I sort of stumbled into self employment by total accident. I went to massage college, not fully realizing that most massage therapists are self employed, or contract workers. 

When I graduated I got a subcontract job at a national massage therapy chain. I had a pretty good experience, but felt ready for more control, and more flexibility.

Enter my virtual assistant business.

That being said, contract and self employed life isn’t all rainbows and butterflies, here’s what I wish I knew BEFORE I became self employed.

1. It will become part of your identity

I can’t say this will be true for everyone, but being self employed has become part of my identity. When I was an employee, I hated being told when I had to be at work and what days off I was allowed to have. Now I am able to structure my days how I want to.

2. Budgeting with variable income can be tough

When I first started out as a massage therapist, I didn’t have many clients and my income was low. I remember wondering what the heck I had gotten myself into. Eventually I built up my clientele, but whenever I wanted time off, it was without pay. 

I did learn to budget by paycheck, which was so helpful, but nothing really prepares you for the wild swings in your bank account balance.

3. You need to get good at setting boundaries

It is so tempting to say yes to every client’s request, or work 7 days a week, but we are all human and need breaks/ time off. I would often work outside my schedule as a massage therapist, but I have been very intentional about setting boundaries in my VA business.

In my contracts with my VA clients, I have my availability set as Monday-Friday, 9-5. I try not to check emails or respond to texts outside of these times. I also prioritize getting outside during the day and taking breaks.

If possible, setting these boundaries from the beginning (and in contracts) will set you up for success.

4. Buying a house can be more difficult

Buying a house, or getting a loan of any kind will likely be more difficult. You’re seen as more risky in the eyes of the bank/lender, no matter how consistent your income has been. Buying our first home was difficult, and we actually required a co-signer. Getting our second mortgage was a bit easier, but only because it was all based on my husband’s salary.

It’s not impossible, but be prepared to face more challenges, and if possible, have a bigger down payment. 

5. It will be amazingly rewarding and frustrating all at once

Entrepreneurship is a ride of high-highs and low-lows. One day you’ll feel like you’re not cut out for this, and the next you’ll feel like you’re crushing it, and there will be a lot of days where you just feel like you’re coasting. 

After being self employed for the last 11 years of my life, I know it’s the journey I want to be on, but I recognize that it’s not for everyone. 

What do you wish you knew before becoming self-employed?

I’ve been self-employed for the last 11 years of my life, as a massage therapist until March of this year, as a blogger since 2017, and now as a virtual assistant. 

There’s often so many tasks, and things to remember that it can be overwhelming and easy to lose something in the shuffle!

With several clients, plus my own tasks, I started writing down my to do lists in my Rocketbook, and it changed my productivity! I don’t spend a lot of time wondering what I should be working on, I’m reminded to take care of myself, and to take breaks!

Here are some of my best tips for using to-do lists to uplevel your work and your life.

Mix Personal & Business Tasks

When I first chatted with the amazing Naturopath Dr. Ashley Margeson about how I was struggling to keep myself hydrated, she told me something that literally changed my life – PUT DRINK WATER ON YOUR TO-DO LIST. Actually writing it down makes you so much more likely to do it.

Seeing that on my list reminds me to fill my bottle, and drink throughout the day.

I also put other personal tasks on there like washing my face, brushing my teeth, exercising, any appointments, etc. It reminds me to take care of myself first.

Have An “Everyday” List

I keep a Google Doc of my “everyday tasks” so that I can reference it when I write my daily to do lists.

My everyday tasks include:

• Drink water
• Wash face
• Brush teeth
• Exercise at least 30 minutes
• Eat fruit/vegetables

Assign Certain Tasks To Certain Days

In the same Google Doc as my “everyday” list, I have tasks listed for Monday through Friday. Some of these are business tasks like recording social media stats for myself and my clients, some are personal like washing towels and cleaning the bathroom.

Sometimes things don’t get done on their assigned day, and that’s okay! It’s more of a guideline for me to remember that it needs to be done. 

Give Each Task A Ranking

I often end up with a lot of tasks on my to-do list, which can look overwhelming. Assigning a 1-3 ranking to each task helps me prioritize.

#1: Needs to be done today

#2: Should be done today, but no worries if not

#3: Would be nice to do today if there’s time

Don’t Beat Yourself Up Over Unfinished Tasks

The purpose of the list isn’t to make you feel bad about yourself if you don’t complete a task. In fact it’s pretty rare that I actually get everything done.

In the famous words of Captain Barbossa: “it’s more what you’d call “guidelines” than actual rules.”

Make Your List The Night Before

Making your list the night before will set you up for success in the morning. My last task of my work day is to make my list for the next day. 

I consult my master Google Doc, add any unfinished tasks from the day before, assign a ranking and walk away for the day!

