Eight years ago, I was sitting at my shiny new desk with a laptop, a huge amount of determination, and a VA business called Virtually Priceless - and if I'm honest, I had no idea if it would work.I started without any clients, a team or roadmap, and I was dealing with major challenges in my personal life.

Fast forward eight years and so much has changed. We've worked with incredible clients, built an amazing team, won awards and supported dozens of fantastic businesses.

"You don't become a confident business owner and then make big decisions. You make big decisions, and that's how confidence is built."

To celebrate eight years of Virtually Priceless, I am going to do something a little different this week.

Instead of talking systems, marketing or pricing, I’m sharing eight of the biggest lessons I’d give myself back in 2018.

Some things I’d do differently, some I’d do sooner, and one I am incredibly grateful I did from the very beginning. This episode is about reflecting on how building a business has changed me personally, just as much as it has affected my bank balance, my confidence and my skills.

Whether you've been in business for eight weeks, eight months or eight years, there's a lesson in here that could save you a little time, stress or heartache.

Key takeaways:

1️⃣ Build financial resilience while times are good. Only take what you need and leave the rest in the business to build an emergency fund. When tough periods happen, having this buffer allows you to make strategic decisions rather than emotional ones.

2️⃣ Build systems before you think you need them. Every process that only exists inside your head is a risk. Document things early, create templates, write SOPs. This way you’re ready when it's time to take on an associate, hire, or take time off.

3️⃣ Build the business around your life, not the other way round. There’s no such thing as a perfect, elusive work-life balance. Focus on building a business that supports the life you actually want to live, prioritising health, family and time to breathe alongside the work.

You don't need eight years of experience to make better decisions, you just have to keep learning. Every client, every challenge, every mistake and every success has something to teach you.

So take the lesson that landed hardest for you today and put it into action this week, whatever the scary, audacious thing is that you're putting off, just do it.

Timestamps:

(0:00) Podcast episode starts

(01:48) Lesson one: Stop waiting until you're ready

(02:32) Lesson two:  Build a business, not a self-employed job

(03:23) Lesson three: Protect your boundaries

(03:54) Lesson four: Build financial resilience

(06:02) Lesson five: Stop taking setbacks personally

(06:40) Lesson six: Build processes before you need them

(07:09) Lesson seven:  Build the business around your life

(08:28) Lesson eight: Trust in yourself more

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🔗 Resources

⁠⁠Join VA Handbookers Facebook group⁠⁠

⁠⁠Subscribe to The VA Handbook

What if the easiest way to grow your business isn't finding more clients, it's keeping and developing the ones you've already got?

"Clients don't stay with us simply because we're good at the work. They stay because working with us is easy, professional, reliable, consistent and they feel looked after."

In this episode of The Visionary VA Podcast, I’m walking you through the 7-step client experience audit. This audit allows you to put yourself in your client's shoes and look at every single touchpoint they have with your business.

From the very first impression someone gets of you, through the enquiry process, the discovery call, onboarding, day-to-day delivery, reviews and feedback, right through to how (and if) a relationship ends.

Clients who have an exceptional experience stay longer, spend more, refer more and speak positively about your business when you're not in the room.

Key takeaways:

1️⃣ From first impression to initial enquiry, ask yourself: is it obvious, is it professional, and does it build confidence? Don’t leave potential clients confused.

2️⃣ A discovery call is about understanding, not selling. It's about listening and building trust. Ask yourself honestly: does the prospect leave the call feeling clearer than when they joined?

3️⃣ Confidence, not just competence. Be proactive rather than waiting to be chased, communicate regularly, update clients before they ask, and flag potential issues early.

Write down every stage of your own client journey, from finding you right through to finishing the relationship, and score yourself out of 10 for each stage.

Ask where clients experience friction, where things are inconsistent, and where you could make life easier.

Remember: businesses that grow sustainably aren't always the ones shouting the loudest. They're the ones people genuinely enjoy working with.

Timestamps:

(00:00) Podcast episode starts

(01:21) Step 1: Are you making a good first impression?

(02:10) Step 2: How easy is the enquiry process?

(02:43) Step 3: Improving your discovery calls

(03:35) Step 4: What is your onboarding process like?

(04:15) Step 5: Review your day-to-day client experience

(04:53) Step 6: Have a look at your review and feedback process

(05:27) Step 7: What happens when clients leave?

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🔗 Resources

⁠Join VA Handbookers Facebook group⁠

Download 'Hiring Associates with Ease' guide

⁠Subscribe to The VA Handbook

Ever said yes to something and then immediately regretted it? Maybe you squeezed in one more five-minute task, worked later than planned, or took something on that was actually out of scope, because you genuinely wanted to help. If that resonates with you, this episode is for you.

