Jenny

In this ever-expanding digital world – where you can practically run your business remotely from a simple phone or tablet – a new workforce has been sparked: The Virtual Assistant (VA).

Ok, so maybe the idea of a VA isn’t THAT new, but how they are being leveraged and what they can offer has changed dramatically over the last few years. From simple daily tasks to more strategic support like building funnels and growing your social media following, VAs are key to driving the entrepreneurial workforce.

Let’s start by defining what a Virtual Assistant Is…

The high-level definition of a VA is, typically, an individual that is self-employed works remotely and supports businesses with various tasks. They provide their own equipment and software, thus making them a true independent subcontractor.

Most VAs will search for a particular niche – both in what they offer and whom they market to. Some will focus on strictly the administrative side of a business and cater to all industries, where other VAs will pick a particular industry to focus on and offer a very defined set of skills.

So why should you use a Virtual Assistant?

By far one of the greatest reasons for hiring a VA is that they only work when you need them to. Only need support 5 hours a week? Why hire someone full time and potentially have to pay them benefits when you can subcontract out a VA!

Also, their vast knowledge and skill set allows them to start a task with minimal training, especially if you find a VA that specializes in your field. They allow solopreneurs to increase their business production without greatly impacting their overhead. No need to purchase more office space, they work remotely! No need to buy more computers or printers, a VA already has all the equipment!

What can a Virtual Assistant do?

Sometimes it’s hard to define exactly what a VA can do because the list is so vast, but what you need to know is that a VA can support your business in virtually whatever you need help with! The key is to just find the right VA for you that specializes in what you need to help grow your business.

To determine how to get started delegating, click this link for a quick exercise! http://behindthesceneexecs.com/delegating

Want to hire a Virtual Assistant?

Here’s how!

When hiring a VA, it’s important to make sure they fit your personality and style. Don’t be afraid to ask questions! Here are some example questions we recommend asking:

• What’s your background/experience and do you have a specific skillset?
• Can you give me some examples of your work?
• How many clients do you typically have at once?
• What are your normal working hours?
• How do you prefer to communicate?
• Can you provide references?
• Do you work on an hourly rate or packages? What is the cost?

Not sure how to even begin working with a virtual assistant? Try this quick excercise by clicking here.

If you are like most solopreneurs you started your business with the intent of helping or making your family life better. However, balancing work and family life is one of the hardest things to manage.

The conflict between work and family life can be one of the most common sources of stress. It is important to find that balance between both. Here are just a few tips to finding your equilibrium.

Establishing limits and boundaries

Boundaries are a line of protection to draw around yourself. Determine what is acceptable for you and your family. As solopreneurs, we tend to always be in work mode. If we are not working, it’s in the back of our mind. To help solve this, set office hours and retrain your work brain to think within those hours.

Stop answering text messages and emails outside your business hours. If you feel the need to answer then schedule the message to send the next business morning. Both text and emails have delayed sending features. When you answer your clients within your set hours they will always know when to expect to hear from you.

If you work from home the lines can get blurry. I recommend staying out of your office, den, or corner of the room you occupy when you are not working. That will help avoid the temptation.

Without boundaries in place, it is difficult to say “No”.

Build a support network inside the office and outside 

Utilize your team, family and close friends to build a support network. This will help you stay on top of the balance and provide you with the positive push that can be necessary for our busy lives.

Organization

The more you organize your day the more you can accomplish. Assign tasks to a dedicated day of the week. Accounting will be Fridays mornings. Networking is Wednesdays. If that’s getting too detailed for you, create a task list and highlight what “has to be done today”.

Be reasonable with your lists. It’s easy to try to cram too much into one day. A little tip to note is block time for the random pop-ups that occur to all solopreneurs.

The more organized you are with the day the easier it is to feel a sense of accomplishment. You can confidentially walk away from the “work” day without the guilt of what should have been done weighing on you.

Sometimes you are unable to find the balance

Stuff happens. Emergencies will pop-up, don’t beat yourself up over it. A family member may be sick or there is a deadline you need to meet at work. Take note and learn from the situation to better manage it next time.

Get help

Free up your day by delegating your work. Stop trying to fight that uphill battle of doing everything yourself. If you have redundant tasks or something you struggle to do, then find a virtual assistant to complete them and take the burden off your shoulders.

Don’t know how to delegate?

Try this short exercise on how to start delegating.

With the support of your family and implementing these few tips, you can find that happy balance.

 

 

 

 

 

Webinars are a great way to promote your business, but they don’t need to be stressful, especially if you follow these 15 tips:

15 Tips to a Successful Webinar

1. Remember webinars are not about you. It’s about your audience so avoid using “I am” make it “you will.”
2. Nothing resonates more with an audience than a success story the audience can relate to.
3. Don’t go it alone. Have a virtual assistant, assist you on your webinars to handle the technical side.
4. Practice your webinar in your chosen webinar platform. Be sure to test sound, slides, and technology. Time your presentation leave time for questions.
5. Practice the webinar but practice your offer again and again. This is where people tend to trip up the most on their webinars because delivering offers feels awkward. The more you practice it, the more comfortable and confident you are.
6. Stay true to you. There are so many programs that teach you how to do webinars but keep your voice yours and your personality. Stay true to you.
7. Chose the right webinar platform for you. If you are going it alone, then make sure the webinar platform you choose matches your technology skills.
8. Wednesday and Thursdays are the best days to hold webinars preferably at 11:00 AM PST.
9. Be on the webinar 10 minutes before the start time. This trouble shoots any potential technical difficulties and gives you a little window to resolve them. If you have a co-host or a virtual assistant get on 15 minutes before the start time.
10. Utilize social media. Announce your webinar on Facebook or any social media platform you use.
11. Blog about the webinar. You can pick from topics of your webinar or what they are going get from the webinar. Post blog on website and link to your opt-in page. It also gives you social media posts that are not all about selling.
12. Test everything. Check your links in your emails, social media posts, and opt-in page.
13. Proof your slides. If you plan on having slides in your presentation be sure to have another person proof read them.
14. Start the webinar on time. Don’t wait for the stragglers and be respectful to the attendees that were on time.
15. I hate to state the obvious but make sure you are in a quiet environment. Confirm the kids are occupied, and the pets are in another room.

Remember to relax, breathe, and realize nothing is perfect and nothing has to be perfect. Enjoy your presentation and have fun with it.

Take a little more pressure off and download our free checklist.

They say a picture is worth a 1000 words. I wonder if they meant use a thousand words?