Being a Virtual Assistant has enabled Kira to create the life for her son that she needed as a child.
I’ve known Kira a few years but I didn’t know this one major thing until she did this case study for me.
‘I am able to be the mother to my son that I needed as a child’.
Virtual Assisting aside, being able to break a mould is and give your child a life without the trauma you experienced is – well I don’t have the vocabulary. It’s huge and often impossible to break that cycle because of the trauma.
Here’s Kira Rees of Kira Virtual, who bought the VA Starter Guide in April 2023
First question, Kira. What made you want to explore becoming a Virtual Assistant?
I needed to break away from the 9-5. I was tired of paying a childminder to look after my son & see him more than I was. I wanted flexibility to be present for him at school drop off and pick up, to attend events (we just had the CUTEST Mother’s Day tea party which if I was still employed, I’d of had to take half a days holiday, instead, I just closed my laptop down and sodded off to get free tea & cake!).
I remember you telling me a while ago that you’re now saving something like £8k a year in childminding fees. THAT is incredible. Add that to the priceless bonus of free tea and cake and life couldn’t get any better, could it? Catherine
Did you build your business alongside employment?
Yes
I kinda needed to expand on this question, didn’t I? Allowing a yes / no answer was daft.
Who was your first client and where did you find them?
My first client was a lovely woman who was building a dating app for a very niche clientele. I found her through LinkedIn.
As much as some people think LinkedIn is ‘stuffy, corporate and one big massive show off pit’ it’s been THE best place for us to find clients on-line for at least 10 years now. LinkedIn is – like any platform – what you make it. My top tip, for those reading this, is only connect with people who are a relevant potential client and who don’t make your eyes roll in despair. Catherine
Can you name something you’ve found difficult as a Virtual Assistant and how did you overcome it?
Honestly? Procrastination. The past 2 years I have struggled with the mindset of “I’m a business owner and my time is money” compared to being bossed around & dictated too. Truth be told, I’ve taken on work at times because financially I needed the money, and while I was confident and competent in it, I hated every minute which made me procrastinate it further, and leave it to the last minute. This just created so much more stress for me, and inadvertently, led to me burning out at the time. This is why it’s so important to ONLY offer services you’re confident, competent and you bloody enjoy.
Absolutely. It’s so easy to say ‘yes’ to something because you worry it might be your only opportunity for a client, but it really won’t be – as you now know. It’s so important that you continue to make being a VA so far removed from being an employee so that it never feels like work, you never feel that dread on a Sunday night. And, as you’ve said (stolen my saying!) – ONLY offer services you’re confident, competent and that you enjoy. Catherine
What are some of the best things about being a Virtual Assistant?
Ugh the freedom!!! I honestly cannot explain it. Knowing I can sod off in to town and go for a lunch date with no one to be watching my teams button to see if it goes amber. No longer finding alternative ways to keep my mouse moving whilst I had a much needed nap!
Being able to just say YES to meeting up with friends, being present during the half terms and holidays, switching off at 3pm on the dot with no questions asked about why?!
And my favourite part… money. God, I’ve had months where I earned 3x my salaried income. I never thought that would be possible!
It did end up leading to me burning out but that’s cos I was chasing the money & not thinking about WHY I got into this business in the first place.
I’m now building something brand new to give me the option of unlimited income ceiling, without giving up my precious time.
The income was a completely unexpected benefit that I wasn’t ready for either. For those who are wondering how few hours you’d need to work to bring in the money you’ll need every month, take a look at my free online calculator. Catherine
How do you find most of your clients?
Most were through LinkedIn or associate positions in the Facebook group
How have your family’s finances changed since becoming a VA?
Drastically. I have the freedom to treat my son to anything he wants (he doesn’t get it all but that’s not down to money anymore!)
I’ve taken trips to watch my favourite football team play, bought meet & greet tickets to my absolute idols tour performances. I’ve achieved a 13 year olds dream and met them, twice.
