Values are what guide your behaviour and your decisions. They’re the ‘why’ behind everything you do, both in your VA business and your personal life.

But, as you get involved with your own business needs and the needs of your clients, you can lose sight of your core values. You can get side-tracked by your client’s requirements, as well as the core needs of your business – leading you to make choices based purely on fear or financial pressure, or taking a more reactive stance in specific situations, as opposed to your usual proactive one.

So how do you ensure you stay true to your core values, brand and boundaries?

#1: Know what constitutes a value.

Values can be something as simple as integrity, passion or honesty, right through to something like believing it’s always best to ask for help when needed, or always having another person’s best interests at heart. You use your values to set boundaries in your VA business and your personal life, and they help to form part of your overall business brand too.

#2: Know what YOUR values, brand and boundaries are!

You need to know what is important to you, in order to protect it. If you’re unclear on your boundaries and values, you can expect them to get trampled over. If you’re unclear on your branding, you’ll be working hard, with no real results, or you’ll be working with unsuitable clients. Therefore, the first thing you need to clarify in your VA business, is what your values, brand and boundaries are.

#3: Remember, you’re the boss

It’s your VA business, no one else’s. Sometimes, that can be a daunting reality, especially when you need to make difficult decisions – but it IS your reality. You need to step up and do what you need to do, in order to grow your business. Your VA business isn’t going to run itself and, if you don’t step up and be the boss you need to be, it isn’t going to be running for long.

#4: It’s ok to say no

One of the quickest ways we disrespect our own values, is to agree to do something that we know we don’t want to do. We find it so difficult to say no – whether it’s to clients that aren’t a good fit, or signing up for a workshop we don’t really want to attend. You need to remember, you’re a grown-up, running your own business – so you can say no, without any judgement or comeback.

#5: Honour your feelings

Luckily for us, we all have an inner guidance system that’s linked to our values. Our feelings (or our ‘gut feelings’), help us understand what’s important to us – feel good; you’re on the right track, feel bad; you’re not. If you want to stay true to your values, you have to learn to trust your feelings and your intuition. Often, this means giving yourself a tiny bit of breathing space, before you make a decision and, if you’re unable to do this, then you know your feelings will give you the answers.

By staying true to your values, you’ll be happier and more productive. They enable you to be authentic to yourself and your business brand, but also guarantee you’re working from an inspired space too – and that positivity and integrity will radiate out to your clients too.

Interested in working with Amanda to jumpstart your VA business? Visit our Partner Page for more details!

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amanda@vact.co.uk

Amanda Johnson is a Virtual Assistant Coach, Trainer and Mentor – She describes herself as all 3 of this things because there is a time and a place for each specific skill set and she is passionate about inspiring, challenging and supporting people who want to not only be a great VA but also have an “awesome” VA business. Having launched her own successful VA business after retirement from the Royal Navy – she has gone on to coach, train and mentor Virtual Assistants through her company VACT Limited.She describes her success as being down to hard work and her core values which underpin everything she does in business and in life; commitment, open and clear communication, honesty, loyalty and integrity.But most important to you and your future business success as a VA, she’s going to be one of your biggest cheerleaders, if you decide to train with VACT. She’ll inspire, support, challenge and motivate you, whenever you need it and is personally invested in your business success. She will enable you to become the awesome VA you know you can be AND have that successful VA business of your dreams.Voted in the UK as the “Best VA Training Provider 2016” in the pa_assist Members Voice awards.

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• Staying True to Your Core Values, Brand and Boundaries - September 19, 2019