How Much Time Do You Really Need to Build a Business?

Understanding The Power of Consistency in Business-building

Do you want to break free from your 9-to-5, but worry you don’t have the time?

Or maybe you’re worried about how to juggle your day job while getting your business off the ground. Your schedule is already jam-packed, so where are you supposed to find the time?

If you’re like me, your work is not your #1 priority in life. So, making major work-related life changes can get put on the back burner.

But think about it - if you don’t make changes now and keep putting it off for tomorrow, where will you be in 20 years? Most likely in the same dreaded situation you’re trying to get out of now.

So let’s figure out exactly how much time you need to get the ball rolling in your business and come up with a plan to get started!

Time is of the essence

What would you say if I told you it’s possible to build your virtual assistant business in as little as 15 minutes a day?

You’re probably thinking, “There’s no way!” or “You can’t build a business in one day!” 

And you’re right.

I’m not telling you to build the entire business in one 15-minute session. But if you commit to 15 minutes each day for a week, you’ll have put in 1 hour and 15 minutes towards your business.

This is what Life Hacker calls “time pockets,” or the time found between the daily tasks we do each day. What we’re talking about here is consistency - the key to building your business.

When you show up every single day and do the thing, you get things done. You build your business in less time than it takes to watch a show on Netflix or Hulu each day.

Where do I find the time?

A while ago, my husband and I worked with a personal trainer. He required us to log our food as part of our health journey. I didn’t know where I was going to find the time to do it! 

I heard a simple solution that changed my views: before scrolling on my phone, pull out the tracker and add in food from my last meal. A built-in cue for you to replace automatic scrolling might be something like going to the bathroom, or right before starting your work day.

Do you have 5 minutes when you’re mindlessly scrolling on your phone or staring into space? We all do - whether we realize it or not. A solid replacement for wasting that time is to work towards your business.

Another option would be to simply look at your schedule and see where you could add a short 15 minute period.

Maybe you:

⏰ Set your alarm clock to wake up a quarter hour earlier (or go to bed 15 minutes later!) to find new potential clients

☕️ Brainstorm for social media content ideas while drinking your morning cup of coffee (or tea)

🩺 Send a follow-up email while you’re waiting at an appointment

🛒 Search for eye-catching images for your website while standing in line at the grocery store

Make a list of small, impactful tasks you can accomplish in the shorter bursts of time that are all around you. It might be difficult at first to find these pockets of time - but they’ll start jumping out at you soon enough!

Now I feel I must warn you.

Once you start building your business and breaking out of the old school mold, you’re going to get excited and motivated to keep going. As you should! You’re going to find it hard to stick to just 15 minutes a day. When that happens, it’s definitely ok to keep going - just as long as you're not ignoring those more important than work things we mentioned earlier 😉. 

What to do during your work sessions

What can you really get done in 15 minutes?

My friend, the short answer is: so, so much!

First, start by outlining your “why” for building your business. Your “why” is your motivation, your co-pilot to keep you going throughout your business ownership journey. Take some time to think about your answers - then take the extra step of digging deeper past the surface level for even more insight to what you truly want.

If you’re stumped on what your “why” might be, here are a few questions to get you started:

✨ What first interested you in virtual assisting? 

• Dig deeper: What aspects of virtual assisting set your soul on fire (i.e. the possibilities of stepping into other online opportunities, owning your own business, doing behind-the-scenes work for your favorite brand, etc)?

✨ Why are you pursuing working for yourself? 

• Dig deeper: How will it feel to own your own business and be fully in control of your schedule, workload, and days off? What does your ideal day look like?

✨ What positive changes will impact your life and the lives of your loved ones as your business grows? 

• Dig deeper: Will you be able to finally attend your child’s recital without worrying about missing work? Will you be able to take Fridays and Mondays off every week to volunteer for your most beloved charity?

✨ What unique skills do you bring to virtual assisting?

• Dig deeper: Are you an excellent organizer that loves to beat deadlines by 12 hours or more? Are you proficient in communicating even the most complex areas into easily-digestible terms? Do you loooooove bookkeeping?

✨ What types of clients are you most excited to work with?

• Dig deeper: What attracts you about this type of client? Do you have similar things in common on a personal level or is there something about their business that draws you? 

You can choose one or two 15-minute work sessions to answer these questions. Your answers will be especially important when you don’t want to complete your work session one day (and that day will come!). When this happens, go back to your motivation.

Next, come up with a plan on how you’re going to build your business. Planning out your entire business plan in 15 minutes is a tall order, even for seasoned entrepreneurs. What we’re aiming for here is identifying the steps needed to get you from A to Z. And you don’t have to do it all in just one 15 minute session.

Do you need or want to attend training? Who are you going to learn from? Need time to investigate your target audience profile?

Your next 15-minute session can be about planning out all the detailed steps in between (like spend 15 minutes searching for a training that sounds right for you). Now chip away at your plan piece by piece.

The miracle of focused pockets of time

You might still not be convinced that you have the time it takes to build your business, and I can relate to this so well. I’m known for packing my schedule and getting so far behind whenever I have to take a sick day or something comes up at the last minute. (I’m working on this btw lol)

When I started building VA’s for Course Creators, I was working 30-hour weeks, volunteering for 20 hours a week, and supporting my husband from long covid. 

All while managing regular life. It was definitely a crazy time.

So how did I find the time to create an entire course along with marketing and support for my current students?

I started by putting in 15 minutes a day. I traded out one episode of my favorite show for planning, learning, and implementing. I was very strict with my time so I wouldn’t get overwhelmed. When my 15 minutes were over, I moved on to the next thing on my schedule.

Starting your own VA business will take you way less time overall than building a course.

Go ahead and get started today! You can even count the 5 minutes it took you to read this article. Take the next 10 minutes and write down your motivation for building your business.

And if you want clear instructions on how to build your VA business, you can start by watching my free masterclass now!

References:

Forbes - How to Start a Business

Life Hacker - Level Up Your Productivity with ‘Time Pockets’