I never would’ve been able to do any of that while being employed. Oh, and I was able to AFFORD to take 3 whole weeks off in August. 3 weeks. Consecutively.
Oh yeah! There’s no 24 days holiday, bank holidays and a week’s sick leave when you’re a VA. Catherine.
What has being a VA enabled you to do that you couldn’t as an employee?
Have confidence in myself that I’m bloody good at what I do, and a micromanaging a****le can’t tell me otherwise.
Being a VA has given me so much. But the most important thing is, it’s given me time with my little boy, during his early years, that I never would’ve gotten. I will forever be grateful to you Catherine, with your guidance, courses & sheer cheerleading, I am able to be the mother to my son that I needed as a child.
I know my little one will never grow up wondering why mummy wasn’t around, because I’m like a bad smell. He ain’t ever going to know how that feels. Thanks to you 💛
This > ‘I am able to be the mother to my son that I needed as a child.’ I’m not crying, it’s hayfever. Catherine
Describe your VA business to me
Previously I’ve had a mixture of direct and associates, but where I have taken a step back (mainly to recover from burnout and also build this new side of my business) I currently have 2 direct clients & 1 associate client. (the associate client is about to celebrate their 1 year anniversary working with me!!)
Isn’t it incredible when you start to build long-term relationships with clients. Before you know it, you’ll be celebrating 2, 3, 4 and more years. Catherine
How is your work / life balance different now, as a full-time VA?
Oh it’s amazing. I currently work no more than 2 hours a day. 2 hours. And I’m earning more than I would with a horrible term time job in a kitchen.
I remember clocking up no more than 4/5 hours a day when I started and sitting there thinking, wait, I’ve still got 3 hours to go. But I didn’t. You no longer have to work daft hours, you no longer need to sit there when the work is complete, or can wait until tomorrow. If you’ve met the promises you’ve made to clients around when you’ll get work back to them and (this is very important) earned enough to down tools – down them! Stand on them, through them out the window and enjoy the rest of your day doing anything else you enjoy.
How do you manage your work day as a Virtual Assistant?
I wake up, focus on getting ready to get my son to school, sometimes I wander on into town, other times I come home to work.
I work my hours, then currently working on my new business stuff, keeping on top of the housework (poorly, because who enjoys housework? Not me)
Then it’s off at 3pm, laptop closed & the rest of the day is spent with my family.
Sometimes I’ll open it back up in the evening, but the important part is, that’s MY CHOICE
‘Choice’ being a great word here. We lose a lot of ‘choice’ when we’re employed. Catherine
What software could you, personally, not work without?
Canva, Clockify, Google workspace & FreeAgent. Especially FreeAgent (what do you mean I don’t have to speak to the HMRC nasties and I can just click a button and off it goes?!?!)
These are Kira’s must haves. Don’t fret if you can’t use these. What other VAs use to run their business is a choice. It does not mean you need to learn how to use the same pieces of software to become a full time successful VA. You obviously need to be confident and competent in software that enables you to provide the services you’ve chosen to offer, but there isn’t ‘one piece of software’ out there that you ‘need’ to learn to ‘get those clients’. Catherine
On a scale of 1-10 how unemployable are you now after being a VA for as long as you have?
(10 being ‘your mug shot is probably in every recruitment agency with a warning’)
Ten
Anything else you’d like to add? Perhaps some words of encouragement for others?
Don’t give up. Please for the love of god don’t. I PROMISE you, everything you’ve ever wanted and more can and will happen. But follow Catherine’s advice. She has helped hundreds, heck, maybe even thousands at this point, run successful VA businesses. And you can be another notch on her proverbial bed post!
If you’re stuck, reach out to the Facebook group. They are there to help & no question is EVER a silly question.
And finally, IF you have ANY of Catherine’s courses, I know you’re excited but take your time, write notes, read, read and re-read it. All of your questions are in there!
Ooooh, nice advice, thanks Kira! Catherine