5 Day VA Challenge, by Digital Nomad Kit – Day 4

What are the ideal traits of a successful VA? If you’re going to become a VA you’re going to become a business owner. There are quite a few traits that you’ll pick up along the way, but some are also inherent traits you’ll want to start off with. Here are the 6 they highlighted in the challenge.

Someone Who:

  1. Enjoys Helping Others
  2. Learns Quickly
  3. Has Great Communication Skills
  4. Can Be Self-Motivated
  5. Is a Problem Solving Wiz
  6. Has an Entrepreneurial Spirit

A lot of those are skills you likely already have, and can be a jumping off point for you to get started. Something Hannah Dixon preached about the entire week was that you don’t need all the experience in the world to get started. As you grow and learn you’ll pick things up, but there are a lot of things you’ve learned in high school, or even your first job, that are transferrable. The key is learning how to use those skills, and make sure other people know you have them.

I was always fairly proficient in languages, english, and communication skills as a kid. I used that as a foundation to establish who I was and what I wanted to learn. My mom always told me, “Anything can be taught, but who you are and how you communicate is a lot harder to come by.” Knowing how to learn, being able to advocate for yourself, and having drive will take you incredibly far while you’re starting out.

It also takes a level of bravery. I’ve quit three jobs now, been let go by one, and had more interviews than I can count. I didn’t exactly have a plan when I made the choice for any of them (definitely not when I got let go), and it was terrifying. And I’d be lying if I said I didn’t let that stop me. The fear of rejection (and commitment) made it really hard to want to try for anything. But I knew I had to, and I wasn’t willing to settle for something that was bad for me in the long run. I was determined to make a smart choice, not just a choice.

So, with that, invest in yourself. Take the time to set yourself up well, because jobs will come and go, but who you are inside is something you’re stuck with. Not that you won’t also change and grow, but it’s a lot easier to separate yourself from a workplace (either physical or digital), than your foundation.

5 Day VA Challenge, by Digital Nomad Kit – Day 3

This portion of the challenge is really what I came here for. It talks about how, and where, to find your first clients.

The how really comes from who you want to work with. Think about who you are, and what your niche is. Then create a community for yourself based on that. Find Facebook groups that you resonate with. Reach out to people, and just be a good community member. Be friendly, and someone you’d want to work with.

Next step is to create a clear way for people to find who you are and what you do. Take all your social platforms and update them to say “this is me, what I do, and who I’d like to work with.” Right now I think mine would be,

Sophia DeRosia

I’m a writer and admin-forward individual, with a passion for helping small business owners in the WordPress community do what they’re passionate about. I assist with basic site maintenance, client relations, blogging, and content management.

The format of that would change depending on where you post it, and the relationships you have with those people. Here’s what I’d do, depending on the platform:

Twitter

I’d have my bio set accordingly, and a pinned tweet with further links and information on who I am and what I can do.

Facebook

Facebook is an interesting one, because it can be used in a lot of different ways. You can just have your profile, or have a business page with more details. I’ve always had a blog, so I used it similarly to posting about yourself on a Facebook page, but it is a great, simple solution for those starting fresh, or those unfamiliar with the WordPress world.

LinkedIn

This is the real kicker here, and one of the next things I’m going to be working on. LinkedIn is really the combination of Facebook and blog, but designed specifically for work and finding clients. I never really used it before because my social accounts were always just for being social, but now that I’m starting a career as a VA I’ll want something more job focused than just Twitter.