Mindset – Page 2 – Virtual Assistant Success Strategies

Wil Hart on January 7, 2013

3 Reasons To Ask Yourself “Why?”

Let’s be honest! If you look back at the previous 12 months of your life, do you find things that are noteworthy or humdrum?

Noteworthy – (adjective) Significant or unusual.

Examples of things that are noteworthy:

Accomplishing meaningful goals.
Building or repairing important relationships.
Breaking through a paralyzing limiting belief.

Humdrum – (adjective) Lacking excitement or variety; dull; monotonous.

Examples of things that are humdrum:

Allowing hours, days and months to pass you by without making quality contributions to your life or that of others.
Embracing a life that is stuck in a rut.
Empowering others to dictate how your life will turn out.

Do you recall the day when you planted the idea in your mind to start your own Virtual Assistance business? Has that seed sprouted and begun to flourish? Did the idea motivate you to take some action in order to create a vision for yourself, set some goals and act on those goals?

If your seed of a thought has not yet sprouted, I can tell you exactly the reason it lays dormant in your mind. Your ‘WHY’ is not BIG enough! I cannot stress the importance of having a tremendous motivating factor. I know the feeling of setting a goal and shortly forgetting about it because it wasn’t strong enough to move me to action. Have you ever felt that way?

Here are 3 reasons you need to have a compelling ‘WHY’ in order to become a successful Virtual Assistant. This will force that implanted mental seed to germinate. Knowing your BIG WHY will do the following:

Force you to be relentless. Have you ever been in a financial bind? It is amazing the resources that become available to you when you need money fast. (Just to be clear, I do imply legal resources.) During that time, when your mortgage is due, you won’t stop searching until you have a solution to the problem. The same is true when you are seeking to build your own business. You will find the resources and the mentors who can help you to be successful in business. You will not allow anything to stop you from doing so.
Compel you to complete projects. A successful business is the result of completing a series of projects. When you have a vision of the type of business that you want to create, you will then need to map out the action steps that will enable you to accomplish your goals. Completing those action steps fulfills your goals.
Empower you to create a life-enhancing business. We all have to work in order to provide for our families. If that isn’t a BIG WHY for showing up at a place of employment (that you may detest), I don’t know what is. I have spent the majority of my career as an employee. If you were to ask me why I worked for the companies that I’ve worked for, I would’ve stated, “I have to eat and pay bills!” That was my BIG WHY. If you’d like to know why I am now self-employed, send me an email and I will gladly share with you my new BIG WHY.

If you look back at 2012, do you find that experienced a year that was noteworthy or humdrum? If you were aiming for noteworthy and accomplished it, then CONGRATS! If you have just realizes you were living a humdrum year and want to make a change, I invite you to start where you stand and strive for something more. If you are now an employed administrative professional, think of ways that you can make your 2013 year-end review remarkable! Make a list of trainings that you can take. Look for daily tasks that you can complete quicker so as to improve your productivity.

If you are already working full-time as a Virtual Assistant, focus on how you can make 2013 a noteworthy year. Define what success means for you. It may be enrolling a certain number of clients or earning a specific income. Whatever the case, clarify your vision for success so that you can invest outstanding contributions to the fulfillment of your goals. Start taking the appropriate action today. Would you like a copy of the formula that I use to help me stay focused on my vision and take the right action to completing my vision? Email me (Wil@EAtoVA.com)!

Wil Hart on

3 Reasons To Ask Yourself “Why?”

Let’s be honest! If you look back at the previous 12 months of your life, do you find things that are noteworthy or humdrum?

Noteworthy – (adjective) Significant or unusual.

Examples of things that are noteworthy:

Accomplishing meaningful goals.
Building or repairing important relationships.
Breaking through a paralyzing limiting belief.

Humdrum – (adjective) Lacking excitement or variety; dull; monotonous.

Examples of things that are humdrum:

Allowing hours, days and months to pass you by without making quality contributions to your life or that of others.
Embracing a life that is stuck in a rut.
Empowering others to dictate how your life will turn out.

Force you to be relentless. Have you ever been in a financial bind? It is amazing the resources that become available to you when you need money fast. (Just to be clear, I do imply legal resources.) During that time, when your mortgage is due, you won’t stop searching until you have a solution to the problem. The same is true when you are seeking to build your own business. You will find the resources and the mentors who can help you to be successful in business. You will not allow anything to stop you from doing so.
Compel you to complete projects. A successful business is the result of completing a series of projects. When you have a vision of the type of business that you want to create, you will then need to map out the action steps that will enable you to accomplish your goals. Completing those action steps fulfills your goals.
Empower you to create a life-enhancing business. We all have to work in order to provide for our families. If that isn’t a BIG WHY for showing up at a place of employment (that you may detest), I don’t know what is. I have spent the majority of my career as an employee. If you were to ask me why I worked for the companies that I’ve worked for, I would’ve stated, “I have to eat and pay bills!” That was my BIG WHY. If you’d like to know why I am now self-employed, send me an email and I will gladly share with you my new BIG WHY.

