What is going on in the online space as we embark on 2022? How have things in the digital workspace shifted over the last year or two? And how does that impact service providers like you?
Subscribe to the podcast here
Today I’m excited to speak with some legendary women, who I have gained inspiration from and who have truly helped me become the leader of The Ops Authority. They are dear friends who I share audiences with, and we are here to talk about the “State of The Union” for service providing professionals
On this panel we have Lauren Golden, Jordan Gill, Sara Wiles, Tasha Booth, Micala Quinn, and Sarah Noked, and I know you’re going to love hearing the perspectives from each of us about where the service provider world is heading as we move into 2022. This is part 1 of 2, so be sure to come back next week for the second part of our conversation.
The State of Service Providing
As service providers you have taken the gift that God has given you and turned it into a sellable asset that you are able to partner with your client and serve them with those gifts. These women have gone before you and this is what we think is working and not working, and we want to help you to see how to move forward in 2022.
We are keeping an eye on what the market is looking for, and how things are changing because we want you to be the most successful that you can be. We want you to be the next best version of yourself!
“When you are successful, we are fulfilled.” – Natalie Gingrich
What has been/is working for service professionals?
- [Micala] The demand of companies hiring, and the amount of opportunities for service providers has grown so much
- Paying attention to what is happening in the world and how it is impacting business owners, and yourself as a freelancer
- People who didn’t panic and throw in the towel in 2020 were able to pivot
- Being consistent in the beginning and keep showing up
“The consistency of showing up, that built- up momentum, is what continues to propel them forward.” – Micala Quinn
- [Jordan] Owning that you are an expert, and coming in with an attitude of knowing what you are doing, and with a fresh perspective
“Shine brighter… own your stuff!” – Jordan Gill
- [Sara W.] When you first start out online, it’s like throwing spaghetti at the wall and you have to do it long enough to figure out what your unique online skill set is.
- Whatever unique skill set you have, there is a fit for that on someone’s team
- You can find work and clients that pay you well and treat you well and as the demand increases, the ability to create that business and do the work that you love to do is there
“You really don’t need 100 clients to be profitable in the work you are doing.” – Sara Wiles
How has the market changed in the last year for service providers?
- [Lauren] A lot of people were scared, but if we take it back to the data, that can shift us back into action
- Q1: 7.6 million job vacancies
- Q1-Q2: 2.1 million more job vacancies.
- People are leaving because they are reevaluating their lifestyle, mental health changes, childcare concerns
- There has been movement: 4.4 million people have left their jobs
- 6.5 million people were hired in Sept
- Many more people opening LLCs in 2020
- For example, hospitality has had a huge shift and many people have transferred their skills to online event planning
“A lot more people are connecting the dots in the market about how their skills are transferable to something that is going to bring them more job satisfaction.” – Lauren Golden
- [Sarah N] Movement has been at the speed of light when it comes to the online space
- The online world moves in dog years, and the last 24 months has exacerbated that to the millionth. We are seeing software evolve, and an explosion of activity in the online space
- We can get creative and move with a greater speed and efficiency that offline isn’t able to leverage
“There is a glimmer of light… and a lot of innovation in the digital space.” – Sarah Noked
- [Tasha] A lot of brick and mortar businesses who are online for the first time were technology resistant, and we as service providers have such an opportunity to support them
“As long as you show excellence and keep up the pace with what is happening around you, there is so much opportunity to support people who never thought they would need you, but need you more than ever right now.” – Tasha Booth
What shifts in employment opportunities have you seen?
- [Micala] When I first started, I was helping women who had online clients. Now more and more traditional businesses and companies are shifting from hiring employees to contract positions
- There is a huge shift in opportunity when people in your local community start to be open to the idea of hiring independent contractors
- The health community has huge opportunity for virtual support staff
- [Sara W] Regular people are starting to know what virtual assistants are, and she has seen a 300% increase in the beginning of 2021. More brick and mortar people are looking to hire virtual help
- [Sarah Noked] There has been a shift to wanting to work from home, now that many corporate types have gotten a taste of doing their jobs from home.]
- She is now seeing lawyers, dentists, and other professionals start trying to leverage their skills to figure out how to work in a digital capacity
“I’ve seen a lot of people loving working from home and that will have repercussions for many years to come.” – Sarah Noked
“You have the opportunity to work full time or build a service based business easier than you ever had in the past.” – Natalie Gingrich
What is the biggest obstacle you see service professionals struggle with?
