03 March 2021
We are well into 2021 and there is no doubt that we have taken what we’ve learnt last year to help us propel into this year. The Virtual Assistant industry, some might say, is the only industry to have withstood lockdown and all the challenges that came with it. How? Because the VA industry is a remote one. We do not rely on brick and mortar buildings to run successfully, and we do not need external support i.e. additional personnel.
Link A VA was launched in October 2020, during the relaxed South African Lockdown and although it was during a pandemic, the launch could not have come at a better time. With many companies going remote, this was the prime time to introduce our wide variety of services to companies who needed additional support at attractive rates. Of course, as any new business starting amidst a pandemic, we faced challenges. From client acquisition to awareness, we experienced all the growing pains one might expect from a start-up. However, we overcame these challenges. We identified a need in the market and took the leap of faith. Faith — perhaps the biggest lesson of 2020: keep the faith and the rest will follow.
As with the rest of the world, the Link A VA family learnt many lessons during 2020. These lessons will not only help us become better Virtual Assistants but better human beings.
1. Be agile
If last year has taught us anything, it’s that things can really change overnight, and we need to be ready to adapt. While agility has always been a key driver and benchmark of successful businesses, now more than ever it’s become quite clear that a company’s ability to assess a situation and then move quickly and with relative ease towards a solution is of the utmost importance. Adopt a mindset that is flexible and prepared for anything. Link A VA prides itself on being nimble while retaining our core values — this ensures that we can weather any storm that comes our way.
2. Always invest in yourself
One of the biggest lessons learnt during 2020 was to invest in yourself as often as possible. This could come in various forms but for us at Link A VA, it meant upskilling ourselves and networking so we could become the best Virtual Assistants to our clients. We were constantly preparing ourselves for the next big opportunity so that when it struck, we could take full advantage of it.
3. Exceptional customer experience opens closed doors
Everyone is familiar with that saying — ‘’If a client has a good experience, they will tell 5 people about it. But if they have a negative experience, they will tell 10 people about it’’. During 2020, we learnt that we need to always offer our best possible service to our clients, despite the economic climate. At Link A VA, we are always wanting to provide an above and beyond experience to all our clients in order to set ourselves apart from our competitors and to retain our clients. We know that by providing excellent service, we will be referred by our clients, which in turn, boosts our business. It’s a win-win in our eyes — clients are happy, and we get advertised via word of mouth.
How are we approaching 2021?
2021 is all about growth. We are wanting to grow our client base and grow as VA’s. Because we are still a young start up, we are wanting to get Link A VA’s name out there so we plan on doing a lot of networking and client acquisition. One of our goals are to upskill ourselves so that we can offer exclusive and curated services to our clients. We want to become the best in the business. Yes, we are a small company, but we have big dreams — dreams that we know we can achieve in time.
The lessons that we learnt in 2020 is that it’s essential to adopt lightweight, easy-to-adapt principles, and not base the business on the premise that things will stay the same forever. Use this experience to change and improve how you run your business.
Despite all the challenges and unexpected hurdles, the pandemic may just be a catalyst for positive change.
You do life, while we do virtually everything else!
Contact Link A VA if you want to know more:
info@linkava.co.za
