I participate in many forums and see lots of ‘advice’ being given to newbies in the industry by others who have only been VAs themselves such a short time.

Some of that advice is good and helps to demonstrate the journey they, themselves, have been travelling, but I’ve seen some advice that was ill-founded although well-intentioned.

It is really important that VAs who are seeking advice, mentorship, coaching and training, check the backgrounds of those advising them, especially if they do get to a point of paying for advice, such as the coaching or training, or if they decide to act on the advice given them.

Simple things they can do is look at how long the ‘advisor’ has been a member of that forum (if on a board forum that shows that, or by searching message archives). Visit their website and see if it indicates how long that person has been in business.  Compare their advice or suggestions with that of others.

This industry has been a fantastic one for VAs to support and encourage each other, but sometimes in their enthusiasm, a more vocal (newer) member can accidentally become seen as a leader when they have very little mileage behind them in the industry.  That’s not to say they might not have good advice but I do encourage all to weigh up the advice given and seek out those who do have the walk behind their talk before taking action.