What Does It Take to Start a Virtual Assistant Business? | Camille Walker & Rachel Gilbert

RACHEL GILBERT [0:00]

The course really does take you from absolute square one. Your, why, what your skills are that you could potentially offer, how to set things up from the beginning, How to create your LLC, how to set up, you know, you're different accounting or anything like that. You can go from square one, how to build your business and why you're building your business.

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CAMILLE WALKER [0:30]

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 and still chase after those dreams will listen each week as we dive into the stories of women who know this is Call me Ceo.

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CAMILLE [0:49]

This episode is brought to you by station park in Utah. If you are looking for a place to connect and support other small businesses locally owned, please search no further than Farmington station, only 20 minutes north of Salt Lake City. I love spending time at Station Park with my family and will often find afternoon simply enjoying the community events, going to the local shopping or enjoying the restaurants that they have to offer.

CAMILLE [1:22]

If you are looking for ways to make money as a stay at home mom, consider being a Virtual Assistant. I'm going to be bringing on one of my guests Rachel Gilbert, who was a student of my 60 days to be a course which helps you learn from scratch how to build a business in 60 days. So stay tuned and figure out how you too can create a business that you love with the flexibility to be home with your kids and do the things you want to do. Let's go.

CAMILLE [1:45]

Welcome back everyone to a special episode of Call Me Ceo this is Camille Walker and today we are talking about 60 days to V. A. And also what is a virtual assistant and perhaps would you like to be one. Today we have Rachel Gilbert here who was a student of mine and has since recorded and recorded, she's made her own business, she hasn't recorded anything, she's here today to report on how things have gone since she started her business. The dedicated desk Rachel, thank you so much for being here today.

RACHEL [2:17]

Thanks for having me, Camille, I really appreciate it.

CAMILLE [2:19]

So Rachel and I did not know each other before she took my course. It was something that we fate brought us together. She found me, I'm not exactly sure how that will be a good part of our conversation but Rachel tell us about your experience with being a virtual assistant and what made you interested in the first place.

RACHEL [2:38]

Yeah, so I had had a background in corporate America working for a bank in marketing and I took time off to be a mom. I have two girls, one just turned nine on friday and it was coming time where both kids were going to be in school full time which was huge for me that was a massive life change from being home with both of them to having them gone most of the day and I knew myself well enough to know that I needed something for myself to fill that time. It was time to get back to me, you know, back to what I used to do and just really have fun with that.

So in prep I was thinking about getting a job, you know, obviously that's something that you can either do for fun or you can continue on with what you learned in school. But I had a unique challenge in finding a job. So my family is fortunate enough to split time between Arizona and new york. So even if I got a part-time job, it's kind of hard to find something for a few months at a time and then leave and it just was a really hard fit. So the first thing that popped into my mind was why don't I start my own business? Uh something I was kind of familiar with because my dad was an entrepreneur and I just thought it would be a really good fit for me, but I didn't know quite what to start with.

So in following Camille on instagram just because I loved her content and every, your content, I'm talking to you, I saw that you started posting about being a virtual assistant and it was something I had never thought of, but the more that you talked about it, I started realizing, hey, I have those skills, I've done this in my corporate job. I've even done it as a mom really being at home managing the household schedule and all of the different things that us moms do frankly. And so I just, it sounded like a great fit. So I talked to my husband about it and my interest and I decided to take the plunge and I'm glad I did.

CAMILLE [4:32]

That's amazing. And I'm so curious because I know that there's a lot of fear that goes into starting your own business, knowing where to start what helps you overcome that fear and take that step of starting a virtual assistant business.

RACHEL [4:47]

Really, it just made sense for me, the more I heard about it, I just knew that this is what my calling was. I'm not the type of person that likes to be, you know, center stage, you know, in front of everyone and I, I'm kind of a nerd. I like making the processes and procedures behind the scenes. I love project management, that's what gets me excited professionally. It's again to each their own right. So it just sounded like the perfect fit and it was nerve-wracking. I have never been my own boss. I've never managed other people or you know, dictated my own schedules and things like that.

But through the course, which I'm sure we'll talk more about. It was really step by step. So that helped calm a lot of my fears as we went because you really did step one through the final product. And so that helped calm my fears. One of the other things I was actually nervous about, it's just telling people that I was doing this, you know, like you're vulnerable, you're telling I'm starting this new thing, I don't know how it's gonna go, I'm and it's just you your your own business, it's your the forefront.

