One of the lessons I learned (the hard way) over the course of getting set up as a VA was setting and maintaining boundaries.
As a friendly,helpful, and emotionally available person I tend to want to be a people pleaser, not knowing when to say 'No, thank you.' or letting people know when something just isn't working.

But as a VA, as a freelance contractor, providing services and setting your own business rules it's up to you to make sure that in all of this giving and pleasing you're still honoring your *self* and what works for you.
Setting boundaries early on for yourself and your clients regarding your hours of availability, what you will and will not do, and how and when you expect to be paid can save you a ton of frustration later on down the road.

A few things I added to my practice as I learned them through experience but would highly suggest putting in place before you even score that first client are:

*Invoice cycles:
Establish a regular routine for sending invoices and invoice reminders. I bill clients every other friday, on net 14 terms. Giving them two weeks to pay the previous invoice, with a friendly payment reminder on the interim Friday if the invoice is not paid early.

*Payment methods:
Make it easy for your clients to pay you on time and in full. Include a copy of the invoice with an email letting them know it's up for payment. Offer as many payment methods as you possibly can afford to - I offer payment via direct deposit to clients who have been with me for six months, Paypal is also a good option (and don't feel bad about passing on that 3.5% processing fee to the client - let them know up front that it is part of your invoicing and add it in as such, clearly marked, to each invoice.)
Send 'Pay me' reminders from Paypal - these are really easy to send, with the click of a button the client is reminded their invoice is coming due.
Accept checks if you feel comfortable doing so. I used to take paper checks sent directly to my bank by mail but didn't like having to check so often to see if it had arrived and was the correct amount.
There are many online payment options available now, making it easier than ever before for you to help your clients pay your invoices.

*Late payment penalties:
One of the hardest things for people pleasers to talk about is money. But let me tell you, you'd better get used to it and fast. Your job is all about making people happy and helping them succeed, but you *do* deserve to be paid (on time) for your services.
Set up a late payment penalty, on whatever terms you are comfortable with. I use net 14 (giving the client 14 days to make payment). If the payment isn't made on time, I institute the late payment penalty. I currently charge $25 - adding it to the next invoice - for every 14 days the payment is late. Even if you get a partial payment, the penalty applies, in full. Even if you adore your client, the penalty applies, in full.
You are a business, and some things, even the most unpleasant, absolutely must not have exceptions. This actually helps your client take you, your services, and your invoices more seriously. They'll appreciate knowing where your boundaries are and what you expect from them as a client.

*Working hours:
Now this is a personal issue you'll have to decide on for yourself.
I happen to live abroad, moving from country to country as the adventure calls. My own office hours are based on my local time and I do not work weekends (unless I want to). I let clients know where I am and what it means for their projects and requests. I do not let my location get in the way of getting things done; on the contrary, I work fairly regular office hours - usually between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. my local time. But as I'm an independent contractor I can not and do not guarantee to be in the office every minute during those hours.
Clients know this when they contract with me and my level of service and quick turnaround of their requests means it is a non issue. They really seem to enjoy the idea that while they're sleeping I'm working and growing their business.
In respect to my own business, I'm much more in control of when and how things get done because of the schedule I've set up and illustrated for clients.
Clients know that I am generally unavailable on weekeds, and so don't expect me to turn something around that they've sent on a Saturday.
Make your own office hours *crystal clear* from the start - if you don't work on the weekends, don't answer emails or the office phone line on the weekends.
If your home office closes after a certain time in the day, make that clear.
Set your own hours and stick with it - you don't have to feel like you've got to work weekends and holidays to keep your client. It's your business, your decision.

There are always those clients who try to sneak in a project at the last minute Friday night, telling you they need it on Monday. Be kind, but firm. If you feel you need to reply to their request to remind them that you are out of office then do so, but never make your client feel that they have done something wrong. A quick and simple, "I'll be happy to take a look at this first thing in the morning on Monday, but am out of the office for the weekend." should suffice.

*What you can/will do vs. the other stuff:
You never really know what a client will ask of you, and many of these things must be handled as they come. Just being aware of your own business ethics and skills is a good way to keep the balance in a working relationship. If you simply don't know how to do something that is requested of you but are willing to learn, let your client know that it will take a little extra time to get the project turned around, or that you need a bit of training in that direction.
Many clients are willing to help a VA learn something specific to an industry.
As much as you want to the 'can do everything' assistant, it just isn't always possible. Honesty and earnestness will pay off in the end, and you'll end up with a new valuable skill.

I can't list the number of things - programs, skills, ways of doing something, that I've learned over the past two years because a client needed something I wasn't already skilled at. In those cases I offered a discounted hourly rate while I was working on that specific task. The client got what they needed and I got a little education.

There are every once in a while things I am asked to do that I don't feel comfortable doing. Once, I was asked to create fake personas to participate in a forum on a topic I knew little about. I was also asked to initiate a spam email marketing campaign. In both cases I look at this abstract idea of karma - as all of my own work is on the net, I choose not to participate in 'negative' energy tasks that may affect my own good karma. I simply said "Thank you for asking me, but I'm not comfortable doing that."
In both cases the client was fine with my response and either found someone else to do the task or took my other, non-negative suggestions to heart and we moved forward in another direction.


There are hundreds of lessons regarding my own boundaries as a service provider that I've learned over the past two years. Some of them were stressful and difficult to move through, others were simply something to be dealt with. The situations that were most difficult, like not being paid on time for a long period of time, meant I had to step up to the plate as a professional and voice my concerns, boundaries, and expectations. In all cases, when I approached a client directly about something that wasn't working for me I got a positive response and the situation usually rectified itself quite quickly.
Had I kept the above issues in mind when setting up my practice I could have avoided a lot of that worry and stress...but it's all a learning experience and has made me a better service provider in the end.

