Casey Berglund:
Jane, I'm recalling the day that we met, the night that we met at the Juno Founders' Party, because I have a wave of chills because I recall seeing you, this beautiful, tall, blonde woman with a massive smile, dancing. Like there were a few of us who stayed till the very end and we were dancing and chatting and I just remember connecting with you. And what stands out to me about you, and this has continued to stand out to me about you, is the energy that you bring into every room, which feels so positive and expansive and smiley. And I feel like that's part of your just authentic essence. Of course we all have our moments where we're frustrated or, as many of us have shared through this process of connecting, we go through ups and downs together. And I feel like you have this steady positive presence about you that I really appreciate. So I guess I just wanted to start there and thank you for the positive presence that you bring into every room.
Jane Scroggs:
Thank you. That's so kind. Thank you.
Casey Berglund:
You're so welcome. You're so welcome. Yeah, and what I also recall about some of those initial conversations, and I don't know if you remember this, but in introducing ourselves to each other, I remember sharing with you about some of my work helping people navigate changes and finding more purpose in their lives and in their work. And I recall at the time when you shared about your work, sharing how it's right and it feels aligned and it feels like something that you're very happy with and content with. And also this wondering about like maybe there is more and maybe there is something else or some deeper gifts that I'm meant to bring out. But I know that right now this is feeling good. And I'm curious to check in with you around where you're at in your purpose journey or what even comes up for you when I ask about what living a purposeful life means to you.
Jane Scroggs:
I've been really asking myself that question a lot lately because as my business is growing there are elements that you end up, well I've ended up taking on and I've got busier and busier and so I'm really conscious of asking myself these questions like, "Am I living in alignment with my purpose or what feels right to me? How can I apply those feelings of being aligned into my business, my day to day? And how much of what I'm doing every day is actually in alignment or feels in alignment? And what is alignment for me?" So I'm asking myself all of these things. So it's a very timely conversation, Casey, to be honest.
Casey Berglund:
Yeah, well, what I want to reflect back to you is it's not uncommon for me to hear business owners in particular start to ask these questions, especially when they have achieved a certain level of growth, because sometimes what can happen in growth is the thing that brought them to start the business in the first place, they're no longer in that role because when they grow, they're starting to lead, they're starting to delegate, they're starting to hire team members, they're getting maybe into the operations side or the business development side more than perhaps the actual work that they started with. And I think it makes perfect sense and is only natural for those questions to come up once you've achieved a certain level of success and a certain level of growth. And so I just want to validate and honor you for being in a state of asking because I think it's really important to check in and to be honest, Jane, I'm in the exact same boat. So we're both here, you know, we've both been in business for not a short time, like years at this point. And I'm asking the same questions right now and starting to wonder like, "Okay, what is my purpose now or what is the expression of my purpose now?" And so you use the word "aligned, alignment." I know I kind of brought that word into the forefront too, but you said something that stood out to me, like, "What are the moments where I'm feeling that sense of alignment?" in your work. And I'm curious if you can speak to what you know about what alignment feels like, not just in your work, like in your life. How do you know when something is aligned?
Jane Scroggs:
Wow. I like that question because it makes me go deeper into that and any time I spend in that space of curiosity I love that. So I think that in itself is telling in the fact that I think when you start a business, you know, and I think a lot of entrepreneurs or not necessarily entrepreneurs but people that start businesses, you've had an idea, the vision, it's fun, it's a bit stressful but you're in the visionary part and actually the day to day, especially as you grow, you've got really boring things, you've got really tedious things, things that stretch you, things that you do enjoy and you've got people, you know, my business has I think probably around 30 people to kind of manage really. So I think finding what, I'll be honest, like the trigger for me to find what feels in alignment, and I do like that word, I really, I use that word a lot when I'm talking about this, is where I'm not, I feel the real dissonance. So, you know, I'm feeling in my body like anxiety or just that kind of, I'm only operating from here upwards, that kind of sticky throat feeling and.
And I've been asking myself more and more, "What's making me feel like that? Or what is it? What situation am I in where I feel those feelings?" And to be honest, that's been the trigger to go, "OK, hang on. Where am I? What do I actually enjoy? What is enjoyment? What's realistic? Running a business, it's not all going to be shiny, you know, shiny, happy, you know, fun and laughter every day, realistically." So I've asked myself, "What are the things that don't really, you know, they trigger me and where I'm not the best version of myself? And what are the bits where I'm like, I feel expansive?" And for me it is that... It's just a feeling, and if you've got that kind of zero line, it's like the things that tip me into the positive. And that is sort of getting more curious about something, feeling a little bit like, moments of joy. It's like a moment of joy. And that to me is like, that's not just work, it's life, isn't it, for me? Well, for me, it's moments of joy, moments of like that kind of tingly feeling of "yeah this is, this is it." It feels in alignment, it feels like it's totally my, it's my purpose, I don't know, it's my, it's my magic. So it's definitely a physical sensation that I tune into when I'm in that aligned place feeling great about something or it's like a joyful moment. It's definitely a physical sensation.
