We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Jessie Shaw. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Jessie below.

Alright, Jessie thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. How did you come up with the idea for your business?

When I first started considering becoming a virtual assistant, I was already knee-deep in my own photography business. I had just had my first child and could already tell how difficult it was to keep up with the admin side of the photography world. All my friends were struggling with their emails & backend of the business too. While I loved shooting & editing, I kept finding myself drawn to the systems and efficiency that would allow us photographers to ENJOY the work again. On one hand, our clients deserve the best *experience* possible. And on the other hand, photographers don’t need to be burned out in order to be successful. Thus: becoming a VA to bridge that gap.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

My name is Jessie, and I’m an Austin-based virtual assistant agency owner. And if that feels like a lot to digest, basically: I help photographers all over the country run their high-profit businesses without burnout. I have a team of women who help me keep everything spinning. We are all former photographers, who love working with the admin side of the photography industry. We do everything from inbox management to SEO optimized blogging… updating systems and running launches… sending invoices and designing weekly newsletters. We’re the glue that helps photographers deliver an amazing client experience, while keeping their sanity intact.

One of the reasons I am so passionate about reducing their mental load and helping these women-owned businesses thrive is because I am no stranger to burnout! I brought my first baby home during the very start of COVID, after spending 2 months in the hospital during a lockdown with preeclampsia. I ran my business through all of it, and eventually just really burned out. I knew there was a way to hold the roles of parenting & business ownership hand in hand. And I found it through outsourcing. I wanted to provide an easy, clear, trustworthy solution to other creative professionals facing the same issue.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

That I could do everything myself.
While I might be *capable* of doing everything myself, I do not have limitless capacity. And trying to run a small business completely alone was only leading to burnout, exhaustion and poor work quality. When I finally allowed myself to outsource support, my life & business thrived. I had to let go of the narrative that my business was dependent on me, and in order to be successful, I needed to manage all parts of it on my own. In reality, I was stopping my own progress. Once I stepped back, and started to make sure that *I* had bandwidth, breathing room and rest- as the owner… that’s when the magic started happening.

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

Taking care of your clients, and treating them like humans. We work hard to hone in on each one of our clients, and learn their businesses and take care of THEIR business. In return, we’ve had clients with us for years who regularly refer to us. Being authentic, kind and caring goes a long way in building trust and growing your business.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.the-focus-collective.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefocus.co/
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@thefocus.co

Image Credits

All images are by me