Five simple tricks to boost your confidence as a virtual assistant
If you’d like to build your own perfect business but confidence is holding you back, you’re certainly not alone. In fact, a Government Treasury report found that only 39% of women felt confident in their ability to start a business.
So, if you’re aiming high and need to raise your confidence to match, here are five helpful tips to kick-start your self-belief!
1 – Reframe failure
My first advice to anyone is not to be frightened of failure – it’s a simple fact that you’re not always going to get everything right. There isn’t a single successful business owner that has managed that! Honestly, if I hadn’t made all the mistakes I did when I was setting up as a virtual assistant, I wouldn’t be mentoring people today as I wouldn’t have the knowledge I need.
If you start to understand that in life you’ve got to fail in order to succeed, then failure becomes expected. When you reframe it so that failure means growth, it’s not a horrible surprise, and most importantly it won’t halt your progress. You’ll pick yourself up, dust yourself off and go again. So, although it’s hard in the moment, the best tip is to try to see it as a positive – if you’re not afraid to fail, you really can achieve amazing things.
2 – See confidence as a skill
It’s amazing how many people think you’re either born with confidence or you’re not. Understanding that confidence is something you can learn is a real game changer for the people I mentor. Rather than seeing it as a personality trait, I always recommend you try seeing it just like a skill. In other words, if you don’t have confidence yet, you CAN become confident – it’s something you can develop but you just need to work on it.
And I know it’s not always easy – life can knock the stuffing out of us all at times and when our confidence is low, it can sometimes become a downward spiral. But it’s really important to know that this isn’t permanent – you can work on building yourself back up again, setting up your VA business and creating the life you deserve.
3 – Grow a thicker skin
When you are building a virtual assistant business, it’s pretty much a given that you need to start putting yourself out there online. This can involve social media posts, blog posts, creating your website, and even videos. In doing so, you’ll soon discover that there will always be a minority of people in this world who build themselves up by criticising others and trying to knock them down. Believe me, I have been at the blunt end of some pretty brutal comments.
So, it’s important to remember that setting up a VA business is not a likeability contest. If you can learn to flick a switch in your head to stop worrying about what these people think, you’re onto a winner. After all, you know who really cares about you and whose opinions matter. Outside of that circle, flick the switch and get yourself out there. Why should you be concerned about what a random, rude stranger thinks about you, when they are just inflicting their own insecurities on you rather than doing something great for themself?
4 – Be kind to yourself
I meet so many lovely people in my work, the type who support their friends and family, encourage their goals, and wouldn’t dream of telling anyone they’re an idiot for being ambitious or selfish for wanting more. Yet their own inner voice can often be so overwhelmingly negative, that they don’t treat themselves half as well and end up stuck in unfulfilling jobs, too scared to believe there’s another way.
Now let’s be honest, we can all have that pesky inner voice giving us negative talk, but the secret is to ignore it – if you treat yourself like you would treat a friend, I guarantee that life in your head will be a much more positive experience! One of my favourite quotes is by A.A Milne who says, ‘You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.’ Imagine having that as your mantra instead – there’d be no stopping you!
5 – Be careful who you listen to
If you’re doubting yourself already, it’s easy to start listening to people who don’t know anything about the VA business or who don’t have your best interests at heart. My advice is always to ignore anyone who tells you your hourly rate is too expensive or that they would never use a virtual assistant in the UK when you can get one cheaper overseas. It’s not true or helpful – in fact, it’s just blatantly rude!
It amazes me how some people feel it’s perfectly acceptable to make those kinds of comments. I’ve had people telling me virtual assistants are expensive, it’s quicker to do it themselves, or they prefer to outsource overseas ‘for a fraction of the price’, but they’re absolutely not the type of people you want as your clients. Remember that for everyone who can’t see the value of using a VA, there are huge numbers of savvy business owners who appreciate the value and flexibility of not having to employ somebody, and never question the price. It’s all about finding the right people.
With practice, all these tips can really help raise your confidence levels, so you don’t let life pass you by. I’m passionate about helping people create a flexible and enjoyable work life – we only get one go at this life so don’t let poor confidence restrict you! If you’d like any more support on your VA journey, I’d love to hear from you at sarah@myvabusiness.co.uk.
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