Casey Berglund:
Mm-hmm, makes perfect sense. So you spoke about when you're in the moment of being a bit triggered or something feels sticky. You talked about, you gestured to your throat and you said there's a sticky throat feeling that's a bit constrictive. And when you feel aligned, there's a, I love that you kind of put your hands up and you wiggled your fingers and you were like, like there's this opening or there's this expansion or a feeling of joy. And so I'm curious if I'm allowed to ask you if you have an example of something that created that sticky throat feeling lately and then an example of something that created that open expansive joy.
Jane Scroggs:
I think the admin around the business, I feel quite constricted. For me, it's just so two-dimensional. It's looking at a screen. "Gotta do these tasks, gotta get that done." And I feel like most of my essence is just closed down when I'm just on a screen dealing with emails. So that's one thing, it does not light me up in the slightest. I mean, I run an admin business, but that's what my team, my team are best at the admin, so they do the admin for our clients. And I think also team management is, it's not being too, I guess too, not judgmental, but I would say actually being too controlling and micromanaging because that's my nature. I am actually a control freak. I didn't realize this but I realize that I have that ability to be a control freak, have perfection and expect that from other people which I know is unrealistic and I think sometimes it's that feeling of... and then I have to go, "It's fine, it's..." and I'm reading the book by Mel Robbins, "Let Them," at the moment. You know, it's the same message that you read in a lot of different texts and guides, but it's just resonant at the moment. Like, "Let them, you know, let it happen that way. And this is how I respond to this situation." So those moments of feeling kind of, just you know, it's restricted here so I suppose it's not been able to use my voice, not being able to shout at someone, not that I would but you know internally I might think "my god what have you done" or it's someone whose behavior is not quite as I would expect you know whether that's a client, a team member or anybody, it's those sort of moments. "Okay, deep breaths" that make me feel I guess most, yeah, out of where I'm at, best self, shall we say.
Casey Berglund:
And then the expansive moments or the aligned moments that bring you joy. What are you noticing about yourself lately when you've been asking these questions about what specific things are kind of lighting you up? Like when are you feeling bright? And actually there's something that you said a few times that I noted in my brain, you use the term "curiosity." So it sounds like when you get to be curious about something you open and I watched that happen in your body. But what would be another example of where the joy and the expansion comes in?
Jane Scroggs:
I... connecting. Connecting with people. And again, it is getting curious. You know, that's a huge value of mine, is curiosity. So, it's connecting with people. It's learning, it's researching, going down a rabbit hole. It's the small wins of when clients are happy, when team members are happy, when, for example, we have quite a few team members over in South Africa and just the fact that they've got an opportunity to work with a UK client and expand their experience and just that opportunity, they're so overjoyed. And some of the roles we place them into, it is life changing in terms of the salary for them. So tapping into those moments is lovely and I must do that more often because celebrating the wins sometimes is not something that we really, or I don't particularly focus on. Yeah, and I think it's just that feeling of, bigger picture, step back from this, you know, going into gratitude, going into, you know, real, like looking at what's, what I'm doing, what we're doing, I, I'm in business with my partner, my life partner. You know, what we're doing as a movement in this industry is excellent. You know, it's exciting, we've done so well. And I think it's, you know, my biggest thing for feeling those joyful moments is not necessarily work, is actually being in nature and kind of having those, is connecting with something bigger than me and I think that's when I try and bring that into perspective with the work that I'm doing. It's going, "Wow, we've got this great opportunity, we're doing great things, there's so much out there that we can explore." And so getting into a creative mindset really does help. And you, you kind of need to, you need to make sure that there's space for that.
Jane Scroggs:
Because over the last few months I haven't really created a lot of space for that until maybe two, three months ago. And that really does impact everything. You have to take that time and that space to have those new ideas, to get that inspiration, to realize the impact you're having and kind of lift yourself up above that kind of zero line into that joyful, all those higher vibrations.
Casey Berglund:
It makes so much sense just witnessing you and listening to you that as a business owner, when you start a business, you are in the visionary space of being open and curious and connecting with others. And since you said that those are the moments where you feel most expansive, it makes perfect sense that at the start of the business, when you get to be in that, it feels aligned and it feels purposeful. And then as you grow, there may be more team to manage. And I totally hear you with the sometimes...
