Briefing In

Basic Life Skills: WFH Edition

June 03, 2024 • a podcast for VAs by VAs • Season 1 • Episode 7

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We all want to be effective and efficient at our jobs, but what does that actually mean? And what’s the first step we need to take to get there? In this episode, we go back to the basics with Charm, an Account Executive for an international Digital Marketing company who has experience as a Project Manager, and we talk about how you don’t need to look at 10-20 different ways of doing things in order to be productive. The simpler, the better.

Charm and Chelsea explore the critical importance of mastering basic productivity tools, and how these are the backbone of efficiency, enabling freelancers and Virtual Assistants to get ahead of the game by understanding how to manage their time effectively, streamline tasks, and maintain a high level of organisation. From project management software to communication platforms, we've got you covered!

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TIMESTAMPS:

(00:00) - Opening Spiel
(00:53) - Introducing Charm
(06:25) - Chapter 1: The importance of productivity tools
(09:43) - Chapter 2: What and how?
(20:33) - Chapter 3: Common mistakes
(26:30) - Chapter 4: Experience with rejection
(30:22) - Chapter 5: Learning and experience
(36:30) - Chapter 6: What does having a career mean?
(42:48) - Chapter 7: Goals and ambitions 


CONNECT WITH CHARM:

Instagram: @cndcharm

Read the full transcript of Episode 7 here.


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Intro
Hi everyone, and welcome back to the Briefing In podcast.

Time management and organization are fundamental when it comes to achieving peak productivity, but they're actually not that easy to put into practice. So in today's episode, we'll be covering the essential productivity tools that VAs should invest in when they're just getting started.

I'm your host, Chelsea, and this is Briefing In.

Working from home requires a lot of self discipline, because you need to know how to manage yourself, your time, and your workload. The best way to do that is by putting systems in place that will help you work efficiently and effectively. But with tons of different apps and tools out there to try, where do you start?

I had the chance to attend a talk on this exact topic given by today's guest. So I'm beyond thrilled that she's joining me today to share her insights with all of our listeners. So our guest's career started in 2020 when she landed her first job as an agent for a BPO company. However, her true passion lies in marketing.

So through a friend's referral, She applied to a digital marketing company based in Australia. She worked as an outreach manager, focusing on sending proposals to potential clients and promoting their services. After a year and a half, she was then promoted to account executive, taking on responsibilities, such as client communication, managing team client interactions, and providing reports and market research.

Since then, she's worked for two international digital marketing companies, developing strategies for various clients, creating content, captioning, handling influencer management, and reporting. Our guest for today is Charm. So welcome to the Briefing in Podcast, Charm.

Hi, Chelsea. Thanks for having me.

How's your weekend been?

Pretty chill. Um, yeah, I had so much fun. I think last night I just went out to dinner with my friends and then also had tennis. So yeah, pretty chill so far, but I think I'm gonna spend my weekend watching, cause it's the race weekend, so I might watch Formula 1 with my family.

Oh, that's fun. Okay, so like I said earlier, Charm, we met through the Elevate workshop that was organized by From Here in Cebu.

So, it was really cool to see like, people from different industries sharing their experiences, and I really learned a lot, from your talk, especially. So I really loved how you just, I don't know, made such a scary topic more approachable, you know, and you really went back to the basics and just, Simplified things.

So can you share with us, your experience with the Elevate workshop and how you're prepared for it and stuff like that?

Yeah, sure. Oh my god, you know, like, honestly, I wasn't very happy with my presentation in the workshop because –

How come? 

It wasn't really my best, like, honestly. It's been a while since I last publicly spoke, so I got super nervous.

Yeah, to the point where I was catching my breath and my voice was shaking. I'm pretty sure all of you noticed that I was super nervous.

No,  I couldn't tell.

Thank you for that. But I really noticed everything. But yeah, I really tried to make it understandable. I tried to calm myself down and just made sure that everyone can learn something.

I didn't really have enough time to prepare really thoroughly – dedicate my time to practicing stuff like that. I was also super busy with my work back then. So I didn't really have enough time to prepare. So yeah, I got conscious, I got intimidated.

But yeah, basically, I was overthinking. So that's why I got super nervous. But I really hope someone or like everyone learned something from my talk back then.

