Put “Playing Office” in Your Past

Did you like playing office when you were a kid? I did. I would spend hours setting up my desk, organizing my paper clips, sharpening my pencils, and pretending to talk on the phone while taking notes on my steno pad.

But now there’s a lot more at stake. We have families to take care of, responsibilities to live up to, and lifestyles that we desperately want. And we’re trying so hard to make it happen as Virtual Assistants.

So it’s easy to get bogged down with all of the setup that we think is required in order to start a business. But it’s often our undoing. It’s the reason we never fully launch. And sometimes, we quit before we start, overwhelmed by all the details.

If you’re ready to stop “playing office” and have a thriving business, here’s what you need to do:

1. Gather the names of everyone you know in one place. I suggest an Excel spreadsheet. I’m talking about old bosses, cousins, past colleagues, moms from your kid’s baseball team, and your friends. Don’t try to figure out who will hire you and who won’t. That’s not important. Make the list as long as possible.
    
2. Tell everyone on your list about your business. In a simple email, announce your business. Tell them what services you’re offering, and direct them to your LinkedIn profile or website if you have one. Don’t overthink it. Here’s what will happen: some people will want to hire you, some will tell others about you, and some won’t respond at all. It’s all good.
    
3. Collect new people. It’s important to continue to meet new people and add them to your network. You can do this at social events, in-person or online networking events, and on social media. The more you do this, the more comfortable it will become.
    
4. Stay in touch with the people you know. The best way to stay in touch with many people at once is by consistently publishing an email newsletter. It’s a great way to showcase your skills, stay in front of your people and build on your relationships. Your newsletter will provide valuable information to your readers. You’re not selling or trying to get hired, but that will be the result. Once you write your newsletter, you can share it on social media and post it on your website.

I know you may think that cold calling, approaching strangers, and putting flyers up in the coffee shop is the way to get hired. It’s not. So do yourself a favor and stop trying to get strangers to hire you. Your best clients will come from referrals, so put yourself out there so that they can find you. If you follow this simple formula, you’ll have as many clients as you’d like, and you’ll be in business for real.

If you’re not already a member of our Facebook Group, The Virtual Assistant Connection, and would like to join, here’s the link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/thevaconnection/