Are there sacrifices to being a virtual assistant?
To working from a home based office?
Hmm, that answer can have as many answers as people who are asked. Some of the things that I personally have given up for the greater joy of being in this profession may not seem much of a sacrifice compared to the experiences of you … or you…or you. I believe just as we each carry our own crosses the same can be said for the sacrifices … and the next question becomes, “Has it been worth it?” Before answering let’s first identify the various categories that sacrifices fall into. I’ll preface these by pointing out these won’t be experienced by everyone, myself included.
Social – Friendships tend to shift, change, and fade and blossom when you begin your own business. The amount of time spent on non-work socializing type activities usually shifts and you’ll find yourself thinking about business, developing a new idea, or thinking about how something can be done more effectively.
Financial – Anyone who thinks they can walk away from their job and step into a new business with an identical or very similar earnings range isn’t being realistic. While some open their business doors with clients lined up and ready to begin the realism is that most must market to find those first precious customers. This first marketing may take up to a year to land your first accounts or merely months. Before setting up your business be prepared financially to live off savings, secure a loan, or trim your spending to the bare essentials. You probably won’t earn the same income level consistently month after month, especially in the beginning, and perhaps not ever.
Emotional – Build your support circle of both family and close friends to draw near when you get discouraged. Having your spouse’s support, prayers, and encouragement makes a great difference to your success. We sacrifice our egos when we get rejected after submitting a quote or answering an RFP and it comes back with a “No, thanks.” You won’t have the boss to pat you on the back when you did well or pick you up when there’s an unhappy client. You’ll need to check your ego at the door and let much slide off your back. You’ll need to stop trying to measure up to what others are doing – don’t even pick up that yardstick. Growing a thicker skin is essential when you see the pack doing something but your research and planning suggests that venturing in a new direction is what your target market is seeking.
Fashion – Giving up dresses, fashionable jewelry, and nice shoes for jeans, tees, and bare feet may not feel like a sacrifice to everyone but some really miss it. The adage ‘clothes make the man’ can have some truth. If you dress well, you feel good about yourself – self confident – and this self assurance comes through in how you interact with clients, how you respond to emails, or prepare a quote. I know of colleagues who dress for phone meetings because they, too, have noticed that they feel more professional in specific types of apparel.
Space – Sacrifices in office space and layout often come initially with the decision to work from home. The office with the corner view is replaced with a corner of the dining table, a café table at the coffee shop, or an office fold-away hidden in the closet. Some are lucky enough to convert a former bedroom into their office from the get-go. Having ample space to set up in a quiet area of the house can be a challenge.
Time – Finding time for both business and family can be a balancing act that never really seems to equalize BUT it’s up to each business owner to work this out so that nothing drastically tilts too far in either direction. It may mean setting structured work hours and observing them, regardless. It may mean hiring or subcontracting. Initially, you may find that evenings, weekends and the occasional holiday will be spent working as you build your client base – not necessarily doing client work but the working in and on your own business. For the first year or so, you’ll find you’re working more hours, not less, and nowhere near the 4-hour work week that a few mention doing.
Security – Depending how you’re thrust into becoming an entrepreneur – dire job situations, unemployment’s run out, finding yourself suddenly divorced with few job options – stepping into the unknown of starting your own business can feel big and scary. Doing your homework and planning will make all the differences in your success.
Technical – The sacrifices here may be that you’ve offhanded techie projects while in the office and now you’ll need to put your learning cap on and dig in to learn this side yourself. True, you can always hire out or subcontract this. In the beginning having the funds available to reach out to someone else may not be an option.
Talk with a handful of entrepreneurs and you’ll learn that these professionals commonly defer short term gratifications for attaining the bigger picture – their long term gains. The hardships they tackle are about letting go…and deciding what to hold on to. Grasp for specific targets and let the rest trickle through the fingers, for now. It all centers around setting goals purposefully and with intention so that you can plot measured steps in the directions of your passion and dreams and all that draws you into being a virtual assistant.
Worth It?
Talking with a colleague, she pointed out that for her it’s about turning strategic short-term sacrifices into long term successes. Her choice of the word ‘strategic’ stuck out for me. She’s mindful of what she’s giving up and recognizes that this isn’t a forever situation. It’s simply a For Now sacrifice. An example of a strategic sacrifice would be eating out less frequently. The money saved can afford a skills course which can be converted into a services offering, yielding a higher earning potential.
I believe the rewards are individualized and range from pushing you outside your comfort zone to discovering where the really good stuff happens, to being catalysts for achieving 110% confidence in yourself and what you do, to becoming a passionate firecracker in your business’s niche, to forming solid friendships, relationships and networking connections that are supportive and genuine door-openers to opportunities and experiences yet unimagined to having the prized flexibility to be fully available to both your client’s and your family’s needs. And lastly, to bringing dreams of happiness, success, and wealth into full living color according to your own personal definitions.