The Sam + Jo VA Show

It can be hard to switch off when you’re your own boss and self employed.

But not only is it absolutely possible to take regular time away from the office, it’s essential that you do so.

Regular time off throughout the year to switch off and recharge is essential to avoiding burnout. 

And burnout is baaaaad! 

In fact, it’s the number one reason virtual assistants go running back to their 9 – 5s. Because at least when they are employed by someone else they’re getting paid leave away from the office!

Still not convinced you can take vacation time without losing clients?

Think of it this way - how can you successfully run a business and support your clients like they deserve if you’re sick (either mentally or physically) or feeling resentful?

Yeah, you can’t. At least not long term.

It’s time to ditch the guilt and throw away the misconception that your clients can’t survive without you on call 24/7.

In this episode you’ll learn:

• How to take holidays without hiring sub-contractors.
• How to navigate maternity leave.
• How to take holidays so that they don’t affect your income stream.
• How to WOW your clients by prioritising their holidays as well as your own.

Join the Scale It! Mastermind for established virtual assistants looking to level up their business. Make more money, get more clients and grow your team today!

Sam + Jo xoxo

How many times have you said “sorry” today?

Probably too many!

Always saying sorry for things you shouldn’t be apologising is not only annoying for those on the receiving end to hear, but it actually lessens the impact of when there comes a time something happens that you really do need to apologise for.

So today we’re taking about the 7 things we often see virtual assistants saying sorry for … when they shouldn’t be!

It’s time to stop apologising for taking control of your business.

In this episode you’ll learn:

• Why you’re losing your clients' respect by over-apologising.
• How to go from being a weak Wilma to a confident Carol.
• The 3 alternatives to using ‘sorry’.

Join the Scale It! Mastermind for established virtual assistants looking to level up their business. Make more money, get more clients and grow your team today!

Sam + Jo xoxo

Just days after walking away with Best VA Speciality or Niche, Top Performing VA Agency AND The Virtual Assistant of the Year Award, Kellie Beaumont from Released sat down with us to share her journey from primary school teacher to award winning virtual assistant agency owner.

The 2021 NZ VA Awards was an online event like no other.  There was laughter, tears, banter, llamas, in-jokes galore … but most importantly it brought together and celebrated the incredible virtual assistants of New Zealand!

The night may not have been the in-person extravaganza we had originally planned, but boy-oh-boy – Plan B was pretty bloody impressive!

Watch the replay of the Awards here!

In this episode you’ll learn:

• How Kellie runs her thriving VA Agency.
• Kellie’s secrets to writing an award winning entry form.
• Why even the most successful business women still feel unworthy at times.
• Sam, Jo and Kellie’s Award night highlights!

Connect with Kellie and the Released team:

www.released.co.nz

Facebook

Instagram

LinkedIn

Download your FREE Pre-Scaling Checklist here.

Join the Scale It! Mastermind for established virtual assistants looking to level up their business. Make more money, get more clients and grow your team today!

Sam + Jo xoxo

Nowadays LinkedIn is far more than just an online CV.

In fact, for the majority of VAs, having a LinkedIn presence is a must!

Not only is it where many of our ideal clients are, but when done well a robust LinkedIn profile will knock the socks off new leads.

In this episode you’ll learn:

• What other VAs are doing on LinkedIn to stand out from the crowd.
• Why 500 connections is the magic number.
• How to nail social proof on LinkedIn
• A critical step in building the know, like and trust factor on LinkedIn.

Join the Scale It! Mastermind for established virtual assistants looking to level up their business. Make more money, get more clients and grow your team today!

Sam + Jo xoxo

So you’re ready to start growing your team?

Having recruited too many to count VAs in her own business over the past decade, in this episode Jo shares the red flags she’s learned never to ignore when bringing on team members.

You’ll learn:

• The surprise red flags that we bet you wouldn’t have thought of (Sam certainly didn’t!).
• Why putting yourself in your client’s shoes is key in the recruitment process.
• What the question “Is full training provided?” really means!

Join the Scale It! Mastermind for established virtual assistants looking to level up their business. Make more money, get more clients and grow your team today!

Sam + Jo xoxo

When used well Facebook has the potential to bring in great leads at little to no cost (except for your time).

