135: 60 Days to VA: What is it? And starting a business scared with Mandi-Love Keen

MANDI LOVE-KEEN [0:00]

And with the VA stuff, I absolutely love the branding and the marketing. To me, it’s another way to have that creative outlet. And so, that was really exciting to think about doing that for other people.

[MUSIC]

CAMILLE WALKER [0:21]

So, you want to make an impact. You’re thinking about starting a business sharing your voice? How do women do it that handle motherhood, family, and still chase after those dreams? We’ll listen each week as we dive into the stories of women who know. This is Call Me CEO.

[MUSIC]

Welcome back everyone to another episode of Call Me CEO. This is your host, Camille Walker. And today, I am really excited because this is an episode that you have heard something similar to before where I am interviewing a student, now graduate, of my 60 Days to VA program. I get a lot of questions about what it’s like, how it works, and how to get over the fear of even knowing if it’s right for you. And I’m so grateful because Mandi Love-Keen is a recent graduate who has agreed to be here today and go over some of those questions with us. So, thank you so much, Mandi, for being here today.

MANDI [1:17]

Thanks, Camille.

CAMILLE [1:18]

And I know that this isn’t your favorite thing to do. She really is doing me a solid by being on this recording. But you know what? It is so common and so relatable for us to feel scared or to second guess ourselves or to wonder if we have what it takes to do something new.

And so, I really appreciate you being here and being vulnerable with that because that is so relatable, especially when you’ve been out of the workforce for a while or maybe you’re thinking about switching it up and doing something new.

And 60 Days to VA is doing something new. It’s creating a business as a virtual assistant from home in a way that you probably wouldn’t have imagined doing. And so, tell us about your experience with that. Step back. First, introduce yourself. Tell us where you’re calling from, a little bit about your family, and then we’ll go from there.

MANDI [2:12]

Sounds good. So, I live in a really tiny town in Eastern Washington. And when I say tiny, I mean like maybe 400 people. I have two boys who are 6 and 9 and they are homeschooled part-time and they go to school part-time. And then, I’ve been married to my husband for almost 13 years now, coming up next month. And he’s always just been so supportive of whatever idea I get. So, I'm really thankful for that and having him in my life.

I found out about the VA business by following you, Camille, on Instagram. And it’s funny because I don’t honestly even remember exactly when I started following you or how I found you. But clearly, there was something that stood out to me.

And there was a post that you did one day in November. I know it was November. And it said something about are you a busy mom or are you wanting to do something new? And that you were opening up your virtual assistant course again because your students had all graduated and you had time to be able to dedicate to the next group of VAs.

And I sat with that for, I don’t know, probably at least a week, just really pondering what I would want to do. And I ended up scheduling a discovery call. I’ll be honest. I was thinking it was going to be a big group. So, when you showed up, it was just you and me, I panicked for a minute. But I came with my notebook and my pen, which is my comfort place for me. And I had my questions that I wanted to ask.

And it was just a really good conversation here I was able to talk to you about what that looked like and I felt like you were able to get some information from me that let you know who I was and you were able to reassure me that the past experiences I’ve had or maybe the skills I had would really translate well into becoming a virtual assistant.

And that was something that was really encouraging to me, just knowing that you’ve been doing this for a while and that you saw something there. And I think that help gave me a little bit of a push, but I still didn't decide for probably at least a month whether or not to jump in fully. And I know there was a lot of back and forth. I asked you so many questions.

CAMILLE [5:09]

Totally fine.

MANDI [5:10]

And then, I finally just decided to do it. And I think it is so hard to invest in ourselves sometimes. We’re so busy investing in our kids, in our spouse, in your home. Maybe we’re doing another job outside of the home or just all these different things that are going on and to really think about is this something that I can do for myself?

You see people all the time who have these awesome jobs that they absolutely love where they get to set their own schedules and really be their own boss. But a lot of times, I feel like you don’t think that’s something that you could have too. And so, yeah, that was definitely a big drawing point for me just thinking about the potential that’s there.

CAMILLE [6:08]

Yeah. And I like that you bring that up, that it doesn’t have to be the decision process of taking on something new like a 60 Days to VA course or any other ambition that you have, decisions are very rarely permanent. And I mean that in saying that we all go through, especially as women, seasons and stages of life where we’re put into situations to try something new or to put ourselves out there.

And what I love about this opportunity specifically is that it’s tailormade to play off strengths that you already have that you may have forgotten about and also to amplify those and to create your own schedule and your own ability to show up as a business owner. So, that means it could be 5 hours a week. It could be 40 or anywhere in between, but you really get to decide.

So, I'm curious about that. As you were going through the course, did you have things that stood out to you of like, I really loved this part or I forgot I loved doing this or that or what was it about the VA work that reminded you of those talents that you had?

MANDI [7:16]

Yeah. So, for me, I’m somebody who I've always loved systems, even in my daily life. I go from room to room and I’m thinking in my head like, okay, when I go to this room, I’m going to do A, B, and C so that I can get these three things accomplished instead of one thing and trying to be the most efficient that I can.

And so, that’s something that I've always just done and I love organization and scheduling and planning. So, that was a big thing for me too, thinking about being able to help other women with those things that maybe either it’s not something that comes naturally to them or they would rather be able to invest their time more towards their business and not the behind the scenes stuff. And so, that was something that was really exciting to me.

