75 - Creating a Virtual Assistant Business with Lyndsay Phillips

Virtual Assistants are all the rage in the online world.  It can allow for flexibility in a schedule, if you just want to do a couple of hours a week.  Or you can take it to another level, where you actually have others working for you, and you're working with a ton of different clients.

Lyndsay has a great story of how she wanted a little more flexibility in her life while she was raising her kids.  She knew a few people where she could do the VA thing on the side, and she realized she really enjoyed it.  She was juggling two jobs for a while.   When she decided she wanted to make this a full-time thing, she contacted one more client who she knew she could help, and then dove all in.

Since you had business experience, what were you able to leverage, and then how did you figure out where to concentrate your training?  Lyndsay is really organized and a control freak when it comes to setting up systems and files.  She's great at scheduling, plus she already had a booking keeping expertise too.  She utilized her contacts who were already in the VA business who introduced her to new tools and apps.  She also takes the initiative to see what's out there and figure it out and learn it herself.

What have you done that has made you so successful in this competitive market?  A lot of it is the relationship building.  She had met some of her clients beforehand, in person.  Or she also makes sure to connect with them over the phone.  She's all about getting things done fast and doing them well.  She also takes things a step further by also adding suggestions to the tasks that they've given her.  It allows them to trust her, and plus it shows she is very task orientated and people really love that.

Since you haven't had to do a ton of marketing how have you gotten clients so far?  Most of it has been through connections and referrals.  Luckily for Lyndsay her first client was a pretty big deal in the marketing world, so his contacts was very beneficial for her.  She also has gone to some conferences for her clients which has also introduced her to people.

How do you determine the level of expertise you're going to provide?  Lyndsay recommends going step-by-step via tasks first.  Then you can figure out where you need the most help first.  As a VA you will also have tasks that you like and tasks you just don't like as much.  So it's really up to you as a VA to determine what you want to take on, and what you either want to avoid or offload.  It's also important to listen to your clients and find out what their needs are.

How do you juggle it all?  Lyndsay's kids are in school, so that helps.  Every once in a while they may need to entertain themselves as she wraps up some work.  However, she also allows herself the flexibility that should they be home, sick, she can move things around where she's home with them and gets her work done in the evening, etc.   Every week is different based on work load, and what the kids need, but she has the ability to take it as it comes.

What's been one of the things you wish you would have known before going in?  It's all about getting the staff that you trust, learning how to offload, etc as you start to get busier.  There's a hard transition period as you're trying to make it all happen, and learning how to do it all right can be difficult.

What's a great tool or app that you can't live without for your business?  Highrise to track and tag clients, attendees for events, leads, and tasks for yourself that's linked to those people.

You can find Lyndsay at www.ssssuport.com, or twitter @sssonlinesupport.

More about Lyndsay:  Lyndsay Phillips is Founder and CEO of Smooth Sailing Online Support. Being in the administrative world, and also owning other businesses, Lyndsay has come full circle with owning Smooth Sailing Online Support to serve and help other businesses grow and run efficiently.  With her VA team and Social Media Account Managers, Lyndsay offers a whole range of support services that include Customer Support & Management, Administrative Services, and Marketing Services specializing in Social Media Marketing and Management.  www.ssonlinesupport.com