The virtual assistants we see nailing it on Facebook are the ones that have embraced the fact that it’s primarily a social platform and use this to their advantage, posting and engaging with intent and giving leads a great sense of their business’s personality and professionalism. 

The flip side of this is that we see an equal number of virtual assistants making huge mistakes when on Facebook. Cringe-worthy mistakes easily avoided.

In this episode you’ll learn:

• 5 things to do on Facebook right now to get clients that don’t cost you a cent.
• Why hiding behind your logo is losing you clients.
• Why being a dick on Facebook is putting off both leads and fellow VAs.
• Why pretending you’re writing to your bestie can make you a better content creator.

Join the Scale It! Mastermind to fast track your VA journey with done-for-you templates, tutorials and support from us!

Sam + Jo xoxo

Have you been feeling a little short on time lately?

Are you working all the hours you can spare but still not seeing the profitable results you'd expect?

Increasing your productivity isn’t just about giving you more time in the day, it can also improve the quality of work you are producing, and helps you avoid traps that can dwindle away your time, which often leads to frustration and burnout.

Being mindful of your productivity is key to ensuring that you’re not spending 40 hours a week at your desk only to see 20 hours of paid client work come into your bank account.

The moral of the story … we need to be more intentional with our time, our tools and our processes.

Ask yourself this: Were all the tasks you carried out today really necessary or were some a result of bad habits or your lack of automation and streamlining? 

Thought so. 

Scary aye?

Recently we reached out to our community of VAs to ask them what productivity secrets they were willing to share that helped them become productive virtual assistant business owners, and in this episode we're sharing them all with you!

You’ll learn:

• Why increasing your productivity saves you time and increases your bank balance.
• How to kick that mindless scrolling habit.
• Scheduling methods and task management tools that bring more focus to your day.
• Jo’s super cool sleep tool purchase she can’t live without.

Join the Scale It! Mastermind for established virtual assistants looking to level up their business. Make more money, get more clients and grow your team today!

Sam + Jo xoxo

For many virtual assistants, the question of how to charge for travel time is probably something they’ve never needed to think about … because they only work virtually!

But in recent years we’re seeing a shift in what some clients are looking for when hiring local VAs, especially for services such as minute-taking and event management.

In this episode you’ll learn:

• The best way to charge if traveling out of town.
• The options to offer clients when charging for travel.
• Why it’s really important to talk with clients about travel time up front.
• When charging for travel can go wrong!

Join the Scale It! Mastermind for established virtual assistants looking to level up their business. Make more money, get more clients and grow your team today!

Sam + Jo xoxo

For every 10 aspiring virtual assistants we see enter (or attempt to enter) the VA industry, only 2 or 3 actually go on to grow thriving businesses that last.

Some men and women simply aren’t cut out to be a VA and/or business owner, but more often than not all that’s needed is a mindset shift in order to break through the blocks that are holding you back.

In this episode you’ll learn the reasons why your VA business won’t ever:

• Launch
• Grow
• Thrive
• Be profitable

You'll also learn how to change your mindset to turn things around. It's never too late!

Join the Scale It! Mastermind for established virtual assistants looking to level up their business. Make more money, get more clients and grow your team today!

Sam + Jo xoxo

Running an agency isn’t the only way to grow a profitable VA business – but it’s definitely a great option for those that have the skill set to do so.

Jo’s secret ingredient to running her own successful VA agency (with over 30 team members) is that she doesn’t focus solely on her clients’ needs, she works hard to ensure her sub-contractors and employees are happy and productive.

If you thought recruiting your team of VAs was tough, managing them and creating an inclusive workplace that ensures they stay motivated and stick around takes a whole different set of skills including the all important self awareness and EQ.

In this episode we share 7 easy and effective solutions to help keep your team happy and productive.

Because remember – happy people make happy teams, and happy teams make even happier clients!

In this episode you’ll learn:

• Why sub-contractors aren’t a ‘set and forget’ tool.
• The leadership mindset mistakes you’re making.
• The tough conversations you’ll need to get comfortable having.
• How to inject fun into your business.

Join the Scale It! Mastermind for established virtual assistants looking to level up their business. Make more money, get more clients and grow your team today!

Sam + Jo xoxo