The Sam + Jo VA Show

Yeah, we know. The most annoying thing you can say to an overthinker is for them to stop overthinking 😂

Lucky for our overthinking listeners, we’re not just telling you to stop overthinking, we’re telling you WHY your overthinking has made you overlook the very obvious solution to your service offering woes.

You’re welcome 😉

In this episode you’ll learn:

• The reasons EA services are are fabulous and in-demand niche for the right VAs.
• The types of virtual assistants who shouldn’t call themselves a virtual EA.
• The benefits for going all in on your virtual EA services.

Sub-Contractor, Freelancer or Agency Owner?

Your perfect virtual assistant pathway is just minutes away! Take the quiz here.

Sam + Jo xo

Agency owners and sub-contractors. This one’s for BOTH of you!

This is your friendly reminder that no matter the VA pathway you’re on, it’s likely you can be doing better.

We know you both have your unique frustrations with one another, and boy do we feel for you when the shit hits the fan or you’ve simply reached the end of your rope after being let down and disappointed one too many times.

We get it. It's not easy. In fact some days/weeks are so far from easy you may have one foot out the door already. But you've come this far - too far to give up now!

Sam has a unique insight into the issues that often take place between the two of you due to her ring-side seat as Founder of the Virtual Assistant Network of NZ.

To help save Sam’s sanity (and your own!) let’s all take a moment to understand both sides. Let’s step into one another’s shoes so next time something doesn’t go the way you expect you can understand why, learn from it, and do better next time around.

Or even better, pre-empt it!

In this episode you’ll learn:

• The most common complaints agency owners have about potential team members.
• The most common complaints potential team members have about agency owners.
• The things both sides can be doing better so everyone’s happy!
• What aspiring sub-contractors can do to ensure they're making a great first impression on the VANNZ Sub-Contractor/Employee Directory.

Sub-Contractor, Freelancer or Agency Owner?

Your perfect virtual assistant pathway is just minutes away! Take the quiz here.

Sam + Jo xo 

Before stepping foot into the VA space we need for everyone to understand the difference between billable and non-billable work.

Just cos you may be available to work X number of hours a week, doesn’t mean all of those hours will be spent supporting clients.  Anyone that tells you otherwise is delulu.

The reality is, in order to make this VA gig a profitable, successful one where you’re not working more hours than you were in your 9-5 and you're earning more than minimum wage, you can't be spending 100% of your available working hours on billable client work.

It's time to take your head out of the clouds when it comes to your available working hours and how they will be spent so you're accurate when forecasting your future revenue.

In this episode you’ll learn:

• The percentage of your time you’ll need to spend on non-billable work as a Freelancer and Agency Owner.
• The non billable tasks you need to make a priority.
• Why your non billable hours increase even more as an Agency Owner.
• Why working ON your business is equally as important as working IN your business.
• How to ensure you’re pricing profitably, working at capacity and avoiding the dreaded Feast and Famine Cycle.

Get the Ultimate Pricing Calculator for Virtual Assistants here.

Download the Pre-Scale Checklists here.

Sam + Jo xo

Warning: This episode will make you cringe as hard as you will laugh.

You loved Part 1 so much we decided to record Part 2, this time focussing on the untold, after-dark stories from July’s VA retreat in Bali.

Nothing (and we mean NOTHING) was left on the table.

These are all the stories from Bali you didn’t know you needed to hear, and stories you probably don’t need to hear, but we’re over-sharers, so you’re welcome!

In this episode you’ll hear all about:

• The meaning behind all the giant wooden 🍆
• The dude that picked a fight with a wild monkey.
• The ‘Daddy’ travel strategy that works.
• The drug dealer who saved the day.
• The cute AF dog that Sam kept dribbling on (yup, you read that right).
• Plus sooooo much more!

Join us at our next lux Retreat for VA business owners here.

Sam + Jo xo

Welcome to our un-planned, unexpected, live debrief of the 2024 VA Retreat in Bali!

The reason we decided hit record on this very honest, behind the curtain convo?

Well, it turns out this (our regular weekly podcast recording session) was our first opportunity to sit down together since returning home from beautiful Bali, and we thought it would be fun to share the highs (and lows!) of taking 11 VA biz owners along with us for a life-changing retreat experience full of self-discovery and business breakthroughs.

In this episode you’ll learn:

• How Jo's control freak tendencies almost derailed Bali.
• How we got the balance right between business and woo-woo.
• All the reasons we're doing it again in 2025.
• What we definitely won't be doing again in 2025!
• Who's having a baby and who needs to shower differently.
• How you too can lose 4kgs physically and emotionally.

Join us at our next lux retreat for VA business owners here.

Sam + Jo xo

Would you love to have an ongoing, steady stream of leads knocking at your door – all from online networking?

Well, you’d better stop breaking our #1 online networking rule then!

If you’ve been guilty of dropping links and running instead of building meaningful relationships and showcasing why you’re the right VA for a potential client, then keep listening …

And if you’re a VA who DMs potential clients without permission or an invitation … watch out ‘cos Sam’s about to slap you sideways!

