Last year we passed a major milestone – Kellie Simpson Virtual Business Support turned five in October. The business has grown phenomenally in that time, from me working on my own as a virtual assistant to becoming a VAT-registered, LTD company with a team of nearly 20 associates. I’ve learned a lot, and it’s not always been easy – but here are five big lessons I wanted to share with other business owners.
1. Embrace your business niche
We all have an area of expertise or passion – a topic that we know a lot about and have developed skills and experience in. For me, that’s legal. I’ve been working in the legal sector for 24 years now. So, it may surprise you to learn that when I started the business, I wasn’t specialising in legal. I was worried that there wouldn’t be a large enough market for it, so I started with a wider business support angle.
Today, legal is the cornerstone of our business. We’ve expanded to support other professional areas. But I’ve had the confidence to recognise and embrace what I do best, and the business is stronger for it.
2. Keep networking…even if you don’t think you need to
A lot of new business owners network heavily in the first year or two. I did just that, joining groups online, connecting on social media and attending business events, conferences, and meet-ups. It’s a strategy that works and can help you win new business. The problem is that it’s these activities that tend to get neglected once business owners get busier.
I’m here to say never stop networking. This time may feel like a luxury you can’t afford, but it will pay off. From networking, I’ve found new clients, new associates, mentors, friends, and a fantastic community of business owners who support each other when times are hard.
3. Know when to say ‘no’
Saying no doesn’t come easily to entrepreneurs or business owners. We want to succeed, please our clients, and keep winning business. Saying ‘yes’ often feels like the way to do that. We take on too much, push ourselves and keep delivering, even if expectations become unrealistic. It’s happened to me and it’s a tough lesson to learn, but sometimes you have to say no.
A while back, we started working with a firm that wanted work turned around on unrealistic timelines and to provide services beyond what we offer. I met with the client and made the decision that we would no longer work for them. I now communicate our services much more clearly during enquiry calls and establish boundaries and expectations from the start. I’ve also learned that it’s ok to say no to work that isn’t a good fit.
4. Outsourcing is an essential part of running a successful business
It takes a lot of skills to run a business. I think a lot of business owners make the mistake of trying to do everything themselves. However, this can only last so long. You don’t have the time to do everything well yourself, and apart from a few geniuses out there, very few people are skilled in every aspect of their business.
Outsourcing has enabled me to grow the business from a team of one (me!) to a team of nearly 20. Together, we can achieve so much more than I could ever do on my own, even if I worked 24 hours a day. I work with a wider network now too, my team is mainly VAs, but I also work with a PA, a copywriter, marketing and branding experts, business coaches and more. They each bring specialist skills to my business, and I’ve noticed the positive impact they’ve had.
5. Don’t neglect life for work
My final lesson may seem like a strange one. It’s certainly one that not many business owners share, but I think it’s one of the most important. There is more to life than work and if your business is stopping you from enjoying life then you need to make changes.
As a virtual support business, we’ve helped people to grow their companies and become more profitable. But we’ve also helped to reduce the pressure and workload on business owners so that they can spend more time with their family and friends. I think that’s one of the things I’m proudest of with our work and one of the best motivators for me.
So, it’s 2024, what’s next for Kellie Simpson Virtual Business Support?
One thing is for sure, there are more lessons to be learned! No two days running a business are ever the same, and I’m sure that if I repeated this blog post in another five years, I’d have a whole new set of things I’ve learned.
For now, the vision for the future is to build on our client base whilst always providing first-class support. I work with a fantastic group of associates. I trust them all to do a great job and they’re all experts in their area of work. So, this year I want to focus on finding new opportunities for our existing team, rather than focusing on recruitment and expanding the team.
Over the past eighteen months, the business has moved into new areas of work, supporting medical, finance and property sectors, in addition to our core legal market. So, I see continued growth in those sectors for us during 2024 and beyond.
Finally, I want to make sure I’m living by my fifth lesson and that the business and my own life complement one another. I want to focus more of my time on marketing, business development and customer relationship management, rather than core client work. I have a great team around me who do a great job supporting our clients. I think where I can add the most value going forward is in building new relationships and nurturing those with our existing clients.
Linked to this, I’d like to be in a position where I can take a little more time away from the business to work on new challenges and life goals, including travelling more. The business has to continue to grow in resilience and strength and part of that means it can’t be over-reliant on any one individual. Of course, I’m still going to be heavily involved, but I see the business continuing to grow by the work of our fantastic team together, rather than everything resting on me.
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