Over the last few weeks we’ve focused a lot on the topic of the bursting point  — we didn’t really plan it this way to be honest, but the response from so many of you has proven that it was something we needed to help you with little more.

We originally started with describing the bursting point and then continued on to how to turn the experience into a positive.  We even hosted a Future of Virtual Assistance call specifically on this topic just last week.  What we haven’t  covered so far is how to navigate through the bursting point — how to get through it without actually suffering a breakdown and closing down the business, but instead coming away actually appreciating the experience.

So how do you do it?  How do you make the time to deal with the things — your clients, too much work,  etc. — while figuring out how you’re going to get through this situation at the same time?  How do you ensure that you come out in a better situation at the end?

There are seven steps that I recommend when it comes to navigating through the bursting point. They’re simple, yet effective.  And they can mean the difference between  breaking down, continuing to work in misery, or a fantastic learning lesson that you look back  and appreciate because you’re in a much better place now.

Here’s a brief summary of the seven steps you need to work through.

1. Identify why you started this business in the first place. (i.e. more flexibility in   your work, allow yourself to work from home while raising the kids, simply wanted to ‘be your own boss’)

2. Identify your situation.
   How many clients are you working with?  How many hours are you working each day?  each week?  each  month?  Is there really enough hours in a day to meet the commitments?

3. Identify your revenue.
   How much are you bringing in each month?  When you break this down based on the number of hours you are  working - how much are you REALLY working?

4. Identify your wants and needs. What do you want more of?  What do you want less of?  If you could design  the perfect business — with the kind of people you want and the kind of work you love to do - what would it look  like?

5. Identify what needs to change. Will you ‘remove’ some clients to make room for people you really want to work with?  Will you increase your rates?  Is it time to specialize?

6. Identify your action plan. Now that you’ve gone through the steps above, what action steps will you take to  make the changes you want and need to make?

7. Identify how you will continue to grow. Once you get rid of the ‘clutter’ and have made it to the other  side of the bursting point - what will you do?  How will you continue to grow?

Each of these steps above is absolutely critical to get through to the ‘other side’.  Don’t rush through or attempt to skip  a step … it really won’t benefit you in the long term.

To help you with navigating through the bursting point, I created a short assessment to help you  confirm where you are currently. Are you far from hitting the bursting point, are you nearing it or are you already in it?  Take a few minutes to take this assessment and you check out the special offer you can also take advantage of.

Take me to the ‘Navigating the Bursting Point’ Assessment

We know so many of you are dealing with the bursting point OR you’re getting close to reaching it.

To help you we decided to set up a way to help YOU:

1. prepare for this challenging situation

2. get through the stress, frustration and more, and

3. understand the opps and growth you will experience on ‘the other side’ of the bursting point.

You might ask yourself WHY we’re so focused on this topic and offering various kinds of  support.  It’s an easy question to answer really — we’re tired of hearing VAs struggle with this situation, we’ve been there and we want nothing more than to share our  experiences and stories, to help you feel that you are not alone and that, if dealt  with properly, can lead to an extraordinary business for yourself.

So here’s what we’re going to do:

Over the course of four sessions (within two weeks), we’re going to take you through the exact steps that you MUST take to navigate through the bursting point and get to the other side reaping the rewards of the business you want, filled with the people, work and revenue that you want.

We’ve priced this program so low that it really would be quite ridiculous to not consider joining us.  For less than 2-3 hours of billable time, you can join us and learn specific steps and strategies that you really won’t find anywhere else. These exact steps will get you from point A to Z.  If you ever encounter what may feel like the bursting again later on  in your business, you just simply follow the steps all over again and voila — you’re ready to continuing growing some more.

The “Navigating the Bursting Point” program starts Tuesday, June 22nd at 1pm Pacific / 4pm Eastern.

Over these 4 sessions, we will support YOU to:

• clarify exactly what you want to achieve for your business

• take inventory of your current business

• develop a plan to support client changes, restructuring and more

• implement very specific strategies to allow for future business growth

• mentor you to create the business you want, with the clients you deserve

Will you join us?