I did. That's why I was really nervous to reach out to you because that was the first and only time, right, that we got to interact, was at the workshop, but I just really think your topic was so valuable.

And I've told you this before, like something worth sharing to people. So I was really, really happy that you said yes, actually.

Aw, thanks Chels.

So yeah, your topic during the workshop was about productivity tools, right? So what's the story behind the topic you decided to present?

I was assigned to that topic, but I think I’m quite comfortable in sharing those kinds of stuff, because I tried different types of platforms all over my career journey.

So since I was starting in the BPO industry up until now we – also kind of use pretty similar tools or like platforms in the BPO and also in the VA world. Things like, Microsoft Teams, Slack, like those communication platforms and also those productivity platforms that we use such as Google Docs, spreadsheets, things like that.

So I think for me, I'm very much willing to share those because I do have some, you know, bits and pieces of like ideas and how to use them and also the common ones that I observed when I join companies when I work with clients. So I noticed the common things that we usually use.

So yeah, I'm very much excited to share to the audience what are those platforms and how to use them. And also maybe some tips that I can share on how to use them and why is it really important to know them beforehand.

Chapter 1: The Importance of Productivity Tools
Yes. That's exactly what I wanted to talk to you about, like productivity tools. And in your personal opinion, Charm, before we kind of get into what those essential tools are.

Why is it so crucial, right? For like, VAs, freelancers, or even those, like you said, in the BPO industry, to really familiarize themselves with these productivity tools from the get go?

I think it's super important, because it's a plus point for you and also in the eyes of the client. Personally, I think it increases a small percentage of being accepted.

Because it shows that you're an expert and you know you're familiar with those things. So you don't need some training. So it saves so much time for you and the client. And also there's no need for in depth training of the tools. So we can focus on the training of your tasks, your deliverables, or the ways of working in that company or with your client, which is the main thing, right?

It helps you get more done, more things done, with less effort. It makes you more productive and also an effective VA.

So it's like an edge, right, to already know how to use these tools. When you started out Charm, did you already kind of have, like, background knowledge on them? Or did someone also kind of give you the tip that you should totally learn these tools so that you can have this edge?

When I started back then, like, transitioning from the BPO world to the VA world, in terms of, those common tools that are being used, especially those communication tools, and also documentation tools. I'm pretty much familiar, which is a good thing.

But there are some platforms that every company has – like it varies per company, right? Each company, they have their own productivity tool. They have their own project management tool. So you still have to learn that a bit.

But if you're familiar with one tool already, then that's good. It's pretty much the same with the other tools. So I did a little bit of training before, when I started, just one to two days of training and the rest was all good already.

So yeah, you don't really need to have an in-depth-training. Like I said earlier, all the resources for those tutorials or training are available on the website of the specific platform that your company is going to use or also on YouTube.

So it's very straightforward and if you're totally new, then you can feel free to ask for training, but it's better if you know that beforehand. You can search everything on the internet. It's always available there.

Very true. Yeah, like everything is basically like a Google search away. And yeah, there really are so many, like, how-to videos also on YouTube.

Chapter 2: Tools Every VA Should Know About
But yeah, so let's get into these productivity tools. So if I was Like, a newbie. Like, completely no VA experience or work from home experience. And I reached out to you, Charm, and was like, "Charm, please help a girlie out. Where should I start? Like, which tools should I look into?"

Yeah, sure. I think the most common one is on the communication tools because of course you are working remotely. You're working from home. So you're not working with them physically and communication is very important, like sending some updates, things like that.

So I highly suggest you learn Slack. I think that's the most common communication tool that is being used in most of the VA companies or like most of the clients that I had experience with and also with my friends who experienced, you know, having VA jobs as well, they commonly use Slack. So it's a very straightforward communication tool.

The how-to tutorials are also available on YouTube, but if you are okay with self learning, then that's perfectly fine because like I said, it's very straightforward.

And another common communication tool would be Google Meet and Zoom. So, it's really important for you to familiarize, like, how to use Zoom and Google Meet.

Most especially if you need to turn your mic on or your camera on, it's kind of important because you know, you have to mute sometimes or unmute sometimes – which is also very straightforward. I guess I believe all our listeners here know how to unmute and mute themselves.

