17d • General discussion
How One VA Used ChatGPT Twice to Stop Doubting His Own Work
A VA posted in /r/VirtualAssistant offering services. A construction business owner reached out inbound and asked to see Canva work samples.
The problem: the VA didn’t really have a Canva portfolio. No long-term client accounts. No case studies. But he did know how to use Canva. So he did what many early-stage VAs quietly do — he faked it till he made it.
Instead of sending generic templates, he asked ChatGPT for help creating a Canva post using the client’s actual Instagram content. Same logo. Same service. Same industry. ChatGPT helped him choose the right image, structure the layout, and make sure the post fit a construction business.
He sent the sample.
Then… nothing.
Three days passed with no reply.
That silence is usually normal — especially with owner-operators in construction — but the VA started doubting the work anyway. Canva felt “easy.” The post didn’t feel impressive to him. And because the lead hadn’t replied, his confidence dropped fast.
Instead of rewriting the design or panicking, the VA tried something smarter.
He went back to ChatGPT — but this time, he changed the perspective.
Instead of asking “Is this good design?”, he asked ChatGPT to evaluate the same sample from the client’s point of view. He described the situation as if he were the construction business owner reviewing a VA’s work.
The feedback was different.
From the client’s lens, the work wasn’t judged by how hard it was, how long it took, or whether Canva felt simple. It was judged by relevance, initiative, usability, and whether the VA understood the business.
By those standards, the sample passed.
The key lesson wasn’t about Canva — it was about perspective.
Many VAs don’t fail because their work is bad. They fail because they only judge it from their own skill level. What feels basic to you can feel like real value to a client who doesn’t want to think about it at all.
“Fake it till you make it” doesn’t mean lying.
It means executing competently before your confidence catches up — and learning to evaluate your work the way clients actually do.
Have you ever doubted your work during client silence — and what helped you break that loop?
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How One VA Used ChatGPT Twice to Stop Doubting His Own Work
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