>>> I want to learn more about the ‘Bursting Point’ program

It seems that all our talk lately about ‘bursting point’ has struck a chord in the VA community!  I’ve received many  personal emails and direct messages from Virtual Assistants everywhere who can either relate to my story or are  currently in the midst of their own bursting point.   Others who haven’t reached the bursting point yet are trying
to figure out how to avoid it.

To be honest, I’m not so sure is avoidable.

I see the bursting point as a somewhat necessary experience that allows us to:

• think back to why we started this business to begin with,

• force us to make changes to re-align our business with our goals

• make positive changes so we get back on track

• experience growth and positive results

While it can be a very difficult time, the bursting point really is a positive thing - once we get past it.  The key here is to get past it and use the experience to contribute to our growth.

Each time I hit the bursting point (yes, I’ve hit it more than once!), I made changes  that positively impacted my business, as well as my confidence as business owner.

Without these experiences, I would not be where I am today.

And while it was a very difficult time, once I got beyond the emotional side of things, thought back to why I started my business to begin with, everything became clearer  and I knew exactly what to do.

When you hit the bursting point, you have two choices.  You can allow it to:

• help you grow your business, by making much needed changes OR

• destroy your business and everything you have worked so hard to achieve.

Which will you choose?

We’re going to talk some more about the bursting point later this month in the ‘Future of Virtual Assistance’ call and in future issues of the V-Scoop.

Let us know about your specific challenges … we want to hear from you and in turn help you and many others who  share the same emotions, frustrations and more.

Please share your thoughts below on how we can help you beat the `bursting point`

Introducing the First-Ever:

Virtually Successful 90 Day Bootcamp

Do you wish it was easier to find great clients?

Or maybe you’re overwhelmed with the idea of marketing yourself and your business?

And do you sometime wonder if you can really do this … build the long-term, successful business that everyone seems to have but you?

I’m here to tell you, you CAN.

And with the right kind of support, you WILL.

I’m tired of hearing about virtual support professionals who are struggling.  And it makes me sad to think of all the people who have thought of, or who have actually closed down their business because they felt they couldn’t ‘cut-it’ in our virtual world anymore.

What drives me even more crazy is the growing number of business owners out there that are  literally dying to find the perfect VA … yet can’t.

So I’m taking a stance …(many would say “Cindy, it’s about time!”) and starting my very own Virtually Successful 90-Day Bootcamp.

Over the course of 90 days, I’m going to mentor you to creating the business that you want.  The business you originally set out to build.  The one that you think everyone else has but you.

We’ll uncover topics that you’ve heard about, but didn’t listen to because you didn’t think they would really make a difference.

We’ll take action on strategies that you didn’t take action on because you know how …  or maybe you were just lazy.

We’ll prepare you to build the business you originally set out to create … but didn’t because you didn’t know the right direction.

Over the course of 90 days, we will connect via:

• 9 Training Calls

• 3 Q&A Calls

• 3 30 minute personal 1-to-1
  calls (with me)

• all kinds of resources

you WILL listen, put into action and build the business you wished you had.

You no longer need to be envious of those out there that you admire … you can join in their success and feel confident about your position in this growing industry.

We start Monday, May 3rd.

Will you join me?

Learn more at www.VirtuallySuccessful.com/bootcamp

It was a couple of years ago that Tina and Andrea emailed me saying “Cindy, we need something from you that business owners can use to help identify how they can build their business with the help of a Virtual Assistant.  And by the way … we need it tomorrow because we’re leaving for the live conference in the evening.”

Anyone that knows me even just a little bit knows that I work best (unfortunately) under a little bit of pressure.

Off I went … within 3 hours, I had a list of just over 100 ways business owners could boost business with a Virtual Assistant.

The report was a huge success … both business owners and Virtual Assistants requested to use it in their own work.

Well guess what … it’s been updated and now includes 200+ ways that Virtual Assistants can help business owners.  Remember, business owners, really can’t make it all happen and achieve success without all of us and our expertise!

Curious what’s in there?  Take a second to fill out the form below and download it immediately.

Now there’s a cautionary note I’d like to add.  While these are all ways Virtual Assistants CAN help clients, in no way is it to set the expectation that as a Virtual Assistant you need to know how to do ALL these things.  Don’t let yourself get overwhelmed with feeling you need to do it all.