But yeah, I do have just an experience to share. We did have one audience from our workshop. She reached out to me asking for some help on how to, you know, use those tools. So I did a very dedicated or exclusive type of session with her.

She's a mom, actually, so she's not tech savvy enough. So I was like, “Okay, yeah, sure. I'll be very much happy to help you on how to use, you know, those tools.”

So firstly, she asked for some help on how to use Zoom, because right after our session, she had a Zoom meeting with her client. I taught her some things on how to use Zoom, and how to utilize those whiteboard thingies.  She's very willing to learn, and she really understood, and she applied that right after our session.

Right now, she's very confident in using Zoom already. So, I think using Zoom and Google Meet is one of the most common tools that we use communication wise.

And for project management tools, those are the tools where you can find all of your tasks. So, in my experience, I do experience a lot of project management tools.

Namely, ClickUp, Wrike, and Teamwork, which we currently use in our company right now. And also, Accelo. And there's a lot of other common brands, such as Trello. I also tried Trello. I tried Asana, but it wasn't really super straightforward for me. I think Asana is really not for me, but it's a very common tool that, you know, is being used in the VA world as well.

So I didn't have training for that. So that's why I don't find it straightforward, but I don't have training as well for Accelo, Teamwork, and Trello. So the purpose of the platforms are very similar. So it really depends on the company on which productivity tool or project management tool you will use but the ones that I mentioned are pretty common in the VA world.

Also Monday.com. I haven't tried Monday.com, but I heard it's very common. And it's being used all over the VA world. Also, Google Docs, Google Sheets, Google Workspace in general, it's very nice for doing your documents, doing some invoices in the spreadsheet, or like organizing some notes or things that you need to write down.

Google Drive is also very important because you will put all your files there, your documents there. It's nice to know all of the Google Workspace tools in general, and they are also very straightforward, so you don't have to worry about those things.

Yeah, I think that's it. I hope I didn't miss anything, but I do believe these are like the super common productivity tools that are being used.

Wow. Thanks, Charm. So like, I think 50 percent of the tools you just mentioned, I haven't even personally heard of. So it's just interesting to know that all of these other tools exist and they can really kind of supplement, I guess, us in doing our jobs, which is honestly, so helpful.

And I love that you shared, about how that one audience from the workshop reached out to you and kind of asked for a quick consultation because, yeah, honestly, if the pandemic hadn't happened, if we didn't have to go online, if we didn't have to study online or, like, work online. I don't think I would know how to send a Google Meet or a calendar invite.

I don't think I would know how to send a Zoom meeting link. But these are things that you do every single day now.

And even like the Google Workspace as well. It's so intimidating at first, right? Because there's so many different things in the workspace, but then once you kind of get the hang of using them, you learn that it's so much easier to integrate all these different parts of the Google Workspace because, well, first of all, they're all under Google, so they can all like  be like synchronized and and stuff like that, which is so helpful.

Yeah, true. And they're also pretty similar to Microsoft 360. So, you know, that's the OG and we've been using that ever since we were like, you know, in our computer class in grade school. So we are already on boarded on those tools. So it's just pretty similar to Google Workspace, it's just that the Google ones are available online.

And I do think Microsoft 360 is the one that you can use even if you're offline, right? 

And in terms of, I guess, because I'm sure like you work with clients every day – in terms of also your clients knowing how to navigate the tools that you're using. Has that ever been an issue or did you find that all these tools are also very not just VA friendly, but also client friendly.

Most of the platforms that I use or the tools that I use are provided by the company. So the company or the clients already know those tools, but I also discover some tools that can help my productivity. So just like AI, and I introduced AI to my boss before, when Chat GPT just started I introduced that to my boss and he was so shocked about it.

So I was the one who introduced it to him and explained to him how it works, you know, what's the purpose of that tool. And also it's very straightforward to use and it's VA friendly and also client friendly. So yeah.

What's your take, by the way, charm on like subscription based platforms? I feel like, they just can't be avoided at this point.

But do you think it's good for beginners and first timers to already invest in subscription based platforms? Or should they maybe explore trial subscriptions before going into actual plans.

