When starting your virtual assistant journey you are probably not focusing on any mistakes or roadblocks that will come with this business.
But that’s why you have me!
There are obviously different kinds of mistakes. Ones that cost money. Others that cost time. And unfortunately, some that cost clients.
By knowing what these mistakes might be before they happen, you can work to ensure that they won’t ever be an issue in your business.
The mistake of thinking you’ll remember it all as a virtual assistant
Are you the type of person who needs lists? Are you a paper person or a digital person?
Either way, one of the biggest mistakes you can make is to think that you are going to remember every little detail of a project or request.
There are some very simple steps you can take to be sure you won’t fall into this trap:
Record meetings
Always ask your client if it is okay to record any meetings. Whether over the phone or a program like Zoom, you can easily record and store the meeting on your computer or cloud. This allows you to reference anything that was mentioned and…
Take digital notes
Use a program like Google Docs to keep a running record of any meeting notes from previous meetings. You can create an outline or a narrative so that it is easily digestible and quick to reference.
Paper notes work too
If you are more tactile and need to have things written down, by all means, continue with the paper notes.
The mistake of getting too comfortable
So, your calendar is booked out for a month. You have all of your payments. Life is looking pretty good.
But wait!
What happens at the end of a month? Are you sure all of your current clients are going to renew? Even the ones that are committed for 6 months?
Unfortunately, even with a contract, sometimes they just drop you.
This mistake is easy to avoid by sending proposals and inquiries constantly. I, even with a booked-out calendar, still send proposals with a date when my services will be available.
By continuing the practice of sending proposals, I recommend ten per week at the very least, you will be able to keep your client base firmly rotating so that you never have a slow month.
Don’t make the mistake of not having an accountant or tax help
While you may not be making the big bucks yet, you should still reach out to a tax professional!
It is essential that you know what your tax liability might be so that you are prepared once you are bringing in a large amount of income.
This isn’t just putting the standard 30% back to pay taxes but also what you can keep track of for deductions or if there is a benefit of forming an LLC or S-Corp. There are many that will do a free consultation, give you pricing for a retainer, and let you know how much it will cost to have your taxes completed.
This is not a complete list of all mistakes that can be made. This is just a handful. Be prepared if you are just starting to think about virtual assisting and invest in The VA BluePrint.