Have You Built a VA Business, or Just Given Yourself a Job?

From the outside your VA business looks like it’s doing really well. You have good clients, decent money and a jam- packed calendar. How could there possibly be a problem? Well, the issue is there’s a stage in business that is deceptive; instead of building a business you may have accidentally created yourself a job.

"Technically, you absolutely have a business, but functionally, you may have created yourself a job."

In this episode we’re exploring the difference between being self-employed, being busy and actually building a sustainable business that works. I’m not talking about building an agency, hiring a team or creating a passive income stream - a solo virtual assistant with four brilliant clients can be a fantastic business. The distinction is whether you’re actually running your business, rather than the business running you.

I’ll walk you through the five signs that signal you’ve built yourself a job rather than a business which are 1) your income is completely dependent on your time; 2) you’re too busy to work on the business; 3) one client has too much power; 4) you can never truly step away; and 5) you don’t know your numbers.

It's not the difference between being self-employed and being a business owner, but being intentional rather than accidental. Stop asking “how do I get more clients?” and start asking “what does a good business actually look like for me?”.

Key takeaways:

1️⃣ Being busy and being resilient aren’t the same thing - being fully booked doesn’t mean you’ve built a business that can withstand a client leaving, a quiet month or two, or having a few weeks away from your desk.

2️⃣ Client work always feels urgent; your own business rarely does. Nobody is chasing you about reviewing pricing or planning a head, so protect CEO time before a problem forces you to.

3️⃣ Run your business on numbers, not vibes. Know what it costs to run your business, your margins, and what services actually make money. Make decisions based on fact rather than a feeling.

Set aside 30 mins this week to answer the following questions:

1️⃣ What did I originally want this business to give me?

2️⃣ Is my business currently giving me that?

3️⃣ What’s one thing I need to change?

Don’t create an in-depth business transformation plan - pick one simple thing and implement it.

Timestamps:

(00:00) Does being fully booked mean you’re successful

(01:40) The difference between being self-employed, being busy, and building a business that works for you

(06:38) Is your income completely dependent on your time

(07:53) Are you too busy to work on your business?

(08:58) Does one client have too much power?

(10:05) Can you properly step away from your business

(10:55) Do you know your numbers

(12:36) Why did you start the business in the first place?

(13:17) 3 questions every VA business owner should ask themselves

(13:50) Join our All Stars community

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