[00:00:00] Andrea Elibero: Andrea here, your host and passionate business coach and scaling strategist for Soulful Service Providers and Coaches. Welcome to another episode of Soulpreneur Scaling Stories. Have you ever wanted to look behind the curtain of your fellow entrepreneur's business to see what actually went into scaling it?
Well, you are in for a treat because that's exactly what we are doing here. In each episode, we will be uncovering the truth the lessons and the stories behind what it truly takes for solepreneurs to scale their businesses intentionally. I'm hoping that their stories will help you to unlock the true potential of your business so you can create your own soulful, abundant, and aligned laptop lifestyle through intentional scaling.
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[00:01:11] 21: Today I was super inspired by a Google search that I did recently. So I want to talk about an issue that I feel like my people can relate to and this is being pigeonholed by the virtual assistant industry. So let me tell you what happened. I got Really, really angry because I googled out of curiosity to see what would come up, right?
Like what is out there in the universe. I googled how to scale a virtual assistant business. Let me save you the headache and please don't, don't google this because I was so upset and offended. So upset. So what I found was really gross. I'm going to save you from it, right? So take a deep breath and just focus with me because Hang on, because this is what Google says to do.
There's literally like, I don't know, a handful of articles, maybe less, and the advice that they gave. One was, um, bring in subcontractors. Do the same thing that you've been doing, just do more of it, and bring in subcontractors. Okay, that's one option. The other one that I found was 10 tips to scale. Like super, super basic, super basic tips.
And the other thing is that it said, the third one said, well, the first step is to get really solid on what your hourly rate is. Guys, like, I cannot. That was it. That was all that I found on Google. Every other article was about how to use a virtual assistant to scale another type of a business. That is what I found.
So, this got me to thinking, and I was like, wow, the virtual assistant industry, the online service provider industry, really belittles the people that they're trying to serve. It's really pigeonholing everybody into one really, really basic definition of scaling, and I feel like does not give respect to virtual assistants and to online service providers.
Like, they're not treating you guys like
So this whole thing was pigeonholing everybody,
treating people like interchangeable contractors, focused just on doing things like clearing inboxes for clients. Now listen, if this is your business and you're doing email management, like great. And at the same time.
There are so many different types of businesses out there for service providers. There are service providers who are doing like crazy imaginative things. They're making six figures and beyond, like they're having amazing lives and they're doing all of this as virtual assistants and service providers.
This is not a one size fits all solution. Like It is the only way to scale is to bring on subcontractors and just continue to do doing the same level of work that you're doing. Are you kidding me? No, no. What about those of us like me and like you who are driven by impact with ambitious visions for our businesses.
I started as a VA.
One of
One of the first things that I did as a virtual assistant was to create graphics for social media. Fine, that's what I started out as, but you know what? Less than six months later, I had an agency because I scaled the way they told me I had to scale when I looked it up, and it was terrible for me.
And then I became a certified online business manager. And now I am an expert in scaling and I'm a coach. Where is that reflected in the advice given in these Google articles? Google doesn't see you. Google does not see people like you who are driven by impact. You guys are not basic virtual assistants just looking to get paid.
That was not me either. All of us as an industry have legit businesses. Successful businesses, unique talents, magic, wizardry. We have our own magic, each of us. We all have really unique dreams. But yet the industry, the virtual assistant industry, is pushing everybody into this narrow definition of what it means to be a virtual assistant or an online service provider.
This got my blood boiling. Boiling. I am here to change this narrative. I am here to prove the industry wrong. I am here to show the industry that virtual assistants and service providers are more than this. I am here to empower you guys to step into your CEO shoes to be entrepreneurs. that are so passionate, that are building these amazing businesses, that are like holding space, so you cannot be ignored any longer, and so you get treated with the respect that you deserve.
The respect more than what these articles are saying, because by the way, I knew some of the businesses that wrote these articles, and they're, they're like top ones in the industry. So, we're going beyond that, and I want you to stand with me. So taking that into mind, I want to explore a couple of strategies for breaking out of the stereotype and evolving your business on your terms and evolving it in a way that feels good for you and where you know that you cannot just be put into a box.
