Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Mackenzie Landman. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Mackenzie, thanks for joining us today. Are you happier as a business owner? Do you sometimes think about what it would be like to just have a regular job?

The allure of having a “regular job,” by most accounts, revolves around stability. The reverse often being tied to being self-employed or having an “abnormal” job, in that having anything other than the traditional 9-5 is thought to come with risk and uncertainty.

In navigating my own entrepreneurship, having started my business as a Virtual Assistant in 2020 at the height of the first wave of the Covid-19 pandemic out of necessity, I’ve learned that things aren’t always so black and white. In the uncharted territory of adulthood, career-work, and building a life that we all have to forge for ourselves — often, thankfully, helped to navigate this unknown by our community, whoever they may be — nothing is guaranteed. The “risk” we think of with owning your own business is present in having that 9-5, as well, as so many of us experienced when the world was confronted with a widespread lockdown. People lose their jobs, people are laid off, sometimes without warning or an explained cause.

While it was never my ultimate intention to own my own business, I’ve found that now that I find myself here, owning one, I’ve had to contend with feeling at times as though I’m going “against the grain” of the status quo. But the status quo is, in my mind, a starting point. Why settle for good enough, when you have the capacity for something great? Happiness is fed by freedom, and existing outside of the norm, being able to set my own boundaries, work with people who inspire me have allowed me flexibility and control, in a time when I personally have needed the mobility of making my own path most.

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

In light of the pandemic, more people than ever have come to realize that one of the few resources we can never recover is time. Time with our loved ones, time for ourselves, and time to focus on what makes us feel most alive — whether that’s building a business, traveling, or simply making space for rest.

My business as a Virtual Assistant allows creative business owners to delegate tasks and projects that cut into that highly-valuable time, so that they can focus on what matters most. These tasks and projects can range from creative work like content creation and marketing, to administrative organization and streamlining work across the board.

My background in both the film industry and in working in corporate administration informs my unique combination of approaches — no matter the project, I bring creativity and organization to my clients’ projects. What I pride myself on most of all is my warmth, in knowing that behind every business are hard-working people who deserve empathy and a helping hand, should they ask for it.

Where do you think you get most of your clients from?

Thankfully my business has now grown to a stage where 75% or more of my clients are referred to me by my current or past clientele. I am overcome with gratitude for the trust and sense of community that I’ve built through my networking and hard work.

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

Simply being open to meeting people, without necessarily having the “end goal” of working with them in mind. When you network with people towards a hard end, whether selling them something, getting them to hire you, or otherwise… they can smell it! As people of the digital age who are marketed to constantly, we’re hard wired to suss out the “used car salesman” in our midst. By reaching out to people and letting them know you’re interested in their story, simply because you want to learn from them, you can foster a more genuine sense of kinship. And if that eventually evolves into something fruitful, then that is simply a bonus.

Contact Info:

• Website: mackenzielandman.com
• Instagram: @mackenzielandmanva
• Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/mackenzielandman