Actually, you can really definitely start at free trials first. That's what I also do, but it's really a good investment to have a paid plan. But I highly, highly suggest to first try the free trial.

Even like Chat GPT, there's like a free version of that but they have like Chat GPT 4 which is a paid version and it just works similarly. ChatGPT 4 just has, you know, a bit of an edge compared to Chat GPT 3. There's some features that are not available in Chat GPT 3, but Chat GPT 3 is more than enough for you to help you in your work.

So that's just an example, but if you compare it to Canva Pro or like any other paid platform, I do think the free trial version is just enough for you to do your work. But if you want to, of course, elevate your work – your can also utilize those tools at their highest level.

Then you can definitely subscribe and invest in one. You can even ask your boss or your client if that's okay with them to shoulder that payment. Because of course at the end of the day, it's still for the client for the company and it's for you.

So in my work we ask our boss or our CEO to shoulder those expenses because, of course, it's not just for us, it's for everyone, it's for the whole team, it's even for the boss himself or herself.

That's really great advice, actually. Like, yeah, I guess explore it first before making that kind of investment. Because yeah, it really is for work.

So if any of our listeners haven't been convinced yet that productivity tools are really, really important, hopefully after hearing what you've just shared, Charm, they're convinced now. And they're already starting to kind of do the research.

Chapter 3: Common Mistakes
But from your experience, and I guess you've had plenty of years of experience under your belt already. So what do you think is the most common mistake that VAs or freelancers make when they first start out?

Right. Okay. I think mistakes are very common. They're pretty common. Especially if it's your first time. I admit, I also made a lot of mistakes in the past.

Like, even up until now, I still make some mistakes. And sometimes I even think mistakes are okay because you learn from them, right? And yeah, like I said, it's really okay. It's normal to make mistakes. It's just a matter of learning from those mistakes and making sure you won't be able to make those mistakes moving forward.

Committing the same mistakes over and over again is a different kind of thing. So it turns to a habit. I do think the most common mistake that a VA or a new newbie VA or freelancer would do is accepting too many projects at once?

Kinda guilty of that? Right? I think it's either because of the excitement and the enthusiasm, and of course, it's because of the fear of turning down those opportunities.

Absolutely.

Which I really understand though, it's your first time and you know, a lot of projects are coming in or like a lot of projects you're interested in are already there in front of you. But you also need to consider the fact that this could lead to burnout and even compromise the quality of your work.

So you could even miss your deadlines, things like that. Your personal life would be so chaotic as well. So you need to consider those stuff. And I think my advice would be don't be afraid to start small. Just find your cadence first, find your rhythm first, and then there you can slowly accept other projects.

And I think another thing would be overlooking things, like failing to notice something. I'm also very guilty about that.

Like for example, there's an email that is sent to you and the deadline of it is, for example, this Friday. And you had a catch up with your boss, you had a one on one with your boss or your manager and then they ask “did you see that email”, something like that, but you overlooked that email.

So it's a very common thing, but all you have to do is just learn from those mistakes and maybe my suggestion to address that mistake – I just highly suggest to practice your attention to detail skills because this is one of the skills that is really required and also a lot of employers or clients would look for.

And in order to also practice that, I think you have to be organized, not just physically organized, like organize your desk or organize your place.

Like organize in a way that you need to have a checklist or a planner or even plot those reminders in your calendar. So, another tool in Google Workspace – It's called Google Calendar, you can actually block your tasks there. So, it's another thing that I do just so I don't forget any of my tasks or like to do list during that day.

Basically, stay organized. List down everything. If you have a new task, an ad hoc task, like something that pops up randomly during the day. Don't remember it, just jot that down and put that in your list, put that somewhere else. Yeah, even plot on your calendar. So that's my tip.

Man, I really hope people are taking notes, because those things are so, so true, and to add to jotting down and, like, actually writing out things you need to remember instead of just thinking you're gonna remember them tomorrow.

Meeting minutes. Taking meeting minutes will literally save your life because the number of things you talk about in a meeting, and sometimes they are just kind of like brainstorming sessions or, you know, like kind of brain dumping, and you can't necessarily remember everything that you guys talk about during a meeting.

And I know it can be kind of tedious and boring to take meeting minutes, but they're really, really important. And you can look back on them a week or two weeks later and just have all that information in place.

