Along with the primary Challenge, day three had a digital coaching session available, that was mostly a guided Q&A run by Hannah Dixon (the owner of Digital Nomad Kit). During the week of the challenge you’re a part of a Facebook group with the other students, so what I watched was on Facebook Live, but they also offered it via Zoom. We had a heads up for the coaching session, so some people sent their questions ahead of time, and others sent them during the session. It was kind of a random pool of thoughts, but I retained a lot of marketing knowledge. One of the biggest points they’ve made through this challenge is that by becoming a VA, you’re becoming a business owner. That then requires you,
- Establish your skills
- Establish your audience
- Create an opening statement
- And make yourself visible
It’s almost like the goal here is to really understand yourself and your wants, and act on them. Don’t let the world come to you, but run at it with duct tape and a glue gun and get what you want. For right now, I think that’s why I was so drawn to it. I’m young and was unhappy with my options, so I sought others. It was hard and scary, but I new I could do it. During the session I wrote myself a list of things to do moving forward. (It’s been a busy week with a busy weekend ahead, so I’m setting boundaries for myself to rest so I don’t immediately burn out.)
Step 1, Create A Portfolio
I’ve been writing for years, and I’m a well established creator/creative, but a lot of my work is old, and it honestly pains me to look at. Not because it was bad necessarily, I’m just a different person now. I much prefer who I am now to who I was before. My goal is to take on a few other challenges or classes and blog about them as I go, but also document this journey of being a VA. Keep track of my skills and highlight them, and figure out who specifically my audience is. What community do I click with.
Step 2, Create an Opening Statement
I’ve been trying to find a job for over 5 months now, so I’m well used to reaching out to people. Especially with a background in training, retail, and attending WordCamps. The real issue has been, what do I do when I get an answer back? My opening statement is similar to the declaration we practiced in Day 1. It’s something that, when someone asks about you, you can say who you are, who your clients are, and what you do in one paragraph. Like an elevator pitch, but more of a conversation. It opens doors for you and helps you build relationships, not just clients.
Step 3, Develop Easy Client Conversation
I am a human (assuming X-Files wasn’t actually real…), and so is my client. Together, we are working towards a common goal, and it is possible to reach that goal happily and contentedly. I have preached this since the day I got my first job, you cannot have a business if the people you hire (or work with) are unhappy. That seems clear to me, and yet a lot of the places I’ve worked didn’t see that as a priority, just a perk. Healthy relationships with your client are just as important as any other healthy relationship, and it allows you to be able to talk about rate, expectations, goals, and open opportunities for yourself.
I’m also going to be working on building a more expansive social media presence geared towards finding work. I have a decent following on Twitter, but I want to start something more intentional, and find the right community for me. I could keep going on and on about the things I pulled from the coaching session, but I think we’re gonna call it here and I might pull from more of my notes as I go.