GETTING CONFIDENT & KICKING OUT IMPOSTER SYNDROME - How to Sell My Services

Gift Imasuen

Learning Experience Specialist & VA Mentor

L3

Thank you so much for sharing this honestly. First, I want you to know that you are not alone in this phase. A lot of people are not stuck because they don’t have skills. They are stuck because they don’t know how to position the skills they already have. From what you shared, I don’t think your main problem is lack of skill. You already have web design knowledge, Airbnb knowledge, VA skills, and experience building websites. The issue now is how to bring all these skills together in a way that makes it easy for the right people to understand what you do and why they should work with you. If I were advising you closely, I would not tell you to keep positioning yourself only as a “web designer,” especially now that basic website building is becoming very competitive and many people can create simple websites with templates or AI tools. Your advantage should not just be “I build websites.” Your advantage should be that you understand a specific industry and can support that industry better. For example, from everything you listed, real estate/property support looks like a strong direction for you. You can position yourself as a Real Estate VA or Real Estate Digital Support Specialist who helps property businesses with websites, landing pages, Airbnb listing support, property research, listing optimisation, admin support, client follow-up, and other backend tasks. That way, you are not limiting yourself to only web design. If a client does not need a website today, they may need help with their Airbnb listing, landing page, admin work, property research, or client communication. But everything still sits under one clear industry: real estate/property businesses. This also makes your content easier. Instead of thinking, “What should I post as a web designer?” you can start creating simple posts around things like: How property businesses can make their websites clearer What a good Airbnb listing should include Why real estate businesses need landing pages Mistakes property businesses make online How a VA can support real estate agents or Airbnb hosts On the sample website question, you don’t need to create a sample website for every industry before pitching. But once you choose an industry, it helps to have one or two strong samples or case studies that show you understand that type of business. So yes, if you choose cleaning businesses, a cleaning website sample can help. But if you choose real estate/property, then your samples, portfolio, and messaging should speak more to that space. For Upwork, I honestly don’t think your account is blacklisted just because you opened it years ago and did not use it. It may be more of a positioning issue. If your profile is saying too many different things at once, clients may not know where to place you. It is like someone needing a doctor, but the person’s profile is also saying accountant, baker, and designer at the same time. Even if the person is skilled, the message becomes confusing. So my advice is this: Choose an industry, not just a service. Since you already have different skills, let the industry bring them together. Real estate/property support may be a good place to start based on what you already know. Then update your profile, portfolio, content, and outreach to reflect that direction. As you begin getting clients, you will start seeing which service people request more from you. That will help you know whether to go deeper into websites, Airbnb support, landing pages, admin support, or another area. And please don’t wait until you feel 100% ready. Confidence grows from doing, not from learning forever. Start with what you know, package it clearly, pitch with direction, and improve as you go.