Being a solopreneur can be great, but if you want to move to the next level and grow your business there comes a time when you need to get external help.
There are 2 main reasons that business owners outsource
– They get to the point when one person physically cannot do it all. As cloning and inserting extra hours in the day is not quite possible yet, there are just not enough hours in the day to do everything.
– There are tasks that they are not good at, don’t play to their strengths, or don’t have the skills for or don’t enjoy.
But what puts people off getting a VA or other outsourced help?
– Ironically, it is because they feel too busy to organize one. They are so overwhelmed that their time is spent firefighting and reacting, rather than planning, being proactive and looking at the longer term needs of the business.
– They think they are too much of a control freak or perfectionist to be able to work with anyone else. You’ve decided to work for yourself as you love your job, and most people have a certain picture in their mind’s eye of how life will be. But often reality does not match that dream. You will not achieve that work life balance you’ve always wanted by working 24/7. There are perfectionist VA’s. It’s about finding the right person, developing a trusting relationship, setting expectations and working closely together.
– They think they can’t afford it. This is not necessarily the case – if job takes you 4 hours it might only take me 2. Why? I’m familiar with it, know the short cuts, and equally I’m not putting it off by procrastinating and being distracted by other tasks.
So, what could I do for you in one hour?
SMALL BUSINESSES
1. Chase outstanding invoices – making calls and sending out letters.
2. Organise your inbox, setting up rules, creating folders and making sure you see your most urgent messages.
3. Enter the business cards you have got from networking events into your CRM or excel.
4. Make personalized LinkedIn connection requests to 30 new contacts.
5. Produce, format and proof read a 2 page word document, ensuring it has your logo and branding.
6. Send out an email campaign to your email list.
7. Design a client enquiry form to use with new clients.
8. Find quotes for your printing from a supplier
9. Schedule appointments with clients, businesses and salespeople
10. Provide a list of local networking opportunities for you to meet prospective new customers and suppliers.
11. Make you your favorite beverage and brainstorm your business plan and next steps.
COACHES, CONSULTANTS, SPEAKERS AND WORKSHOP HOSTS
1. Research 3 venues in your price range and locality and send you the details for comparison.
2. Send out reminder emails to your delegates to reduce no shows.
3. Research travel and hotel options near your venue, for your delegate information.
4. Create forms or surveys for your customer feedback
5. Research marketing products and personalised stationery for your delegates.
6. Send out thank you notes to delegates, suppliers and the venue.
7. Help you find and target new clients and identify how to market to them.
Convinced that hiring a VA could make a difference to your working week?
Contact me for a free consultation, so I can find out more about you and your business and we can discuss how I could help you create more time in your week, reduce that feeling of overwhelm and helping you feel more calm and in control.