Entrepreneur Spotlight focuses on amazing ladies who are rocking their online businesses.
This week we have the delightful virtual assistant, Victoria Lofthouse, who helps busy, small business owners to save time and money, and turn their ideas into reality faster.
Hi Victoria, What’s your business name and what’s your business all about?
Hi there, I’m Victoria the proud owner and founder of No Drama Delegation.
I am a virtual assistant and I specialise in all things tech! Helping and supporting creative entrepreneurs and business owners get more of their wonderful content out into the world via their website, blogs, eMarketing newsletters and online courses. I am super passionate about the fact that no one should ever have to change their hopes, goals, dreams and business visions based on a fear of tech!
What was your “Big Why” that drove you to start your business?
I was made redundant back in 2009 from a corporate job that I absolutely loved; I was totally devastated! I never ever expected to be in that position and it really knocked the stuffing out of me. Both personally and professionally, I felt completely overwhelmed with what my next steps should be.
I realised I no longer wanted to be at the mercy of someone else’s decisions. Having been self-employed before, I decided to dip my toe into the entrepreneurial waters once more.
My Big Why is two things really:
- I always want to be in control of my own destiny
- I want to be flexible to allow me to spend more time with my lovely family and do all those things that seemed impossible when I had a corporate job.
What lights you up about your business?
Definitely, my clients. I get to work with amazing female creative entrepreneurs, ranging from business coaches, photographers, graphic designers, website designers, holistic therapists, and many more!
And they all have two things in common – they fear tech or they know how to do the techy stuff, but it just doesn’t light them up in the same way as it does for me.
To see them create and achieve their business goals with my support, and watch them fly and earn more money, just makes my heart sing. It could be an idea that has sat in a notebook for months, sometimes even years, because they didn’t know how to bring it all together or was scared!
What do you get to do in your business that was not possible in your 9-5?
I get to do so many things that weren’t possible in my 9-5 job, such as the school run, school holidays, or if one of my little ones is poorly. I know it doesn’t seem like much to some but just not having that feeling of guilt around taking that time to be a mum is amazing for me.
What daily habits do you without fail, that make a positive impact on your business day?
I have implemented a few things to my daily routine over the last year or two, some to make me more productive and others to just allow me to stay sane whilst working from home.
Using meditation is a big thing for me now, and I do this daily. Mainly in the morning and again in the evening. I am a busy mum with four children, a wife, chair of governors at my local primary school, and obviously a business owner too, so life can get pretty hectic at times.
It felt strange at first, I thought that meditation was all about sitting cross-legged and chanting. How silly do I feel now about that assumption!
It helps me focus and therefore means I get more done in the long run. I use a fabulous app called Calm that has all sorts of guided meditations. It has had a very positive impact on all areas of my life including my biz!
Would you say you’re living the “freedom lifestyle” and how does it look and feel to you?
I would say I feel well on the way to living the freedom lifestyle. For me it’s all about creating a life full of ease and flow. My business gives me the freedom to work when I want and from where I want.
I work a weekend or the odd evening if I want to, but not because I have to. For me, that is what the freedom lifestyle is all about – being able to do things on your terms.
Where do you see your business in two years’ time?
Wow, that is a difficult question and one that I have been giving lots of thought to recently. My goals for my business for the next two years are:
- To have launched an online member’s club to help those terrified of tech
- To continue to collaborate with some awesome businesswomen to help and support more women to get over their fear of tech
- To grow my business to the point where I need to take on an employee or two
What’s the one piece of advice you’d like to give to a woman who’s considering starting a business, or who’s finding the initial set up of her business longer or a little trickier than expected?
Ooh, there are so many pieces of advice I would give but I suppose the main ones are:
- Surround yourself with lots of lovely people who will cheer you on and help you through the tough times. Being in business can be tough and isn’t all about pixies and rainbows. Find your lady goddesses and hang on to them!
- Ditch the perfection, is another big one. We spend so much time saying really mean stuff to ourselves in our heads that we would never dare to say to someone else out loud – in the beginning, this was the biggest thing that held me back without a doubt.
What’s your favourite motivational phrase/quote/mantra?
“I can’t change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination.” ~ Jimmy Dean
I love this quote; it reminds us all that whilst we cannot control things, we can control how we react. Businesses are always changing, evolving and sometimes will go down a path you never even expected. But, as long as we keep our eyes on the end goal, whatever that maybe, that’s what matters. It doesn’t pay to get too hung up on your route to getting there.
Where can we see more about you and your delightful offerings?
It was wonderful hearing about you and your business on the Entrepreneur Spotlight, Victoria. Thank you for sharing with us, and my very best wishes to you for the future, Sharon xox
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