"Clients don't usually value you because you answered emails at 9pm or because you squeezed in another task on a Friday afternoon. They value you because you're reliable, you're organised, you're proactive, you solve problems, and you make their lives easier."

In this episode, I'm exploring something I've come across time and time again, not just in mentoring sessions but in myself too: the hidden cost of being too helpful.Being helpful isn't a bad thing, it's one of the reasons so many of us become VAs in the first place, but there comes a point where being helpful quietly turns into over-responsibility, and that's where the problems begin.I explore how it's rarely one big thing that tips the balance, it's usually tiny things.

Five minutes here, ten minutes there, one extra task, one favour, one exception, and before you know it, you've accidentally trained your clients to expect more than they're paying for. Not because they're bad clients, because you've shown them that's how you work.

Your clients won't know where your boundaries are unless you consistently demonstrate and reinforce them. Also, if your whole business model depends on you (and your associates) constantly being helpful, you can't scale it.

Key takeaways:

1️⃣ Notice the "it's only five minutes" moments. These tiny exceptions are usually how scope creep starts. Ask yourself honestly: am I doing this just because I'm worried about disappointing someone?

2️⃣ If constantly over-delivering becomes the benchmark, simply delivering what's been agreed starts to feel like you've done less, and the benchmark keeps moving.

3️⃣ Swap "how can I be more helpful?" for "what outcome is my client actually paying me to achieve?" Try responses like "I'd love to help with that, shall I quote for the additional work?" or "that's outside the current scope, but here's how we could support you."From today, start paying attention to every time you say "it's only five minutes," because it probably isn't.

Healthy boundaries don't damage relationships, they protect them. When you say yes intentionally instead of saying yes to everything, you become more sustainable, and that's exactly the kind of business you want to build.

Start protecting yourself and your time. When you protect your time, your energy, and your expertise, you're not becoming less helpful, you're becoming more sustainable.

Timestamps:

(00:00) Podcast episode starts

(00:26) Why we're exploring the cost of being "too helpful"

(01:13) When helpfulness turns into over-responsibility

(02:48) What overdelivering really costs you

(03:15) What clients actually value

(04:50) Healthy boundaries protect relationships

(05:23) Two different reasons for saying yes

🔗 Resources

Join VA Handbookers Facebook group

Subscribe to The VA Handbook

School holidays are just around the corner and if you're already feeling the dread, this episode is for you. There’s an alternative to six weeks of juggling client work, childcare and guilt.

"A sustainable business isn't one that only works when life is quiet. A sustainable business works alongside real life and real life includes school holidays, sick children, family commitments, and unexpected disruptions."

In this episode of The Visionary VA Podcast, I discuss one of the things nobody really talks about when they tell you to start a business for more flexibility: school holidays.

Drawing on eight years of experience as a parent building a business, I share why the goal isn't just to survive school holidays, but to build a business that can withstand them.

From shifting your mindset and communicating with clients early, to building margin into your business model and letting go of perfection, this episode contains practical, realistic strategies for business owners with children. Because school holidays aren't an unexpected emergency, they happen every year, and if we know they're coming, we can build accordingly.

Key takeaways:

1️⃣ School holidays are part of your operating model, not a disruption to it. Stop treating them as a surprise and start planning your business around the reality of your life.

2️⃣ Build margin in time, finances and capacity. If your business only works when you're working flat out, that's not a problem you'll solve with better time management, it's usually a business model problem.

3️⃣ Not every season is about growth. During the holidays, success might simply mean maintaining excellent service, keeping things moving, being present with your family and protecting your energy.

Before the next school holiday, don't ask "how am I going to survive this?", ask: "how can I design my business to support me through it?"

Think about what you need to do, write a list of actions and implement with plenty of notice.

That's where real sustainability comes from, not working harder, but building smarter.

Timestamps:

(00:00) Podcast episode starts

(02:22) Holidays are part of your business, not a disruption

(03:06) Questions to ask before the holidays start

(04:20) Building margin into your business

(05:32) Redefining success during school holidays

(05:51) Building support around you

(07:03) Asking for help

(08:30) What a truly sustainable business looks like

🔗 Resources

Business mentoring for virtual assistants

Subscribe to The VA Handbook

If your virtual assistant business isn't growing, the problem probably isn't what you think. It's not your marketing, fierce competition, or AI making you redundant. The issue is that you don’t have strong enough foundations.

“ Most struggling VA businesses don't have a marketing problem at all. They have a foundations problem.” 

Successful businesses aren't built on hacks, trends or luck. They're built on solid principles and strategy. Get those right and everything else becomes a whole lot easier.