Casey Berglund:
Whether you like it or not, this, I don't want to micromanage, but also there's a certain standard and expectation in your business. It's your baby in a way. And so there's a different devotion that you have to it than the folks that you hire sometimes. And so it makes perfect sense that as you grow and as maybe more admin comes into the picture and more team comes into the picture, that those tasks that feel like you're more in the weeds create a bit more of that tension, contraction, that triggering moment. Before we hit record, we were talking about how I know that you're a projector in human design. And I just want to reflect back that as a projector in human design, you are here to be a seer, a guide, a big picture, deep visionary thinker. And you're not necessarily the one who is meant to go down in the weeds and be doing all the little do-daddy tasks. And also it stood out to me that you said you felt most expansive when you are receiving like great wins. Like you mentioned when someone in South Africa gets their first UK client, like it's very exciting. And so what that also tells me is those are moments of recognition where you get to be seen. And it's only natural for a projector to feel expanded in those moments of recognition and being seen.
So everything that you just shared made so much sense from my lens of helping people navigate purpose based on, you know, using human design as one tool among other tools. I'm curious, are you open to me asking you a question or two that I would ask a client who is navigating a moment of purpose? Okay.
Jane Scroggs:
Of course. Yeah, absolutely. I'm curious. As I said, I love getting curious about this. That you can, yeah, any direction, anything you can ask, I welcome it.
Casey Berglund:
Okay. And I really am going to invite you to trust what first comes as your sort of intuitive answer, no matter how weird it is. And I say that because what I'm about to ask you, I've had clients in the past be like, "This is kind of weird," but I'm like, "I don't know. I see myself sitting on a bathroom counter looking at mirrors" and I'm like, "Okay, trust that." So what I want to ask you is what do you recall about a moment in time when you were really small, when you were a child, and you were completely at your best? What comes to you as a memory when you were lost in flow, time stopped, you were just in play or in joy, and if you need to even close your eyes and take a breath, feel welcome to. But I'm just gonna invite you to bring to mind a memory of your youth where you were completely lost in time, dropped into flow, and to openly tell me about it when you have that memory.
Jane Scroggs:
So the memory that's coming to me is, I think I was probably around the age of, I would say between five and five, six, seven, probably about seven. My little friend who lived opposite me, Cheryl, who's still a friend, she and I used to create these little clubs. So we were quite creative and we used to create these little membership clubs for us and maybe another friend we might invite in. And I remember we used to create all these crazy things. I can't even remember the names. I can remember the names of a couple of them. One was like the Solutions Club, and we used to make potions to try and heal dying insects. So we used to pour them on little bees to try and make them better. And then there was the Coloring Club, and then there was another club.
Casey Berglund:
My gosh.
Jane Scroggs:
Can't remember the name, but I remember, I'm quite a visual person, so I have a really strong visual memory. But I remember the little things we used to make to go with the club, you know, like a membership pack. And, you know, we'd make them out of little bits of fabric and make them all pretty. And so that was something that I felt like I was totally in my own creative energy and Cheryl really matched that as well. So yeah, we used to have a great time. We used to find a little base for our club. You know, it was a bush down the road. There was this little bush of green space and we used to hide in there or we'd find like a little bit of tree trunk that we used to hide behind on the field or something like that. You know, it was very cute, very cute.
Casey Berglund:
I love this. Just notice how you feel in your body and your big smile and you're "very cute" and your giggle. Like just notice how you feel in your body as you tell me this story. And yeah, and I just invite you to anchor that feeling in your body as I reflect some things back to you, like you and Cheryl, right? Cheryl's her name.
Jane Scroggs:
Yeah. I love it. It's so nice to reflect on it.
Casey Berglund:
You and Cheryl created these clubs and it sounds like for multiple things. So I loved it when you said "we made little potions to save dying insects." My gosh. Yes. And a coloring club. And what also stood out to me is you said you had these certain spots and at least based on what you said, like a bush or a little tree, it sounds like you were out in nature. You had these spots where you came together. So the environment was part of this as well. And there was a lot of curiosity. Again, that word comes up and I'm curious to know when you tune into your specific role with Cheryl, what was your role? Like what was it that you were bringing to the table in co-creation with her?
Jane Scroggs:
I think it was probably 50-50 with ideas, like real partners. We were super aligned with each other and everything that we liked. Neither of us were kind of leaders at all in our friendship circle just as characters, but we were partners.
