How Six Strangers Reminded Me to Charge for My Time

Dear Diary,

I was on the couch watching reruns of The Office, half laughing, half prepping my face for Zoom.

I had my Horchata latte in one hand and a sticky note of talking points in the other.

Nothing major, just a quick discovery call with a potential client.

I even threw on real pants, like some kind of corporate lunatic.

Ten minutes in? Six new faces joined the call.

Tom. Mike. Sara. Will. Ann. Tammy.

They rolled in one by one like a group of hell judges ready to crown America’s Next Top VA.

“Walk us through your entire client process.”

“What makes you different from other VAs?”

“How do you handle pressure?”

Tammy, dead serious: “Are you okay being available on weekends?”

It was giving Shark Tank with no payout. I felt like I was being questioned for a position I didn’t apply for, and I just kept going.

Smiling. Explaining. Over delivering. For free.

Not once did I pause to ask:

What even is this?

By the end, I was emotionally done. It wasn’t just draining, it was embarrassing. I let six grown strangers pick apart my business model like it was a group project

Here’s what I learned the hard way:

→ One discovery call is enough.

→ You want a deep dive? Book a consultation.

→ If you need a team vote to hire a VA, you're not ready to be a CEO

I don’t audition anymore. I don’t give away free samples.

And I don’t let strangers crowd my calendar “just to feel me out.”

To my fellow VAs:

→ Stop performing.

→ Start protecting your time and your energy

→ Respect your energy like your rent depends on it because it probably does.

Current Mood: Still recovering from group interview trauma with another Horchata

Peak of the Week: Updated my intake form with a one call policy and slept like a happy baby.

Glowing Gratitude: Thankful to past me for saying yes so future me could learn how to say no.

Until next time, I’ll be sipping Horchata , blocking chaos, and charging for every drop of strategy.

—Monica ✌🏼❤️