Meet Keali Scheider

We recently connected with Keali Scheider and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Keali, thanks for joining us today. Let’s jump right into something we’re very focused on here – improving our ability to make decisions. Everyday, we’re faced with decisions that can impact the future of our careers, businesses, relationships and more and so one of the most impactful areas for personal development, in our view, is decision-making. Can you talk to us about how you developed or improved your decision-making skills?

I’m a realist and not much of a dreamer, so making decisions is a very analytical process for me. Step one is to make decisions smaller. Often times, what we believe is one decision is actually several combined together. I pinpoint one decision that needs to be made at a time, and give myself a time frame of when this needs to be decided. I typically work through anything that seems obvious before moving on to what feels trickier.

When getting to the tricky parts, a lesson I learned a long time ago is to “work your what ifs all the way to the end” to figure out the worst case scenario. What is the most undesirable outcome here? Usually, once I identify this outcome, I’m able to then say, “if that happened, then I would do ____.” Having a “known” potential outcome typically makes the decision less scary, and allows me to move forward. I’d like to say I also then imagine the best case scenario outcome, but that isn’t always the case!

A traditional pro-con list is not a bad option either, but what most people forget is that pros and cons can be weighted differently. “More” in one category is not always indicative of the better choice.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

Why is it that when you work for someone else and you’re exceptionally good at what you do, more often that not this is treated as a penalty? (More responsibilities, being given more challenging clients, or other additional workload…that’s usually NOT compensated).

Maybe that wasn’t your experience but it was mine when I was a pediatric speech pathologist.

I wrote excellent reports. I had exceptional reviews from parents and amazing rapport with the kids. I had highly specialized training in sought after areas. I rarely complained and I was never late on documentation.

As a result, I was given the most difficult cases, the hardest to please families, a team lead role, and more difficult paperwork all without a pay increase.

It didn’t take much time to realize I was never going to be able to work on my terms, my schedule, my pace, or reach my desired pay working as a therapist. I started planning my exit strategy immediately.

My husband and I are very budget conscious, and I knew leaving my job right away wouldn’t be an option to pay our bills, especially because I had over $50,000 in student loans at one point. I had been working for years already to pay that loan off, but then I was more motivated than ever.

I found virtual assisting through a college friend, who recommended a course for me to take to get started. It was $797. $797 that I didn’t have. So I sold things on Facebook Marketplace and ramped up my small custom cookie side business I had at the time.

By the time the course opened up again, I had enough to buy it, and I went all in. I signed my first VA client 4 weeks into taking the course, and several more soon after. I completed the work early in the morning before going to my therapy job and had many late nights working after dinner.

I saved every dime from virtual assistant work that first year and and half and picked up other jobs too- a part time wedding coordinator, babysitting, and more baking.

During this time, I’m now pregnant with our first child and need to cash flow my maternity leave (because the great thing about working with children is that those jobs don’t want to pay for you to have them yourself, shocker).

We soon realize we have enough saved for me to comfortably quit my therapy job, cover a 3 month maternity leave, and pay off the remaining balance of my student loan.

After my daughter was born, I never went back to the therapy world and have only worked for myself.

I have since transitioned from virtual assistant work only to becoming a course creator for virtual assistants, hosting several workshops about launching and selling, and started one on one coaching for virtual assistants and other online service providers. My expertise is in helping service-based business owners learn to market, sell, and establish authority online. We don’t focus on getting rich, but we do focus on building rich lives (which usually ends up with a monetary payoff!)

I’m a wife and toddler mom, and very lucky to call the beautiful beaches of the Lowcountry coast my home. I’m a baker, beach-goer, brunch-er, and reality TV binger in my free time.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

I attribute most of my success to being extremely consistent. I don’t start something then stop or bounce around between ideas and plans. Whether it’s showing up on Instagram routinely, keeping up with my daily financial tracking habits, or reflecting on what I’m grateful for, consistency is the expectation.

I didn’t know anything about technology or the online industry when I got started, but what I did know was that I am smart and way dumber people have figured this out and are crushing it, so I can too. Being resourceful and eager to learn is key.

Since moving into the coaching space, I have developed a highly skilled sense of what MY people like, need to hear, and what they’re paying attention to. My messaging for who I’m trying to call into my world is very specific, and as a result I really enjoy the people I work with.

What would you advise – going all in on your strengths or investing on areas where you aren’t as strong to be more well-rounded?

When you’re in the beginning stages especially, you want to learn and know everything. The reality: you never can.

I didn’t use Instagram for the first few years of my business, but when I started using it, I quickly realized I was terrible at feed content but incredibly good and strategic with Instagram Stories content. After months of trying to fight the algorithm and trying to constantly grow my follower count, I leaned heavily into who was already at the party and I went DEEP with those people in my stories.

I didn’t know it at the time but those relationships and connections I made through Instagram Stories set me up for long term success. When I started to pitch new offers like my course, workshops, and coaching, people were already sold on ME- I just had to sell them on my stuff (which, in my opinion, is the much easier sell).

Now, I have chosen to invest in other areas I’m not as strong in, but also keeping in mind what I know I’m good at and what I know works. In the beginning, go all in on what you’re best it. You’ll quickly position yourself as an authority and gain a ton of confidence to tackle the harder stuff later.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kealischeider/

Image Credits

Jamie Sutera Photography