Lesson 8: Research your trainer!
If you are the sort of person who likes training – and training is good – especially ongoing professional development – make sure you research your trainer!
There are so many trainers out there now promising they can show you how you can make $10,000 in your first month or be a 6-figure VA in your first year it is hard to know who is legit and who has just worked out a great way to make money themselves!
If your trainer has only been in business one to three years they are NOT qualified to teach you how to be successful as a VA. Success means different things to different people of course – for some it’s making money and that is pretty much where it ends. For others it’s being at home for childcare or elder care needs. But for me, success as a business means you are making a profit, putting in tax returns and paying tax. If your ‘trainer’ isn’t doing that, are they truly a business? Can they teach you to be IN business and to RUN a business?
I’ve seen “trainers” who have only been in business themselves 12 months; others whose businesses never got off the ground. I’ve even seen people pass themselves off as trainers who were literally just rehashing webinars they had attended a few months before! How do I know? Because I was the one who signed them up to the webinars!
There are many reputable trainers out there – you need to research who they are! I did an episode of the Virtual Business Show – Ep 36 – that goes into detail about training that you might want to have a listen to. There is a lot of information there that you are going to want to know before you sign up with someone. Do your homework!