When coaching and helping women start their virtual assistant businesses, I take them through my signature program called the A.L.I.G.N.E.D. process.
The first step of the process helps you understand what your BIG WHY is. I call this step, “A” – “Assess Your Life.” Through a series of exercises, you get to identify your core values and your goals. You get to understand what you want for yourself and your family (if you have one) and your finances.
It is necessary to understand why you are starting your business and your core values because these are the things that guide you as you design a virtual assistant business that aligns with your values and goals.
You don’t want to create a business, and then somewhere down the road, it becomes a frustration or a hindrance to you living out your core values.
For instance, if you start your business like I did to be more present and available for my family, you want to make sure that as you create your work schedule and take on clients, that these align with your desire to be more available with your family.
Knowing the reason why you want to own your business will make decision making a lot easier. You will identify the clients to accept and which ones to turn down. You will know when you’ve reached your maximum capacity to take on clients and when it’s time to add an assistant, and so on. Ultimately, you want to create a business that serves you and supports your goals.
So take some time this week to think about why you want to start your virtual assistant business or why you started your virtual assistant business. If your virtual assistant business is up and running, does it align with your values? Does it support your goals?
Figure out what’s important to you — Money, freedom, flexibility, ability to be creative, being your own boss, working from any location in the world, are a few of the reasons why starting a virtual assistant business is appealing.
I started my business because freedom is one of my core values. The reason behind my desire for freedom was I wanted to be present and available for my kids, especially when they were little. I wanted to be actively involved as they were growing up.
How about you? Why is starting your business important to you? What’s your big why?