As an online coach or course creator, your time is precious. You have a never-ending to-do list, and it can feel overwhelming if you're running your business solo.
So take it from your business coach or the coaching guru you're following on social media: Nope, they are NOT running their business alone. I bet you a million bucks that they have their own team running the operations in the background so they can build more courses, attend to more 1:1 clients, and record more videos, reels, and TikToks for their content to flood your social media news feeds. I know, it's a BIG operation they're running, right? But if you think about it... how did they even get there? How did they find team members who will march to the same tune?
I'm spilling their secret in this video, and NO, it's not a well-kept secret either.
The not-so-secret secret is they sold their "WHY" to their Virtual Assistant.
You probably thought you only had to sell your "WHY" to your client, right? Actually, no! You have to sell your "WHY" even more to your team members! If you're still on the fence if it’s worth hiring a virtual assistant or if it’s worth sharing your revenue to build your team. I'm telling you right now that it's a worthwhile investment—but you have to do it right and you have to find the right people to join your team. So, begs the question...is it REALLY worth hiring a Virtual Assistant?
My simple answer is: YES! It's absolutely worth it when you hire the right person—someone who believes in your business and in YOU.
Okay, let me explain.
In the past, I've had a small number of clients, which I can count on fewer than the fingers on one hand, who have not had great success in having me as a virtual assistant. So yes, I admit, I have lost a few clients because we were not the right fit for each other.
Over time, I realized that whenever I had to "force" a work relationship with a client to work out, it really would not last long. So either I resigned from my post or the client sent a service termination request letter. Whenever this happened, I did my best to facilitate a smooth transition so we could part ways without sourness, and we wished each other success.
So, if you hired one or two virtual assistants before that didn't work out, don't ask yourself, "Is it worth hiring a VA?" Rather, ask yourself, “Is it worth continuing to run my business alone?”
Running your Business Alone.
It is a long and steep climb to succeed in your coaching business if you had to do everything yourself. Don't go down that road. Just because one VA you hired didn't work out well, it can only mean that there's a perfect rockstar virtual assistant out there for you that you just haven't met yet.
When you find the right VA, you'll know in your gut that it is a worthwhile investment. Before I went full throttle on building my virtual assistant team, I have to admit, I had second thoughts about paying someone to help run the business. Hiring an assistant or a crew of VAs meant overhead. It meant money coming out of my pocket, and I would be enjoying less revenue because I had to pay my team, right?
But when I put on my team's shoes and looked at the situation from their POV, everything changed. My mindset shifted, and the value I assigned to their compensation was more than just that.
Hiring a team member means you become responsible for them.
Hiring a VA isn't just about outsourcing or delegating tasks; it's about fostering a human connection. When you hire a VA, you're providing someone with an opportunity to grow and thrive. Their livelihood depends on the work they do for you. By investing in a VA, you're creating a mutually beneficial relationship where both parties can succeed and make a positive impact in each other's lives.
I have a VA on my team who recently shared with me that she was able to put a down payment on a condo-apartment from the savings she had with her virtual assistant earnings. She’s had this dream for years and it was a moment of pride that she finally did it!
There's another VA on the team saving up for her wedding, and I can tell she is so excited about it—and the entire team is excited for her too. I am so proud of how this person has grown in the last few years she has been with 8point8. Another team member was able to finally move out of her parents’ house and into her own apartment. She is self-sufficient, she is content, and she rocks at her job! In fact, she's responsible for a lot of our team's internal SOPs (standard operating procedures). I don't think 8point8 could get to where we are without her.
There's another VA on the 8point8 team who finally has the funds to go back to school so she can earn her post-graduate degree—a dream she has been putting off for years because she lacked the funding. Now, she gets to do it, and I'm proud to have her as part of the team, earning a living while going to school.
Think about it…the money you're paying your virtual assistant—it's not just a salary to them. The money we earn as your assistants, your team members, as supporters of your business, – it’s not just money. It’s more than that. There's a lot of emotion and personal meaning attached to the dollars that are coming out of your bank account and into the hands of your VA. That money is someone's car payment, that’s someone’s mortgage, that’s food for their family and paying your VA’s a salary mattered to their kids who they are sending to school. The money you put into your business is not just an overhead expense to pay someone to be your assistant. You're actually ASSISTING your assistant to fulfill their personal goals. You are making a huge impact on another human being. Imagine having that power to change someone's life?
I can go on and on about each team member's dreams and goals which they worked for. I know their stories. I know their dreams. I make it a point to get to know the people who form the 8point8 work family—and that's what I highly recommend for YOU to do the next time you go searching for your rockstar VA.
I bet you never looked at it that way, have you? When you do look at it this way, you'll be more thankful to be in that position where YOU can bless others with the blessings that you receive in your coaching business or with the sales you are raking in from your online course.
So, here it is... take note because I want you to bring this idea with you the next time you go out looking for your rockstar VA and doing interviews…
TELL them your Why! Sell your business dreams and hopes to your VA! Make it count and make it worth THEIR while too.
Stop thinking about the money or the cost or the overhead. Think about the cost of your DREAMS not coming true because you were too scared to pay someone to support you to be your team.
As soon as I embodied this POV, it changed the way I did my interviews with potential virtual assistants to join us at 8point8.
The interviews turned into opportunities "test to bond." Which of these applicants can be ALL IN? Which of these VA candidates did NOT have second thoughts about jumping in with me in my business because they believed in me in the first place?
Before they could dive in, they had to believe in my WHY. So when you do your interviews with potential candidates, lead with your WHY. Why did you start your coaching business? What are your dreams to grow? What makes you excited to build your online course, and who are your target clients whose lives you want to change for the better?
The moment you find a Virtual Assistant who can jump into the same boat with you to run your business, HOLD on to that person. Hold those team members close. Treat your VA like your trusty sidekick because your Virtual Assistant is looking up to you as the hero of your success story!
Now, let's ask again! Is it really worth hiring and keeping a virtual assistant? My personal answer is YES. But the more important question is...
“Is it worth risking your dream?”
Is your dream to succeed in your coaching business worth risking by NOT hiring and keeping a virtual assistant? Should you abandon your dreams to build and launch your online course because you lack the team support to make it a reality? I'll let you decide, but I think you already know the answer!
Do you have a virtual assistant? Are you looking for one right now? Maybe you could use some tips and hacks on how to work with your team better and run a more efficient online business. Share this with your fellow coaches and course creators and help them realize how worthwhile hiring a virtual assistant is!
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