From Mending to Creating: The Shift Every Business Owner Needs

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From Mending to Creating: The Shift Every Business Owner Needs

In business, there’s an old saying: “The Cobbler’s kids have no shoes.” It’s a phrase often used to describe how business owners take care of their clients but neglect their own needs or those of their families. While the saying is familiar, rarely is there a solution offered beyond the assumption that working less will solve the problem. Simply working less is not a strategy or a solution.

To begin to craft a solution and implement a strategy the problem must first be defined. Let’s start by asking a question.??

Why does the cobbler work so hard, striving to make a living for his family, yet fails to provide the very thing he’s skilled at?

The answer is simple—he is merely mending, not creating. If the cobbler shifted to creating he would at least have sample shoes for his kids to try on. His act of shifting to creation would produce exactly what his family needs.??

The expertise and energy you bring to your client’s businesses creates what is needed in your business as well.? When you find yourself simply mending and not creating it depletes your energy and pulls you down. You’ll still be busy with work, but not the kind of work that gives you energy. Subsequently, your work will begin to lose meaning and impact. Your work becomes less about creating and more about mending which isn't why you started a business.

If you are in a constant state of repair you need to shift your thoughts and think about what value you really offer.

Consider the cobbler again—by definition, a cobbler doesn’t create new shoes; he only repairs what’s broken. That’s not fulfilling or energizing work for most business owners, and it’s certainly not what you want to spend your time on.

Now, contrast that with a shoemaker, someone who creates and innovates. Notice there’s no saying, “The shoemaker’s kids have no shoes.” That’s because when you focus on creation you’re building something custom and lasting.

Being a business owner we need challenges too. The benefit of owning your own business is you get to pick your challenges - the ones that give you energy and fuel your creativity.?

If you find yourself running a business that feels more like mending—constantly working from behind, patching gaps, and ensuring nothing slips through the cracks, it’s time to shift your focus and hire the right virtual assistant.

With the right VA, you can shift your mindset and step away from the mending and shift your mindset into high gear where your energy and creativity fuel you and both your business and your family benefit.

The strategy to create more is to hire the right VA who can serve as your cobbler. A virtual assistant who will thrive on making sure your business details are being taken care of while you work on creating.?

A mindset shift is the solution to your problem. The strategy for your solution is to create more.?

Step 1: Decide what you want to create.?

Creativity is the goal and if you are going to be giving up the work in your business you must know what you get in return. In this scenario, you are trading up!

You might be so far removed from the creation process that it may seem unfamiliar to you. It could be to create more relationships, more keynotes, more strategies, and more articles. The opportunities are endless. There is only one rule to follow - it must give you energy. Even if the creative work is challenging.?

Work that's meaningful to you is often challenging. It also gives you a sense of purpose helping you feel more positive and focused, and even increasing your perseverance.?

Your business thrives when you’re creating: creating new solutions for clients, designing new strategies, and engaging in more meaningful conversations. If you’re ready to move away from constant repair work and into a space where you’re innovating and building, it’s time to hire the right virtual assistant.

Step 2: Decide what drains your energy the most.?

You want to release the heaviest energy-draining activity first. Get rid of this first and devote that time to your creativity time. This is your time and energy budget.?

A time and energy budget is the same as a financial budget. You only have so much money to work with and to live your best life you'll want to apply it appropriately. The same is true for your time and energy. You only have 24 hours in a day, 7 days a week, and your energy levels for every day of every week, and every hour of every day will vary. Empower yourself, like your money, and tell your time and energy where to go.?

For instance, I don’t work out at the same time every day. As someone who does not love to go to the gym but is committed to working out five days a week, I schedule my workouts based on my meeting schedule for the day. I know if I have several meetings in a single day I won’t have the energy at the end of the day to work out. On those days, I use my energy first thing in the morning to work out. If I try to “save” my energy and work out after several afternoon meetings I know it will be a struggle. Even if I manage to work out, it’s doubtful I’ll have 100% to give.

Empower yourself accordingly.?

