VA Interview: Sandra Sims, Lighthouse Virtual Solutions

Sandra Sims

When did you start your business? 2006

Why did you choose to become a Virtual Assistant? I choose to become a VA due to not being able to find the right job in the “commuting corporate world”.  So I started out being a subcontractor for an Assistant Boy Scout leader and he encouraged me to do research to see it there were others out there like me.  And I did just that and found VAnetworking.com and everything just fell into place from there!  I have over 20 years experience in Real Estate and Administrative Assistant experience so it just seemed the more research that I did the more I knew that I was choosing the right thing for me to become a VA!  And I haven’t looked back yet!

What advice would you give new and aspiring VAs? To do your research and decide a “niche” so that you won’t be too broad when you first start out since all of this can become quite overwhelming at first.  Maybe start out part-time and test the waters to see if it is right for you being your Own boss.  And know that if you are wanting your business to become a six-figure making business that it is going to take a good bit of hard work and that you can’t make it happen over night!

What resources have helped you in your business? I have gotten loads of resources and to list a few are:  VBSS VAnetworkings.com Virtual Business System was one of my first things that I acquired and it was well worth the money!  I have received several certifications from VAclassroom.com like Social Media Marketing Specialists, Facebook Fan page, and am currently taking Internet Marketing 2010.  I highly recommend all of their courses.  I am REPA Real Estate Professional Assistant certified along with REW Webographer certified and these courses I took through National Association of Realtors.

Share something about yourself such as a hobby. I love to do Cross-stitching, reading mysteries, and especially spending time with my family!!!

Additional comments you’d like to share. I thrive on subcontracting for other VAs.  I enjoy learning their knowledge by handling tasks for them and being able to increase their business as well as increasing mine at the same time.  They are great teachers and I have been able to broaden my support to them from what I learn in handling their tasks.  To those who may be apprehensive about becoming a virtual assistant start out slow, maybe doing it part-time for awhile and get your feet wet with some small jobs.  And as you market yourself and work for other VA’s which you will find networking at VAnetworking.com and findvirtual.com you will know that it is some of the most rewarding work that you will ever do!

Sandra’s Contact Info:
Sandra Sims, Owner, Virtual Assistant, Lighthouse Virtual Solutions

Website www.lighthousevirtual.com
Twitter twitter.com/lvsolutions
Facebook Page http://www.facebook.com/sandra.sims2
LinkedIn linkedin.com/in/sandrasimsva

Overcoming Challenges Faced as a New Virtual Assistant

Several virtual assistants have said that they just couldn’t get their businesses off the ground. Some even decided to quit and go back to work outside the home. I asked some of these VAs to share what their challenges were so I could address these when coaching new and aspiring virtual assistants. It’s very helpful to know what obstacles are faced that discourage us from pursuing a certain course.

Challenges faced by some virtual assistants and Sue’s thoughts on them:

1. Feeling unappreciated by family and friends who were also clients.

Sue’s thoughts: Often virtual assistants do get started working for family and friends. This can be a trap since family and friends sometimes think we will work for them for free or for a very low rate. Also, if there are any challenges, feelings can more easily be hurt.

Sue’s suggestions: If you do choose to start working with friends and family, it is still very important to set clear expectations. I suggest you have even friends and family sign a contract clearly stating what tasks you will do, rate of pay and payment arrangements. You can simply let them know that this helps you both to understand exactly what is expected and helps prevent misunderstandings. If you set the right expectations clearly upfront, the situation will be much easier to handle. If your friends and family do not want to follow your business procedures and policy, perhaps they aren’t the right client for you. Isn’t better to have happy family members who aren’t clients than clients who are unhappy family members?

2. Working outside the home and not having time to market effectively.

Sue’s suggestions: It can be very challenging trying to start a business while working full time. There are those that have successfully done it. I suggest before starting your virtual assistant business that you find some of these people and talk with them about how they succeeded. You need to know before starting down this path that it really is the one for you. Some have chosen to cut back to part time work while pursuing their virtual assistant career.

To find time to effectively market, I strongly suggest putting together a marketing plan and calendar. It doesn’t need to take as much time as many think. Even spending 15 minutes each day to do some sort of marketing can be very effective. Networking groups found at Meetup.com can be a great way to market yourself and many are held one evening a month. It’s well worth spending one evening a month at a networking function to get to know people that could be potential clients.

3. Not believing they could succeed.

Sue’s thoughts: This is a trap many entrepreneurs face. Can I really succeed? If our business doesn’t reach a certain goal by a certain date, sometimes all our beliefs in success fly out the window.

Sue’s suggestions: Find a mentor or business coach who can help you realistically assess your business and marketing plans and who wants to see you succeed. Surround yourself with people who cheer you on, whether it be at communities like FindVirtual.com or a local Meetup.com group. I highly recommend reading Seth Godin’s book The Dip. As Seth himself says, “this fun little book will help you figure out if you’re in a Dip that’s worthy of your time, effort, and talents. If you are, The Dip will inspire you to hang tough. If not, it will help you find the courage to quit-so you can be number one at something else.”

4. Lack of marketing skills.

Sue’s thoughts: Two things can be done. Hire someone to market for you. Or learn the basic skills before you start your business. Online marketing and social networking are both tools we now have available that we didn’t have a few years ago. Used correctly they can be so effective. Unfortunately, too many people use them incorrectly and just make it harder for those trying to do it right.

Sue’s suggestions: Take some time to do some research. Read blogs about marketing. Again, being a huge fan of Seth Godin, I encourage you to read one of his books, Permission Marketing.

It’s important to have a marketing plan and calendar in place before you begin your business if you want to succeed at marketing. You don’t have to know everything or do everything. But do have some specific actions you take each and every day to market your business. A business coach can help you in this area as well.

5. Feelings of loneliness.

Sue’s thoughts: One of the cons of working as a virtual assistant is that you are working alone much of the time. You may miss the camaraderie of working with others. This is a factor to consider before launching a virtual business – can you work successfully alone or not?

Sue’s suggestions: Joining online communities such as FindVirtual.com can help combat the feelings of loneliness. Here in Northern California there’s also a local VA meetup and that’s helped me tremendously. I also helped co-found the Northern California Association of Entrepreneurs to help alleviate the loneliness. We meet monthly and brainstorm business ideas.

These are just some of the common obstacles virtual assistants face. Meeting these head on and taking action to overcome them, virtual assistants around the world have succeeded in business.

I’d love to hear about other challenges you face. Please share also how you have overcome any challenges in your business.