way they carried themselves.

People make those same assumptions about you.

So, to ensure that you are networking for success, take these steps to make sure you are projecting the right attitude:

Smile. It might be a cliché but a smile is worth a thousand words. People will be instantly drawn to you or repelled by you based on your smile. Make sure it’s sincere and inviting. Don’t know what that looks like? Picture yourself at your happiest: think of your kids, your favorite vacation spot, etc. That’s the happy look you want.
Stand up straight. Now, I know this all sounds like your mother talking to you, but the rule still hold true. Standing up straight and being confident makes other people want to meet you and get to know you. Nothing is more attractive than self-confidence.
Genuinely listen to others. Make sure you focus on the other person, their story and their background. Building a relationship with them first is the best way to build a connection for life. There’s a reason for the saying, “Your net worth is directly proportional to your network.” Make sure you are making lifelong connections.

Taking a few moments to get an attitude adjustment can make all the difference in your networking. By making these few changes, you will find yourself looking forward to getting out there and meeting other people. Networking is supposed to be fun and exciting, not boring and a waste of time.

One last way to ensure you are getting the most out of any networking event is to make sure you only attend the networking events that make sense for you and your business. For example, if your ideal client is real estate agents, make sure you attend a networking event where you know real estate agents will be attending. Don’t just go to the next Chamber of Commerce meeting because you “might” find a potential client. In the long run, this will be futile and tarnish your perception about networking.

Remember networking is about building relationships and making connections. Make sure you project the right vibes so people will want to connect with you. And make sure you’re in the right place at the right time to make those connections.