And we were great at actually getting things done, you know, "let's create it, let's do it." And she probably brought that side. I was probably more on the ideas and she was more on the action, the kind of... create, on the execution exactly and I, you know we would both create whatever materials were needed for this particular club so I think it was yeah partnership and also perhaps more ideas based and she, she still is, I know her well still, she's great on the actual getting it done, putting it together kind of thing.
Casey Berglund:
Execution, yeah. Yeah, my guess is that she's a generator in human design and there's a projector generator bond there or something like that. So we'll have to get her to do the human design assessment after. But yeah, so it sounds like you mentioned partnership, there was synergy. It's like you were equals coming to the table together with your gifts and you had alignment around the vision for what you were doing, right? And you maybe brought more of the ideas and she brought more of the execution.
Jane Scroggs:
Yes, exactly.
Casey Berglund:
And together, it was just like you made magic together and it felt really expansive and light and joyful. What else haven't you shared about this moment that is coming to you now that, is there anything else about what you were doing underneath what you were doing when you were making these clubs? Like, what was it about you that brought the magic into these moments with Cheryl?
Jane Scroggs:
Yep. I'm not entirely sure about the magic that we brought, but what I brought, I mean, other than, you know, a partner to bring that to life. You know, I think on her own, maybe, I'm not sure she would have done it. And likewise, if it was just me, probably not. But what I quite like is that it was a sense, it was like a bonding, you know, it was always a club, something club. And, you know, for me, that's... it's poignant because I think you know my business at the moment is like team, it's about bringing people together, it's about including people in a, not necessarily a club but it's providing solutions for one person with a resource. My business is virtual assisting. So I have two different agencies that provide virtual support for clients. So I'm conscious that there's some kind of similarity there about setting something up that people can join and be a part of. And it's about connecting with people and providing some kind of solution or some kind of thing that someone wants to get involved in so that's that and also the fact that I was in nature and I love being in nature and it's a good reminder, you know. I think that was probably just part of it, you know, that's where the inspiration came. "Okay, there's some insects that are dying. Obviously we want to save those."
Casey Berglund:
Yes, obviously. Yeah.
Jane Scroggs:
So that's quite funny, makes me laugh actually thinking about that.
Casey Berglund:
Yeah, yeah and it stands out to me too that you are in partnership with your life partner, Taryn, in your business as well. So there's that same sort of dynamic. Would you say that that's similar?
Jane Scroggs:
Yeah, yeah, I think yes. Although he's less on the execution side. He brings like a sales, I would say higher level strategy. I come up with the ideas and he is great at bouncing those ideas off and kind of helping me refine them. And I think with the execution part, that's partly why I end up dipping right into the weeds because I don't have an executor at the same level that I need to execute all of those things. I do have a couple of team members and I've recently delegated a lot of responsibilities which has been... It's I say challenging. It's something that I just, I was kind of blind to what I could delegate to some degree. And Taryn has been brilliant in saying, he said to me the other day, "Okay, so, you know, we're going through a process, we're working out all the processes, who does what?" And he said, "Okay, so you're doing that now, but you know, when you're a multi-million agency owner, are you really gonna be doing that part?" So he brings in that bigger vision to pull me out of those weeds. It's like, "Of course not." So let's just work on that delegating now. And this is the plan to free me up and be more, find the parts of the business that I am more in alignment with and that do light me up.
Casey Berglund:
Yeah, I love that. I love that Taryn just pulled you into your future identity and in some ways invited you to step into the embodiment of that person now and make decisions from that identity, which I think is a really beautiful tool for growing into your vision. I love that.
Jane Scroggs:
It is. It was because not a lot shifted me before that. And I think it was the real moment of, "Good point. OK, yes, now I see." Yeah, it was just really, really helpful at that moment to be pulled into that future vision.
Casey Berglund:
Yeah. So if I were working with a client, and I'm saying this for our listener today because I think you listener might be in a moment where you're like, "There's something more. This isn't quite it. Or maybe I'm having that sticky feeling in my throat like Jane is having for certain things." But then there's also the expansive aligned moments. But you're asking questions of, "What is in alignment for me now? What would be fulfilling now? What is my purpose now?" So I guess I'm speaking to you listener as I'm speaking to Jane. And I wanna say that typically with a client, I would do that exercise three times. So we just did one moment when you were five to seven years old with Cheryl. And it sounds like I just wanna pull out that it sounds like maybe you need a Cheryl. Or there's someone on your team right now who is wanting to be a Cheryl, who maybe even this, I'm getting chills with this. I feel like there's someone on your team right now who has the capacity to be a Cheryl, who might need the space to step into that so that they can support your execution at a higher level and you can stay in the seat of being the visionary ideas person and Taryn can be the visionary sales person. But I'm seeing this kind of come to fruition already. Does that land with you at all? Yeah.