• Meet with clients with the right energy.?
• Write with the right energy.?
• Do strategic work with the right energy.?

You have a rhythm and routine for getting dressed every morning that doesn't require energy. Why would you not create a rhythm and routine for your best work every day?

Step 3: Envision who will benefit the most.?

Business owners want to provide value to our clients. Doing heads-up visionary work allows us not to lose sight of our clients or forget who we’re doing this work for.?

Having a clear vision puts purpose into your creativity and a passionate sense of urgency to fuel your empowerment. You will naturally be able to envision those whom you’ll work with and who will benefit the most from your work.?

Mending is often heads-down work. It causes us to lose sight of what we love, the people we love to serve, and those who need our work the most.?

Step 4: Hire the right Virtual Assistant.

If you do the first three steps and don’t follow up on the fourth, hiring the right VA,? you haven’t taken any real steps to shift from where you are to where you want to be. You’ll be back to mending in no time.?

This isn’t fluff talk. These are real steps you’ll need to take - creating more, letting go of what drains your energy, following through on your vision, and hiring the right VA.?

Make no mistake, you will need to make a mindset shift. You’ll also need to keep that new mindset and it’s nearly impossible to do if you are attempting to do everything yourself. Successful business owners make the shift, not just for themselves but for their clients and their families.?

If you’re ready to hire the right VA I'm here to assist. Book a consultation to get started.?

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Being the Right VA - How to Assist Your Clients in the Mindset Shift

Step 1: Create excitement for your client.?

Your goal is to remind your clients they have a lot to be excited about. There is a lot of advice about speaking to your client's pain points. It’s fair advice but not when you are speaking to clients looking to make a mindset shift. Speaking about their pain is rarely useful because they have gotten too comfortable being uncomfortable. It's simply not painful to them any longer.

Tell your client how their excitement is your excitement. Share their energy.

Step 2: Tell the client what drains their energy gives you energy.?

Your client needs to know that what they are releasing actually gives you energy. You can only demonstrate this through genuine excitement. Don’t be afraid of geeking out on emails, inboxes, project management, software solutions, and AI.?

Demonstrate how your working rhythm is to naturally incorporate their needs because it is what you’re doing already.

Step 3: Share a vision of what it would be like to work together.

Sharing your vision also shows you have a strong vision of working with your client. The client might not understand how it would be working together. If they can’t envision it, they can’t be excited about it. They can’t hire you if they can’t imagine a better business future with you.?

The biggest mistake VAs make here is to share their vision before the client shares theirs. You must be sure you have a clear understanding of the client's vision first or this approach won't work.

Step 4: Share why you are the right VA to hire.?

Articulate how you understand the unique challenge they are facing and how those challenges are keeping them from their vision. Help them understand how you are the ying to their yang - a natural fit for them.?

Shifting their mindset from having to patch the gaps to being able to create, live their vision, focus on the future, and have the right VA in place is key.

Let the client know you specialize in working with business leaders like them. You are the right VA who understands their unique needs and challenges. Share that their goals are your goals.

By partnering with you, they can focus on the work that excites them, knowing the operational details are expertly handled. Let them know you are the right virtual assistant they’ve been looking for.

Now, it goes without saying, this must be all true. Not every client is your ideal. Not every client is yours to assist. This only works if you’re truly authentic.

Interested in becoming a licensed PVA? Join the waitlist and let's see if you're a good fit. https://www.stack.expert/melissa

Melissa Smith is the Founder of The PVA , a firm that matches clients with the right virtual assistants. She is also the best-selling author of two books, Hire the Right Virtual Assistant and Become a Successful Virtual Assistant .

Melissa has been featured by ABC, NBC, CBS, Entrepreneur, Forbes, Inc., U.S. Chamber of Commerce, U.S. News & World Report. Most recently Melissa was named Top Virtual Assistant Consultant of the Year, a Top 10 Most Inspiring Woman in Business, one of the top 100 Dynamic Leaders, and a trailblazing female entrepreneur to watch.