You have a very good point and its one I have mentioned many times when talking to others.

My problem is not that I don’t know “how to fish”, its that I just don’t have access to any lakes. I can’t afford to pay for subscriptions and memberships to places where I can bid on jobs and RFPs and I have absolutely no money for marketing so I’m doing what I can to utilize free marketing. I’m using networking as much as possible. I’ve asked others for advice and suggestions only to be given links to their paid membership sites or subscriptions (with the exception of another VA who has helped me out tremendously.)

I am getting clients and jobs, just not enough to support my family as a single mom which is why I’ve considered just going back to working in a cubicle because I can’t let my kids go hungry while I work on finding more marketing opportunities.

I’m not saying that successful VAs shouldn’t refer their overflow to currently less successful VAs because it does my heart good to see a successful VA go to bat for others in the industry. What I am saying, though is: “wouldn’t it be better if we taught April, and other less successful VAs, how to fish rather than throw them a fish every now and then?”

Wouldn’t it be better if, as an industry, more successful VAs volunteered to mentor less successful VAs to success — without charge?

Yes, I know that there are many mentoring programs, coaches, marketing, skills training, etc. programs out there, but if you have no clients and are on the financial edge, how are you going to pay for them?

Wouldn’t we be doing April, and others like her, a better service if we gave them FREE mentoring?

I’d volunteer in a heartbeat, if I wasn’t in the same boat as April. Although, I wouldn’t be a good mentor, I would be delighted to organize volunteer mentors and implement such an effort — gratis.

Anyone got a couple of hours a week to mentor a struggling VA?

=>Donna

Now I want to comment as another VA. I don’t know if its the nature of the industry or if its because its a female-dominated field or what but I’ve never seen so much support! I’ve noticed this since I first got started. I couldn’t figure out why all of these established VAs were writing articles and ebooks telling people how to start their own VA business! I thought “Why are they creating competition? Aren’t they afraid they’ll lose business?”

But it makes sense now. We support each other. We help each other because it doesn’t just help the other VA, it helps our industry as a whole. I love sending referrals to other VAs if I know someone needs a service I don’t offer or a VA with a skill I don’t have.

You don’t see that happen in too many other business, especially online businesses. But, hey, a doctor or lawyer would never take on a client/patient if they couldn’t help. They would refer them to someone else who can.

Thanks again! You and Cheryl both have been such a big help!