It’s only natural that you want your VA business to succeed. After all, you probably started your own business out of a need to fulfil or solve something in your life. Each of us have different reasons for starting our VA journeys – from redundancy to family commitments and financial necessity. However, no matter what your reasons for starting down this path, if you want your VA business to succeed, you need to switch that focus from yourself and onto your clients.

The need to switch focus affects new and established VAs

You may have initially started your business out of a need on your part, but your desire to make a VA business your solution, means you had a desire to also provide a service to others. But switching the focus from yourself to your clients is often easier said than done, especially if you’re coming from a place of need.

Many start-up VAs put additional extra pressure on themselves, by turning that need into desperation, as they set unrealistically short goals or financial expectations during the early stages of business.

However, established VAs can also find themselves getting stuck inadvertently focusing on themselves. How? By not realising it’s time to expand, outsource or drop things that aren’t working for them. By getting stuck, their focus turns inwards, as they struggle to find a workaround or solution to this new stage of growth.

No matter how new or established you are, here’s how to switch your focus back to your clients!

Remind yourself why you went into business

You started your own business as you had a need for yourself, and it’s good to remind yourself of that. However, why did you pick a VA business as your solution? I’m guessing it’s because you felt you could provide a service to others – you wanted to help in some way. So what was the driving force behind that? Did you want to help a certain niche of people or provide a service you were particularly great with? Who did you want to help and how did you want to serve them? Why did you decide to go down that route?

Successful business owners focus on providing a need for their clients

It’s only by getting to really know your ideal clients, that you’ll understand how you can truly provide for them. So get good at knowing your clients! If you want a successful VA business, you have to provide services and products that cater to the needs and wants of your clients. So what are they coming to you for? What are the most commonly requested services? What do they struggle with and how does this affect them?

Quick and easy isn’t always the answer

Whilst we’re talking about products and services, it’s worth remembering that quick and easy isn’t always the answer. You may find it easy to create templates and graphics, but does your ideal client want them – or would they prefer video instructions and how tos? If you’d like some ideas on the types of service you can offer, check out this blog post.

If you’re worrying about you, you’re not focusing on your clients!

When you’re creating products and services for your clients, this is often where your own personal gremlins pop up. You may feel uncomfortable about creating video, or worry about how good a job you could do with social media graphic creation, but these feelings are a sign. A sign that you’re focusing on you – not your client. If your clients are after a solution to a problem, your business is there to provide (or find) that solution. So how can you do that? And how will you step past those gremlins, in order to make it happen?

Relationships are built on value and service

If you want to build a relationship with your clients and potential clients, you can’t do it, if you’re focusing on you. We often find ourselves worrying if others like us or if they’re comparing us to other more experienced VAs. When we network, we worry about making a good impression, appearing boring or asking the wrong questions. But if you want a new relationship to flourish, you’re better off focusing on how you can be of value or service to that person. What can you do for them? How can you find out more about them? Often, you’ll find the answers – simply by asking them questions about them and their business!  

Learn to listen effectively – even if you’re initially doing the talking

Listening is a skill that requires you to focus on the other person. You cannot hear their needs and wants, if you’re focusing on the thoughts and fears running around in your own head. Regardless of whether you’re at an in-person event, on a webinar or telephone call, or on email or social media, get into the habit of listening for those needs. You may have to initially ask questions and carry out research, but then be ready to hear the replies.

Don’t get obsessed with figures

It’s great to have financial-based goals, a desire to reach a number of social media followers and to set yourself timescales for achieving business success, but don’t get too obsessed with these figures. You want to track them, but you don’t want them to become the driving force and focus behind what you do. When we get too focused on the figures, we can easily become too needy and desperate – and this comes across in everything we then do. So set yourself goals and track them by all means, but have specific days or dates set aside to review your progress, so you’re not constantly stressing over them.

Get out of your own way, if you want VA business success

Ultimately, the success of our business is in our own hands. We can choose to be our loudest cheerleader, or our biggest saboteur. It’s true what they say – what you focus on, grows. Focus on others and you’ll hear their needs, desires and wishes; you’ll be in a great position to think of how you can provide solutions and serve them better. Turn that focus back to you, and you’ll hear your own fears, worries and insecurities. Self doubt and uncertainty will have room to expand, and you’ll struggle to get out of your own way.

There’s a time and place to focus on you

As with anything, there is a good and right time to turn that focus back to you. Spending time working on your mindset, health and well-being, as well as clarifying and reviewing your business goals and desires, all require you to spend time focusing on you. However, when it comes to the overall success of your VA business, you need to find a healthy balance.

Setting clear boundaries and learning to effectively communicate them to others, is one way you can ensure your needs are covered. Managing your time and setting regular check-ins with yourself is another. These are both ways you can cater for your own needs, whilst also freeing you up to turn the focus back to your clients. (If you need help with balancing your work and personal life, check out this recent post on how to achieve work-life integration!).

No matter how new or established you are, learning how to effectively switch your focus from yourself and onto your clients at any given time, is a skill all entrepreneurs and business owners need to master. As a service-based business though, it’s an essential one, if you want your VA business to succeed. By following the tips above, you’ve got all the knowledge you need, to master it, so you can get focused and back to building your own successful VA business!

How do you feel about today’s post? Has focus been an issue for you and, if so, what are you going to implement to change that? If you’ve enjoyed today’s post, do please click the share buttons and spread the love!