We recently connected with Kaelyn Marie Fuglaar and have shared our conversation below.

Kaelyn Marie, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What do you think it takes to be successful?

I think to be truly successful we have to be willing to try, again and again, be willing to quit when something isn’t working, and be willing to make career and business moves when needed. Too often, we get stuck in a path we think we’re supposed to go on. We graduate high school, go to college, get a degree, get a job in that field (or try to), and then realize we’re not happy or fulfilled. But we stay stuck there thinking we can’t change it.

I graduated college in 3 years and was on track to become a physical therapist. After graduating, I realized I didn’t want to do that. I wanted to own my business and work for myself. The first thing I tried was becoming a network marketer. Then, I tried becoming a social media influencer. Ha. That DID NOT work. But 2 failed attempts, I decided to keep trying. Next, I became a real estate agent.

The point is, I kept trying. I wasn’t afraid of what people thought of me and I wasn’t afraid of failure. I knew that if I kept trying and failing, eventually I would find what truly lights me up and what I could do long term. I started trying and failing and pivoting at 20 years old. I’m 31 now and I’m living the life of my dreams. I’m so glad I didn’t give up on that.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

My name is Kaelyn and I own Kaelyn Marie Virtual Assistant where I work as a Virtual Assistant for 6 figure+ women business owners. I come alongside them and their businesses and help them scale and grow by taking administrative tasks off their plate. These tasks can be anything from creating emails to building landing pages to customer support.

I’m also a business coach and help other virtual assistants build their businesses as well through online courses and 1:1 coaching.

Before launching my business in September of 2023, I was ironically let go from what I thought was my dream job. At that time, I was working as an administrative assistant and mostly did travel and event management. I was actually already planning on leaving, but they beat me to the punch. Truly, it was the kick in the butt I needed.

A month later, is when Kaelyn Marie Virtual Assistant was born. I stumbled upon a girl on Instagram sharing how becoming a VA changed her life. Although, I didn’t want to do travel and event management, I knew I had skills I could use to start my own VA business.

I’m so proud of how quickly I have scaled and grown. I’m projected to make 6 figures in my first year and I’ve made my first hire. You won’t believe it but she was also let go from the SAME company on the SAME day. It feels like a redemption story to be able to bring her onto my team.

As I continue to grow, I’m excited to continue to help my clients and other virtual assistants grow as well.

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

I get asked how I land my clients all the time. The truth is, most of my clients have found my Instagram page, booked a call with me, and then we’ve agreed to move forward together.

There’s something really powerful about knowing exactly who you’re speaking to, and what makes you different.

As a virtual assistant, I truly believe in the power of building a brand on social media that speaks directly to your dream clients. What are they struggling with? How can you solve their problem? What will be the outcome after they work with you? And what makes you different? No, this industry isn’t too saturated. You just need to know how to speak to your dream clients! Then, you need to be consistent and continue to show up!

We’d love to hear about how you keep in touch with clients.

It’s so important to maintain a great working relationship with your clients. Client retention isn’t talked about enough! I have a few clients that have been referred to me by other clients and the power of referral goes a long way.

With all my clients, I have regular check-ins. Whether that’s weekly or monthly, I make sure to hop on calls with them so we can continue to push things forward and stay on the same page.

Along with that, establishing a way for clients to communicate with you is imperative. You don’t have to give your personal cell phone out if you don’t want, but there are other ways to maintain contact. Whether that’s emails, Slack, or OpenPhone, find something that works for you and your clients.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.kaelynmarieva.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kaelynmarievirtualassistant?igsh=OGQ5ZDc2ODk2ZA%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61550906056138&mibextid=uzlsIk
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kaelyn-marie-09583b202?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=ios_app

Image Credits
Mckenzie McCartney Media