We had the good fortune of connecting with Lindsey Maria and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Lindsey, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
I’m not a stranger to the calling of self-employment. Throughout the years, I’ve dipped my toe into the entrepreneurial waters in a number of different ventures, none of which ever quite panned out. However, they provided invaluable insights and solidified my need for that freedoum. I knew working in corporate or ultimately having a direct report was never going to work for me. “Death by Cubicle” is very real. Daily, I experienced the deep yearning of needing to start my own business and be accountable to myself so that I could ultimately unleash my most creative and fulfilling years on this planet.
What should our readers know about your business?
One of my favorite phrases (up until I turned 40) was, “I don’t know what I want to be when I grow up.”. I would say it jokingly because I was so afraid of pigeonholing myself into something I’d later find out I hated. So, I became that “Jack of All Trades”. However, the end of that phrase is “Master of None”. So, while I know a little bit about a lot of things, once I turned 40, I decided it was time to lose that phrase from my vernacular and lean into the areas where I knew I excelled.
My business started back in 2017 as a Virtual Assistant. I had zero boundaries and bent over backwards to support my clients. While they were thrilled with my work, I was slowly burning out. As the years passed by, while I was challenged every day and never got bored, I began to realize that I was really good at tech and automations. I also lit up whenever I had the opportunity to design and build out online funnels. So, I steadily began niching into that realm, no longer taking on admin clients and tasks, and only focusing on tech, funnels, and automations.
One of the things that sets me apart in this field is my experience managing the admin side of 6 and 7 figure online coaches – being the customer service point of contact, hearing the client experience direct from the source, being part of all of the marketing trial and error with various offers. I bring all of that knowledge with me when I work with new clients, which is especially helpful for newer coaches in their industries. I’m able to offer them recommendations based off what I’ve actually seen work (and fail!), rather than them having to go through all the trial and error, themselves.
Thankfully, I am surrounded by an incredible community of colleagues and friends that helped walk and talk me through the transition from General VA to Tech, Funnels + Automations Specialist. Unfortunately, I had to learn the hard way that having boundaries when taking on these types of advanced clients was critical on both sides. At one point in 2021, I found myself extremely overextended, which made for some excruciatingly stressful and uncomfortable months for myself and for my clients. I’m certainly grateful for the experience because now I know just how important time freedom is to me – even over financial freedom.
So, while the entire journey hasn’t been rainbows and sunshine, I wouldn’t trade any of it for the world. I’ve made some incredible friendships and connections that will be with me for the rest of my life. I’ve gained knowledge, skills, and strategies that will continue to support my children and me for years to come, all while being able to work whenever I want from wherever I want. And isn’t that the ultimate goal after all?
Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I’d like to dedicate my shoutout to my kids, Aidan & Corinne. From the beginning, they’ve been my reason to build this thing into what it is today and to continue to work hard to grow it to what I know it can become.
Website: https://lindseymaria.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lindseymaria_texpert/
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lindsey-maria-2a80864a/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lindsey.maria22/