Any great action in a business involves preparation and focus. There are only so many times you can “wing it” and make magic happen! It’s through preparing and focusing on the tasks and goals that the greatest results and outcomes are achieved.
I can’t understand why there is no thought process in preparing for support and help. In a large corporation, jobs are budgeted for and generally posted with an application process. For some reason, entrepreneurs get busy and just decide on the spot that they need help. But there is no focus or preparation in understanding what help is needed and how that help will benefit the business. So why hire me?
As a virtual assistant, am I telling you that you shouldn’t hire me? Well, yes and no. Let’s face it, and as I said in my opening paragraph – you can only “wing it” so many times before magic happens. If you are overwhelmed and you hire someone, it might be magical and you might get the best value for your money. But then again, the relationship could flop, there are no results or improvement and the money is wasted.
Here’s the deal. If you want great results in your business you have to plan, prepare and be focused. So what do you really need help with? As an entrepreneur, you have the ability to hire experts! You don’t need to hire a 40-hour employee, you can outsource specific tasks to the best person. But what are those tasks? If you are not clear on what your business needs, then you should get your ducks in a row before you start the process.
Here are 5 things to prepare and focus on before you start your hiring process:
- What tasks do you dislike doing?
- What tasks do you love to do?
- Which of these could you easily give away for someone else to do?
- What is your budget?
- If you give away those tasks, what will you fill your time with?
The first and second items are pretty easy. The third one is tough because as the “doer” of all, it’s not easy to give things away. So think about #5 – if someone else was to handle those tasks, what can you do in place of that time. Maybe it’s an opportunity to increase your finances by selling more, more client time or maybe it’s just the family time that you are craving or the fitness class you want to attend.
We’ll talk more about budget as we go forward, but asking yourself this question brings in a good point for preparing and focusing. If you don’t have the budget to outsource, then maybe you need to continue as is and increase the sales to cover that budget item. Or you outsource and find the additional funds because you have more time for sales.
It’s all about preparation and focus. You can’t hire when you’re sinking … you have to see clearly before you can make the best decisions for your business.
Marianne D’Alessandro is a virtual assistant and owner of TimeFlies-Admin Services. With over 30+ years as an executive assistant, Marianne works in partnership with her clients. She offers consulting for entrepreneurs looking to hire the right virtual assistant as well as productivity and time-saving workshops. Download the 40 Ways to Use a Virtual Assistant.
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