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One of the best ways of getting freelance clients and learning how to build clientele is by asking for testimonials! If you’re not sure how to get testimonials, Lauren Golden of The Free Mama movement is going to walk you through getting testimonials from clients. This is a great business tool, one of the must-have free tools as a customer testimonial can change the game and give you social proof! Business tools for startups should include an idea of what a testimonial request looks like. Integrate business with motherhood as a virtual assistant, and get great virtual assistant tips and virtual assistant tools today!

Have you ever had a bad week, mama? What did you do about it? Read about my bad week in my latest blog post.

I had a REALLY bad week, mama.

Has that ever happened to you? Have you ever had the kind of week where everything just kind of falls apart, and you can’t seem to do anything right?

That was me.

I mean, I couldn’t get ANYTHING to work.

I needed to print labels — a task I do at least weekly with no issues — but this time, the label printer wasn’t working. I checked all my connections. I restarted. I got things running — and the printer ran out of labels. The new ones wouldn’t load correctly no matter what I tried. And when I finally got it working, I managed to mislabel 12 boxes of Free Mama t-shirts that I wanted to send out to program graduates.

My kids fought.

I forgot the laundry in the machine and had to rewash an entire load.

I snapped at my husband for no reason.

Every day when I woke up, I felt worse and worse. Everything I needed to do felt hard — even things I can normally do without any problems.

I keep hitting the wall, no matter how many times I tried to power through.

The thing is, none of this felt like work stress, so it was hard for me to figure out that what I was feeling was overwhelm. It wasn’t until my coach pointed it out to me that I could take a step back and say, “Oooooohhhhhhhhh, yeah.”

Once I realized what I was up against, I knew what to do. The last time I went through this kind of experience, I actually detailed it out — so it was pretty clear to me that I needed to take myself through that process again.

I did the brain dump — wrote down allllll the things that were clamoring for space in my mind, and then I corralled all of those things into a spreadsheet, where I could make order and sense from them.

One of the big things I realized was that there are a lot of ongoing commitments in my business — those monthly Free Mama Meetups and the Free Mama Swag drops for example — but I don’t have to handle every piece of these projects.

Figuring out which parts I could ask someone else to do was key. Getting those things out of my head, so that they weren’t constantly contributing to my overwhelm — yeah. That was huge.

And then I did a thing I don’t normally do: I took a long weekend to decompress.

Yes, I don’t normally work on Fridays or on the weekend, but I do usually check in with my team just to make sure everything is running smoothly. I pop in the Facebook group to share and comment. I have a hard time turning off completely.

Not that weekend. I let everyone know not to contact me — and I went to lunch with a friend. A simple meal, completely unrelated to work. Time to talk about kids and husbands and what we’re binging on Netflix. Mama, it was so good.

I gave myself permission to disconnect over the weekend. I didn’t check in. I trusted the systems I’ve created and the people I’ve brought in to run them.

I got a pedicure.

Find your bliss, mama. If you’re waking up feeling like something is OFF, don’t keep brushing it off. Sit down, and figure out what’s happening — and take steps to get yourself back on track.

Need help and support? How about letting 11,000 mamas love on you?

We got your back, Mama. And you got this.

P.S. Are you a fan of The Daily 5, my productivity system? Then maybe it’s time for you to grab a copy of The Daily 5 Planner!

As a virtual assistant, you may need learn how to Optimize Social Media Strategy, whether it’s for your or a client. If you need to know how to boost social media presence, watch this video to learn how to optimize social media, AKA boost social media presence. When you’re starting to learn how to build a social media profile, it’s so important to build it with optimize your social media in mind. Social Media Optimization (smo) is one of the most important business tools and the best part is that it’s included in the must-have free tools, especially if you’re looking for business tools for startups.

Integrate business with motherhood as you learn virtual assistant tools from Lauren Golden, the founder of The Free Mama, in this video that offers great virtual assistant tips.

Check out her blog post on what it takes to learn to become a VA right here!

You know that feeling when you’re watching your baby to put together all kinds of new concepts? And you just think, Wow, I have the smartest baby in the world!

