We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Emily Buchert a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Emily, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Being a business owner can be really hard sometimes. It’s rewarding, but most business owners we’ve spoken sometimes think about what it would have been like to have had a regular job instead. Have you ever wondered that yourself? Maybe you can talk to us about a time when you felt this way?

I absolutely LOVE being a business owner, AND it’s not always as glamorous as it’s made out to be. There are definitely days when I think, “Wouldn’t it be nice to just clock out, shut off my brain, and not worry about work until tomorrow?” And the truth is, it definitely would be. It’s also hard not to tie my sense of worth to how many clients I have—or how many I’ve lost. There’s a misconception that starting your own online business is an escape from work. We’re sold this dream of quitting the 9-to-5, doing what we want when we want, and working from anywhere. But the reality is, a job is still a job. There will be times when your business feels like hard work. I love what I do, I love my clients, and I love the freedom I have, but do I wake up every day wanting to sit in front of a computer for hours? No. And that’s okay. It’s okay to feel burnt out or tired sometimes. You can love your job and still recognize that it’s work. That doesn’t mean you’re not cut out for it, and it doesn’t mean you’re ungrateful—it just means you’re human.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

Before I became a virtual assistant, I was a makeup artist and market specialist for a big-name beauty brand. At the time, I thought that would be my career forever, but once COVID hit, I found myself unemployed for nearly 10 months, I was SO lost and unmotivated in life and wasn’t used to the feeling. I was scrolling on TikTok one night in the haze that is between Christmas and New Years, and I came across someone talking about how they became a VA and it changed their whole life, the rest is history. When I started training, my coach asked me, “What’s your niche? Who do you want to work for?” and I had no idea. After some soul-searching, I realized that what I loved most about working in beauty was helping women feel confident and beautiful. That’s when everything clicked—I could bring that passion into the virtual assistant world by supporting women who help others transform their lives.

Now, I specialize in working with hypnotherapists, emotional eating coaches, self-love and mindset coaches, and spiritual business owners like astrologers and spiritual coaches.

Now, I offer a wide range of services that make my clients’ lives easier—everything from admin tasks, graphic design, and website design to social media management and automation setup. If there’s something I haven’t done before, I’m a quick learner and love diving into all aspects of my clients’ businesses so I can help them grow and scale faster. The main struggles my clients face when they come to me are feeling overwhelmed and overworked. They’re amazing at what they do but don’t want to sacrifice their personal lives and time with their families just to keep up. We build businesses to have freedom, right? My goal is to give them that freedom back by taking on the tasks that bog them down, so they can focus on being the badass coaches they are without burning out.

The most rewarding moment in my business so far has been becoming fully booked. It proved to me that I can actually do this, even though my background wasn’t in tech or design or ANYTHING along these lines. I started this business on a whim with a dream, and seeing it all come together has been mind-blowing (although, honestly, I manifested the hell out of this life). Helping my clients achieve their dreams while living mine—that’s what makes this so special.

What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?

The most effective strategy for growing my clientele has been doing good-ass work and consistently providing value to my clients. When you go above and beyond, it naturally leads to word-of-mouth recommendations, which have been a huge driver of growth for my business. Good coaches run in good circles, and I’ve been incredibly fortunate to work with amazing clients who are not only grateful for the support I provide but also generous in shouting my name from the rooftops. Their recommendations have helped me grow my client base without needing to heavily rely on traditional marketing tactics. It’s a beautiful cycle of supporting them in their success, and in turn, they help me grow mine in their network.

Any thoughts, advice, or strategies you can share for fostering brand loyalty?

I keep in touch with all of my clients through WhatsApp Business or Voxer, and we communicate daily, Monday through Friday. Even though I work for myself, I truly work for THEM, and being available to them is one of my top priorities. (I’ve unfortunately heard too many ghosting stories from other VA’s!) It’s important for them to know when I’m “in office,” because we function as a team. My commitment to them is reflected in the work I do, and that’s how I foster loyalty. When they sell out their programs, create a new workshop, or become fully booked, we achieve those milestones together. I put my all into every project because their success is my success, and I take that very personally. I’m also huge on the importance of teamwork and making sure my clients know that I’m not just here for business tasks, but that I’m truly here for them. Over time, I’ve built some incredible friendships through this work, and I feel so lucky to be a part of their lives and businesses.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/itsemilybuchert/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EmilyBuchertVA
• Other: https://linktr.ee/EmilyBuchertVA

Image Credits

Auriana Marie