So some of these things might sound a little bit like, yeah, I've heard this before, but I want to put a little spin on it. So bear with me here. So the first thing is to really get clear on your unique magic. So let me talk about that a little bit. This is what my term is for your zone of genius. So it's a little bit more than just what you're really good at, though, in my view.
So your unique magic is what you are amazing at, what you enjoy doing, and what really is like the unique value that you provide your clients based on your talents, your skills, and your experience. So all of that combined, and maybe you know exactly like, Oh yeah, this is my thing. Right? Or maybe you're like, Oh, I don't know.
Or maybe you're thinking, well, I don't have one. You have one. The funny thing about your magic is that oftentimes it's something that people don't realize that it's their magic because it comes easy for them. Right. It's something that like, oh, they can just do. And I know I've had this experience, whether it be in like a work environment or, um, I don't know, just like in life that I'm like, oh yeah, but that wasn't, that's not a big deal.
Anybody can do that. And then I saw evidence that, oh no, not everybody can do that. Right. So it might take a moment to actually take a step back and look at yourself and. Literally pat yourself on the back and say, Oh, like, yeah, I am good at this and really own that because nobody else is going to own it for you.
You have to own it yourself. So really try to whenever a client gives you a compliment, you know, whenever you're doing something and somebody's like, Oh, wow, like they just make a little note of it when you're doing something and you're like, Oh, this is pretty damn good. Write it down. You know, maybe you have a talent for graphic design.
Maybe, like me, you have a background in psychology, so you're really good at, like, providing advice and coaching people and getting people to realize things about themselves. Maybe you have so much social media management experience that you could do that in your sleep and you could, like, so easily help other people to really improve their social media.
So, what I encourage you to do This week is to take out a journal, take out your notes app, like however you want to do it and write down things that come easy to you and things that you enjoy. Define your magic, your unique magic, because this is the thing that you are going to evolve your business around.
Because you are so much more than somebody who just clears inboxes or manages calendars. You have magic within you. And I encourage you and desire for you to really bring that to the forefront and shine a light on it and make that what your business is. It's, this is like the best thing that you can do, right?
So, defining your zone of genius, defining your unique magic. The next thing is, is really get clear on your ideal client avatar. Now listen, this is one of those things, right, that it's like, yeah, yeah, I know, I know, I know. And, but I want to tell you something a little different about it. It doesn't necessarily have to be people who are in a specific industry.
It can be. It can also be what makes these people your dream clients. Is it something about their personality traits? Is it something about their goals? Is it something about their challenges? Do, do you know, do you have an idea? Are you like, no, I just like to help everybody. No, like, no, no, we're not talking to everybody, right?
And this can change and evolve over time. When I first started out, my ideal clients were health and wellness entrepreneurs, and then it shifted into the ones that were a little bit more woo, a little bit more on the spiritual side. Right? And then even in my coaching business, when I started out, my ideal client was a newer virtual assistant.
And now, my ideal client is a virtual assistant or an online service provider who really wants to grow beyond these monthly retainer one on one clients and step into something bigger and something amazing and scale their businesses that way. So this can evolve and I want you to take a look back and say, okay, what clients have I had that I've totally, totally loved working with and why?
Is it their working styles? What is it about them? Because the more you know about this person, including their, what they want to do, including their goals, including what they want to do in their business, the more you know about them, the more that you can write the content, the more that your messaging can really speak directly to those people.
So you are like, they feel like you're in their souls, right? So like, for instance, if I had just kept my Um, my ideal client, um, really general in this fashion, right? So I told you at first it was just like virtual assistants general, what would I be talking about in this podcast? It would be so generic and so boring.
And instead, if you are somebody who was like, Oh, like, I kind of want to do something more than this one on one. Like, who are you going to talk to? Right? You can be like, Oh, this girl, she knows what she's talking about. Right? Like, she's really cool. So this is why I encourage you to really get super clear on your clients on this avatar.
And then the third step, and this is something that people tend to, I don't want to say struggle with, but it's something that takes a lot of thinking, oftentimes, because it's not immediately available. To them, like it's not really on like, you know, like, like it takes a little digging. So, and this is to create some really fun non standard Packages, service packages.