I’ve been going through that with Audrey lately. I remember going through this with my other kids, too, and it’s such a delight. I absolutely love watching as my kids learn new things and explore the world around them.

That Audrey can go from not speaking, to having a handful of words, to having actual conversations? It blows my mind.

You’ve seen that, Mama, haven’t you? You’ve seen how your toddler takes those first tentative steps, or recognizes his name. You’ve seen your kids learn to read. And it’s amazing.

Hold that reality in your mind for a moment. Babies are born and they don’t know how to do… well, anything, really. And they learn. They try. It takes them time and practice and patience, but they get it in the end.

You know where I’m going with this, right Mama? You can do this, too. You can start right where you are and learn all kinds of new skills. Did you even know that freelancing was an option a year ago? Many of the mamas in our community had no idea that this world existed — and today they’re handling clients like pros.

You can, too.

I was really excited when a Mama shared her story in the community recently. She’s an older Mama, with older kids, and after being at home with them for 23 years, she’s just starting to explore this world.

It would be easy for her to decide that she didn’t have what it takes and just give up.

It would be easy for her to say, “Well, I’ve never had a job before, so why try now?”

Instead, she’s showing up. She’s learning. And she posted that she understands that she needs to be “willing to learn, willing to do HARD things, willing to fail, willing to get back up, willing to try again…..and again……and again.”

Honestly, I couldn’t have said it any better myself.

Being willing to learn goes hand in hand with being willing to do hard things and being willing to fail.

Your baby didn’t crawl the first time he tried. Your toddler didn’t start speaking in complete, perfect sentences right out of the gate.

Learning means making mistakes. And then you learn from those mistakes. You pick yourself up and dust yourself off and move forward, one small step at a time.

Are you willing to learn, mama?

Because if you are, the entire world is open to you. There are so many opportunities out there — and you can grab them with both hands and do incredible things.

But you have to be willing to do the hard things — and to fail.

That’s how you learn.

I’m so honored and humbled to learn from you, every day.

P.S. Are you in the Free Mama Facebook group? You’ll find amazing inspiration and practical help there every single day.

P.S. Want to feel more sure of yourself around clients? Check out these episodes ALL ABOUT clients on Free Mama TV!

A few months ago, my husband and I thought to ourselves, Hey, you know what sounds like fun? Driving 2 days each way to Phoenix with our three children.

Actually, no. We kind of looked at each other and said, “Are we really doing this?”

Let me back up and give you some context.

My beautiful sister-in-law just had her second baby. We want to meet the new arrival and see the rest of the family in Phoenix. It’s important to us that our kids get time with their cousins — that’s one of our core values as parents.

When we pulled out the calendar and started trying to figure out this trip, spring break seemed like an ideal time for us to get away. From the airline schedules, it seems like everyone else thought so, too — which meant that ticket prices were insane.

Five tickets times approximately $9465 per ticket (I may be slightly exaggerating, but WHOA, MAMA, plane tickets are PRICEY) is more money than we budgeted for our family getaway.

But this trip is important to us. So instead of saying, “We can’t do this,” we said, “Let’s figure out a way to make this work.”

Driving long distances with young children isn’t always (ever) at the top of my list of super fun things to do — but we set out on this trip with plenty of positivity. And also snacks and earplugs, because we’re not crazy.

A major reward for driving all that distance is the The Free Mama Meetup planned for TOMORROW, March 12 in Phoenix — be sure to let me know if I’ll see you there!

We’re also going to visit Flagstaff and the Grand Canyon — I’m excited, and also a little nervous about keeping all three kids alive. Details.

Not spending $8 million on plane tickets also meant that I had some wiggle room in the budget, and I splurged on pretty luggage for the trip. It’s the little things that make me happy and that keep me sane for these many miles the road.

I hear all the time from mamas who can’t yet afford to invest in the 12-week program, but they want to get started and work from home as a Virtual Administrative Consultant. I can divide most of those mamas into two groups:

1. I don’t have enough money, so I’m just going to post again and again about how I don’t have enough money and that’s why I’m not successful.
2. I don’t have enough money for this program yet, so I’m going to start taking action and figure out how to get started on my own.

