Grow Your VA & OBM Business: Soulpreneur Scaling Stories
You started your VA or OBM business for freedom, but somewhere along the way, it became chaotic. Whether you're scaling into overwhelm or feeling burned out and bored, there's a better way to grow.
This podcast helps virtual assistants and online business managers build sustainable, intentional businesses without working more hours or sacrificing the freedom you started this for. You'll discover how to specialize in work you actually love, attract premium clients who respect your boundaries, and create a business structure that supports your life instead of draining it.
With a mix of solo episodes and guest interviews, you'll get practical strategies and psychology-backed insights to finally move from reactive chaos to intentional, profitable growth.
We'll cover questions like:
- Why do I keep attracting clients for work I've outgrown?
- How do I know if I'm ready to specialize?
- Should I force myself into industry labels or create my own positioning?
- Why do I keep downplaying what I'm actually good at?
- How do I stop working 50+ hour weeks at the same income level?
- How do I raise my rates without losing all my clients?
- Is my offer wrong, or is it my audience?
- Should I quit my business or just evolve it?
- Why are people excited about my work but not buying?
- How do I know if this is fear or real misalignment?
- How do I make decisions from clarity instead of desperation?
What makes this podcast different:
I'm Andrea, a certified OBM who started as a VA in 2019 and built my own service business from the ground up. With 7 years of clinical psychology training (master's degree before leaving the PhD program), I bring therapy-level insight into business coaching. I don't teach generic "grow your audience" advice that doesn't work for DFY service providers. Instead, I focus on psychology-backed strategies tailored specifically to how VA and OBM businesses actually work - addressing both the external positioning work and the internal nervous system shifts needed to make sustainable change.
This isn't about hustle culture. It's about building a business that supports your actual life, with relationship-based marketing strategies designed for VAs & OBMs.
Ready to move from chaos to intentional growth? Press play!
Grow Your VA & OBM Business: Soulpreneur Scaling Stories
110. From Reactive Employee to Strategic CEO: How to Reclaim Your Business
Picture this: You just finished a client call. You showed up, you delivered, you were professional. But now you're staring at your to-do list feeling resentful. Not because the work is terrible or you hate your clients, but because somewhere along the way, you started feeling like someone else's assistant instead of a business owner.
In this episode, I'm breaking down the difference between operating as an employee in your business versus stepping into the CEO role, the three things that create this dynamic, and why you can have the perfect offer and systems but still feel stuck if your identity hasn't caught up.
Because if you're working hard but feeling like your business is running you instead of the other way around, this isn't about working harder, it's about stepping into a different role.
Ready to shift from employee mode to CEO? I'm offering a limited number of free 45-minute business audit calls, schedule yours below! ↓
Thank you for being a part of the Soulpreneur Scaling Stories community!
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🎧 Podcast produced and edited with love by @FerAssists 🩵
[00:00:00] Andrea Elibero: Andrea here, your host and passionate business coach and scaling strategist for soulful service providers and coaches. Welcome to another episode of Solepreneur Scaling Stories. Have you ever wanted to look behind the curtain of your fellow entrepreneur's business to see what actually went into scaling it?
[00:00:22] Andrea Elibero: Well, you are in for a treat 'cause that's exactly what we are doing here. In each episode, we will be uncovering the truth of the lessons and the stories behind what it truly takes for sold entrepreneurs to scale their businesses intentionally. I'm hoping that their stories will help you to unlock the true potential of your business so you can create your own soulful, abundant, and aligned laptop lifestyle through intentional scaling.
[00:00:46] Andrea Elibero: So whether you're just starting out on your scaling journey or you're a seasoned entrepreneur seeking inspiration, this episode has something incredible in store for you. Are you ready to rise, grow, and create a business that fully supports your dream life? Well, let's dive in. [00:01:00] Before we begin, make sure to hit that subscribe buttons.
[00:01:03] Andrea Elibero: You never miss an empowering episode filled with real stories and soulful insights.
[00:01:10] Andrea Elibero: Okay, welcome back to Solepreneur Scaling Stories. Today I'm really excited to talk about being an employee in your business versus being the CEO and what that means. So. Let's take a little example. Let's say that you just finished a client call, you showed up, you delivered, you were responsive, professional, exactly what you're supposed to be, and now you're staring at your to-do list and now you're feeling a little bit resentful and it's not like, you know, the work is terrible that you hate it, not because like you don't like your clients.
[00:01:46] Andrea Elibero: Somewhere along the way you really started to feel like someone else's or maybe not even like started to feel like, but you more and more so kept feeling like somebody else's [00:02:00] assistant and not a business owner. So you feel like an assistant or almost an employee for them, but in your own business, and that's what we're going to dive into.
[00:02:11] Andrea Elibero: Day. And so I'm really excited to chat about this. Okay. And the reason that this is coming up is because I have been doing these free business audits, which have been so much fun. They've been so amazing. And last week I was on a call with somebody and she had been in business for three years, right? She was making good money, regular clients, knows her stuff.