But then on top of that, going through it, I would not say I’m a creative person necessarily, but I think we all have different creative outlets and we don't always think of those as art. I love decorating my home. I do not think of that as artistic, but people will say, that’s your creative outlet. And with the VA stuff, I absolutely love the branding and the marketing. To me, it’s another way to have that creative outlet. And so, that was really exciting to think about doing that for other people.

CAMILLE [8:48]

Yeah. I think that’s true. A lot of us cut ourselves short of skills that we’ve built as mothers where we're coordinating schedules. We’re putting together grocery lists and to-do items and taking care of homework and there are just so many without even realizing it.

I think that many women are employing those gifts and talents that they have that would lean towards having an amazing virtual assistant business. And that’s why I created the course the way I did was to really help people to understand that, that it’s like you can come with nothing, realizing that you already have so many somethings and what you’re bringing to the table and especially with past work experience.

So what’s really fun about this now is that when I created the course over two years now, initially I said I want to create a course that moms could do from home, which is the leading force of all of it. My main goal is to allow mothers the chance to be able to stay at home with their kids, have flexible schedules, be able to turn it up or turn it down if they want to.

And along the way, one of the things that has come through is that I've had busy entrepreneurs who are now seeking me out and saying, “I need your graduates.” There are so many people who are looking for virtual assistants and remote workers where the pandemic really taught us that we can work as teams without being in the same building, which I think is so fantastic.

MANDI [10:24]

Definitely. And going back to that thing about our skills as a mom, I think we so often undervalue ourselves and sell ourselves short. But then when you really think about it, you realize all the hats that you wear and the way that you do manage your family and your household, making sure everybody’s on points A, B, C on days 1, 2, 3 and it’s a lot of juggling and we do that naturally really in our day-to-day. And so, getting to take that and build a business from that is really awesome.

And something else that honestly was just so invaluable to me when I was first learning about the VA course and what it all comprised of was knowing that you are already in that sphere, you already have different people, CEOs and people who know and trust you. And so, getting access to potential clients was so invaluable to me because that then put me on people’s radars where I might not have been otherwise.

CAMILLE [11:37]

Yes, which led to that second point of that initially was not part of the plan. I thought, wouldn’t it be nice someday to get these people together like maybe in a Facebook group? But what’s really cool and if you’re listening to this and thinking, could this work for me? Yes, it absolutely could because what I’m doing now is I’m actually interviewing entrepreneurs who are looking for virtual assistants and prequalifying what they need and then taking it to my graduates with opportunities for them to apply for these positions.

And it’s a really unique offering. In fact, I have been told by many people recently, I need to raise my price because it’s really such a sweet deal. But I’ll tell you, it has been one of the most fulfilling things I’ve ever done in my business is what I'm doing now and really helping women to transform their lives to bring income into their homes and to truly create a life that they love.

MANDI [12:38]

Yeah. And I think that’s something else that's really cool is I can see your heart in all of this and it’s not that you’re just trying to fill a spot and get people into these jobs. You’re wanting to match up somebody who will work really well with somebody else. And so, it becomes a really good working relationship for both parties involved.

And I think that’s also really cool because you’re taking what you know of your VAs and maybe their past experience, their skillset, or even what their passions and interests are and you’re matching them up with somebody who they can then work together in that space. And I think that’s super awesome.

CAMILLE [13:20]

Yeah. Thank you. I really appreciate that. So, if you haven’t heard yet, this is going to be a part one of two series. So, we’re going to be talking about how to interview well. And can I just tell you? That’s one of the number one reasons why Mandi’s on today because every interview I set her up with, she killed. Tell our audience how quickly you were able to fill up your schedule and what that experience was like.

MANDI [13:50]

It was so fast. I remember when I was getting ready to make the jump into this VA business, that was a big concern for me is I’m going to do this. How long is it going to take me to find work? And I would say, I don't even know, Camille, it was so fast. My head is spinning a little. It was so fast.

And I remember you posting about a particular job opportunity and I was so excited. And I was like, I’m still so new, but this sounds really interesting. And you’re like, “I think you would be a really great match based on the client and what you bring. And so, let’s set up this interview.” And I did that first interview and within a few days, I had landed my first client.

And I think it was probably only a couple weeks later, you had another opportunity that you thought would be a really great fit and I decided to go for it. I just jumped head first into this whole thing and I did that interview. And the next day, I was asked if I would be her virtual assistant. And so, it was so incredibly fast. It was a whirlwind, to be quite honest.

CAMILLE [15:03]

That’s amazing. I can tell you. If you're listening to this right now and thinking, is this even possible? Would this work for me? It absolutely can. And it will. If you have the ambition and the willingness to learn and to jump on and put yourself out there, really the sky’s the limit. So, Mandi, thank you so much for being on this first episode.

I hope you’ll all skip over to episode 2, which if you’re listening to this right now, you might have to wait a week or you can skip over that second one where we talk about how to land the job and bringing the power of wow, the wow factor that really helps set you apart.

So, thank you so much for tuning in. If this has been helpful for you, please share this episode and make a discovery call with me. You can reach out to me @camillewalker.co and I will see you next week!

Hey, CEOs. Thank you so much for spending your time with me. If you found this episode inspiring or helpful, please let me know in a comment and a 5-star review. You could have the chance of being a featured review on an upcoming episode. Continue the conversation on Instagram @callmeceopodcast. And remember, you are the boss!

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