The holidays are coming to an end in a couple of days. Now is a good time to take stock and prepare your VA business for the new year. While some virtual assistants are focusing on the festivities, others are tinkering about what the new year will bring to their business.
While none of this is bad, in my books, it is better to make concrete plans before partying. That way you’ll have a guilt-free celebration.
I’m a big fan of reviewing your year. Look at everything that worked well for you and note why it worked out.
Look at everything that did not work out for you and discover why it did not work. This also helps you celebrate your wins you might not have noticed. Especially those small steps you took that cascaded into a huge win.
In all this, remember that reviewing your year is only beneficial if you take steps to become better.
Planning is only half the journey. Implementing your plans is what makes the difference.
Once that is done, you’ll be ready to prepare your VA business for the new year.
As a virtual assistant myself, I understand the struggle. We spend all year working in client’s businesses and just want to take time off.
But let’s face it, your clients don’t need a VA this time of the year so it makes sense to use this time to prepare your business for the new year before they are ready to start work in the new year.
8 Steps To Prepare Your VA Business For The New Year
1.) Get a head start on your content creation
This is a perfect time to create content for your business. As VAs we get very busy working with clients and often forget to market our own business. That is a recipe for going from feast to famine. It is a mistake a lot of virtual assistants make. Now you have a down time, it is best to create in advance and use automation to your advantage.
- Create social media content for different social media platforms (at least one month worth) and schedule them using a scheduler like zoho social.
- Write some blog posts and schedule them on your website.
- Write emails to your email list and schedule them to go out on specific dates
You can plan out your strategy for the entire year if you like. But if you don’t have it in you, a 90 day strategy is good enough. You can then check out special events and awareness dates to help you know the kind of content to create depending on your target audience.
2.) Access Your Tools And Systems
You need to take time to review the tools and systems you have in your business. Even if they work well they might be leaving a hole in your wallet. Are they better alternatives?
What will it take to use something else? Sometimes it might not even be tools you use in your own business. It might be tools you use to complete client work.
3.) Create a plan for reaching out to past and current clients
What’s your plan to get back in business once the festivities are out of the way?
This is the time to schedule personalized emails to your past and current clients pitching your ideas. You already know their business so it should be easy for you.
Sometimes they may not know that they need help with something.
Let them know your availability and show eagerness to help. It’s always a win-win.
4.) Plan on how to build your network
In November of 2023, a brand on LinkedIn mentioned one of my blog posts. That single post brought in more than 2,000 email subscribers in one month. Networking and collaborating can’t be overemphasized. Create a list of potential clients you’d like to work with as well as other virtual assistants/creators who also serve your target audience you’d like to collaborate with in the new year.
5.) Gather Social Proof
This is a good time to ask for strong testimonials from clients you have worked with. You can use those testimonials to market your business in the new year. You’ll find this testimonial request kit very helpful
6.) Create events on your calendar based on special events and awareness dates
You might want to take advantage of special dates like valentines, black Friday, fitness awareness month etc. While specific dates like breast cancer awareness month will not make sense for a lot of VAs, it will make sense for a VA for an NGO that promotes cancer awareness, Make sense?
By identifying these dates early on and putting them on your calendar, you can plan around them and ensure that nothing falls through the cracks.
7.) Sort out your finances
Take time to look through your business finances. What brings in the most money? Where is your money going?
What is your income goal for the year? Will your rates stay the same or change? Find out if your business expenses make sense for the income you bring in monthly.
8.) Update your website and social media
If you have the “how to work with me in 2023” post pinned on your Instagram profile, it’s time to update it.
Updating your website is also important. use the time to update your website and social profiles to make sure your business is prepared for the new year. Run a quick website audit to check your site’s health and make sure it’s working fine. Update things like: copyright info on your footer, site speed, links, content, images etc.
Final Words
It is important that you prepare your VA business for the new year. Do it now rather than later. You don’t have to figure out everything at once. Start with the first 90 days. Next year, don’t focus on only working on your client’s business. Create time to work on yours. Schedule and automate what you can to make sure your business is running while you are working with your clients.