Wil Hart on November 19, 2012

How to Face Your Fears and Defeat Them

Fear is a natural part of our emotional make up. It is even helpful at times. For without fear, we’d certainly walk into many unnecessary dangers. When it comes to being successful in your Virtual Assistance business, you may have many fears that hold you back from making the progress that you deserve.

Do you find yourself ignoring your fears in hopes that they will go away and never return? That is one method of feeding your fears so that they will never be eliminated.

So, what are some of the fears that you have? Is it the fear of failure? Could it be the fear of rejection? Some fears actually stem from the fear of success. Imagine that!

Here is a formula for facing your fears and dealing with them appropriately.

Acknowledge the fear that you have. Say out loud, “Yes, I’m afraid.”
Isolate the fear. Determine exactly what that fear is.
Take some action to eliminate the fear.

Now, we are going to make this practical and applicable.

You are trying to build a successful business. However, one of the obstacles that holds you back is a fear of meeting people. Do you remember what step one is? Say to yourself, “Yes, I’m afraid.” Next, you want to pinpoint the fear. The fear is meeting new people. The last step is to take some action towards eliminating the fear.

There are several things that you can do in this regard and they don’t all need to be business related. It could be something as simple as introducing yourself to a neighbor that you have never met before. Meet someone at the grocery store or at your child’s daycare. The more people you put forth effort to meet, the easier it will become. That particular fear will become a thing of the past.

If you face each of your business fears with this process, you will soon become a habitual ‘fear crusher’. Remember this, indecision and procrastination fertilizes fear. Action cures fear.

Do you believe that these steps will help you in your business?

Wil Hart on November 7, 2012

The VA Success Cafe: Episode 1

Henry Ford said, “Whether you think you can or whether you think you can, you are right.” It is imperative for you as a Virtual Assistant to believe that you will succeed in business. There are a few things that you can do to develop the success mindset. In this audio, you will learn what you need to do to avoid feelings of failure and cultivate a healthy, successful mindset.

Wil Hart on November 6, 2012

Successful Thinking for Virtual Assistants

Do you find it hard to believe that you can create or accomplish anything that you want? I used to have that problem. When growing up, I was very shy. My shyness stemmed from feelings of inadequacy. I always thought, “I’m not good enough, smart enough, strong enough, fast enough…” etc.

What needed to change? Just a few things needed to change. The most important was the way that I viewed myself and what was possible in life. The same goes for you if you think that you cannot accomplish whatever you so desire. Therefore, I invite you to ask this very important question, “What is possible?” If you ask that question enough, you will find an endless supply of possibilities in any field of endeavor. My goal is to help you realize the possibilities for your Virtual Assistance business.

Your success starts with the way you think about yourself and what you can accomplish. I have 2 guarantees for you. 1) If you think you cannot succeed, you won’t. 2) If you believe you will be successful, you WILL.

Is it that easy? Think about it, for a moment. When a person says that they cannot do a thing, they immediately cancel out the ability to succeed. However, when an individual believes that he will succeed, he will stop at nothing to fully realize what he is after.

Having a successful mindset requires ongoing maintenance and reassurance. Here are a few thoughts that may be helpful to you in developing and maintaining a successful mindset:

“Success is stumbling from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm.” ~ Winston Churchill

“Whatever the mind can conceive and believe, it can achieve.” ~ Napoleon Hill

“Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved.” ~ Helen Keller

“In order to succeed, your desire for success should be greater than your fear of failure.” ~ Bill Cosby

You determine what success means for you. Your thinking will move you towards realizing that success. Will you be a successful Virtual Assistant?

Wil Hart on September 6, 2012

How Does Good Health Build Your Business?

It is possible that you have heard of the many wonderful benefits of regular exercise. My question to you is this, ‘Why should you seriously consider the powerful connection between good health and how it can help you to be successful as a Virtual Assistant?’

Let us make the connection to some of the benefits of good health and good business practices. When you exercise you are likely to experience:

1. Increased blood flow to the brain – As you receive more oxygen to your brain, it will increase your mental alertness and concentration. If you find that you have difficulty staying focused on the tasks at hand, you may be suffering from mental sluggishness. Get out of that lethargic state by walking for 30-40 minutes each day.

2. Reduced stress – Because you work with clients virtually, you rely heavily on technology to help you accomplish your business objectives. It goes without saying that breakdowns in technology produces increased levels of stress. Another stress inducing situation is working with clients and the challenging personalities they may have. If you have a good exercise routine, you will feel better physically and reduce the anxieties that you experience in your work and life.

