If you have been trying to do too much in your business you may be feeling very overwhelmed. The mounting pressure to accomplish more than you are able to can send your stress levels soaring. By finding your niche, you can cut back on your load, relieve some stress and start to feel better about your business.

You can’t do it all

It can be tempting as a solopreneur to advertise that you can do it all and it appears to be especially prevalent in the virtual assistant industry.  There is the urge to take on any task a client requests. However, no one can do it all. Taking on too much, as well as agreeing to jobs that are beyond your skill level will result in accumulating stress.

Unhealthy work/life balance

Stress can lead to lack of sleep, unhealthy eating habits, and unhealthy work and personal relationships. All of these things add up to more stress, it can become a never ending cycle. Eventually, this stress will leave you feeling like you can’t handle your small business anymore. It’s not easy to reduce the stress however, one way to stop the cycle of stress is by finding your niche. So how does this help?

Quality is better than quantity

Your stress level will go down when you say yes only to the tasks that you have time for and are skilled at. Don’t be afraid to turn a client down that doesn’t line up with what you have to offer. It is better to be healthy and growing with a few clients than overworked and spread too thin with a lot of unhappy clients that you won’t have for too much longer.

Find the Clients that Fit

You need to find your niche so that you can offer only the services that reflect your expertise. When you advertise only the services that fit with your skills and availability you will connect with your ideal clients and thrive as you excel at offering the services they need.

Try to spend time connecting with your ideal audience. Post articles, links and answer questions on blogs and forums to display your expertise. You can use your networks to connect with clients that will fit well with your business.

You will thrive when you are doing the things that you love best and that you excel at. Having a niche will eliminate some of the ambiguity in your offerings especially as a virtual assistant while you seek to build your business and find the perfect clients.

Top 5 Takeouts: Stop the Stress

  1. An unhealthy work/life balance will lead to excessive stress.
  2. Say yes to tasks that you excel at.
  3. Don’t be afraid to say no if the client doesn’t fit.
  4. Network to connect with your ideal clients.
  5. Thrive when you are doing what you love!

Set your limits and choose a niche so that you will not be left feeling bogged down and stressed out.

How do you think you would cope with the stress that often comes with running a business? Please leave a comment below.

The VA Project can help you discover your niche and eliminate unhealthy cycles of stress from your small business.