I remember this time last year I was working a lot. My business was exponentially busy, and I was about to begin adding people to my team. It was amazing. BUT also exhausting. I finally bridged the gap between a newbie VA looking for clients and a thriving business owner who had a team and not a one-man-band. It’s not easy, AND there are so many challenges as you go from one phase to the next, but with increased responsibility comes increased freedom. I learned to embrace the risks to value the rewards.
Today, I’m a proud ex-solopreneur who gets to work with a team of ladies I love. If you’re ready to take your business to the next level and accomplish your goals, keep reading to learn a few tricks to make 2022 your most rewarding year yet.
Risks and rewards as a virtual assistant
I read a great quote on Pinterest recently – There is no failure. You either win, or you learn. To embrace the risks in my business, I like to imagine and think about my Virtual Assistant career within stages of risks and rewards. Within each stage of your business, you will face a set of risks and rewards. They are always different and bring new challenges, but you always win and learn – you just need to change your mindset a little.
Think about how it was like to start your VA business. I’m sure, like most of us, you felt scared, intimidated, and perhaps even battled imposter syndrome (I know I did). But despite these feelings, you also kept going and entered a new world where you had to learn a TON about.
- How to handle my bookkeeping?
- What’s legally required as I get started?
- Should I build a website?
- What’s my brand going to look like?
- How do I network, and who is my ideal client?
While this new endeavor might have tested your strength, patience, and your sanity, you gained more rewards in the trade-off.
- New dreams and a vision that YOU are completely in control of – the sky’s the limit
- Something more vibrant and purposeful than a stagnant career or job
- Anything you can imagine – schedule, revenue, lifestyle – you name it
- A flow of abundance that you are creatively producing
Now imagine for a second that you’re ready to take the next step. You ignore the fear, the imposter syndrome, and start stepping into a higher level of confidence. You hit the marker and start taking your business from a solo operation to a team.
This stage of growth opens a new can of worms with questions that need answers like;
- How do I handle hiring?
- What do I look for in building a team?
- How do I build team culture?
- What can I do to ensure quality and excellence across the board for clients?
- How do we systematize tasks and projects for better results?
When you start working towards this stage, you might invest in a business coach, or you might reflect on the recent years of business ownership you experienced. And while this is exciting, it’s still no cakewalk. There are new unique challenges, headaches, and of course, risks. But think about the trade-off and the rewards you receive when you invest in your potential:
- Building something sustainable that provides MORE passive freedom, revenue, ideas, etc.
- Creating space for yourself to rest and do more of what you love and are meant to do, instead of all the things simply because you have to
- Allowing others to shine and improve what you started and taking on more humility as a leader so that growth can elevate you
There are always new levels of growth that come with greater risk and greater reward. You can’t enjoy the rewards of wealth, success, and freedom without experiencing risks like failure, self-doubt, and moments where you want to throw your computer against a wall. In moments where I’m on the verge of quitting or when I am second-guessing my next move, I remind myself- The best investment you can make is the one you make for yourself.
How can you fail if you invest in yourself? You can’t. You are investing in your growth, your skillset (every VA needs these 5 skills), and your future. It’s nothing short of magic when you face risks and not only survive but thrive to enjoy the rewards you receive.
For me, the last year of risk is showing up right now as a beautiful reward. Of course, I’m busy (that never stops – “busy” is a word we need to redefine or remove from our vocabulary), and I have a unique set of pain points compared to what I experienced as a solopreneur (management, payroll, etc), but I also have a trusted team.
While I have more going on behind the scenes with my amazing team, I don’t have to think about whether it gets done. I’m also not working overtime to take care of all our clients, and I’m not stretching myself thin or cutting into holiday time – huge wins!
The VA cycle of risks and rewards is an ongoing battle, but if you reflect and use mindful tools like visualization, it can also make the risks far easier to face while you wait to receive the rewards.
The power of visualization
A great mindful tool to accomplish your goals is to create a mental image of what you want. While imagining the risks and rewards in your business, you practiced visualization. You created an image and visualized the potential you have as an entrepreneur.
To make your visualization a reality, fall in love with what you want and define the emotions. How would you feel if you started managing a team? Would you be excited, thrilled, grateful, or all of the above? After you feel all the feelings, get clear on what you want. The clearer you are, the stronger the results will be. It’s fun and it lets us explore again, and dream again, like kids do when they play and imagine without reservation!
While I work on upleveling my business, I believe I have what it takes to accomplish my goals. I have FUN and embrace both the risks and the rewards with a positive mindset. It’s scary and takes some time, but it is worth it when you give yourself permission to visualize and work towards reaching your limitless potential.
The risks are worth it
Risk is unfortunately a prerequisite for entrepreneurship. Nobody said becoming your own boss was easy. Every successful entrepreneur you see today experienced a set of moments where they second-guessed their capabilities, felt fear, and faced obstacles. But what separates their success from those who merely dream, is how they perceive risks. They know, breathe, and live the belief ‘The rewards far outweigh the risks’.
Wherever you are in your journey, you are experiencing the rewards of your past efforts, and you’re taking risks for greater rewards in the future. If 2021 wasn’t the best year, you can make 2022 a better year. You have to first tap into your power, believe you are capable and visualize what is possible for you.
What risks did you face to get to where you are today?
If you liked this article and need more support to make 2022 a successful year, schedule a free 1:1 session. We love to use our experience and lessons to help other Virtual Assistants become unstoppable entrepreneurs!