3. State of happiness – Regular exercise produces a good feeling in many people. When you feel good and happy, you are poised to be more productive and to increase the happiness of those who work with you. Your happiness will infiltrate everything that you do. When you correspond with your clients they will notice a good aura when they hear your voice, read your emails and collaborate to accomplish goals. You will show up well when you are marketing your business and seeking out new clients. I know that you want to draw new clients into your business. Being in a state of happiness will help!

Regular exercise will improve your well-being. It will benefit your relationships, your personal health and your business success. Why not use exercise as a business building strategy. Your success as a Virtual Assistant depends upon it. Get started today!

Wil Hart on July 26, 2012

How To Develop Confidence As A Virtual Assistant

I often hear new VAs lamenting their struggle to get their first client because they are a newbie. But the fact of the matter is this: 99.9% of the time they are seasoned, savvy, well educated professionals who have worked in the corporate world for years. They are not new to doing the work, they are simply new to being an entrepreneur. There is a BIG difference between the two. If you aren’t careful, being a new VA can quickly overshadow your many years of experience and cause your confidence to take a hit.

Another challenge I see with VAs is that because of how administrative professionals typically interact with their colleagues, you may not feel comfortable being proactive. Schedule this! Copy that! The demands that you receive as an admin are endless. Sometimes you may feel that all you do is serve others according to their beck and call. That can be damaging to your confidence. Continue Reading>>

Wil Hart on May 22, 2012

5 Keys To Becoming A Successful Virtual Assistant

In 2009, there were 27.5 million businesses in the United States, according to Office of Advocacy estimates (per a report published in January 2011). What does that mean for you?

A) That number has only increased since 2009.
B) EVERY single one of those businesses needs some type of administrative support to function and be profitable.
C) There is more opportunity for you to be successful than ever before.

Since you have expressed an interest in becoming a Successful Virtual Assistant, I want to share with you all the tips, short cuts and resources that were not available to me when I first got started. I had to figure out on my own most of the things that I learned. I hope that you will utilize the tools that I give you so as to make your journey a LOT less stressful than mine turned out.

Fortunately, I kept track of every step I took, every mistake I made and everything that worked along the way. I didn’t have a real reason for doing so at the time, but I’m SO glad I did because now I can share them with you. When I look back I see that there are 5 critical keys you need to start and build a successful Virtual Assistance company:

1. Mindset: You may not realize it now, but to be successful as an entrepreneur, you have to THINK like an entrepreneur. As employees, we are conditioned to do what others tell us. Someone else typically decides our schedule, how much we get paid, who we work with and what projects we work on. When you become self-employed, YOU call all the shots. This is probably one of the things that is most attractive to you about the opportunity to be a Virtual Assistant. However, you must understand that you will have to go through some growing pains to make-over your mindset. You cannot operate your business they way you function as an employee. It simply won’t work. If you avoid working through this transition it could be the ONE thing that can make or break your business.

2. Infrastructure: What makes up the infrastructure of your company? Here are a few things to consider: 1) Insurances – health, life, disability, dental etc. 2) Technology – computers, phones, an online presence etc. 3) Operations – you must have operational systems in place such as accounting, tax filing, setting up new customers, processes for working with customers, etc. 4) Structure – will you set up an LLC or a Sole Proprietorship? 5) Finances – it takes money to make money. Considering these important matters and making well-informed decisions about which situations will work best for you, will enable you to start and manage a successful company.

3. Marketing: Marketing your services and getting clients boils down to one thing, ‘Offering solutions to people who are already looking for them.’ You don’t have to “hawk your wares”, you don’t have to convince people to hire you and you don’t have to take any opportunity that comes along. Marketing at it’s best is simple, focused and consistent. Those who do not market their company tend to find themselves out of business very soon. The best thing that you can do for your business is to know how to generate leads and enroll new clients. You do not want to wait to figure this out. You can develop a marketing plan even before you have made your first dollar, taking advantage of the resources, relationships and opportunities already within your reach.

4. Transition: Having a PLAN around your transition from Executive Assistant to Virtual Assistant will help you to make the leap from employee to entrepreneur smoothly. Please do not quit your job and then ‘hope for the best’. That is NOT a plan that leads to success. You want to make sure that you have not only your infrastructure in tact, but also a step by step plan that has dates attached to keep you focused. This plan gives you time and space to make the transition. In your mind you may think you can “wave a wand” and make the changes you need to make overnight. But that is an unrealistic view. Mapping out a realistic plan will help you to make steady progress, avoid unnecessary stress and minimize wasted time and wasted money.