Jane Scroggs:
It does, it does, yeah, it does. I think there's a lot of delegating being happened, has been happening the last couple of weeks. And my own VA was like, "I've just enjoyed this week so much because I finally feel like I'm really getting my teeth into this for you." And she's been, she's worked with me for two years. I was like, "I'm sorry." I said, "I'm sorry that it's taken me so long." She's brilliant. But she's sort of, you know, I've given her a lot of dribs and drabs, but now she's like, "Okay, she's owning stuff" and then she loves it. So it's definitely happening. It's definitely happening.
Casey Berglund:
Yeah. And it's hard, it's hard to delegate. I just see you in that, it's hard to delegate and also there's sort of growing pains with building the trust that it will be executed to the standard that you need it to be executed. But what a gift to be able to offer the space for your VA to step into her own higher level of leadership or maybe her own higher self and be able to be like, "Hey Jane, I can support you with this. And it actually feels great for me to support you with this. And like maybe more, maybe even more, maybe we can test the waters even more." So I love that.
Jane Scroggs:
Yeah, she's great. She's great. And you're right. It's something, what's funny is there's a resistance around, "Okay, I know that I'm not enjoying some of these parts because," you know, like you said earlier, you go from the vision and then you turn in, you have to turn into someone different quite often to execute all those bits as you're growing. And that's fine. So you accept that because you have to do, you know, set up, you have to deal with the inbox and you have to do this because you know unless you've got funding you know you're not immediately able to hire everyone you need. So you go through that process but after a few years you suddenly think "my god you know I'm so drained by the day to day." And I think I reached that point earlier this year and thought "okay something's got to change I've got to feel more, more in alignment, more joyful in what I'm doing." And that is about accepting that someone else can do those things. They might not be as, you do them as perfectly. But then again, I don't do everything perfectly, so I'm not quite sure why I believe that I'm perfect at everything. I mean, I know that I'm not, but yeah, it's a really interesting process. And I see this so much with our clients because our team members sometimes struggle to get work from our clients and I empathize so much because I am a version of them. So yeah, I find that I can actually then maybe guide them better on how to do that from my own experience.
Casey Berglund:
Yeah, it makes so much sense. And what a gift that you have the capacity for that empathy. And, you know, obviously I've introduced you before we got into this conversation. So our listener will know a bit more about your business specifically, but you're in the industry of property management, real estate, like your business offers virtual assistant services for that industry. And so, yeah, it makes so much sense that a leading agent on the other side might not yet trust your virtual assistants to do some of the tasks or the paperwork or the administrative stuff that needs to get done. And it's a gift that you can empathize with that and be like, "Yeah, sometimes it's hard to delegate." And I guess based on what you've learned about yourself and maybe some of the resistance in delegating, how does that change or how could that change how you then approach your clients who are maybe also struggling to delegate as well, knowing your own process, like what does that do for you when it comes to the practicalities of empathizing with those clients or what could you put in place or what do you put in place to make it easier for that collaboration and that support to happen more seamlessly?
Jane Scroggs:
I think the first step is to provide team members that have the experience that the client is looking for. So there's an element of, you know, we have a UK team who are highly, highly experienced and quite often educate the clients on what needs to be done. So the clients with the UK team members, they kind of feel, "Okay, I trust, you know, they're much better than me at property management and lettings and UK lettings legislation." So, but even so, you know, there still sometimes is a bit of a, you know, reluctance to hand over.
And the team from South Africa are also very experienced. They don't have the same experience as the UK team. Obviously they're overseas, but they know what to do. So you're going in with that level of, "Okay, don't worry, we've got this understanding, so you don't need to fear that you've got to train someone up and you've got to be there and show them all the processes that they probably don't actually know themselves." So there's that side of things. But I think also saying to them, "Okay, a bit like Taryn said to me, what do you do, you know, when you're, these clients are growing their portfolios, so they're usually quite entrepreneurial, visionary, they want to have lots of properties to own and to be tenanted." So we would say, I'd say to them like, "Okay, that's fine now, but in three properties' time, in four properties' time, when you've got another 10, 20, 30 tenants ringing your WhatsApp when they've got a problem with their hot water, et cetera, really, is that what you want? So let's start delegating now. Let's start building those systems, those standard operating procedures, those processes." So I think that's a nice one to bring in to help them sort of tip over into that trust and, "Okay, let's do this," you know, to try and delegate more.
