I'm not at all shocked to see the conversation around this video heating up a bit here on the forums - if you read the comments on the original blog post you'll see lots of STRONG opinions.

I think the point of the video is that to *market* yourself as a WAHM mom to anyone other than other WAHMs is NOT going to do your business any favors. And I tend to agree with that specific point. I don't market myself as a WAHM - my family life and my business life are generally sep entities. I have clients who ask for pics of Nou, we chat about family life once in a while via email... but I don't treat my WAHM status as a marketing tactic because I am not necessarily marketing myself to people in that lifestyle or mindset. And a business owner who isn't already sympathetic to the WAHM lifestyle COULD see that status as a liability.

I'm not sure about the other point of contention here about being a great VA - not even sure what that means or how it fits in here but I do know that there tends to be a knee-jerk reaction to things like this where people feel defensive and get upset because they haven't fully taken in the context of the original statement.

No one is saying being a WAHM is a bad thing or that it precludes you from being a good VA.

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I agree Lee, and I agree with Scott Stratten's(@unmarketing) video as well. Can't change the fact of being a WAHM, obviously we schedule phone meetings when children are napping or at school. I don't market myself as a WAHM, but I'm certainly not ashamed of the fact. I would also like to add that any potential client that has an issue with me being a WAHM - wouldn't be my target market. All of my clients know I have children and are warned if they do call during unscheduled times, that they're possibilities of background noise. With that said, I have always completed all tasks to the best of my ability in a timely manner. WAHMs do make great VAs because most have multi-tasking skills mastered.

Oh, and Lee - you don't sound full of yourself, just confident

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Kena~
Everyone smiles in the same language

Tess,
You're correct! I was replying to the post of being a great VA and that has nothing to do with the video or the message he is trying to send

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Kena~
Everyone smiles in the same language

Originally Posted by leedrozak

Not to sound full of myself but I AM a great VA and I am also a mom (of course my children are high school and college age). I agree with the video but I do not think it defines the difference between a great VA and a VA.

Very well said! I also thought the video held some important information when marketing yourself.

Rachael

I'm sorry, I didn't mean to heat anything up, just wondering where it fit into the equation.

As for the video I completely understand all of the points Scott made in it and do agree with the purpose behind it.

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Dawn Riley
A Virtual Assistant in Paradise
Our business is about making yours better

I agree with Tess. I've got kids in high school and college and have been a VA or WAHM for over 7 years now. I guess some would say that I was taught "old school" -- in other words, that it wouldn't be "professional" to market yourself that way, and you may be doing yourself a disservice by doing so. On the other hand, being a WAHM is definitely something to be proud of -- not many moms are that fortunate and we all know how much multi-tasking goes on! So promote your many talents and talk about family and kids when the time is appropriate.

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Kelly Minton
MySavvyVA.com

Obviously, to ourselves being a WAHM is a very successful job in itself. You have to prioritise, delegate, communicate effectively, multi task etc, in order to stay sane as a mum, let alone a working one.

Employers in the solid world are known to show discrimination against mums as they are wary they can give the attention to the job that it needs. It is only natural that some clients in the virtual world would have the same tendancy to be wary. IMHO I would not use WAHM as a selling point to my business, however much I think the skills of being a mum in the first place are fantastic business skills. Some people just simply can't put the two together in harmony. I provide a business that suits me and my family life. My client pays for a service that suits his/her business life.

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Annette Mercer
www.am-officesolutions.com