Starting your virtual assistant business should not only be about the money. Money is definitely an incentive to get started but if it’s all about the money, then when the going gets tough, which it will, you will not be able to stick through the challenges and setbacks long enough to overcome them.
Building a successful business is a journey, just like building anything worth creating. It takes time. It also requires courage, commitment, determination, passion, and grit. But one key element that most people overlook is purpose. You have to have a higher purpose beyond making money. Making money is not the be-all and end-all of entrepreneurship. Many people reach their money goals and get bored and quit their businesses because they lack a higher purpose. Your “big why” is what helps create an exciting vision that you are passionate about fulfilling.
In the first module of my signature program called the A.L.I.G.N.E.D. process, I take you through a series of exercises, where you get to identify your core values and your goals. You also get to understand what you want for yourself and your family (if you have one) and your finances. You get to clarify the reason why you want to start your VA business.
Some of the benefits of knowing the purpose of starting your business are:
- You will be excited about the work that you do every single day because of your ultimate goal (which is never the task at hand).
- Your purpose will help you persevere through hardships and challenges.
- Your purpose/mission will guide you in designing a VA business that aligns with and supports your values and goals.
- Your purpose will help you see the intangible value and benefits and difference/impact that you make in your life, your clients’ or any team members that you work with.
- It makes decision making a lot easier. You will quickly identify clients you want to work with and those who are not a good fit.
So, why do you want to start your virtual assistant business, or why did you start your virtual assistant business? If your virtual assistant business is up and running, does it align with your values? Does it support your goals? What’s your big why?