This week we’ll explore the six essential foundations you need in place to be successful, explaining in detail what they are and the impact that they have.

Main takeaways:

1️⃣ The six essential foundations behind every successful business are having a clear offer, sustainable pricing, effective systems, consistent marketing, financial tracking, and an exceptional client experience. 

2️⃣ Your next big breakthrough doesn't usually come from doing more. It comes from strengthening what already exists within your business.

3️⃣ Whether you're just starting out or running an established VA business, the challenges may look different but the businesses that thrive all share the same core pillars.This week, find time in your calendar to review the foundations explored today within your own business.Ask yourself which ones are currently weakest and create a strategy to strengthen them.

Timestamps:

(00:00) Podcast episode starts

(02:14])  Foundation 1: Clear offer

(03:29) Foundation 2: Sustainable pricing

(04:47) Foundation 3: Effective systems

(05:45) Foundation 4: Consistent marketing

(06:53) Foundation 5: Financial tracking

(08:05) Foundation 6: Client experience

🔗 Resources

Hiring Associates with Ease Guide

Subscribe to The VA Handbook

You are not “just” a VA. The sooner more people in the industry start believing that, the faster their business (and confidence) will grow.

“ I hear it all the time, ‘I'm “just” a VA. I “only” do admin. It's “nothing special”.’ And every single time, I want to stop people mid-sentence, because there is nothing “just” about what we do."

This week we tackle one of the most damaging (and common) habits in the virtual assistant industry: minimising what we do and the real impact we have on businesses.

To take your VA business to the next level, you may not need to complete another course or qualification, but work on your self-belief and knowing how to show up for yourself.Confidence doesn't come before the action, it comes because you actually did the scary thing.

Key takeaways:

1️⃣ VAs wear many different hats, they are the organiser, the problem solver, the communicator, the project manager, the person holding things together behind the scenes while everyone else gets to shine out front. They create capacity, reduce stress, improve productivity andhelp businesses function better.

2️⃣ Stop comparing yourself to others, you’re on your own journey. You’re not behind, because someone is established and at a different stage to you, especially if it’s early days. 

3️⃣ The people who grow aren't necessarily the people with the most confidence. They're often the people willing to act before they have confidence. And at some point, if you want to build something bigger, you have to stop waiting for permission.

This week, do one thing you've been waiting to feel confident enough to do first, whether that’s sending that pitch, raising your rates, or finally posting that content.

Don't wait for permission.

Timestamps:

(00:00) Start of the podcast episode

(01:22) The myth about confidence

(01:47) The comparison trap

(03:43) Ego versus confidence

(05:18) Final message: stop calling yourself "just" a VA

Resources 👇

👉 Check out 'Reflect, Recharge and Build a Growth Mindset' episode

👉 Join the VA Handbookers Facebook group

It’s a myth, there’s no such thing as work-life balance – at least not in the way it’s often talked about.

“Work-life balance has been sold to us as this end goal, this perfectly even split where everything feels calm and controlled and equal all the time.”

Achieving the perfect work-life balance just isn't realistic for most people who are growing something and that's because growth requires input. Building my own business and supporting successful leaders over the years, I'm yet to see it play out any other way.

In this week’s episode of The Visionary VA Podcast, I talk about the reality of growing a sustainable and profitable virtual assistant business. Sometimes the business needs more from you and maintaining (or even achieving) work-life balance isn’t possible.

Remember, it’s not forever, it’s for a season. Just because you need to prioritise work and other areas of life may take a back seat; it doesn’t mean you’ve failed or done something wrong. Instead of chasing balance, focus on work-life integration. Where work is part of your life, not something separate from it.

Key takeaways:

1️⃣ Work-life balance as a perfectly even split is unrealistic for anyone building a business. Growth requires input, and that's not a flaw; it's part of the process.

2️⃣ Instead of chasing balance, focus on work-life integration, where work is part of your life, not separate from it, built around the things that matter most to you.

3️⃣ Not every season of business is supposed to feel the same. Ask yourself: "What season am I in right now, and what does this season require from me?" Lean into it rather than fighting it.

4️⃣ Communicating openly with the people around you during busy seasons, explaining what's happening and what support you need makes a real difference.

Today, tomorrow, or some point this week, grab a piece of paper and write down what season of business you're currently in.

Are you in the building, growth, or stability season?

Then ask yourself, "What does this season actually require from me?" and then write down your actions including what support you need from those around you.

Resources 👇

Check out 'Managing Overwhelm as a VA: How to Recognise and Reset' episode

Have you heard about the very exciting new virtual assistant conference coming to the heart of Manchester? The Manchester VA Conference is a brand-new event dedicated to VAs and OBMs who want to upskill, connect with like-minded people, and learn from inspiring speakers.

