Canadian Small Business Women

Connection, Synergy, Community

Are You Seeing Clearly?

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:

  1. What tasks do you dislike doing?
  2. What tasks do you love to do?
  3. Which of these could you easily give away for someone else to do?
  4. What is your budget?
  5. 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.

www.timeflies-adminservices.ca

www.facebook.com/TimeFliesAdminServices/

www.instagram.com/timeflies_adminservices/

Overwhelmed – Overworked … Outsourcing is KEY!

Life is busy and we try to do it all – balance all the needs of home and work and try to have some fun! Sometimes you just have to get some help. Calling in the experts can give you sanity, peace of mind, or much needed rest.

Whether it’s a cleaning service, a repair person, a gardener, an organizer, or a virtual assistant, there’s always a service to help make life easier. Outsourcing does not need to be difficult. What’s important is asking the right questions to get the outcome you want and need! Here are ten questions to ask before outsourcing:

  1. What experience do you have?
  2. Can you share examples of your work/service?
  3. Can you provide references?
  4. What hours do you work? Are you flexible?
  5. How long will the task/job take?
  6. Do you offer flat rates, package rates or special discounts?
  7. Exactly what is involved in the work you will do?
  8. How can I reach you and what is your response time?
  9. What do you need from me?
  10. What are your payment terms and what forms of payment do you take?

 

When I introduce myself as a virtual assistant, I often hear “OMG, I need you!”. Well, that’s music to my ears. I have found that these 10 areas help entrepreneurs focus on what they need.

Asking the right questions to find the right person is one key area. The other areas are preparation and partnership. In the next few blogs, I’ll share more helpful information to guide you to hire and build the best working relationship with a virtual assistant. Of course, you can apply this practice to other outsourcing venues to help make your life easier.

 

 

Marianne D’Alessandro

TimeFlies-Admin Services

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 10 Questions to Ask Before Outsourcing.

www.timeflies-adminservices.ca

www.facebook.com/TimeFliesAdminServices/

www.instagram.com/timeflies_adminservices/

 

Your Virtual Assistant Wish List: Getting the Right Support


Running a business can be a full-time job. Not just working with your clients, which should be the full-time part of your work, but doing the day to day running of your business.

What are you doing every day that is not generating revenue for your business? As a business owner, it’s important that your time is spent bringing money and clients into the business. Without clients and money, your business will not survive.

So why are you spending so much time doing things that aren’t making you money?

That’s why it’s important to consider getting help with some of the things that you may be doing that are not the best use of your time.

Getting a Virtual Assistant to help with things like administrative tasks and marketing can free up your time to do just the things that are generating revenue for your business.

But where do you start?

You should begin with your VA wish list. It’s an effective exercise to show you just where your time is going in your business, and gives you a place to identify the most important places you can get some help.

Start on a Monday morning and make a list of literally everything you are doing in your business. It is just a list – so write down each task, each project, each thing you are thinking about or strategizing.

Do this for a full week, one page for each day. You can do it for a whole month if you like, but a week is generally enough time to start showing you things that you are doing every single day that you might be able to get help with.

At the end of the week, analyze the list.

What are the things that you hate doing? Here’s some news for you: there are people who love doing the things you don’t like doing – like bookkeeping, for example. That is definitely one thing you should consider putting at the top of your list for outsourcing.

What are the things that are very time consuming? If you are taking up a lot of time doing something then consider whether you could outsource it. For instance, if writing or scheduling your social media is taking you a long time because you don’t love doing it, that could be a task you could get help with.

What are the things that are repetitive? If you see something coming up on the list every day, consider if it’s a good use of your time. If it is not really something you should be spending your time doing, maybe you should find someone to help you with it. For example, if you are constantly going back and forth with clients to book appointments or answering emails, perhaps working with a VA to free up those parts of your customer service will be beneficial.

The other way you can use the list is to categorize some of the things on it to figure out where you need to get help first. For instance, if you see five things that are all marketing related, maybe you should be looking for help with some of your marketing tasks like social media or your newsletter.

Hiring a Virtual Assistant is a good idea no matter which stage your business is at. Think of your business at its most successful (even if that’s not your current situation) and think about what you would need help with at that stage. Then start working toward that now, or at least putting it into your forecast.

If you are just starting out, consider putting it into your growth plan to allow for hiring support. As you start to work with clients, you will have less time to do the business stuff, so make sure you have a plan.

If you are in a growth phase, it’s definitely the right time to figure out what a VA can help you with. Growth done properly is so much better than growing by working 24/7.

Start your VA wish list today – it’s the smart way to get the help you need sooner!

 

Tracey D’Aviero is VA Coach and Trainer, International Speaker and Author. She is President of the Global Alliance of Virtual Assistants (GAVA) and the Canadian Association of Virtual Assistants (CAVA). Tracey has operated her own business since 1996, and has shifted gears to focus solely on training and supporting other VAs through Your VA Mentor. Her mission is to educate virtual professionals on how to build and grow profitable and sustainable VA businesses with a solid foundation, goal setting that works, and accountability and support.

Whether you want to be a Virtual Assistant, or need to hire a Virtual Assistant, Tracey can help! 

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