SoloSavvy Blog for Solo Entrepreneurs » Delegation

EVERY Business Owner Needs to Watch These Videos

Terri Zwierzynski — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 12:00:51 +0000

It’s no secret that business owners have struggled for YEARS with finding, hiring and working with a virtual team.

It’s not surprising really … while there are a ton of people out there telling you to hire virtual professionals to support the growth of your business, there’s no one telling you where to find them, how to connect with them, how to hire them and how to successfully work with them.

… Until Now.

Enter Tina Forsyth and her brand new video series of the Top 10 Questions Business Owners Have About Finding, Hiring and Working with a Virtual Team. And just to confirm – she’s not making this stuff up – these were the top questions hundreds of business owners asked in Tina’s recent survey.

EVERY business owner needs to watch these videos … even if they think they know the answers. Check them out https://obm.infusionsoft.com/go/videos/tzwierzynski

Here’s just a small taste of what you’ll find in these videos (I’m sure you can relate to more than just a couple):

There’s no such think as the “does it all VA” anymore … do you know who you REALLY need to hire and where to find them?

What makes someone GREAT at what they do? Which attributes should you be looking for when hiring a new team member?

It’s easier than you think ….identify exactly what you need to delegate to your team and what you need to keep and take care of yourself.

Not sure if you can really afford the help you need? There’s always an investment but how can you make the most of it and build your business at the same time?

Three strikes …. Can you save the relationship or is it time to fire a virtual team member? How to be clear on what can be fixed and when it’s too late.

Admit it … you might be a control freak. How do you work with your team and get away from feeling you need to be the one doing everything?

There’s still time to achieve your goals before the end of 2010. Watch these videos, listen to Tina’s advice, find great help and enjoy the benefits of a fantastic virtual team to help you build your business.

https://obm.infusionsoft.com/go/videos/tzwierzynski

The Top 10 Questions Business Owners Have About Finding, Hiring and Working With a Virtual Team

Terri Zwierzynski — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 01:30:39 +0000

One word. Impressive.

That’s what I have to say about the videos Tina Forsyth developed to answer the Top 10 Questions Business Owners Have About Finding, Hiring and Working With a Virtual Team.

Every business owner needs to see these — check out what I’m talking about – https://obm.infusionsoft.com/go/videos/tzwierzynski

We’ve all heard about it … or perhaps we’ve experienced it first hand. A business owner hires a new virtual professional – a Virtual Assistant, Online Business Manager, or other virtual professional who specializes in specific area.

They’re excited … looking forward to the amazing results they’re going to achieve with this new found support.

Within a short time … the excitement dwindles. The ‘honeymoon’ is over, communication is lacking and neither party is happy anymore.

Why did this happen? How could you have prevented it?

These (and many other) questions are answered in Tina’s videos at https://obm.infusionsoft.com/go/videos/tzwierzynski. Tina’s determined to provide you with answers so that you can build an amazing virtual team who will support you in achieving your goals and building your business.

I wasn’t kidding when I mentioned that EVERY business needs to watch these. I guarantee you’ll learn something … and that something, no matter how small will make a huge impact in the future of your virtual team.

Check them out – https://obm.infusionsoft.com/go/videos/tzwierzynski

Junebugs, Mentors, and Your Business

Nancy Marmolejo — Sun, 27 Jun 2010 23:00:47 +0000

I love living in the Information Age, where my 7 year old asks me to Google “what’s the life cycle of a Junebug” after I told her I had no idea what their life cycle was. (I was trying to avoid the topic of how they mate wildly all night long each June, and seem to land in piles of blissfully deceased bug carcasses on my patio come morning.)

And even if I knew the answer to that question, would it make me an expert? Could I hang my shingle as the premier Junebug expert?

Of course not, it would simply fill my head with more random information that perhaps will serve me one day on a game show. Maybe.

But what if I spent years studying with Junebug experts, donning night vision goggles to document their nocturnal trysts? What if I had someone to answer my questions, to correct my erroneous assumptions, and to lead me to new discoveries?

What if I had a Junebug mentor to guide me?

You see, information by itself is wonderful, but without mentoring it doesn’t serve you.

Let’s tie this into your business. I see this so often with people trying to run their businesses on information alone. Google is great but it gives information, not mentoring. That serves you to a certain extent, but what do you do when you have tough questions?

I’m opening up this blog post to ask you about mentorship.

Do you have a mentor?

How have mentors helped your business?

Do you mentor others?

I’m creating a series of posts on this topic because mentorship has been essential to my success and I want to hear how it’s impacted you. Just like the Junebugs, you can get information but that doesn’t always lead to mastery.

Also, thank you to the number of people who’ve stepped up to ask me to be their mentor. I care deeply about the success of my clients and have actually limited the number of people I’ll work closely with over the next year. If you are interested in learning more about having me as your mentor, please check out this post and leave me your info. Space is limited and is by application only.