When setting up your own practice, the above issues should be addressed as soon as possible, even before you begin work with that first client. Doing so will protect your working relationships and ensure your practice a long and healthy life!

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Stuck in startup? Stop dreaming. Start DOING!
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This is great advice! Thanks.

Again, this is so true. When I first started out about six months ago I was kind of flailing around trying to figure out all of these things. Wish I'd read this then
I wasn't even charging all of my clients the same rate because when I wanted to get off the ground I charged peanuts! Then each new client who came along I charged a bit more. Finally, had to raise the rates and lost the original client because she was so spoiled paying what she was.
She ended up coming back and paying the new rate because she knew she couldn't replace me!
It's def. tough to talk that money talk with people, especially when you're first starting out but has to be done.
I also have a late fee for invoices not paid on time, but bill ten percent of whatever is due if it isn't paid within ten days. Ten percent each week is added to the next invoice. Some clients don't really care about that and pay late, like they're giving me a tip or something HA!
Would rather they just pay on time, but you kind of have to deal with each situation as it comes I think.
After all, people are all just PEOPLE in the end And more or less want to make YOU their VA happy too!

Right on, well said. One thing I try to establish with every single new client (that isn't on your list) is that I will raise my rates by a certain percentage each six months or so. It lets them know ahead of time to expect it so there are no suprises.

We just really think it's an important part of the initial communications, to ensure that both service provider and client have a solid foundation for understanding. It really does help avoid issues later - especially when it comes to billing.
It's equally important to ensure that you have a good sense of what your client *expects* and work to clarify anything that isn't immediately clear.
Of course, some things are unpredictable, but these suggestions are a good start to setting up the framework for good working relationships.

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Stuck in startup? Stop dreaming. Start DOING!
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I just came across this great little concise article, aimed at clients who work with VA's but as we all know it works both ways!

Check it out here.

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Stuck in startup? Stop dreaming. Start DOING!
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What awesome advice!! I am going to refer back to this after I think for awhile!! We can all better our business, and learn from others. In this business, always learning and bettering ourselves is crucial!!!

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Winslow Girl Virtual Assistant
www.winslowgirlva.com
Taking Virtual Assistance to the Next Level

I totally agree with you Jackie - I think in any service oriented industry (or anything we do as humans ) it's important to learn from others and try to better ourselves.
The difference seems to come though when we start to be our own bosses - wanting to please people means being inclined to make exceptions to things that would otherwise be pretty crucial to the successful operation of a small business.
I've been down that path of making exceptions for this or that and end up getting twice bitten for it because I initially lose out on whatever it is I'm being asked to compromise on (late fees, availability, etc.) and then again later because once you allow it that first time you will invariably be asked again...and again....and...
You get the idea

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I appreciate this post because it addresses something with which we women often have a problem, pleasing others. I did not know how to handle these problems if they ever came about. Believe me I have thought of them. I am in the start-up phase of "Makesha Ramel Caldwell Business Support Services" and everything that I read on virtual assisting has nothing to do with emotions or wanting to please. Again, thanks for the post. This forum is wonderful because it is filled with posts that are article-worthy.

Thank you Tess for being direct in providing this information. It is very good for us all to remember your words, especially given the various situations we will come across. Also, thank you for the link to the article. It is a good article for not only our client but ourselves.

have a wonderful evening!
~Annette

This is great advise Tess! Thank for taking the time to post it.

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Mattie Stokes

Tess-
This is wonderful information. As one who is entering the world of business ownership, I've struggled with the challenge of knowing where & how to put the stake in the ground, especially since I'm a notorious people pleaser. It's easy to be rigid with the rules when while I'm making them, but since I'm still figuring this whole thing out I start to waver in front of the client.

Thanks for your perfect & sensible guidance to help us all remember our boundaries!

Teri

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Teri Taylor
Allegro Business Solutions

Thank you for your advice Tess!
I still need to remind myself not to work on Saturdays It is not that clients want me to do that, it is me- I like what I do and time just flies on interesting project. I know, I know - it is not good as I need to have some time for myself. But I still need to establish a habit to turn off my PC and have a free weekend

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VA for VAs
www.jadesvirtualoffice.com

Great info Tess! Thank you.

With my first business I learned some of what you said the hard way! I would bend over backwards to please some clients - forgetting that I was a business.

Asking for payment on time was difficult also. But, after getting burned one time I again realized that I was a business.

I liked the info about informing the client about charing them the fee if they use PayPal. Didn't even think about that.

Carol
CJ's Virtual Business Solutions

As always, Tess, great info - thanks!

I'm still working on my boundaries. I do have one client who has a task she likes to be completed on Sundays - & I agreed to help out as long as I can do it when I'm able to & she's not sitting there waiting. lol She's not the micromanaging type, so it's worked out fine for both of us. However, on my website, at least for new clients coming in, it states clearly anything requested on weekends/holidays will be charged a 15% after hours fee.

Now the billing policies... well, I've only had one real problem client who I actually just dropped b/c of delinquency. I think he was just so scattered in general & don't really think he ever did it on purpose, but it's still disrespectful in my mind, so I had to do what I had to do. (we didn't mesh well anyways... & I'm extremely relieved he's gone! lol)

Otherwise, running this business will always be a constant learning process I think - but your advice is great & appreciated!

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shana
www.shanafore.com