Casey Berglund:
Yeah. Yeah, the thing that I'm hearing you say there is that when you are delegating to someone, whether that's you or whether that's your client, to someone that you know can handle it and you know will deliver at a certain standard and you know has even more expertise in that area than maybe you do, it's a lot easier. And it's actually reminding me, I have my book in the background, this is "The Mind Body Guide," which is a co-written book. And I remember the process of writing this book with my two co-authors, Julie Boelack and Courtney Amo. I had this thought so many times where I'm like, "My gosh, all I need to do is collaborate with other A players and it works perfectly." And it helped me to heal a bunch of shame that I had on myself about being a perfectionist or having too high of a standard or micromanaging. It's like when you have a standard and people naturally, authentically are gifted and step into that standard and it's a good collaboration, things flow more smoothly. And I think it's a process and a journey to finding the right people. I think that's the hardest thing is finding the right people. And of course, some folks might not come in with the knowledge or expertise or the capacity to deliver to that certain standard right off the bat. And so it's always that balance of trusting in the growth of that person versus just hiring someone who already has the skill set and the personality and the talents to flow. And so I think I've been taught that lesson over the years when it comes to hiring or collaborating that I don't have to shame myself for having a high standard. Like who, I don't know, who's gonna change the world or uplevel or raise the bar if not the ones with the higher standard. You know, and so I think on one hand we could shame ourselves for being perfectionistic and drop into the dark side of perfectionism. And of course, sometimes I have to work through some of that stuff and just ship it when it's not perfect. But I also think that we're here to maybe elevate the bar and that's okay. And we get to love ourselves through that and be gracious in all the ways that entrepreneurship is a personal development process, right? Like we're challenged deeply in our own selves as we navigate running our businesses.
Jane Scroggs:
Yes. Definitely. Yeah, it's so true. And I think quite often we see people in our industry who come to us because they've tried other options, perhaps maybe that were more cost effective or different or maybe were, you know, support from a different culture, completely other side of the world that perhaps doesn't understand the industry. And at the time that might seem perfect, but there's some responsibilities legally that come with the work that we're doing. And so in the end, they come to us and say, "Yeah, I'm happy to explore support with your team because they bring that sense of peace of mind, actually." And like you said, it's creating, it's raising the standard, whether that's your own business or, you know, equally the people around you, your peers, similar businesses, you know, when they see what you and your team are doing at that level, it's like, "Wow, you know, if they really are doing great things, I want to do the same. I want to be that organized, that efficient, that, you know, bring homes to the people that are of that standard with that level of property management and responsiveness." So absolutely with you on that. That's, that's, that's where I've always felt I've always been really happy to invest in the best, whether that's team members, coaching, equipment. I just think there's a feeling of, "This is where I'm at. I need this around me to feel like I've got this. This is where I'm heading." Not obviously overspending when I haven't got the money, but there's this idea of, "This is the standard we want to achieve," and I like to kind of share that with my clients like, "Okay, this is where you are and where we can get you to with our team, et cetera." So yeah, I totally agree with that.
Casey Berglund:
Yeah. And I'm just witnessing and wanting to reflect back to you that as you share, again, from that more meta perspective of, "This is what our team, this is how our team and our business is raising the bar," I noticed that glimmer of expansion in you again, right? So again, I'm just wanting to reflect back, Jane, that even in the course of this conversation, when you got to lean into curiosity, high level thinking like zoning way out and seeing the bigger picture of your team's why and the contribution that you're making in your industry, when you get to be in ideas mode and visionary mode and curiosity and connection and forming that club, that also brings you into that expanse of energy. And then when you get to drop into nature, you get to come into that expanse of nature or expanse of energy. And so I'm curious to just even in this point in the conversation, like if we circle back to the very beginning where I shared how we met and how we had conversations about purpose then and how you shared that you're navigating these questions right now, I'm curious to ask in the course of this conversation, what has really stood out to you or what are you already maybe taking away about what to lean into as it relates to your sort of ongoing purpose and alignment journey?
Jane Scroggs:
Yeah, it's embodying those moments and noticing and then embodying them more and actually bringing more of those sort of magical feelings into my day to day, or just every moment, you know. It doesn't matter whether it's work or outside of work. I mean, when you run your own business, there is no outside of work. It's constant.
So it's even more important to build a day, 24 hours a week, where you're tuning into those feelings which come for me from visualizing. So I really enjoyed that actually. And when you first said it, I thought, "My God, what if I can't think of anything?" But of course, I know that it doesn't matter. The first thing that comes is the right thing.