In this episode you’ll learn:

• The online networking lead generation strategy that works!
• Why your unwelcome, spammy DMs are the equivalent of an unsolicited d**k pic.
• Why dropping links and running is lazy and losing you leads.
• The biggest mistake you're making with your personal Facebook profile if online networking is part of your lead generation strategy.

Sub-Contractor, Freelancer or Agency Owner?

Your perfect virtual assistant pathway is just minutes away! Take the quiz here.

Sam + Jo xo

You’ve got problems! We’ve got answers - quick-fire style!

There’s no pussy footing around in this episode virtual assistants! Coz whose got time for fluff and beating around the bush? Not you that’s for sure!

In this episode you’ll learn what to do if:

1. You’ve got clients, but not making money.
2. Clients are saying they can’t afford you.
3. Leads are ghosting you.
4. You can’t get work out of clients.
5. You’re only attracting iddy-biddy clients.
6. You have late paying clients.
7. You don’t know what to set your prices at.
8. You’re not getting any leads from social media.
9. You’re working way more hours than you were in your 9-5.
10. You’re struggling to find reliable team members.
11. You keep losing clients.
12. You’re not getting any work from the VANNZ Sub-Contractor/Employee Directory.
13. Your lack of confidence is holding you back from launching your VA biz.
14. Your lead is questioning your contract.
15. You can’t find any clients.

Take the What’s Your VA Pathway Quiz here.

Get the Ultimate Pricing Calculator for Virtual Assistants here.

Buy the Virtual Assistant Service Agreement Template here.

Join us inside Launch in 30 Days here.

Download the Pre-Scale Checklists here.

Join us inside the Scale It Mastermind here.

Sam + Jo xo 

Ask anyone what's the first thing that comes to mind when they think of AI and it’s likely they’ll say “ChatGPT!”.

Since its launch 2 years ago other competitors have come to the market, but there’s no doubt ChatGPT is the most well-known of all the AI tools, and we’re certain it’s the one the majority of VAs are cutting their AI teeth on.

Like any new technology, it's taking users a while to get their heads around how to get the most out of it, so in this episode ChatGPT Queen, Jess Clark, joins us to share her biggest hacks to ensure VAs are training their AI tools to sound like THEM – instead of the 'generic robot on emoji steroids' content currently being pumped out 🤦‍♀️.

In this episode you’ll learn:

• The biggest ChatGPT mistakes we see VAs making.
• Our crystal ball predictions for AI over the next 1 and 5 years.
• The anatomy of a great prompt.
• How to get content out of Chat GPT that sounds exactly like you.
• Jess's biggest Chat GPT hacks.
• How to use Chat GPT as your biz bestie and save 10+ hours a week.

Join the $7 GPTea Party to learn how to create on-brand, sounds scarily like you business content.

Learn how to Build-A-Bot on Chat GPT in 30 minutes - zero tech skills needed. Build bots that work so you don't have to.

Follow Jess Clark on Instagram

Sam + Jo xo

You’re not an expert at everything – and no one expects you to be! We all have our zones of genius and we all need help occasionally to succeed in the things we don’t know yet.

But even if intellectually we know this, we still discount – or outright ignore – great advice.

(And yeah, right now we’re specifically talking about our advice that you’re ignoring!)

So the question is why? Why are you ignoring our expert advice? ‘Cos we may not know everything there is to know about everything, but what we do know inside out and back to front is the VA biz. This is OUR zone of genius.

Well, there’s generally two reasons aspiring and established VAs ignore our advice (even those that pay for that advice!).

The first is that the more confident you are in life, the more you feel like you’ve got your shit together, the more likely you are to ignore the advice of others. Yeah, it's an ego thing.

The second reason is fear. You HEAR the advice, you UNDERSTAND the advice, but the actions required to TAKE the advice are scary and hard and you’d rather self-sabotage your success than step out of your comfort zone.

But no matter the reason, if you're struggling with something in your VA business, chances are you simply can't afford to ignore us any longer.

In this episode you’ll learn:

• The most ignored pieces of advice VAs love to ignore, and the reasons why they shouldn’t.
• Why we only want you to join us inside the next intake of Launch in 30 Days if you’re willing to listen to ALL of our advice!

Join us inside the next intake of Launch in 30 Days here.

Sam + Jo xo

Witnessing a virtual assistant's journey to going all-in on a niche or speciality is a truly beautiful thing, and we’ve had ringside seats for Transcend Admin’s rise to VA fame.

VA biz owner Mandy Purdie has found not only her niche – but her calling, and she’s reaping the benefits both personally and professionally that come from scaling New Zealand’s first (and only!) ADHD-friendly virtual assistant agency.

In this episode you’ll learn:

• Mandy's secret to an inbox flooded with referrals.
• How to increase your conversion rate through deeply understanding your ideal clients' concerns, worries and fears.
• How Mandy sustainably scaled to a team of 5 over 3 years.

To find out more about ADHD-friendly virtual assistance, connect with Mandy here:

Website

LinkedIn

Instagram

Sub-Contractor, Freelancer or Agency Owner?

Your perfect virtual assistant pathway is just minutes away! Take the quiz here.

Sam + Jo xo