009 Jessica Rhodes | From a General Virtual Assistant to Mastering a Niche in Podcasting – Jessica’s Journey to Solving a Specific Problem

Jessica Rhodes started her Virtual Assistant (VA) services to entrepreneurs by offering all the different services business owners wanted. She was pulled in many directions and knew that business would be better when she found her niche. She engaged a business coach to help her focus her business and she makes a very strong decision by listening to the needs of her clients. Now Jessica has a thriving business and she is uniquely positioned to offer her services. This is a great story of going from a broad approach to being very specific.

Share the LOVE and TWEET about this episode.

Jessica’s Target Audience: Jessica specifically works with podcasters who want someone to book interviews for them – both on their own shows and to book them on other people’s shows. Jessica takes the entire interview scheduling process off their hands and does it all for them so all they have to do is show up to the interview.

Like most successful niche entrepreneurs, Jessica didn’t start out with the idea of becoming a podcast interview scheduler. When she was pregnant, she wanted a business she could do from home; her first idea was to be a general VA to entrepreneurs, including her business coach/father.

Even though she enjoyed the work, it didn’t take long for her to realize she needed to niche down. Her business coach helped her look at her services to find one thing she was good at, that she liked and that other person needed. Her “ah ha!” moment came when she noticed how many podcasters wanted her to take over their interview scheduling. It was something she was already doing, so why not just offer that to the market? Why not be THE source for podcast interview scheduling?

It was brilliant in its simplicity and there was no one else doing it; it seemed like fruit that was ripe for the picking. She charged ahead, built her site and launched it.

In this episode, here’s what we’ll cover:

• What’s “opportunitis” and do you have it? What it is and what to do if you suffer from it…
• What to look for in a business coach and how to find one that’s perfect for you.
• Why focusing on the value you can bring is vital to your client relationship.
• Do you need a mastermind?
• The different ways you can build a relationship with your clients and offer value.
• Why you should put your effort into marketing your current products and services rather than trying to launch new products and services.
• The fears she faced when going from a general VA to a niche service provider.
• How creating a specific service or product can actually put you in higher demand.
• The work she does in the trenches before attending live events and networking.

Practical & Actionable (at [32:48]):

Jessica believes that by being specific in what you offer, you’ll actually set yourself apart from everyone else. To do this, she says to break down the different aspects of what you’re offering and figure out where the need is. Find that one thing that is so necessary that your potential clients can live without it. If they were to go without it, it would be like not having electricity or the Internet. If you can make it that needed, you will have hit a home run and you will officially be a market leader.

RESOURCES AND LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS SESSION INCLUDE:

• Jessica’s web site
• Jessica’s blog
• My episode on Entrepreneur on Fire
• Share the LOVE and TWEET about this episode.

To give Jessica a shout out on Twitter for being on the show, follow her and send her a message: @JessicaRhodesESS  and include me too at @genehammett

Do you have questions about today’s episode!?!

Did you know that you can apply to chat with me by phone? This is a limited time offer to help anyone that is serious about refining their business as well as developing a clear & compelling strategy that will drive them forward. Complete the questions and our team will follow up with you to schedule time for your “Business Breakthrough Session”. These are limited to 30 minutes, completely free and oh, so valuable. (Hint: these are similar to the conversations I had with Jason to help him fine tune and launch his lifestyle business.)  Apply Now!

A QUICK FAVOR

And lastly, please leave a rating and review for the Leaders in the Trenches on iTunes (or Stitcher) – it will help us in many ways, but it also inspires us to keep doing what we are doing here. Thank you in advance!

TRANSCRIPT

The transcript will be available shortly – thank you!

Right click to download the .mp3.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | https://www.youtube.com/user/leadersinthetrenches