Exactly. It's like, you know, that situation where you're eating in a restaurant and then the waiter just remembers everything that you ordered and doesn't list that down.

So you don't really feel confident. Or like, you're gonna ask yourself, “is he really remembering all those orders?” Like, we had a lot of orders, so is it, like, okay? Is it fine? You're gonna worry if you're gonna miss something, so yeah, just jot those down, guys.

Yeah, and that's the best example, because also, chances are, they do kind of forget, like, one thing.

Yeah.

Yeah. Like, even if it's not an actual dish, they might forget that you ordered two of that dish.

Hopefully, the listeners don't make the same mistakes and they learn from our experiences.

Chapter 4: Experience with Rejection
But, you know, challenges and rejections, I want to say, are also something that's pretty common when you're already starting out in the workforce when you're starting to work, and it's really part of the journey, but it also really hurts. So what's your experience with rejection, Charm? And have you experienced that at all since you started working?

Oh gosh, I experienced a lot of rejections. So, just to give you guys a little bit of context, my nature of work involves a lot of rejection.

Like, a lot. Because as a social media account executive, you have to propose a campaign, you need to propose an idea, or a concept, but sometimes 80 percent of them get rejected.

There are some clients who are very hard to please. They're also very nitpicky, things like that. So, you know, you're gonna feel like, oh my god, my effort, the effort of those proposals are down the drain. But I don't really take that personally and I don't take that in a negative way. I just make that as a motivation to improve and work harder, look for something else, look for a different angle.

That's an example from, you know, my end. But here's a common thing that I think a lot of us would experience. In terms of applying for a job, it's super normal to, and also common to face rejections. Like when I started, I got rejected from like those BPO days. I got rejected from three companies before I landed my first ever company.

You know, they have their own reasons, but I don't count that as a failure. I also think of that as an opportunity and, again, a motivation to improve. And I also think of that as a blessing because, you know, maybe that company or that client isn't really for me.

Or maybe just God made this happen because He knows that the company is not the best for me. Maybe it's too toxic there or maybe I won't grow there etc.

So, you know, I just set my mindset in a positive way and be optimistic that the perfect company or client will always come to me. So if you get rejected, just try and try. You just need to have that perseverance, that grit.

That is a really great mentality. And I feel like it always comes with hindsight now too, that exactly what you just said, like looking back on those rejections now and thinking about the three other companies that rejected you, the BPO companies.

Who knows, maybe if you were employed in those companies, you wouldn't be where you are now, which is pursuing marketing, which is what you've always wanted.

Yeah.

And working with like international clients.

Exactly. Yeah. A hundred percent.

But yeah, thank you for sharing that insight Charm.

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Chapter 5: Qualities to Have in Your Circle
You've also had the chance to work as a project manager, which is something we haven't actually talked about on the podcast. So you have a very unique perspective on team dynamics and working with a group of people. So what do you personally look for when you're in the process of onboarding new members to your team?

Right. Okay. I think as a PM or a project manager, I'm more focused on different aspects. I don't really look into the experience. I don't look into the skills. But of course, I would a hundred percent acknowledge them. It's  nice to have that type of thing. But I just want the team to be eager to learn, to have that mentality about willingness to learn.

Because if you're like a sponge who loves to absorb things and, you know, absorb those learnings and apply those learnings as well, then I'm very confident that you will succeed. Because your willingness to learn will continuously improve you, not just in work, but also in life as well. And yeah, you can achieve all of your deliverables if you are very willing to learn.

So I think that's just that, especially if you are new. I think the eagerness to learn is a very important mindset or like skill that you need to have. Yeah, that's it.

That is really true. And I think honestly, sometimes. You can see, right? You can kind of see in the person when they don't have that mindset.

You can feel it.

Yeah, you can. Yeah. So not only is it difficult to work with them, but it also, again, since you're a PM and you're kind of responsible for a whole team, you can almost foresee or predict how it will affect your team as a whole as well, which is really important to consider, also.

I wonder if that's something you can teach, right? Like willingness to learn. I wonder if that's something you can just show someone or it's really based on personal, kind of, value.

