Episode 269: Side Hustle Strategies: 5 Tips to Help You Work Your Virtual Assistant Business While Still Working Your 9-5

Full Episode Transcription:

So many of my students in the Virtual Assistant Mama Academy start their virtual assistant businesses as a side hustle while they’re still at their nine to five, at least until they’ve mostly replaced their income. I know so many of y’all are interested in doing the same thing. So in this episode, I’m sharing five tips for starting your side hustle while you’re still working your nine to five. So You might be wondering how many hours you actually need to start working your virtual assistant business. I really think you can absolutely create a very successful business starting out with just 5 hours a week. If you are very intentional with what you actually spend that 5 hours on. 10 hours a week would be phenomenal, but you can absolutely start it with just 5 hours a week. Now. You might think, I don’t know if I even have five hours. Well, it doesn’t have to be like one full hour sitting, staring at your computer. This can be broken up into bite sized pieces, half hour here, 15 minutes here. But just making time for the specific tasks in your business that will actually lead to you landing clients. And just getting that five hours in every single week. You will be amazed at how far you can go. So let me just break down the five tips that I have for you to help you grow your virtual assistant business as a side hustle.

Tip number one, you need to be time blocking. It’s time to bust out that paper planner and get super clear on what time frames you have available to actually work on your virtual assistant business. Time blocking is a really powerful technique that improves your focus and helps you manage your time effectively. So by setting aside specific blocks of time for different types of tasks, such as client work, marketing, personal development, you’re going to make those tasks actually happen because you’ve got the time dedicated to them. So during these dedicated time blocks, you need to make sure you’re eliminating distractions and commit to working solely on that task you’ve set the time for. So time blocking is going to help you maintain that focus. It’s going to help you avoid getting overwhelmed by multitasking, which everybody thinks that multitasking is great, but It actually holds you back. So I talked so much more in depth about time blocking back in episode 233. So you can absolutely go and check that out if you want to go more in depth on how you can effectively time block. But it is probably the number one tip I recommend for you if you’re trying to work your virtual assistant business as a side hustle in just a few hours a week. Tip number two is to prioritize the top three money making tasks in your virtual assistant business each day. I like to talk about the cake method, which is, if you just imagine a cake with three different layers, those are your three big tasks for the day that will actually lead to you making income.

If one of your tasks is just to create three social media posts, that could potentially lead to new clients, but you’re more likely to get clients if you go and apply to three job posts. So that’s why I say focus on the money making tasks, tasks that will actually lead to income quickly. Then once you focus on just the three big money making tasks in your business each day, everything else is just sprinkles. So if you get those three tasks done and then you get a little bit more done, that’s just sprinkles. That’s just extra. Makes you feel good, you know, but you want to make sure you’re focusing your energy on getting those three money making tasks done first And then focus on the little sprinkle tasks Okay, tip number three is to ask for help. You need to be asking your spouse They’re not going to help you if they don’t know what you need help with so you have to ask You can also get something like a Mother’s Helper, where you pay a teenager to come into your house and be with your kiddos, I don’t know, maybe two hours a week, where you’re still at the house, but you’re able to go and focus on what you need to while they are with your kiddos. So you can usually pay them less than you would a babysitter because you’re still in the house and you’re still there if needed. You could also hire a babysitter if you don’t have the funds for either of those. You could even swap child watching with a neighbor or another mom in the community where like maybe you watch their kids for 5 hours one day and they watch your kids for 5 hours another day.

That’s a really great way to get some help if you don’t have the funds to actually pay somebody. I have definitely done that before. Alright, tip number four is to eliminate distractions. It can be really easy to, you know, figure out what time we have to work on our businesses during the week. But then, when that time comes, we spend that time scrolling on our phones, or just talking to somebody, getting distracted. I want you to make sure you are eliminating distractions so that you can focus on those tasks you’ve set to get your business to the point you want it to be. Put your phone on airplane mode. Tell your husband not to come in the room. Tell your friends you will talk to them in a couple hours. Just get rid of any distractions that are going to take you away from what you’re trying to focus on. Right. Tip number five is to keep the phrase done, not perfect, front of mind. I don’t want you to focus on getting every single thing perfect because nothing’s ever perfect. And so you’re going to waste. So much time when you could just get it done as best as you can and then put it out in the world and maybe adjust it later, but maybe not.

Okay. So whether it’s your portfolio or your services, your, your packages, whatever it is for your business, whether it’s social media posts, your website. Anything just get it out there. Don’t worry about it having a couple minor issues And needing to go over it with a fine toothed comb just get it done get it out there adjust it later if needed Okay, so I hope these tips were helpful for you If you are considering working your virtual assistant business as a side hustle, I highly recommend doing it that way I don’t recommend just quitting your job right from the get go and then Trying to build this because it does take some time, so it is a good idea to do it as a side hustle until it gets to the point where you feel comfortable leaving your 9 to 5. So let me just recap for you those 5 tips to help you work your virtual assistant business while still working your 9 to 5. Tip number 1 is to use time blocking. Tip number two is to prioritize the top three money making tasks in your business each day. Tip number three is to ask for help. Tip number four is to eliminate distractions. And tip number five is done, not perfect. All right, y’all. Tomorrow is the last day that you can grab the amazing bonuses in the Virtual Assistant Mama Academy, as well as everything that’s already included in that program. This is, seriously, everything you need to make your virtual assistant business go from side hustle to your full time thing so you can be home with those ladies.
It’s got all the templates, the tools, the trainings, the resources, the accountability, the support, everything you need. Is in this program. It’s going to help you, especially if you only have, you know, five hours a week to work on your virtual assistant business, you will get in that program and see exactly what steps you need to take to be successful. You won’t be twirling your thumbs, wondering what you’re supposed to do without a game plan. This is your game plan. So come join us in the Virtual Assistant Mama Academy at virtualassistantmama.com. Cannot wait to see you there and support you in this journey. If you have any questions, as always, you can DM me on Instagram, send me an email, whatever you need to do. I’m an open book and I will help you figure out if this is the right fit for you. I really encourage you to Make 2024 the year that you actually chase and pursue your dreams and make them come true. So I can’t wait to see you in the Virtual Assistant Mama Academy. And I also cannot wait to see you back here in the next episode.