Thinking About Giving Up?……DON’T!
Member Feature by Adele Botha of Perpetuity Virtual Assistant Services
I am the proud owner of Perpetuity Virtual Assistant Services, or PVAS for short. I registered my Virtual Assistant business in late 2020, and finally started my business recently in 2023.
Why I use the words “registered” and “started” in the above sentence will be explained in more detail below.
After my last update, I took a break to rethink my strategy.
It seemed like my efforts to launch my Virtual Assistant Business weren’t working, and I began doubting if this was the right path. I even contemplated closing my company but struggled with the idea of quitting.
Then out of nowhere, I received a call from a former contact who needed a Virtual Assistant. Although self-doubt crept in, I seized the opportunity and landed my first client.
While starting off on this new venture, I realized I lacked a support system. That’s when I remembered VAASA, a website I had previously visited. The support from the Virtual Assistants Association of South Africa has been incredible. Whenever I am faced with a challenge, I reach out to my fellow VAASA Virtual Assistants, and the responses are amazing, sharing their insights and experiences and guiding me on what worked for them and what didn’t. This community makes me feel part of a virtual team, erasing the feeling of doing this alone.
Virtual Assistance (according to me) is still a relatively new concept in South Africa, and not many people understand the idea of being a remote Personal Assistant, but VAASA helps bridge that gap.
To my fellow Virtual Assistant’s, I’m still learning every day and are far from considering myself a successful Virtual Assistant, but I work diligently and give my best in everything I do.
Here are 7 things I have learned over the past few months: –
- Let the contacts you made during your career know what you do, even if they don’t fully grasp it. The positive side to this is that they know you and your work ethic, and that speaks for itself.
- Word of mouth is just as important as social media marketing.
- Be patient, the right client/s will find you. I struggled to secure my first client, but I’m grateful I didn’t give up. Building your business does not happen overnight. It takes hard work and a lot of tears.
- Take it one client at a time. I felt it was essential to fully grasp the scope of work I need to do for my client, and I needed to be able to do it fast, professionally, and accurately before even thinking of taking on another client. Only after I had successfully managed the workload and met my client’s expectations did I feel confident enough to seek out other clients.
- Join VA groups and/or find a mentor. No one knows everything and we all need some support and guidance sometimes.
- Give your all and never give up. You had this dream of becoming a Virtual Assistant for a reason, pursue it.
- If you can’t be a full-time Virtual Assistant right away, consider a day job while freelancing as a Virtual Assistant, you can always build your business from there.
At the moment, my sole client brings me immense satisfaction. I’m truly fortunate to have such an exceptional and empathetic client. The idea of having a Virtual Assistant was initially foreign to them, and it was a significant leap of faith they took with me. However, our collaboration has been a success, and we are both adapting to this fresh remote work setup.
I’m becoming increasingly proficient in handling their tasks, continually improving my efficiency each month. This newfound confidence has spurred me to begin seeking a second client.
So, this is what I meant when I wrote in the beginning, I registered my Virtual Assistant business in 2020, but only secured my first client in 2023 and officially started my business.
To conclude, I’d like to leave you with a quote from Maxime Legace:
“Take your time, play the long game, embrace the boring, the difficulties, the uncomfortable. This is how it will happen.”
To find out more about Adele and Perpetuity Virtual Assistant Services , their services and how they can assist you, please visit our members page.