So how do we move beyond this hourly rate model? How do we move even beyond some projects and offer some really high value? Some service like things and like different things things that maybe your clients are doing. They're like, oh, that could be really fun for me Like I was just actually messaging with a social media manager today on Instagram We were talking about memberships and she's like, oh like that sounds really cool, right?
Like what if you're somebody who wants to do some coaching? What if like you want to what if you love community and you want to lead a membership? What if you want to do some consulting or some strategy? Like there's so many different options here, or what if you want to do something like totally hybrid and have different tiers?
I'm not saying that you have to get rid of your one on one packages at all. I have a couple of one on one OBM retainer clients, and I'm not necessarily looking to have zero OBM retainer clients because that keeps me That keeps me fresh in this business that keeps me in the know as to what's going on and I still enjoy having These types of clients, but I don't want my entire day to be filled with these clients because one, it's not scalable.
Two, it led me to burnout. Go back to the last, I think, I don't know, a couple episodes ago. I tell you all about my burnout and I was very incapacitating and I know a lot of service providers who work one on one where this is a really, really, it gets to be a really big issue is this, is this burnout model.
So we are trying to In this type of scaling that I'm talking about, what the whole goal is to do things and really create a structure in your business that supports your dream life, that supports this vision that you have of what you want to be doing all day, and really focus on centering everything on your unique magic so you are doing things that you love doing, and then how we bring that to life.
Right? So, so it's very important. Very kind of specific in what we're doing, but very intentional and that's why I like to talk about intentional scaling and not just oh Hire subcontractors because I did that it was terrible for me. You know, I just kind of was like, okay I'm getting so many clients. Let me hire some people It was not a good fit for me and it might not be a good fit for you either Maybe it is a good fit for you, which is great.
So go do that, but be clear on the why Be clear on why is it a good fit? So get creative with how you package and deliver your services because the options here are endless and it's so much fun and it's one of my favorite things to do is to help design these packages. So evolving your business, know this, so evolving your business really takes courage.
And you have what it takes to do this. You did this once before. You literally left your 9 5 and started your own business. That's insane. Most people would not do that. So now we're going to evolve it and we're going to make it into something amazing. Something that you're so excited to wake up to every day.
So by being clear on your purpose, on your unique magic. on your talents by identifying your ideal clients. And by creating these innovative offers, you can truly, truly build a business that fulfills you and makes such an impact. Such an impact. Oh, it's so good. So good. So I invite you if this resonates with you, I have a couple of things.
Um, if you're like, Oh my God, let me jump in. I have a six month. business accelerator program called Ascension. It is specifically for virtual assistants and online service providers who are ready to scale beyond one on one retainer clients and do it on their own terms. Get out of that box. If all of these things that I was talking about sounds cool to you, this is what we do together.
We bring this all to life. And it's not just about, it's about creating the business, but also how do you market it? How do you make that aligned? You know, how do we do all of this? So it flows really nicely and you're not working a gazillion hours a day and it's in a group, it's in a community. We are going to transform this industry.
We are going to transform this industry together and get the respect that you guys deserve. Also, I have a couple of free things if you're struggling with, let's say, figuring out maybe what your path is. I also have a, uh, soulful scaling roadmap. As well. And a private podcast that talks about scaling secrets, soulful scaling secrets.
So lots of things for you guys to play with. They are all, all linked in my show notes, so please go and check those out. And remember that we are here to come together and transform this industry together. Please join my revolution with me. I'm taking names. We're going to fight the, fight the man together.
So I really hope that this has inspired some ideas for you and would love to know what's resonated the most. So feel free to shoot me an email or a DM on Instagram all the stuff is in the show notes as well Soulful biz coach Andrea and thank you so much for tuning in today And I look forward to hearing about your scaling evolution and for you to join me in my revolution
[00:17:21] Andrea Elibero: Thank you so much for joining us today. I really hope you found inspiration and insights from today's episode. You know, scaling your business intentionally and from the inside out is a transformational process, but I'm here to support you every step of the way. Head on over to dancingleafsolutions. com slash resources for free tools to help you do just that.
And thank you again for being a part of the Soulpreneur Scaling Stories community. Your presence and dedication to growth inspire me every day.