That was a really fond memory. So definitely tapping into those senses of when I felt great, when I felt inspired or when I felt playful and curious. Because you do connect with it and then you think, "Wow, it activates those parts of you that may be dormant, whether that's in the moment or in general." I think with my business, you know, and I think it's a real projector thing that it's, "Wait for, is it wait for the invitation," they say. So all of my, I would say entrepreneurial life, which has been, I guess, since about 2013, which is when I left employment, I was looking for the business, you know, I joined a big business mentoring program and he was like, "Just try something, just pick a business." I was like, "Okay, fine." So I picked businesses and none of them really resonated. And the business I have very much was organic, it just kind of happened organically rather than me going, "Okay, I'm choosing this, I'm doing this." And there are moments when, in the moments where you feel flat and triggered and constricted, I just think, "I'd love to be able to, I'd love to be doing something, you know, way more creative. I know it's doing interior design or whatever." And it's, and I have to, and I think it's so easy to fall into shiny object syndrome as an entrepreneur going, "Let's look, these are the things that light me up. Let's go and find more of those." And the day to day of running a business, you know, for five, six years, it's, you've got to try and find those moments of sparkle and alignment within that business unless, you know, because really, I don't want to have to start a new business. I'm very deep into this one and it's obviously successful, so why would I? But it's finding that magic in the day to day is so important. And I think a lot of people don't stick that part out because it can be heavy, it can be boggy, it can be, you know, not fun. I think little tips like that, like you just said, I can imagine that works so well in your coaching. It's like, "Oh yeah, okay. And how do you, how can you apply that into your day to day?" And it just, it just perks you up and keeps you going.
Casey Berglund:
Keeps you going. Yeah. Yeah. And so Jane, I would invite you and I invite the listener to contemplate or bring forth two more memories maybe later in your, I don't know, 20s, maybe in your 30s, like two other memories where you were at your best, pulsing, in flow and actually stream of consciousness style, write the whole thing out and then look for themes. And something that I do with clients is I take that and one of my gifts and one of the things I love to do is I can see very clearly the threads and what is happening underneath all of these moments that is outlining someone's true gifts. And what I like to do is get people to create a three word statement. So it's short and it's like, "Okay, how can I define my purpose in three words?" But let me tell you when you do and it's the thing you're doing underneath what you're doing, when you do it becomes such an anchor. For example, mine is "I illuminate truth." And I do that in my coaching, but I can't not do it. Like my mom is visiting right now and in conversations I'll be like, you know, it's like you kind of name the thing that is the truth. You know, I think people can't lie to me. Like I just see it. It's the thing that I'm doing no matter what and it's not for anyone, it just is. And so when I'm in a moment of transition or change or questioning, which of course I've had those moments, I can ground back into, "Okay, just Casey, just the next step is to illuminate truth, whether that's through a podcast episode, or whether that's through a coaching session, or whether that's through a conversation at Juno House Club." It's the thing that enlivens me. So there's maybe a next step for you and for the listener in navigating that thing that you're doing. And I appreciate what you said about keeping going. Take the qualities of what light you up and when you are kind of grounded into your gifts and apply that to what you're doing right now. And what I can say from years of coaching entrepreneurs who are going through transitions is many will come to me and they're like, "I wanna burn this business down." And it's sort of like, sometimes it's a small hinge that swings a big door. Like I'm just recalling one client I had who actually owned a jewelry, like a diamond company, a custom jewelry company. And he was in a place of wanting to burn it down.
I think he said to me, "It's like I birthed this baby and now I just want to kill it." And what we realized is he had kind of a right hand person that he worked with. And what we realized is that he actually gave up his favorite role to her and all they needed to do was actually switch back the roles and she was happier and he was happier. And the business—and that's such an example of when you ground into what is the thing that makes you feel fulfilled and expansive? And there's clarity around that. It could be a tiny little move that changes the energy around the whole business. And of course, you know, if a founder is wanting to burn their business down, that's not going to be supportive of their exponential growth. They need to be in that energy back into the seat of their gifts to see that next level. And you know, sometimes it is about burning the business down and starting something new, but most of the time it's not. And so I appreciate you bringing it back to that and sharing some of your own awarenesses around how to apply those moments of magic to the business you already have.
Jane Scroggs:
Yeah, I love that. I love that. And I can really identify with that client of yours. Because I see that quite a lot with the clients that I work with. People say, "You must outsource all the low value tasks and just focus on finding investors and buying properties." But some of our clients really enjoy some of the smaller parts of the business. And they don't want to let them go. Or they do, but they kind of miss it. And I just think, "God, stick to the bits you enjoy." I think that's at the end of the day, we have to enjoy what we do or have to aim to enjoy what we do because otherwise you'll end up wanting to burn the business down and the business can be a brilliant business but you're just feeling really unhappy in it and I love those small tweaks. I can definitely, definitely see how they can work for sure.
