We recently connected with Tiffani Hutton and have shared our conversation below.
Tiffani , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Getting that first client is always an exciting milestone. Can you talk to us about how you got your first customer who wasn’t a friend, family, or acquaintance?
The way that I got my first client was definitely a little unconventional. I was working at one of the top virtual assistant agencies, which I won’t name, but essentially there was a woman who realized there was a need for virtual assistants and she went to Silicon Valley with a backpack and a dream. Five years and millions of dollars later, I was working there. Due to money being mismanaged, the company shut down overnight without informing any of us. Actually, on Monday, we tried signing into our email accounts and got a message back that he “email didn’t exist”. Of course, we all freaked out and got online (since the company was virtual) and that’s when we saw it. Article after article detailing the crash of our company and that all of us — hundreds of us — had been laid off overnight. I spent the first week just hanging out with my boyfriend, now husband, being gloomy and probably drinking too much whiskey.
The next week, I reached out to all of my clients telling them what happened. Every single client said they still wanted to work with me and that’s how LUHU was born. Over six years later and some of those same clients are still here!
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
At age 19, I began LUHU when I realized that personal connection and “people proficiency” were missing from the administrative field. I embarked on a mission to re-establish the importance of personal connections and social justice in the business arena to ensure longer professional relationships and most importantly, higher rates of measurable impact.
My virtual administration and social work experience are extensive, having started my own virtual assistant journey six years ago. Additionally, I hold a Bachelor’s in Social Work from The University of Texas at Arlington (Arlington, TX) and a Masters of Science in Social Work – Social Enterprise Administration from Columbia University (New York, NY) along with a degree in Peace & Human Rights.
My number one goal is to help nonprofits and social justice organizations to advance their mission.
How do you keep your team’s morale high?
Communication! Listen to your team. Check in with them frequently. Whenever one of my EAs is matched with a client, I have weekly check-ins that I do to see how things are going, how they enjoy the work, whether or not the client is respectful, and how they’re adjusting to the workload. I also have questions I ask the client, but I like to err on the side of overcommunicating to see any problems coming and face them head-on. Because of this tactic, I usually know what things are going to be problems before they actually become them e.g. a rude client or a client who has lost funding and can no longer afford services.
We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?
I think for me the biggest lesson to unlearn is the traditional history of assistants. Our field is denominated primarily by white women who exist in households that earn six figures. (There are tons of surveys on this). For me, being a virtual assistant is the direct link to earning my Master’s degree as it allowed me to have a full-time income while being home to go to class and/or take care of my daughter. Because of this, I think more BIPOC (black, indigenous, persons of color) individuals should have the same opportunity to redistribute wealth and access to communities that statistically haven’t been provided it.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.luhuvirtual.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LUHU.Virtual/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/luhu-virtual
Image Credits
Cartell Hutton (Zion Visuals) https://www.visualsofzion.com/