How to Position Yourself as a Partner, NOT an Employee

You have decided to start your own business as a Virtual Assistant. Awesome! 🙂 So, you set up shop, started marketing your solutions and enroll your first few clients. Excellent!

As you start working with clients, you may find that some of them think that a Virtual Assistant is tantamount to “employee”. How did they come to feel that way? How do you feel about being an employee even though you are a business owner? What do you need to do in order to correct such thinking?

This thinking promotes dis-ease. If you are uncomfortable because of feeling this way, rest assured that there is a cure. The cure however, must be targeted toward the root cause – YOU! Your clients will view your business the way that you view it. If you have not stepped away from the employee mentality, it will show up in every aspect of your business. And that mindset will permeate your client relationships and thus, how they treat you.

YOU – The Entrepreneur

YOU are a fabulous Assistant! You know it and I know it. When you were in the corporate world, you likely did not receive the full credit that you deserved. The compensation that the company thought suited you well was a pittance to say the least. You added value in the corporate world and you most certainly add value to your clients today.

When you start working with a new client, you should set the tone so that you both are clear on how you will work together. Expectations must be set as defined by you and the boundaries you have established for your company. (Of course, your client will have their own set of expectations. Making sure your work styles and expectations fit is part of the interview process.)  There are many aspects to consider but five key areas to outline are :

1. Your hours of operation
2. Payment terms
3. Expected deliverables
4. How the two of you will communicate
5. Expected turnaround times

In most situations, if a client relationship begins to crumble it is because there was a lack of clarity, miscommunication or mistake made in one of these areas.

If you set clear boundaries and expectations at the VERY beginning of your client relationships, you will avoid feelings of stress and frustration in your business. Also important to remember is that once clear boundaries are established you MUST honor them. If you don’t, your clients won’t either, which will ultimately undermine your relationship with them.

By implementing the simple tips shared in this article, you will be respected as a business owner and thus acknowledged as a true partner with your clients. “Be” the entrepreneur that you desire. After all, that is why you started your own company.

This is the cure for the dis-ease of being viewed and treated like an employee. You are wonderful. You are strong. You are the entrepreneur with whom others want to partner. Don’t ever let anyone (including yourself!) tell you differently.