While I love to share this with you … there are two things I’d like to have you share with me in the comments section of this blog post:

1. Your feedback on the updated report “200+ Ways to Boost Business With a Virtual Assistant” and
2. Your thoughts on additional tasks that can be added to this document. 

Can we get it to 500+ ways or even 1000+ ways?  I’d love and could use your help.  I’ll take care of updating the document, if you provide me with your insight.

Just post your comments/additions at the bottom of this blog post … can’t wait to hear from you!

>>> Download the newly revised “200+ Ways to Boost Business With a Virtual Assistant” by completing the form below:

It’s a tough decision to make … but once you actually do it, it makes a HUGE difference in the growth of your business.  Before you even think of saying “I can work with all kinds of business owners, why would I want to limit myself by selecting a specific market?”, hear me out.

When I started my own VA business in 2003, I didn’t have a target market.  When I heard anything related to the importance of selecting a target market, I turned away and thought “I Do NOT need a target market …. anyone and everyone can benefit from my services.”

It’s true.  Virtually ANY kind of business can benefit by working with a Virtual Assistant.  But what I was missing was this - by not selecting a target market, I was marketing to every business owner.  How do you possibly do that and get someone’s attention? 

Here’s another example I’m hoping you can relate to. 

Scenario #1

A Virtual Assistant who has not selected a target market, attends a Chamber of Commerce networking event.  The VA offers great services and is ready to work with any business owner who is willing to consider her.  She tells people she’s a Virtual Assistant and shares a little about the services she offers. 

In some cases, people have never heard of the term Virtual Assistant and while they may be interested in learning more, they are not captivated by the VA and her services and move along to connect with others at the event. 

Scenario #2

A VA who has identified her target market attends a networking event that she knows her target market will also be attending.  She knows exactly what kind of challenges her target market is faced with and so when she connects with new contacts, she shares what she does — using specific words that relate to the target market and the kind of help they need.  The new contacts are captivated by the VA, want to learn more, are eager to continue the discussion and a new relationship, which may turn into a paying client, is born.

These scenarios are very general, however my goal is to emphasize the difference in response when you have selected and understand a target market. 

Take a look at the article below “Virtual Assistant Tips to Identifying Your Target Market” and take some time to answer the 5 questions included. 

What will you do differently moving forward?  Share with us by commenting below.

Identifying your target market is essential in the success of a Virtual Assistant business. It doesn’t matter if you have a fabulous website, brochure and business card, if you have not identified your target market, all your marketing efforts can be a waste of your time, money and energy.

Selecting a specific target market can be somewhat of a daunting task for those in the Virtual Assistant industry. Quite often one may think that absolutely anyone in business can benefit from the services of a Virtual Assistant – right? Not necessarily.

Many Virtual Assistants (VAs) feel that if they select a specific target market, they are limiting the potential number of clients that come to them for assistance. The reality is that by not targeting and promoting your VA services within a specific market, you are actually limiting yourself and preventing your Virtual Assistant business from growing.

These 5 questions will help you determine your target market for your virtual assistant business.

1. What kind of work do you enjoy? What tasks/projects excite you? If you could create your own job description, what would it include? If you enjoy what you do, then you are more likely to express enthusiasm and demonstrate your best work. This is an important factor – if you don’t enjoy a specific type of work, then stay away from the professionals who may need that kind of support.
2. Who do you enjoy working with? This may an obvious question but it is one few Virtual Assistants consider. Do you prefer to work with men or women? What age group? Do you work best with people that are older or younger than you?
3. What does your ideal client look like? Is your ideal client a well-known professional with a large business, and making seven figures? Do you prefer small or start-up businesses? If you have family, do you want to work with someone who may also have a family and understands the flexibility required in your Virtual Assistant business?
4. What professions interest you and which do not? This is important. Just like question #1 above, it’s important to enjoy and be enthusiastic about the work you do. If you dread a specific profession, then there’s no use in attempting to work with that profession. For example, I personally have no interest in the financial industry so working with a financial planner or accounting business would not be in my best interest or in the best interest of a potential client.
5. What skills/knowledge/expertise do you offer? If you offer great skills, knowledge and expertise in a certain area, consider which professions are in dire need of this kind of support. For example, if you offer expertise and enjoy working with online technology, to support the automation, product delivery and marketing of a business, which type of industry would benefit and be willing to pay for this support? If an industry does not need your expertise or are not willing to pay for it, you may be better off finding another industry that does.