Yeah, it depends on the –

It depends, yeah. Okay. This is a little bit of a fun question since you know, so far, you've shared about all the productivity tools and the basics and the essentials that VAs should have.

But what is in your VA or work-from-home recycle bin. So like, are there productivity tools you've used in the past that you kind of found were just not serving its purpose, were like a waste of your time, or just, you know, aren't worth it anymore?

Most of my files in my bin are just, you know, images that I download from the clients, like the clients requests, things like that. Or maybe even files that we don't use anymore because we have our own clients as well.

Like, the client of my company is not working with us anymore, so we have to delete all their files and stuff like that. So, it's just that basically.

But like, in terms of tools though, I deleted this. Not because I think it's not helping me, but I just deleted it because I ended my contract with them, so I don't have to use it anymore.

But honestly, I hated this productivity tool.

Oh yeah?

It's a time tracker. So, I really forgot the name of that tool, but it's a time tracker and it also captures the movement of your desktop or your laptop. It captures everything, what site or what tabs you're going into, it captures everything.

And also you have to really time yourself in the required working hours. So if it's 7.5 hours, then you need to track 7 hours and 30 minutes in your time tracker. So, I personally don't like a company that has time tracking. I understand if some of the companies require some time tracking because of course you need to also check if your employees are really working by the clock.

But I personally don't like that. That's why I looked for a different company that has a flexible schedule, doesn't require any time tracking. Yeah, and I also didn't like the fact that it captures everything that I do in my device.

So it's in my bin right now, and so happy that it's not with me anymore.

So like, let's just say you went on to Jollibee or something like you wanted to order something from Jollibee on the Jollibee website, like it could see that you are ordering Jollibee at this time, and you are on the Jollibee website.

Okay, but I have heard of a lot of, kind of, outsourcing agencies that do do that. And I also heard about like – I guess it is pretty common, actually, now that you mentioned it, for a lot of work from home jobs to require that.

But yeah, it really does depend. I guess I feel like creative tasks and creative projects and jobs, like you can't just put a time limit on those. Maybe daily admin work, like maybe checking emails or something, updating a website, procedural tasks, maybe, but yeah, I don't know.

Not the biggest fan of that too.

Chapter 6: What Does Having a Career Mean?
So, for this segment, Charm, kind of shifting gears a bit, I want to do a little career talk with you. So, first of all. What does having a career mean to you? And how do you search for meaning in your career?

For me, having a career means that it's a profession that you want to do for a long time. I think back then, when I was still in senior high school, we had this personal development subject, and we differentiate career and job.

So, from what I learned, a career is something that you will really work on on a long term basis. Whereas, a job is just something you do for a short period of time. And also a job is something that you apply while working on your career. So, basically a career is just something that you want to do for a long time, where you really work hard for it, and you really gain and learn skills and experiences for it.

So for me, that's a career. And it's not just about earning money, unlike jobs, right? Because jobs are just like earning money for the sake of, you know, having something to pay the bills, things like that.

But a career is your passion. It's something that you really wanted to achieve or like the type of work that you really want to achieve in life. It's just about finding something you really enjoy

Like me, I really do love marketing. So I'm very um happy to be here in this industry already, because it's something that I really want. I really am passionate about, so like I said, it's just about finding meaning and purpose in what you do and feeling proud, of course, on those accomplishments and achievements along the way in your career.

And I do think I find meaning in my career if I am happy with it. So there's the saying that “you'll never be tired in your work if you love your work.” So I 100 percent believe in that because now that I'm working in marketing, I do strategies for clients, you know, suggesting some content for them, doing content calendars for them and also doing some audits for them and also doing competitor research.

I love those kinds of things. So I'm really happy. And I do think I feel tired, tired in a way that I have a lot that's going on in my work, like my tasks are piled up. But if you look at the bright side or like if you look at the overview or like, you know in general, you're doing something you love. So I don't really get tired of doing those strategies.

I am very much willing to do some strategies, even for local businesses here in Cebu because it really practices my skills. And also being able to learn from insights of other companies on my work. So I'm just super happy with my work. And there I find meaning in my work.

I love how, again, like a really great mindset, you just have like a really, really great mindset around your career and about learning.