Casey Berglund:
Yeah. So I'm curious, as we wrap up, what advice or wisdom you would give to someone who is actually starting their own VA business, like maybe they're one person wanting to start as a VA. Like if you could maybe speak to a younger you or if you could speak to that person who is just starting in business, what wisdom or advice would you share with them?
Jane Scroggs:
I think it's very much along the lines of what we were just saying. It's, you know, what, why, why do you want to do it? Understanding a bit more and just saying, you know, "What is, what is it about being a VA that you really enjoy?" And I do, I know this because I have a good friend also at Juno that I have had this conversation with and some of the groups that I'm in. And some of the VAs absolutely love doing the work. They thrive on supporting the executives or the clients. And quite often when they want to start an agency like I've done, it's, they're moving away from the bit they really enjoy. And then you're ending up with team management, you know, you've probably got extremely high standards. So you've got that whole, you know, fear of delegating piece going on too. And it becomes an admin role and a people management role. I would definitely say, you know, "Look at the parts that you really enjoy in the business and do you really want to give those up? You know, those parts that you do enjoy, maybe there's an opportunity to grow within that." I mean, there's so many models within the virtual assistant business. Debbie, a mutual friend of ours, has one type of business with virtual, you know, it's training the virtual assistants and... Lauren, another mutual friend, has another agency. So and that is based on the things that they enjoy themselves and what they feel they actually want to bring, you know, give birth to. So I think it's really identifying what you're good at and what you enjoy and then expanding that basically.
Casey Berglund:
Yeah. Exactly. Yeah. Yeah, from where I'm sitting, it's like, this feels very aligned for you, Jane, the woman who likes to start the clubs, right? Like actually having a team and a vision and a club and providing solutions for clients. And yeah, it really does feel just like the more time that you can spend in curiosity, connection, ideas, vision, and the more support you have with execution. And maybe even, I'm even thinking, I don't know, this is coming to me that like a business manager that can do the people management too, right? So that you can guide the vision of the company and maybe even remove yourself from some of the delegating pieces. Like it's just so fascinating to really see. And I appreciate that you brought it back and named Debbie and Lauren as well, who I am still planning episodes with, that you all have virtual assisting businesses, but they're different models. And whether you're in a virtual assisting business or any business, I think the thing that you said that is really, really important is some people are going to be so much more fulfilled and maybe even way more profitable in a solopreneur business compared to growing a team. And I think there's this misconception in business that better is more, better is growth, better is bigger team. And that's not always true. And I've seen time and time again that that also is often not sustainable if it isn't in alignment for the person who started it. And sometimes it's leaning out and simplifying and having less team, less people, going more back to being a team of one to five people is where the fulfillment and the profit is, because yeah, sometimes as you grow, your expenses just get bigger too. And then it's like, "Okay, yeah, so you have a million dollar business, but how much profit are you making in that business?" Right? So yeah, I think these questions and these conversations are so important to help people connect back in with what actually is the calm, purposeful career or business that fuels the life that they love. And so, yeah, I appreciate you bringing your wisdom around that to the table.
Jane Scroggs:
Exactly, so true. I love that.
Well, I appreciate you for your wisdom as always and for inviting me here today to talk to you.
Casey Berglund:
Thank you for being here.
Jane Scroggs:
Thank you.
Casey Berglund:
All right, take a breath with me. Inhale and exhale. If Jane's story hit home, here's your gentle homework. Grab a pen and capture two to three memories from your life when you were fully in your magic, where time stopped, you felt expansive and in flow. Then look for the threads. What are you doing underneath what you're doing? Can you define it in three words? Let that guide what you delegate, what you keep, and where you create more space. You can connect with Jane on Instagram at janesgroggsproperty and explore her work by visiting beam-va.com. That's B-E-A-M-V-A.com. Links, as always, are in the show notes. And if you're ready to go deeper with me, I created a free training just for you. It's called "Your Pathway to a Calm, Purposeful Career or Business that Fuels a Life You Love." And it'll help you step into your next level of alignment. You'll find the link in the show notes. Thank you as always for listening. If you're new here, please hit the follow button so you don't miss a single episode. And if you've been here for a while and you're really loving what you're hearing, your rating and review means so much. When you rate and review the show, it really helps these episodes be heard by more people. And I just so appreciate you helping to co-create that ripple. Thank you so much and I'll see you next time.