So that was nerve-wracking. But honestly, I got such a warm reception from my family, my friends, my former colleagues saying that's amazing, good for you for taking that plunge, that it made me ready, you know, just hearing that feedback, so I got that confidence from them and then of course, once you start getting even the smallest winds with the business, your confidence starts to build over time .

CAMILLE [6:31]

Wow, that's awesome. I love that you talked about the hardest part being the fact that you're going out there and saying you're doing something new because I think that is so relatable with any new business where you're coming out and saying I'm trying this new thing, I don't know exactly what's going to happen, but I'm going in with a hard working attitude and you know, faith, faith that this is going to work, but what I really love too is that if you are in a place of your life where you think I'm ready for a transition and I have time to make a change where I can set my own schedule, but you also can create a residual income where you're setting up systems for other people which is so needed.

I can't tell you how often I get requests from people running businesses that need that kind of help. And honestly I am that person that's why I created the course because I've had I've trained so many VA’s in my time. And so that was something that I know my brain does not work best with systems and charts and everything else. And so people like you really compliment people like me which is why we need each other.

RACHEL [7:41]

Absolutely. Honestly like you're the creative that's not my expertise either. So it's hard for me to I couldn't come up with a business where I sold like a good right like because I don't have that kind of creativity. So it is it's a great working relationship to have when you find someone that needs your services but that you can piggyback off of what they do and help them as well.

CAMILLE [8:04]

Yeah. I think what's really cool about that too is that I've done multiple episodes here on Call Me CEO where we've talked about the angiogram where we've talked about mind mapping or we've talked about working in your zone of genius or finding a job that really resonates with what your purpose and values in your why and everything all together. And so what I really love about the virtual assistant business world is that you can use your talents to really hone in on what your zone of genius is, there are so many different possibilities. So tell me about your zone of genius and what you found has really resonated with you.

RACHEL [8:40]

When you talk about angiogram, I'm an angiogram six. So I the more structure and safeguards and think that the way things are buttoned up, it makes me feel safe and secure, right? So that's why I gravitate towards those things like project management or you know, setting up procedures or SOP’s things like that because it makes me know that my business or the person I'm helping their business is kind of safeguarded from inefficiencies even or legal trouble or things like that, the more streamlined I can make things for people or clear the better.

I feel it really reduces my anxiety with my own business, but I know that I'm setting that business owner up for success, they don't have to worry that something's gonna fall through the cracks because we've set up a procedure for that or I'm watching their email when they might not, you know, the more that you can, the more that I set up these policies, procedures, streamlined ways of business, the more I know that I'm setting them up to really excel and grow their business.

CAMILLE [9:50]

I love that. So tell our audience what you can expect if someone's listening right now and they're thinking maybe I want to do the 60 days to V.A what's a good overview of what to expect.

RACHEL [10:02]

Oh yeah, overview is hard because there is so much packed in the course and I'm not just saying that there really is. So you can no matter whether you kind of have an idea of what your you want your V. A business to be or whether it's just a thought in your head, the course really does take you from absolute square one. Your why what you what your skills are that you could potentially offer how to set things up from the beginning, How to create your LLC, how to set up. You know, you're different accounting or anything like that. You can go from square one, how to build your business and why you're building your business all the way to end product, your website, how to offer yourself through marketing and brand yourself.

So it's really you're learning how to set up that business, what your forte, your you know, bread and butter is going to be that you offer, how to market that and how to gain clients, how to let clients down that maybe aren't a great fit. And also the two extra things that I think are really helpful with this course specifically are you learn a lot of different systems that you might need or encounter during your V. A work like calendly, instagram, you know all those different systems online that you can use to make people's businesses more efficient or your own business more efficient. You learn the basics on how to use a good chunk of those.

I forget it's like more than five, it's quite a few, but you also get the one on ones with you and different experts in industry and I think that is incredibly helpful because you can talk through what you're learning in the course, see real life examples of how to use it when to use it. And again, just really clarify for your own learning how to go about doing anything for your business. So whether you're again just starting to think or kind of down the road a little bit, there is something for you and it will be covered. So I think it's just a really robust course in that way that no matter what you're looking for, it will definitely help you out.

CAMILLE [12:54]

Oh, that makes me feel so good. I can't tell you, it's like the time that I launched it the last time was last year. So this is, it's so great to see that you've had success with that and that it set you up for success. And we were just, we were just talking right before this and Rachel was asking if I'm adding anything to this next group and yes, I'm actually going to be touching in more into marketing with reels and Tiktok, which is something we did not cover the first time around, but I feel like it's an essential change to marketing online now because things are changing. So this does evolve as things changed because I've been in this business for a decade and marketing online is ever changing.