It’s great to sit down in the morning and start working, instead of trying to figure out what I need to do.

Final Thoughts

Structuring my days with to-do lists has changed how much I can get done in a day! I feel less stressed and am able to keep all of my various tasks and clients organized.

I hope it helps you too!

As many of my classmates were figuring out what they wanted to do, I remember feeling relieved that I had it all “figured out”. I didn’t explore many other career options, I briefly looked into the journalism program at St. Thomas University in New Brunswick, and by briefly I mean I considered it for a day.

The massage therapy program was difficult, there was a lot to learn. I was the type of student in high school who didn’t have to study much to get good grades, and that was not the case in the massage therapy program. After some initial hiccups, I learned how to study and apply myself, and I graduated in 2010.

So there I am, graduating at 19 years old, while most of my high school classmates were only halfway through their undergrad.

I was an adult! I got offered the first massage therapy job I applied for, and signed the contract. Here in Nova Scotia, most massage therapists are hired as subcontractors, it is very rare to find a clinic that will hire you as an employee. And so I unwittingly became self employed.

There was definitely a learning curve to being self employed. Dealing with my income tax was the hardest, but I got a system down where I would automatically save money from my pay (read more about how I pay myself as a self employed person), and things settled down, until I made over $30,000. At that point I had to start remitting HST, which felt like a whole new learning curve, but I eventually got that down to a science too.

Although I was “self employed” the clinic took care of most things, like client billing, advertising, laundry, reminder calls, and booking. I was in charge of my schedule to a certain point, but not 100% in control. I could take time off whenever I needed it, but I couldn’t always work the days/hours that I wanted to.

Around 2015 I started feeling like I wanted more control. Mostly of my schedule, and of the way that my regular clients were treated by the front desk/administration. My husband was in paramedic school at the time, and I remember thinking that once he graduated and got his job that I might go out on my own.

That didn’t happen. He got his paramedic job, we bought a house, and I felt like it was too big of a financial risk to go out on my own doing massage. Our house wasn’t set up for me to treat at home, and so I stayed where I was. I was pretty happy with my job, most of the time, until about 2019. 

I started this blog in 2017, as a project to keep ourselves accountable when we were paying off my husband’s student loans, and because I loved to write. I won’t lie, I always had the intention of turning this blog into a business. I saw other people making money online and thought I could do that too! Although it’s not as simple as just starting a blog and money will magically show up, there is strategy involved, but I did make a little money in 2018/2019.

By 2019, I was feeling restless. I loved my massage therapy clients (and I miss them now), but quite frankly, I was bored. A lot of people come in with the same or similar complaint, and I was good at my job, and could operate on autopilot most of the time. 

Fast forward to the pandemic in March of 2020, massage therapy was shut down in Nova Scotia. I had so many emotions, because I was losing my income, I was definitely afraid of the virus, and knew I was going to miss seeing my coworkers and clients. In total we were shut down for 80 days, reopening on June 5th 2020.

I cannot explain to you the dread I felt when they announced massage therapy was going to reopen. I had spent the last 80 days working on my blog, working on myself, painting the house, and it still felt risky to reopen with the virus. I felt like everything I had worked on for the previous 80 days was being ripped away from me. I cried a lot, and decided to only go back part time.

The summer was okay, and by the fall I increased my massage hours, not because I wanted to, but financially I sort of had to. In November, a previous massage therapy client of mine posted on Facebook that she was looking for a virtual assistant to help her with her small business. I read what she needed, and thought “what the heck, I can do all of that!” So I sent her a message.

I literally sent her a message while we were driving to the Nordic Spa, and spent the rest of the day dreaming about where this new business could take me.

Although I didn’t technically have a VA business then, and I only had experience doing that work for myself, she gave me a chance and I started working with her. It wasn’t many hours, so I was easily able to squeeze them in around my massage practice. 

When we decided in late 2020 to sell our house in Lower Sackville, and move back to our hometown, I decided that my goal was to turn my little VA side business into my full time gig. Obviously to do that I needed more clients, and through personal connections and referrals, I was able to get enough work to make this business sustainable. 

I guess that brings us up until now! I am working as a virtual assistant at home, and it has been working out really well.

The first time I had to write “occupation” on a form since moving, it felt very odd to not write “RMT”. Being a massage therapist for 11 years, it was part of my identity, and it’s been difficult to untangle that from myself. 

Although I am still registered as a massage therapist in Nova Scotia until the end of 2021, I’m not really sure what I’m going to do with my license after that. I could renew as an inactive member, just in case I want to go back, or I could not re-register and let it go. I think when the time comes to register, I’ll be able to trust my gut and know what the right thing to do is. 

If you’ve made it this far, thanks for reading.

You can learn more about my VA services here if you’re a business owner looking for help!

Chat soon,