[00:02:33] Andrea Elibero: And she had told me on this call, she had actually used the phrase that she feels like that she is an employee of her own. Business and then something else happened. I did another business audit and they said something along really similar lines. So clearly there's a trend, right? Something is going on here.
[00:02:52] Andrea Elibero: And so if you have felt this way, I want you to know what one, you are very much not alone in this feeling, and two [00:03:00] that you know. I feel like it can be a part of the journey, and so, but it doesn't have to be. And so if you're feeling like this now or if you're like, wait, I don't want to feel like this.
[00:03:09] Andrea Elibero: Let's break it down. Okay, so think about a moment recently where you really felt like the CEO. You're like, I have my boss lady pants on. Like, I'm steering the ship, I'm making decisions for my business and I'm choosing what mattered. Feeling really grounded. I'm the person in charge, right? Picture that like to have you come up with an example.
[00:03:30] Andrea Elibero: Now flip it. Can you think of a moment where you felt more like an employee? Like maybe you were reacting to something, responding to these urgent requests, moving from task to task, maybe even feeling a little resentful or exhausted, like the business was running you instead of the other way around. Have you had a time in your business when you have felt like that?
[00:03:53] Andrea Elibero: Now just notice, right at this stage, just notice what comes up. We're not judging. We're not fixing anything. And so [00:04:00] I, I bet that you have all these moments. And so, you know, recently on a, I run a monthly networking group called Flow Lab. And recently on one of these calls, uh, we were, this month actually we were talking about this exact thing.
[00:04:14] Andrea Elibero: I had asked 'em to describe their CEO moments and there were themes that were consistent with this, right? When you step into. Being the CEO of your business, you're making decisions based on your vision and not just what clients want. You have some breathing room, you're trusting yourself, and you're thinking a few steps ahead instead of just trying to get through the fires that need to be put out today.
[00:04:38] Andrea Elibero: And then similarly, on the flip side, when they described what it was like feeling like an employee, it sounded more like constant reactivity serving everyone else's priorities first, putting their business lasts, or having little to no control over their own schedule. Just saying yes, being the yes person automatically and [00:05:00] feeling like they were behind no matter how hard they were working.
[00:05:04] Andrea Elibero: But the interesting part is that. Before we even started talking about what to do differently, we had to talk about some of these blocks that they were having, right? Because a block is not like tactical, okay, I can change this, do this, whatever This block they were having goes more identity based. So I invite you to check in with yourself here when you hear the word CEO or when you hear business owner, entrepreneur applied to you, what is it that you feel?
[00:05:33] Andrea Elibero: Does it feel natural? Does it feel exciting? Does it feel neutral, or do you have some resistance with it? Maybe there's some voice in the back of your head saying, well, I'm not a CEO. All right, I'm just a va. I am just an OBM. I'm just an assistant. And so this is really common, really, really, really common, right?
[00:05:55] Andrea Elibero: So 'cause most done for you, service pros, like in their heart, they [00:06:00] are supportive. You know, they are, they have this heart of service, responsive, adaptable, they want to do good work, and they really love helping their clients and things easier for others. And you weren't taught how to lead a business, right?
[00:06:15] Andrea Elibero: You started your business, you're doing your business, but you weren't taught how to lead it. It's not. Thing you take in school unless you have an MBA right, or you weren't taught how to step into this identity of the person who makes strategic decisions for their own business. The thing that I've experienced, and the thing that I have also worked with my clients with is that you can have the perfect offer.
[00:06:37] Andrea Elibero: You can have the perfect pricing, you can have the perfect systems. But if you don't see yourself as the business owner, as the CEO, as the expert, you're going to keep recreating situations that make you feel like an employee in your own business. Your business is going to reflect that identity back to you.
[00:06:59] Andrea Elibero: Now [00:07:00] as an example for myself, when I was moving from the US to Spain and you know, like rebuilding my entire life from scratch, giant dogs flying with me across the ocean, finding a place to live in a whole new country, figuring out how to do all the daily things. I did not take any time off.
[00:07:19] Andrea Elibero: Zero. I don't know what I was thinking. Right. I was, you know, on my slack we landed, we're driving from six hours. When we get here, I'm checking on all my clients, things like this. I was feeling guilty, you know? I was like, no, like I need to serve my clients. Right? I was operating like the support person and not the person in charge.
[00:07:39] Andrea Elibero: Obviously, I'm not saying not to. Serve your clients. Right? I am saying that let's structure it in a way that where you are in charge, in a way where you're being proactive and not just reactive to their every random thought, not just reactive to every whim that they have. Right? So. [00:08:00] Uh, for me at that moment, I realized that the, you know, something had to change because I was very disciplined.