5. Building Your Business: When you work for someone else, that company does all of the heavy lifting for you as an employee. The company is responsible for building the business so that you will have a place to work each day. Now, YOU are responsible for whether you win or lose. Success or failure is 100% in YOUR hands! You, therefore, have to perform all of the needed tasks to REMAIN in business. This includes constantly upgrading your skill set, setting up systems, marketing consistently and more.

If you would like help with each of these 5 Keys, I invite you to join me for a FREE training call on Thursday, May 31st, entitled “How to Use the Skills You Already Have to Add An Additional $500 – $5,000 to Your Monthly Income…Working From Home”. Click HERE to get the dial-in details!

Wil Hart on May 21, 2012

Do You Want to Become a Successful VA?

You have been searching for some time haven’t you? There are many questions about the Virtual Assistance industry that you have been trying to answer. Can I really make a living from being Virtual Assistant? Will I be able to pay my bills? How will I find clients? What tools do I need in order to work from home?

Since 2008, we have been answering these questions for our EAtoVA.com community. I’m here to assure you that If I can do it, you can do it too! (Become a member of the EAtoVA family and see how I conquered the journey of going from Executive Assistant to Virtual Assistant. Simply enter your name and email address in the boxes at the top of this page to get INSTANT access to my FREE special report “The Liberated Executive Assistant – How to Break Free From The Corporate Grind and Become Your Own Boss!“)

I know it is your goal to become a successful Virtual Assistant. That is how you found our website and introduced yourself to us. I really want to serve you first by inspiring you to set and accomplish this goal. Additionally, over the next several weeks, I am going to personally walk you through the process creating and succeeding in your very own business.

Just to keep you in the loop of what is happening here at EAtoVA.com, I want to know that I am creating a new club for people like you who want to have full support in your journey of starting your own business. Within the next couple of weeks, you will be the first to receive this exclusive information. Here is what I need you to do in order to get that information.

Click here to sign up for notification about my new club. The word will not go out to everyone. That is why I need you to raise your hand and say, “Yes Sydni, I want more info about the club”. Take a moment to sign up and you’ll be among the first to know when I unveil this new training center. And be sure to tell your friends, family members and colleagues about this exciting opportunity!

Wil Hart on February 2, 2012

These 3 Activities Will Grow Your Business

growth It would be an understatement to say that you want more clients, more stability, fewer expenses and more money in your business. Let’s not start there because that is what business is all about. If you focus on three simple activities, you will see your business improve in all of the aforementioned areas.

PLAN ~ You likely have your sources for information gathering. In fact, the list of resources that are available to you grows daily. In some way, you have mentors who teach you tactics and skills that will help you to accomplish your business objectives. How you obtain that information is not as important as how quickly you will put it into action. BEFORE taking action, however, step back and get the “blimp perspective“. Blimps, such as the Goodyear Blimp, provide a perspective of a city or a venue like the Super Bowl, that you otherwise would not see. It’s the full scope. If you apply the blimp view to your business it will give you a broad perspective that includes:

Where you have come from.
Where you are now.
Where you want to go in the future.

Planning allows you to achieve such a view of your business. Therefore, it is imperative that you take all of the knowledge that you have gained about running a successful virtual assistance company and map out the future course of your business. The blimp perspective gives you the freedom to see many potential roadblocks, opportunities and sterling possibilities. Then you will have to …

DO ~ This is the step that moves you from the drawing board to the playing field. The plans that you drew up for your business are now “LIVE”. Now it is time to ‘do or die’, ‘sink or swim’, where the ‘rubber meets the road’, or whatever cliche you can think of that helps you to get things done! 🙂 There is no substitute for taking action on the plan that you have created. Many entrepreneurs habitually purchase programs but fail to implement what they have learned. It is as if the mere purchase would increase their business. I often wonder if they reason this way, “since I have invested in my business, I should be successful.” That is so far from the truth. Investing in a program, a seminar, a software or a service is tantamount to picking up a tool. Something has to be done after picking up that tool. Oh yeah, they call that WORK. Action is the key that unlocks the door to business success. But, do not be satisfied with planning and acting on your plan. Next, you will want to …

REVIEW ~ That’s right! Consider the results of your hard work. Did you reach your goals? How far off were you from your targets. What did you omit from the planning or action steps? What would you adjust, cut out or include? Reviewing and measuring your results will enable you to start this 3 step process with what I like to call Success Data. This data is the stepping stone for your next round of planning, action and reviewing.

These 3 activities, when applied to your marketing, client work and back office duties will set you up for business growth and success. You cannot go wrong with this process. You will never have all of the knowledge you need at one time. Most of the important things you learn comes from the action that you take. So, do not be paralyzed by perfectionism. As long as you take confident imperfect actions, you will step closer to the goals and dreams that you have established for your virtual company.

Until next time be sure to Plan, Do and Review.

Let me know how this works for you by commenting below.

« 1 2 3 4 … 6 »