8 Biggest Lessons from 8 Years Running (and Growing) a VA Business

Eight years ago, I was sitting at my shiny new desk with a laptop, a huge amount of determination, and a VA business called Virtually Priceless - and if I'm honest, I had no idea if it would work.I started without any clients, a team or roadmap, and I was dealing with major challenges in my personal life.

Fast forward eight years and so much has changed. We've worked with incredible clients, built an amazing team, won awards and supported dozens of fantastic businesses.

"You don't become a confident business owner and then make big decisions. You make big decisions, and that's how confidence is built."

To celebrate eight years of Virtually Priceless, I am going to do something a little different this week.

Instead of talking systems, marketing or pricing, I’m sharing eight of the biggest lessons I’d give myself back in 2018.

Some things I’d do differently, some I’d do sooner, and one I am incredibly grateful I did from the very beginning. This episode is about reflecting on how building a business has changed me personally, just as much as it has affected my bank balance, my confidence and my skills.

Whether you've been in business for eight weeks, eight months or eight years, there's a lesson in here that could save you a little time, stress or heartache.

Key takeaways:

1️⃣ Build financial resilience while times are good. Only take what you need and leave the rest in the business to build an emergency fund. When tough periods happen, having this buffer allows you to make strategic decisions rather than emotional ones.

2️⃣ Build systems before you think you need them. Every process that only exists inside your head is a risk. Document things early, create templates, write SOPs. This way you’re ready when it's time to take on an associate, hire, or take time off.

3️⃣ Build the business around your life, not the other way round. There’s no such thing as a perfect, elusive work-life balance. Focus on building a business that supports the life you actually want to live, prioritising health, family and time to breathe alongside the work.

You don't need eight years of experience to make better decisions, you just have to keep learning. Every client, every challenge, every mistake and every success has something to teach you.

So take the lesson that landed hardest for you today and put it into action this week, whatever the scary, audacious thing is that you're putting off, just do it.

Timestamps:

(0:00) Podcast episode starts

(01:48) Lesson one: Stop waiting until you're ready

(02:32) Lesson two:  Build a business, not a self-employed job

(03:23) Lesson three: Protect your boundaries

(03:54) Lesson four: Build financial resilience

(06:02) Lesson five: Stop taking setbacks personally

(06:40) Lesson six: Build processes before you need them

(07:09) Lesson seven:  Build the business around your life

(08:28) Lesson eight: Trust in yourself more

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