[00:08:07] Andrea Elibero: I was working really hard. It wasn't anything like that. But my business wasn't one where I got to be the CEO, it was built, I had built it as an OBM that it needed me 24 7. So. For you and for just in general, what is creating this employee feeling? So let me tell you what, it's not right. It's not that you're not working hard enough, you are working plenty hard.
[00:08:34] Andrea Elibero: I know that it's not that you don't know what you're doing or you're bad at it. I am sure that you are exceptional at what you do. Generally, it is that you, if you're terrified, that if you set boundaries, you're going to lose clients. You believe that being responsive means being available 24 7. You think structure is going to make you rigid or less supportive.
[00:08:55] Andrea Elibero: And so you've built a business that requires you to be everything, all [00:09:00] of the time for everyone. And it's not like that's what you set out to do, but either you didn't give yourself permission, that's a big part of it, to do it differently and or you didn't know what to do or how, or that it was even an option to do it differently.
[00:09:14] Andrea Elibero: And so there are three things that. Create this dynamic. Usually the first one is business structure, right? Because a lot of oms and, and VAs, they didn't intentionally design their business the way it's set up. They started taking clients, they started saying, yes, adjusting prices, adding services, and then it just sort of happened, right?
[00:09:31] Andrea Elibero: So you accept whoever you price reactively. You offer what people want and you schedule around everyone else's needs. And before you know it, your business structure is calling the shots and it's because you didn't pause. You didn't pause long enough to design your business from the CEO seat. You didn't look at it like, is this business going to support me?
[00:09:53] Andrea Elibero: And then the second place is that you are working almost entirely in your business, [00:10:00] not on it. What do I mean by that? You are spending 95, 90 7% of your time executing, delivering, responding, problem solving for. For clients, you have not set aside time, or maybe you haven't, haven't stuck to it. It hasn't been consistent To be the CEO of your business, to step back and be strategic, to ask yourself, is this the work I want to be doing?
[00:10:23] Andrea Elibero: Is this the role I want to be playing? Is this business supporting my life or demanding more from it? And then the third place, or third piece, which is really the deepest one, is identity. Because stepping into the CEO mode, it doesn't just feel empowering for everyone. For a lot of people, it feels scary.
[00:10:42] Andrea Elibero: It can feel like more responsibility, more visibility, more ownership. And if your nervous system is still wired for employee mode, it might try to pull you back into this overworking, overgiving overexplaining, even when the business is technically [00:11:00] ready for something more spacious. So if you're like, okay, yes, please, like I want to be and the, and embody the identity to be the CEO of my own business, I want you to know that.
[00:11:14] Andrea Elibero: This is part of the journey. It's part of the process, and it's not about becoming somebody else. It's really about intentionally designing your business and your role within it so it matches who you are now, not who you had to be when you were starting out. And for a lot of people, it's really not a massive overhaul.
[00:11:33] Andrea Elibero: It's just awareness. It's seeing where you're still in employee mode. It's where the structure is running you, where your identity hasn't cut up to your experience yet. And that's why I am offering free 45 minute business audits. These are for VAs and ovs. So these are focused strategic conversations where we look at what is actually happening.
[00:11:56] Andrea Elibero: In your business, why you feel the way you do inside of it, and what needs to [00:12:00] shift for you to step more fully into the CEO role. And it's not about hustling, it's not about being more disciplined. It's really about how do we run your business in a way that feels more grounded, more sustainable, more aligned with the life you actually want while you make more money.
[00:12:14] Andrea Elibero: Because you cannot step into the CEO role in your business if your business structure is blocking you. So if this episode stirred up some ideas for you, if you recognize yourself in any of this, then that's a sign that this is worth exploring, and you can find a link to book the audit, obviously down below in the show notes.
[00:12:33] Andrea Elibero: And. Because I'd also really want you to know to take away this final thought, that feeling like an employee in your own business is nothing about failure. It's really just feedback. And you are taking the first step when you listen to it. 'cause when you do that, that's the first step in order to make change.
[00:12:52] Andrea Elibero: So that way you have this beautiful. Business that is actually supporting your life and not the other way around. So I [00:13:00] will leave you with those thoughts. Please feel free to reach out, text me, include your Instagram handle or some way to identify yourself. Um, so I know who it's from. If you want a response back and follow me in other places and please, I'm so excited.
[00:13:12] Andrea Elibero: These business audits are really, really amazing. And so there are no strengths attached. Let go book one and let's chat about your business. And with that, I will see you on the next episode.
[00:13:23] Andrea Elibero: Thank you so much for joining us today. I really hope you found inspiration and insights from today's episode. You know, scaling your business intentionally and from the inside out is a transformational process, but I'm here to support you every step of the way. Head on over to dancing leaf solutions.com/resources for free tools to help you do just that.
[00:13:48] Andrea Elibero: And thank you again for being a part of the Solepreneur Scaling Stories community. Your presence and dedication to growth inspiring me every day.
