Dear Virtual Assistants...
stop trying to sign more clients.
A letter dedicated to all the overworked and underpaid virtual assistants out there & a letter I wish I could have read in 2017 when I was a VA stuck in the hamster wheel.
Back in 2017, I “should” have been happy.
After downloading all the freebies, clicking on all the ‘digital nomad’ facebook ads, and watching the endless hard-pitch ‘make money online’ webinars…
I was finally, finally, finally(!!!) working online.
On the surface, I was doing everything I had wanted.
- I had paying clients.
- I was making enough $ to pay for rent and groceries.
- I could work from my bed, my couch, wherever really.
Nah.
That wasn’t reality; reality was harsh.
The harsh reality was: The work was never-ending, I had 0 boundaries (even a Slack ping would trigger my fight-or-flight). I was headed straight for burnout drowning so quickly and completely in client work; I wasn’t enjoying any of my newfound “freedom”.
The harsher reality was: Despite working 40+ hours and desperately hunting for clients non-stop, I was still stuck at the dreaded $2-3K a month ceiling.
The harshest reality was: I had accidentally recreated the 9-5 for myself but worse – because at least the 9-5 implemented boundaries for me.
After ALL that work, I had just recreated a hamster wheel for myself; a 60-miles-an-hour hamster wheel that didn’t allow for a lunch break. It was, in essence, a new & “improved” cubicle.
And a deep and quiet part of me felt unfulfilled and restless.
That part of me was keeping me up at night, murmuring: “This can’t be it. Is this good enough? Are you happy with this?”
For a long time, I told that little voice to hush, to be quiet, to be grateful with what we had.
That was my first mistake.
And in the year that followed, the mistakes just kept piling up.
Mistakes that kept me stuck at $3K a month, desperately clinging on to every client, saying ‘yes’ to every random request that clients threw my way.
From 2016 to mid-2018, I was hustling hard in my hamster wheel… entrenched, waist deep, sinking fast into hustle, hustle, hustle quicksand.
Sometimes you need to make the same mistake over and over and over again before you have the lightbulb moment you’re meant to have.
Because in mid-2018, something finally changed.
And if I could go back in time and speak to the overworked & underpaid VA Deya, this is exactly what I would tell her…
And if you’re the VA stuck in the hamster wheel, this is what will get you unstuck.
Up Next: I’ll share why mindlessly hustling, trying to land more clients & endlessly increasing your rates as a VA just does. not. work.
I've been mentioned in these (way too cool for me) places...
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