- [Lauren] Years ago most people didn’t understand what freelancing was, or how accessible it was to them, and it’s become mainstream now. However, now there is more competition
- Because things have become mainstream, the people who really stand out are the people who are truly providing solutions
“As service providers, the people who win are the people who care more about their clients’ results than their own.” – Lauren Golden
- [Tasha] Since she works with established online service providers, an obstacle is going from thinking of themselves as implementers to thinking about themselves as the CEO of their business
- It’s a matter of treating your business as a business and figuring out how to vision for the future, then taking strategic steps towards that
- We are good at delivering, but when it comes to marketing in our business it’s hard
- It’s not a matter not knowing how to market, but rather the mindset of stepping into who you are and believing that you are amazing at what you do
- [Jordan] She sees a lot of service providers not know the boundaries that will help support them to serve in excellence
- You need to know how to best serve people, otherwise you will burn out
- Before you can help someone else, you need to know yourself really well so you can server at your highest capacity
As we wrap up 2021, you are in a really good position to be the next version of yourself! Don’t forget to join us for the second part of this conversation next week.
Weekly Ops Activity
Share a takeaway from today in the Facebook group.
Connect with our Panel:
Micala Quinn is a Kansas City mom, wife, former teacher, and current CEO solving the modern working mom dilemma. A FORBES and Fox4 KCTV featured contributor, Micala coaches women looking to lead and launch successful, sustainable freelance businesses. To date, more than 1,800 women across the country & world have enrolled in Overwhelmed to Overbooked. In late 2018, Micala launched the Live Free podcast to spread her freelancing method and mission throughout the world. A fixture in iTunes’ Top 20 for Entrepreneur podcasts, it has surpassed 160,000 downloads. When Micala is not leading the charge to provide women with the freedom to work and mother, you can catch her walking to the park with her kiddos, making cookies, or watching a rerun of Friends for the millionth time with her cute husband.
Jordan Gill, operations consultant and founder of Systems Saved Me, helps burned-out service providers replace their monthly retainers with virtual VIP Days. Her program Done In a Day™ has supported over 270 students create and sell their first VIP Days. She also has a podcast called Systems Saved Me with over 300 episodes all about how business owners navigate success with systems – of course! She currently lives in Dallas TX with her cavapoo Vivienne and collection of 1,000 piece jigsaw puzzles.
Sara Wiles is a Virtual Assistant Trainer and Online Business Mentor. She teaches women how to start and scale online businesses that provide work-life balance AND income from home. She’s also a wife, mama, dog mama, exercise enthusiast, champagne connoisseur, four-letter word addict.
Sarah Noked is the founder of Sarah Noked OBM and OBM School. Her mission is simple: to empower online Entrepreneurs and Online Service Providers to build thriving, profitable businesses with the help of streamlined systems, marketing automation, and a winning team. She is a leading authority and educator, sharing valuable resources and programs that support and train online service professionals with actionable tools to leverage their skills and translate their talents into profitable and meaningful businesses. To date, Sarah has trained thousands of aspiring Online Business Managers, and provided them with a proven framework to transition into the online service industry confidently, effectively, and successfully.
Lauren Golden is the fearless leader of The Free Mama Movement and a thriving community of tens of thousands of women who don’t want to choose between family and financial stability. Her mission is simple: Lauren wants to ensure that no mother ever has to sacrifice time with her babies in order to provide for them. Lauren is also a 2 Comma Club Award winner and a #1 International Bestselling Author. In her book, The Free Mama: How to Work from Home, Control your Schedule and Make More Money, she shares her own story — along with plenty of practical advice for anyone looking to leave the 9-5 behind and live a totally awesome, guilt-free life.
Tasha Booth is an agency owner, coach, and podcaster. She is the Founder & CEO of The Launch Guild – a full service launch support agency working with established coaches and course creators with Course & Podcast Launches. Her team is over 20 members strong and works together to support their clients in being able to focus back onto their zones of genius. Additionally, she mentors Virtual Support Pros, Launch Managers, & Agency Owners who are passionate and ready to grow their businesses while living life on their own terms, and she is the host of the How She Did That Podcast — a podcast for Virtual Support Pros to learn business and tech tips. Tasha has been featured in Forbes, Fast Company, and Entrepreneur, and she has appeared as a guest speaker for various summits and podcasts including Amy Porterfield’s “Online Marketing Made Easy,” and Julie Solomon’s “The Influencer Podcast.” Tasha is an Air Force wife to her husband Scott, stepmom to Grace & Meredith, and work from home dog mom to Stanly and Boomer. In her spare time, she watches true crime tv, sings karaoke, and tends to her organic vegetable garden.
Stay Connected:
Subscribe on your favorite podcast app.
Join the Ops Insiders Facebook Community:
Other Ways to Connect with Me:
Private Facebook Community
Facebook Page
Instagram
Share with your biz bestie