And, you know, we're also kind of going full circle with the willingness to learn once again. And I can totally understand now why it's something you really value in others because it's something you foster and nurture within yourself as well.
And that's also really true how I think sometimes when we think about careers or success even, we think it's like a finish line.

But it shouldn't be. Like what you said, you should always look for more and try to continue to do more and explore other ways of doing your job. And when you also said actually about how. Yeah, you have a lot of tasks and it's kind of piling up, but you still really enjoy it because it's marketing, which is your passion, but it involves, like, all these other kinds of tedious tasks.

I'm reminded of something that I also kind of heard from, I think this was my parents’ boss actually, but my parents bosses had a, yeah, they had a meeting and they kind of talked about how you really do need to focus on the small picture. Because the small picture makes up the big picture and that's what that is.

Like the big picture is marketing. The big picture is getting into marketing and finally doing your dream job. But the small picture is like, doing all these strategies and like working with sometimes difficult clients and starting from scratch on projects and learning different platforms and whatnot.

But, I think everything that you just said kind of perfectly summarizes, again, the willingness to learn trait,  if that makes sense.

Yeah, totally makes sense. I love what you said. I love everything that you said exactly.

And personally also, it's so nice to see – I don't know, it's nice to see just like people our age or people in our generation who really care a lot about their careers and are go-getters and they also have like a healthy relationship with success.

Not that it's coming from like outside external factors or things like that. I know it's very inspiring to see that sharing.

Chapter 7: Ambitions in Life
But yeah, so given all that Charm, do you have a great ambition in life, both professionally and personally? And would you mind sharing it with us? 

Yeah, sure. So, my biggest goal in life is to be financially free, because if you're financially free, then you're able to do everything that you want.

If you want to travel all over the world, around the world, then you can do that. If you're financially free, then if you want to buy your dream car, your dream house, everything, you can achieve all of those stuff if you're financially free. 

So, of course, I'm not gonna say stick to marketing. I'm also planning to have my own business as well, but I might be focusing more on the marketing side because that's my forte and also I need to learn about the operations, of course because you know building a business needs to – you really need to know the operations side as well.

And also the other aspects of your business. Financial aspect, operational aspect, and other aspects in the business. But, you know, marketing is really my forte and I think I learned this from my subject also before when I was still studying. Marketing is the one that makes your business grow. So that's why I really love marketing.

Like I said, I want to have my own business soon. And then, yeah, my main goal is to actually be financially free. 

I love that. Who knows, maybe like, the next time you'll be on the podcast again Charm, if I get to invite you in the future, like, you'll already be talking about your own marketing agency. 

That's in the works. So, yeah, hopefully soon. 

Exciting. Wow. But, that's actually all of the things that I want to talk about with you, Charm. So, thank you so, so much for sharing so many valuable insights and just helping our listeners be more educated and be more informed with regards to, like, using all these different productivity tools and also sharing such a great mindset that you've had when it comes to work and career.

It's really been honestly, such a pleasure having you on the podcast today. 

Thank you also for this opportunity because I also really want to, you know, share my learnings, my experiences to aspiring VAs. So I hope our listeners can learn something from this podcast. And I'm also pretty sure that we are also able to help our listeners by providing a playbook for them.

Cause I'm also sure I missed some of the tools that I mentioned earlier. I'll make sure to list everything down in those playbooks. So it's going to be available for all of our listeners here. And I really hope you can learn something from it and best of luck to you all if you're going to go into the VA world.

Just feel free to ask some questions. I'm also very much willing to help all of you. Like I said earlier, there's one person from our audience who reached out to me asking for some help with productivity tools and how even how to use them and like anything VA related, I can really also do the same for you all.

So thank you so much also Chelsea for having me. I'm really grateful for this opportunity. 

Wow. Oh my gosh. I'm so excited for that. And yes, absolutely. Another really exciting thing about this collaboration with Charm is the playbook that we worked on together. So it's for the listeners. It's free for everyone.

So let us know what you guys think. And if you have any more questions, and we will be including Charm's contact details on the playbook as well. So you can reach out to her. 

But yeah, we hope you guys enjoyed today's episode. Please keep your eyes peeled for that playbook. And I hope you'll catch us on the next one. 

I'm your host, Chelsea. 

And I'm Charm. 

And we're Briefing Out.