Good morning!

Last week, I celebrated the tenth anniversary of my VA Handbookers Facebook group.

A whole decade!

As I was replying to all the lovely congratulatory comments, I realised how many of the VAs have been in the group since the early days, and how I've watched their careers and lives change over the years.

I've seen them grow teams, open agencies, have children, move countries, and even change the direction of their business to become OBMs or social media managers.

I've also had the pleasure of meeting many of them at events or when travelling.

Seeing how far these VAs had come got me thinking about my own journey:

• I started doing VA work in November 2007 and left my f/t job in June 2009. Setting up my own business was the making of me.
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• I started training VAs in 2014 and opened the VA Handbookers group two years later. The group now has close to 25K global members.
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• I've worked remotely in multiple countries on nearly every continent.
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• I've published countless newsletters, blogs, and social media posts.
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• I've written loads of VA courses, downloads, checklists and guides.
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• I've helped well over a thousand people set up a VA business through my DIY VA course.
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• I've seen the rise and fall of many social media platforms. (Ah, the heady early days of Twitter, how much fun it was back then).
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• I've been the headline speaker and a panellist at multiple VA events.
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• I've grown a popular monthly AI newsletter.​
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• I've used and mastered a trillion platforms, tools and apps. This is huge for me because learning new things is essential to my happiness.

Sick of your cr*ppy job?

If you feel stagnant and want to see what you're capable of, everything you need to start your own VA business is on my website.

But if you're too impatient, then just buy the DIY VA course and start setting up today. You can even pay in instalments.

Running a business isn't easy, and it's certainly not for everyone, but I can honestly say that aside from adopting my little dog, it's the best thing I've ever done.

☕ Espresso Shot - how far have you come?

I bet you also have a multitude of skills and achievements. But as it's almost impossible to view yourself objectively, here's a handy prompt to help you along.

THE PROMPT

“Act as a career coach. Help me audit how far I’ve come in my VA career by asking me a series of questions, one at a time, about: skills I’ve learned, tech/platforms I’ve mastered, services I’ve offered, business milestones, client wins, confidence growth, countries or locations I’ve worked from, training or certifications, pivots in my niche, and anything else I may have forgotten.

At the end, turn my answers into a clear ‘Look How Far I’ve Come’ achievement list I can save and revisit when I doubt myself.”

You've achieved loads, and you should feel proud of yourself.

Want more prompts like this?

Then sign up for my monthly Espresso AI newsletter and receive bite-sized info you can apply directly to your VA business.
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🪄 Other useful VA resources

• ​Everything you need to be a sh*t hot VA.​​
• ​Guides, checklists, & other useful VA stuff.​​
• ​All the legal docs you need.​​
• ​Your phenomenal Facebook group.​​

Btw, as usual, the Facebook groups will close for Easter at 8pm tomorrow (Thursday) and reopen on Tuesday morning, so my VA and moderators can enjoy the long Bank Holiday weekend.

Enjoy the rest of your week, and have a wonderful Easter!

PS: Just signed up and missed an issue? Read previous Coffee Break newsletters here.​