Which kind of mama are you? Are you the mama who lets an obstacle derail her? Or are you the mama who says, “I can figure this out!”

When your kids tell you, “I can’t find my [jacket/toy/homework/whatever],” what do you say? Do you encourage them to just give up? Or do you perhaps gently suggest that they continue looking?

Well, mama, this is me, gently suggesting that you continue looking for ways to do the things that you say matter to you.

You can find a solution — you’re a mom.

You’re the most amazing human on the planet, and you can find a way.

P.S. Need a little help with that taking action piece? Find bite-size bits of goodness on Free Mama TV, or curl up with a copy of my book!

P.P.S. Can’t make it to see me in Phoenix? Check out the Free Mama Meetup calendar here!

WHAT CAN VIRTUAL ASSISTANTS DO? HOW TO IDENTIFY YOUR SKILLS

If you’ve been wondering what can virtual assistants do, Lauren Golden of The Free Mama is going to show you how to identify your skills & how to become a VA, the best of work at home mom jobs! Maybe you are wanting to know how to make money as a stay at home mom, & if there are any legit stay at home mom jobs online, Lauren can not only show you how to become a virtual assistant, but also how to integrate business with motherhood as a stay at home mom. This video gives virtual assistant tips for your virtual assistant business. If you’re looking for virtual assistant for beginners advice or looking on how to expand your virtual assistant services, you’re going to be equipped with the virtual assistant tools in this virtual assistant training.

Tell me, mama, have you ever been worried that you’d make a mistake on a project?

Have you ever worked on something, sent it off to the client, and found yourself thinking, “What if I screwed up? What if they hate it?”

Let’s dig in on that for a moment, Mama.

You probably didn’t set out to do a bad job. Maybe you were also juggling sick kids, #snowpocalypse2019, unanticipated visitors, or just general life stress. It’s possible that just this once, you didn’t do your best work.

Now it’s also entirely possible that you’re letting Imposter Syndrome get the best of you, and that the client will come back delighted with the work.

But, for the sake of argument, let’s say that this one time, you messed up. The client comes back unhappy.

Now what?

Well, first of all, keep things in proportion. Yes, you messed up, but no one is going to die, because you’re not performing brain surgery on anyone. Countries will not go to war over your errors. A little perspective.

Next, it’s time to take action. Your client is unhappy? It’s on you to make it right. And that starts with an apology.

Here’s what you don’t want to do: Don’t start making excuses for why the work was late, or wrong, or whatever. Instead, accept responsibility and apologize without excuses.

I’m sorry. You’re right — I made a mistake.

Picture this, Mama. Your husband forgets your birthday, and you are FURIOUS.

You’re standing there in the kitchen, arms crossed, foot tapping, and in walks the man himself, and the first thing he says is —

“I’m sorry. I really screwed up by forgetting your birthday.”

It… kinda disarms you. I mean, yes, you can say, “YEAH YOU DID!” but his apology does something to all that anger inside you. You can feel it dissipate.

If you make a big mistake on a client project, don’t wait to be caught. Get in front of it, and apologize sincerely and specifically.

Not “I’m sorry you feel that way.” (Please. Would you let your kids get away with that?)

“I’m sorry I delivered late.”

“I’m sorry I put the wrong link in that email you sent to 10,000 potential customers.”

“I’m sorry I didn’t create the extra two pages we agreed on.”

And then, figure out how you’re going to make it right. That might mean redoing the work on your own time (and dime) or refunding money or providing an extra service for no extra charge.

In the long term, this kind of willingness to make things right stands out. You may salvage the relationship and win a place in the client’s heart forever.  

Most people won’t cut you loose for making a mistake. They will drop you if you don’t seem to care about the mistake. But if you show up ready to fix it and make it right, that’s what they’ll remember.

By the way, thinking through what you would do in this scenario is a great exercise. When you know what action you would take if necessary, you’ll be able to go after clients with more confidence. So much of our fear comes from the unknown — the idea of “What if they hate it?” Well, Mama, what if they do? What will you do then?

