Interview with Nadine
After finding myself close the being fully booked up, I realized I needed to hire a subcontractor to be able to continue providing support to small businesses without a waitlist. I had met Nadine on Instagram several months ago, as she was trying to grow her own Virtual Assistant business. We had a few things in common and I really loved the direction she was looking to take her own business! Naturally, she was the first one I thought of when I was hiring.
Natalie: How did you end up starting your own business as a Virtual Assistant?
Nadine: I searched a long time for an independent job that allowed me to travel while working. First, I started off as a Brand and Website Designer and did that for about a year. In the end, it didn’t really work out as I wasn’t truly enjoying the work I was doing. Sometime after that, I came across the term “Virtual Assistant” and started digging deeper into it until I found a great coaching program for aspiring VAs. I enrolled in it right away, and it was the best decision I’ve taken! Having my own business as a VA has allowed me to relocate to Mexico, live in this beautiful country, travel, explore whenever I want, and work with the most amazing clients I could imagine.
Natalie: What’s your favourite and least favourite part about running your own business?
Nadine: My favourite part is definitely to be able to work from wherever I want and set my own hours. Also, being part of the wedding industry and working with amazing and talented photographers, planners, florists has been such an honor!
My least favourite part is that you don’t have a fixed salary income. Not all months you’ll be earning the same and it depends on your clients and hours so sometimes you’ll earn a little bit more and then the next month a little less. As long as you keep doing your thing it’s alright as there are a lot of options to continue to grow!
Natalie: I agree, that’s definitely one of the toughest parts, especially when we both came from salaried positions! What advice would you give to someone who is thinking about becoming a full time VA?
Nadine: You’re about to make a great decision! Being a full time VA comes with so many opportunities and spaces to grow, thinking about whether you’re ready or not is just wasting time when you could’ve already started. And once you’ve started, don’t give up if you don’t get any clients right away. You’ll have to keep showing up, don’t let yourself down too fast, building your own business takes time - but it’s worth it.
Natalie: That’s great advice! When do you find you’re the most productive? Do you have any daily practices that help keep you motivated?
Nadine: I think I’m the most productive in the mornings between 9am - 12pm, right after my morning routine and taking all the dogs for a walk, which really wakes me up! I always try to finish up most of my tasks in the morning so I can take things a bit easier in the afternoon or do something fun like go for a swim in the ocean! Sometimes I switch my work hours to the afternoon if I have things planned in the morning like a yoga class or breakfast with a friend, then I will usually work between 4pm - 7pm.
I try to do daily journaling or meditation to keep reminding myself of why I started my business and always have my goals in mind. If it’s a day that I’m really struggling to focus on work, I take one of my dogs and go for a really long walk, just to distract myself and breathe fresh air, clear my mind and when I get home I start again.
Natalie: I love that you do daily journaling! It’s something I want to try and implement in my daily routine as well. To end it off, where is your favourite place to travel?
Nadine: It’s a tie between Mexico and Iceland! I currently live in Mexico with my partner and 4 dogs, I love the food, the culture, the ocean, the music, the activities, the people and so much more, but Iceland just left me speechless! My biggest dream is to buy a van with my partner and travel from the top of Alaska down to the land of fire, all while working fully remotely. Hopefully soon ;)