You have to be pliable and willing to change with with the flow of time. So I want to ask Rachel as we're wrapping this up, what is something that has helped you to find success in your virtual assistant business when you were all said and done, you've done this course, you're ready to go, what helped you to make those steps to actually build a viable business?

RACHEL [14:03]

Yeah, that's a great question. So I think that communication is key, the more you talk about what you're doing and not in a sales anyway, just in this is what I'm doing with my life, this is why I'm doing it. You know, the more people listen and take note, I've gotten referrals just from friends of mine that didn't have a business themselves, but oh my brother has a business that would really, you know, need someone like you or clients that I have done well for have referred me to others in their, in their industry.

And I just, so I think the more you talk about yourself the better, but also just keep it simple, don't overwhelm yourself with. I need all of the things at once and it's overwhelming. I need to try to be on every social social media platform, have a website, be out at mixers or different networking events and talk about my hair and my card to everyone. I know go you can go at your own pace. I've gotten all seven of my clients through instagram and word of mouth alone. I don't even have my own website quite yeah, it is cool. Right?

CAMILLE [15:08]

I’m so proud of you!

RACHEL [15:10]

It's just an estimate though to what you were saying earlier about how many people need this, right? Because I, at first when I graduate, I'm like, I'm going to do all the things, but I started with instagram because that's what I was most comfortable with and you know, I got all those clients within six months of just like you said doing reels, not every day or anything just at my own pace, posting about my business, educating about my business and talking with my family and friends, so you never know where the client's gonna come from. Just keep it simple. You do you and the clients will come because people will see what you're adding and how much value can add to their business and help them grow?

CAMILLE [15:51]

That's so awesome. So I'm curious, I mean seven clients, that's a pretty healthy load. Do you want to grow your business more like what are your goals for the future?

RACHEL [16:01]

I don't, you know, I've been thinking about that as well, my family is moving in July so there were a little bit in flux. But yeah, because some of my clients are full time clients where I work with. It is and some are just here and there. They poppin, you know, maybe once a month have me do a shorter project and again, dictated by me, I can decide what I want to work on and what I don't, which has been huge.

But yeah, eventually, maybe I see, you know, working with someone else as well, bringing someone on my team to maybe do some of the more streamline activities and I can do some more high level type projects or these little add on projects. But yeah, I'm still developing that myself, as you said, I only took the course a year ago and it's been great. So I'm still figuring out exactly where I want to take it.

But for right now I'm just working on, you know, keeping those clients consistent and bringing in that consistent revenue, getting them to come back time after time and just seeing where it goes because I enjoy, like you said, the beauty of this business is it's you decide what you're doing, you know, you're in control. So I'm able to still volunteer with my kids school. I'm able to take vacations. I am able to do the things that I want to do while also making money for my family. So yeah, it's been a really great and flexible way to provide and also just again, really add value for myself and have something that's all mine. So yeah, I will see, I'll let you know where I go in the future.

CAMILLE [17:35]

Well, I just want to say kudos to you because it's been six months since you graduated and the fact that you have seven clients and you have the amount of work that you want and you need, and you're flexible to go and do what you want and be at home with your babies. Like that is exactly what I want for everyone that takes my course and I can't thank you enough for coming on and telling us about it because I am ready to cry. Like that's like that's my dream, that's like why I created it. So thank you so much for sharing.

RACHEL [18:07]

Absolutely, and thank you for putting out the course. Again, without that framework, I don't think I would have had the confidence that I would have had to launch that, you know, I've been out of the game for a long time and it just really helped me to feel confident in introducing my business to the world and taking on those clients. So thank you.

CAMILLE [18:25]

You're welcome and for everyone who's listening, Rachel Gilbert is the dedicated desk on Instagram. Thank you again so much for being here today.

RACHEL [18:35]

Absolutely! Thanks for having me.

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This episode is brought to you by station park in Utah, if you are looking for a place to connect and support other small businesses locally owned, please search no further than Farmington station, only 20 minutes north of Salt Lake City. I love spending time at Station Park with my family and we'll often find afternoon simply enjoying the community events, going to the local shopping or enjoying the restaurants that they have to offer.

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CAMILLE [19:21]

I hope that you learned a ton from this episode. Don't forget if you are interested to learn how to become a V. A. That you go to my website right now camillewalker.co/VA