If you take the time now to figure out your next steps, you’ll be ahead of the game.

You got this, Mama.

Now get out there and ROCK the work for your clients.

P.S. Want to feel more sure of yourself around clients? Check out these episodes ALL ABOUT clients on Free Mama TV!

In this video, Lauren Golden of The Free Mama is going to tell you what you need to STOP doing and how you are going to attract clients today!  Finding and getting freelance clients isn’t always easy, especially as a freelancer, but don’t worry, not only are you going to learn how to become a VA, how to make money as a stay at home mom,  but you’re also going to learn how finding new clients is as easy as being on your phone!

If you are a stay at home mom and you’ve been looking for stay at home jobs online, it’s time for you to start your virtual assistant business.  Using these virtual assistant tips, you’re going make money from home online while finding clients for your business!

While you’re here – did you realize you don’t have to be a social media manager to become a VA? Check out Lauren’s latest blog post!

I can barely type this, because my hands are still shaking. I just spent a week and a half in Nashville, and “life changing” doesn’t even begin to cover it.

Have you ever been surrounded by four thousand people who share your goals? Have you ever had a chance to meet the people — I mean, have actual conversations with the people — who you most admire? The people who inspired you to do the things you’re doing now?

That was this week for me, at FunnelHacking Live.

It actually started a few days before FHL, with an incredible meeting with my Mastermind group, headed by my amazing coach and mentor, Liz. Hiring her was the most significant thing I have ever done for my business. It made all the difference, and getting to spend time with her in person is always incredible.

Plus, the rest of the Mastermind participants were also there, and the the energy was palpable.

Here is the secret to success in your online business, Mama. You need to surround yourself with the people who are doing the things you want to do. Hanging out with these people pushes me to be my best. They give me the courage to step up. They hold me accountable when I try to duck out. Look for these people in your own life, because they really will catapult you to success.

And then, just as I was coming down off the sky-high emotions of the Mastermind, it was time for FHL. It was like being on an insane roller coaster, and you think it’s over, but then someone pushes a button and the whole thing starts again.

In a good way. 😂

I got to talk to Russell Brunson. Now, you have to understand, this is as good as meeting Taylor Swift. I’ve been a #fangirl ever since I found out Clickfunnels was a thing. I finally had a chance to thank him for the platform that not only helped me grow my freelancing business, but also hosts The Free Mama Movement.. And then Russell told me [amazing thing].

Plus, I bought my husband a ticket to FHL, because I really wanted him to get a glimpse of my world. I wanted him to understand what drives me, what inspires me, and what it feels like inside my head.

I think he got it.

And if there are people in your world who don’t get what you do, mama, maybe it’s time to invite them in. Let them see the things that matter to you. Let them feel what excites you.

And look for ways to bring life changing experiences into your own life. Maybe that’s a FreeMamaMeetup. Maybe it’s a conference that will put you in a room with 100 potential clients. Maybe it’s as simple as connecting with just one Free Mama in person.

Take the leap — because the ride is exhilarating!

P.S. Want to see my FAVORITE free video trainings? I’ve put them all together for you right here! Get out there and DO THE THINGS, Mama!

HOW TO GET FREELANCE CLIENTS ON FACEBOOK (USING FACEBOOK FOR BUSINESS) ///

Are you wondering how to get freelance clients…is it possible to find clients online? In this video, Lauren Golden of The Free Mama is going to tell you why you need to start using Facebook for business and how its going to help you find your ideal client. Finding clients and getting freelance clients isn’t always easy, especially if you’re finding clients as a freelancer, but don’t worry, not only are you going to learn how to become a VA, how to make money as a stay at home mom, but you’re also going to learn how finding new clients is as easy as being on your phone!

If you are a stay at home mom and you’ve been looking for stay at home jobs online, it’s time for you to start your virtual assistant business. Using these virtual assistant tips, you’re going make money from home online while finding clients for your business. The first freelance client you land won’t be the last! Stop asking yourself, “How Do I Find Clients”, stop googling “How to Get Virtual Assistant Clients” and watch this video! You will go from finding freelance clients to HAVING virtual assistant clients!