Episode Show Notes
Creating and Growing a Successful Virtual Staffing Business with Louise Sandoval
In episode 38 of the Breakthrough Babe Podcast, I’m thrilled to have my first guest on this show, Louise Sandoval! Louise joins us all the way from the Phillippines. She owns an agency called Smart Virtual Stuff, and they provide virtual assistants to digital entrepreneurs and CEOs all around the world. I started working with her over a year ago, and I have been so impressed by the quality of her work, her responsiveness, and her enthusiasm. We’ll be talking today about rowing a successful virtual staffing business and how she saw an over 200% growth in her business last year, during a pandemic! I am so excited for you, Breakthrough Babe, to hear her perspective.
But before we dive right in, let me introduce myself in case this is your first visit. I am your host, Jen Gitomer, creator of Breakthrough Babe and author of the best-selling book, Sales in a New York Minute.
And it is time to make massive breakthroughs in YOUR life. With each episode, you are going to move past your fears of asking for the sale, learn to build deep connections that lead to meaningful business results, and master sales strategies that will help you grow and scale your business. Each week, I will be providing you with tips to avoid common mistakes in your business, teach hacks to help you grow and scale faster, and teach you to ALWAYS ask for the sale with confidence.
It is time for you, the Breakthrough Babe, to create more sales, income, and connections in your business. Let’s get started!
In this episode, Louise and I will discuss growing a successful virtual staffing business, no matter what your circumstances are. For even more inspiration, listen to ALL of episode 38 of the Breakthrough Babe Podcast on your fave streaming platform.
Louise’s background and how she started her business.
When she was young, the thought of being an entrepreneur didn’t even cross Louise’s mind. She didn’t realize that was possible for her. Like many people in her culture, she thought she had to be a doctor and move to the U.S. to be successful. While she was in college she worked in medical technologies. And to help pay for school and expenses, she and her future husband decided to sell cheesecakes. They looked up recipes online, promoted their work on social media, and took advantage of a dorm full of hungry girls who loved sweets. She didn’t know it yet, but selling those cheesecakes was the start of her becoming an entrepreneur.
Later, Louise wasn’t able to take her board exams because of debts from school. She was disappointed at first and tried to look for other opportunities. She eventually found a website where she could apply to be a virtual assistant. That was the start of her interest in virtual assisting and sparked the idea for her business. Louise’s story reminds us to see problems as opportunities. Things don’t always work out the way we want, but so often, we look back and see that was the best thing.
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How Louise grew her business by over 200%.
When the pandemic hit, being locked up in her home didn’t stop Louise from putting out value. So many people last year realized that they really could do business online, and her business was able to help with that. She took the opportunity to learn by reading a lot of books on sales. And she recognized that sales is not about putting a dollar sign on every corner. It’s about offering value and meeting people’s needs.
Louise made an effort to form relationships, even during the pandemic. We both agree that pitching is about making conversation. She doesn’t use a formal script or pitch deck when she talks to clients. Instead, she focuses on having a conversation and taking an interest in people. She listens to their needs. Her authenticity makes people want to work with her.
Because of her success, Louise is able to give back to her community. She now employs over 50 people. The average income for someone in The Philippines is around $200 US dollars per month. But as a virtual assistant, her employees could earn anywhere between $500 and $3,000 per month, depending on skillset and experience. Louise reminds us that we don’t have to be afraid of money. She used to think about money differently. She didn’t want to be someone who got money and became arrogant and selfish, forgetting where they come from. But she made a shift to an abundance mindset. She realized that having money empowered her to give back generously.
About your host
Jen Gitomer gained her prowess in NYC as both a salesperson and award-winning sales leader for a Fortune 500 company. She left corporate America to fulfill her entrepreneurial dream. Jennifer helps entrepreneurs increase their revenue and profit through her proven sales strategies. In addition to the Breakthrough Business Babe Podcast, Jennifer co-hosts the Sell or Die podcast with her husband, Jeffrey.
She is the best-selling Author of Sales in a New York Minute – 212 Pages of Real-World, Easy to Implement Sales Strategies to Make More Sales, Build Loyal Relationships and Make More Money, the CEO and Founder of Breakthrough Business Babe and a master business growth coach. When she’s not working, you’ll find Jen planning her next Paris trip, taking a yoga class, playing tennis, or hanging out with her family and Cavalier King Charles fur babies.
Why Louise is selective when taking on clients.
A lot of times when first starting a business, we just want to say yes to everyone, welcoming every possible client. But this actually hurts in the long run. The wrong clients will create less money for you because they are so draining. It’s better to focus on your ideal clients, the ones who light you up and fill you with purpose.
Louise agrees that the selection process is very important. That’s why she focuses on building relationships with people. She can know if she wants to work with someone based on the relationship they have. She’s willing to make less in the short term to build a solid foundation and make more in the long term.
How Louise learned to let go and delegate.
As entrepreneurs, especially when we are first starting out, we often just want to do everything ourselves. It’s hard to let go and delegate parts of our business to other people. We may think that only we can do it best. But here’s the reality: except for whatever your unique zone of genius is, there are SO many people who can do most things in your business better than you. For me, I’m awesome at making sales and teaching other people how to do it. But all the other aspects of my business? So many people are better at them than me. Doing that reality check will help you make the mindset shift to be able to delegate.
When Louise was able to get her own assistant, it was actually really hard for her to let go and delegate at first. She thought, “This is what my clients feel like!” When your business feels like your baby, it’s hard to let go of it. But now she sees the amazing benefits having an assistant allowed her. She doesn’t have to worry about her schedule or responding to a million emails. It frees up her time, and she’s able to create so much more. Her business is more successful because of her ability to let go of it.
Creating and Growing a Successful Virtual Staffing Business with Louise Sandoval: The Bottomline
Investing in yourself is worth it every time. Both Louise and I have seen that in our business. And that’s why we are working on creating a new course together. It’s called Do More in 24. It’s about how to find, hire, and delegate to your virtual assistant. I only wanted to do this course if I could do it with Louise. She has a totally different perspective because she sees the back end of when we give instructions to a virtual assistant. The course has both of our perspectives, and we are so excited about it! The course doesn’t come out for a while, but you can join the waitlist. And to connect with Louise, check out her Facebook page.
Be sure to tune in to episode 38 of the Breakthrough Babe Podcast. And if you love this episode and learned alot about growing a successful virtual staffing business, don’t forget to take a screenshot, share it on your Instagram stories and tag me @jengitomer so that we can spread this important message to even more entrepreneurs and biz babes!