The five questions above may seem obvious, however Virtual Assistants are not taking the time to consider these questions, and many others, to help in selecting a target market.

If you want to build a Virtual Assistant business with great clients, you must select a target market. With a target market selected, you can market and speak directly to those who you want to attract to your business. And then your virtual assistant business will grow like you always imagined it would.

Just in case you haven’t realized it yet
… we at VirtuallySuccessful.com want you to have a fantastic 2010.

We invited virtual
professionals to join us for a f’ree teleclass on Tuesday, December 15th at noon Pacific / 3pm Eastern as we discussed how to “Get Ready for 2010″.

If you want to:

• find more (or better) clients

• make more money

• create more time to spend on other ‘non-work’ activities

• build your skills and expertise

then you will want to listen to this call.

We’ve seen this over and over and we’ve even done it ourselves (well, Cindy anyhow!), - maybe you can relate …

You get excited about the new year … you write down several goals you want to accomplish … and you’re on track for about the first 6 to 8 weeks and then .. POOOF! 

Before you know it, everything is back to where it was  - you’re busier than ever but not fulfilling what you set out to do for the year.  It’s disappointing.

So let’s make a change for this year. 

Listen to the call below — we’ll help you get going on the right foot … and stay there!

You hear us talk about it all the time … ‘taking inventory’ of your clients so you can better understand their goals and priorities. 

Well this time we want you to take your own inventory.

Every December and January, many of us make a note of goals we want to accomplish for ourselves and our business. Yet, we don’t always consider our current commitments and surroundings and what might need to change in order for us to accomplish these new goals and priorities.

Then before you know it … we continue working away, we get busy, maybe even a little overwhelmed and nothing changes.

It’s time to break the cycle and we’d like to help.

The ‘Taking Inventory’ document has been developed to assist you with:

• identifying your current business commitments  -  the number of clients you have, the number of hours you are committed to etc.
• confirming the amount of revenue you are generating each month versus the number of hours you are working
• uncovering what you really want to accomplish
• recognizing what needs to change in order for you to make the amount of money you want, work with the clients (and number of clients) you want, have the time ‘off’ that you want and still accomplish the goals that are important to you

One of the goals here at VirtuallySuccessful.com is to empower virtual professionals to step up and create the business THEY want … not just support
their clients in building the business they want.

Take a few minutes now to download the Taking Inventory document below and schedule some time in your schedule to take your own inventory.

>>> Download the “Taking Inventory” document

A Word from our Sponsor

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The costs associated with preparing, editing and distributing the Virtually Successful Scoop ezine are covered 100% by our sponsors.  If you’re curious about becoming a sponsor and reaching 2000+ virtual professionals send an email to sponsor@virtuallysuccessful.com.

Get a Boost In Your Business … 

Take Action, Grow and Accomplish Your Goals

Are you ready to make a difference in your business this year and:

• find great new clients who will convert to long term clients

• change your client base so you’re maximizing time with GREAT and appreciative professionals

• get out of the rut of working night and day by taking action and putting in your own
  guidelines

• create more time for you and your life outside of your VA business

Cindy Greenway’s been in business since 2003 — and in that time she’s been through it ‘all’.  We’re talking about:

• great clients, and not-so-great clients,

• long long hours and wondering why she started the business
  to implementing simple guidelines for herself and her clients

• removing unappreciative and un-committed clients to working
  with clients who continuously send thank you and appreciation notes and
  comments (and gifts too!)

• working long hours and barely sleeping to spending more
  time with her kids, working on projects she really enjoyed and working only
  with those she really wanted to work with  

Those are just a few samples.  So realistically, Cindy’s
been through the blood, sweat and tears of building a VA business from the
ground up and building a great reputation online.

A few weeks ago Cindy opened her schedule to coach Virtual
Assistants.  She has extended her 60-minute ‘Business Boosting Session’
rate of $97 for the month of August.  If you’re even considering but have
more questions, contact Cindy for more information.   

Cindy’s no-nonsense approach will help you be accountable to
your goals.  Build the VA business that YOU want, with Cindy’s help.

Ready?

>> Yes, I’d love Cindy’s help!