"It's just so nice to get out and meet people face to face that are doing the same thing that you are doing, that are facing the same challenges that you are facing, swap ideas."

In this week's episode of The Visionary VA Podcast, I am joined by Emma Price and Victoria Baker, founders of The Manchester VA Conference, to talk all things community, connection, skills and why events like this matter.

Key takeaways:

1️⃣ Emma and Victoria noticed there were hardly any VA conferences happening up north (with most events based down south) so they decided to change that, and The Manchester VA Conference was born.

2️⃣ The event features a diverse lineup of speakers covering everything from money mindset, AI and automations, to social media and beyond.

3️⃣ You might recognise one of the speakers, that's me! I'll be doing a session all about helping VAs own their space, back themselves, and build the business they actually want.

4️⃣ Attending VA conferences is so important for picking up new skills, learning from others, and building a network and community you can lean on.

5️⃣ Putting together an all-day conference takes serious time, care and dedication, but as Emma and Victoria will tell you, it is absolutely worth it.

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The Manchester VA Conference is happening on Wednesday 6th May, make sure you grab your ticket today.

🔗 Grab your ticket

Check out previous episode, 'Networking for Virtual Assistants: Building Meaningful Connections'

🔗 Here's the link

And if you're attending the conference or you're based in the Manchester area, come along to the very first official in-person VA Handbook meetup since I took over. We’d love to see you there!

🔗 Grab your ticket

This episode is a really special one.

Joanne Munro, founder of The VA Handbook, joins me to share some exciting news about the next chapter for the business and community she’s built.

After years of growing The VA Handbook and supporting so many VAs on their journey, Jo has made the decision to step back - and I’m incredibly proud (and honoured) to be taking it forward.

In this conversation, we talk openly about:

• Jo’s journey building The VA Handbook and what she’s most proud of.

• How she knew it was the right time to move on.

• Why finding the right person to take it on mattered so much.

• What this transition means for the community.

• And what’s coming next.

This isn’t about something ending - it’s about building on everything that’s already been created and taking it into its next phase.

Key takeaways:

• Building a strong, supportive community takes time, consistency and care - but the impact it creates is huge.

• Knowing when to step back is just as important as knowing when to push forward.

• Trust, values and alignment matter when handing over something you’ve built.

• Growth often comes from making bold, sometimes uncomfortable decisions.

If you’re part of The VA Handbook community (or have been following along), this episode will give you a real insight into what’s ahead - and why there’s so much to be excited about.

Links and Resources

🔗 Follow Jo Munro on LinkedIn

🔗 Check out The VA Handbook

🔗 Sign up to the Espresso AI Newsletter

🔗 Check out all The Visionary VA Podcast

🔗 Check out The Visionary VA Circle

Don’t let the fear of hiring the wrong associate for your virtual assistant business get in the way of growing your team (and business).

“One of the biggest fears people have when they start building a team is hiring the wrong person. What if they’re not good enough, they let the client down or create more work instead of less?”

If you’d love to grow and build a team but too afraid of hiring the wrong person, this week’s episode of The Visionary VA Podcast is for you. We'll talk about the main reasons why associates don’t work out.

We’ll address setting expectations, knowing if someone is the right fit, what systems you need in place, and how leadership can help.

Key takeaways:

1️⃣ Skill is a factor when hiring, but it isn’t the most important thing. Communication, reliability, and attention to details are essential. Are they professional with clients or proactive and ask questions? You can teach systems but not attitude, work ethic and communication style.

2️⃣ A common reason why associate hires don’t work out is because expectations haven’t been clear enough from the start. If your new hires have to guess, this is where things go wrong.

3️⃣ The associates who work out best are the ones who feel like they’re part of something. They care about the business and take pride in their work. They’re not someone who is just logging hours.

There is always a risk when hiring associates, but there are things you can do to better safeguard yourself. You have to protect your business reputation, client relationships and team culture, so you have to let someone go when someone’s not the right fit.

Finding the right people to grow your team changes everything. Worrying is normal, but don’t let fear get in the way of your growth.

At some point this week, take time to think about what matters most to you when hiring an associate. Write them down and start to build your own hiring blueprint, one you can return to every time you're looking to grow your team.

Mentioned in the episode 👇

'Hiring Associates with Ease' ⁠⁠⁠free guide.⁠⁠⁠

Red Flags to Avoid when Hiring Virtual Assistants for Your Team episode - listen here.

Resources 👇

Free ⁠⁠⁠Monthly Metrics Tracker download.⁠⁠⁠

Get our ⁠⁠Free mini course⁠⁠ on Creating Solid Business Foundations.

Check out ⁠⁠our website⁠⁠.