How to Get it All Done

Michele Pariza Wacek — Sat, 12 Jun 2010 21:00:21 +0000

I’m writing to you from sunny San Diego (which is FINALLY sunny). First I was at Nancy Marmolejo’s I Heart My Biz event, then I walked the San Diego half marathon yesterday, recovering today and tomorrow then off to Lisa Sasevich’s Invisible Close Speak-to-Sell Bootcamp. (If any of you want to join me “virtually” I’ve arranged for you to get a backstage pass to Lisa’s event here: http://tinyurl.com/mejmxs )

Whew.

So while I don’t have time to give you a full article this week, I still wanted to share some tips I learned from Sandra Martini, Business Optimization Specialist, www.SandraMartini.com, about getting things done. (Seemed timely with everything I know I have going on and my guess is you have the same challenges.)

Sandy spoke at Nancy’s event, and she was the perfect Saturday morning speaker because it was about taking all the great ideas we got during the event and turning them into reality.

Below is a quick summary of what she spoke about so you too can start implementing her suggestions and getting more things done.

What Sandy recommends is to create a daily “action” list with no more than 7 items on it. (Yes, I know. Only 7. I’m having trouble with that one too.)

Create a new list every day and do the tasks in the order you write them down in. Lastly, accept the fact you may not get everything done. It’s okay. You’re an entrepreneur. You’re NEVER going to be done unless you’re dead or your business is dead.

This is why it’s crucial to prioritize what you need to be doing every day and only do what’s MOST important of all the important tasks on your list.

But what about the rest? Well, this is where delegating comes in. Start building a team, even if you can only afford a bookkeeper or one virtual assistant right now. You need to start outsourcing all those tasks that need to be done but you don’t need to be the one doing them.

You also need to learn how to say “no” to things that don’t fit YOUR goals. Be brutal. The more you can get things off your plate the faster your business is going to grow.

Once you have your list, get your calendar out and start scheduling for the week. Make sure you schedule EVERYTHING you REALLY want to get done. Put those “big” rocks in first (i.e. meetings, phone calls, blocks of time for working on a big project, etc.) then fill in the rest. And don’t forget about scheduling self-care time or you’ll end up falling apart, which isn’t going to help anyone (much less your business).

The next step? Actually doing it. I challenge all of you to take the next 5 or 10 minutes and plan out your day and your week RIGHT NOW. I know that’s what I’m going to do.

Expand What You Delegate

Bria Simpson — Sat, 01 May 2010 20:00:29 +0000

A critical component of creating a 6-figure income, working part-time, is expanding what you delegate. There is no way around this one.

I can tell you that I saw big leaps in my income when I hired someone to assist with what drains my energy at home AND in my business. I now employ an assistant to drive my kids, grocery shop (love this one!), do laundry, pay bills, and wash our cars. For my business, I employ an experienced virtual assistant, web assistant, audio assistant, and bookkeeper.

You can only focus on what YOU love and do best if you delegate the smaller pieces to others. Lots of entrepreneurs get stuck with trying to do it all and it’s a shame because nobody can “do it all” and remain happy and energized.

If you are thinking that you can’t hire more help- you are stuck in the wrong mindset. Once you step up and delegate the smaller stuff, and the activities you dislike, you ENERGIZE yourself to focus on “the big stuff”. And, it’s “the big stuff” that pulls you forward!

So, rather than set yourself up for failure- hire MORE than you think you need and use that extra time to GROW your business and take great care of yourself.

Remember, business growth, self-care and balance are inter-related if you want to run a profitable, soul-inspired business and be happy. Get more help with energy drains at home. Focus your attention on the BIG parts of your business that you enjoy, delegate the rest, and watch your business, money flow, and happiness expand.

Need Help in Your Business? Tips to Hire an Intern

Bria Simpson — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 01:55:05 +0000

If you are thinking of hiring an assistant or a part-time staff member you may want to consider an unpaid or low-cost intern instead. More and more interns are entering the job market as competition for paid jobs has increased.

Today’s intern is a far cry from the clueless 18 year old college student looking to waste time over summer vacation. Never before have there been so many qualified people looking to build their resume as a way to improve their chances of landing a paid job.

Many people who have a college degree, or are in the midst of completing one, already have some valuable work experience, and are eager to build their resumes. They will hit the ground running and can be a tremendous asset to your business.

Several sites exist that match businesses and interns. USAIntern.com, Internships.com and CareerRookie.com are just a few of the rapidly growing companies that assist with placing interns. You can also contact your local college or university’s career placement office for help with finding an intern.

Here are top tips to consider:

Set clear start and end dates

Schedule work hours

Clarify expectations and challenge them

Meet regularly to communicate about challenges and progress

Consider hiring them long-term at the end of their internship or write them a letter recommendation

If you follow these tips, an intern may just be the boost you need.

Hire an Intern

Bria Simpson — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 03:00:28 +0000

Mark just hired a fabulous Duke intern to help us with the marketing and PR of our new coaching business, Excelerated Success™. The energy of a smart college student who is genuinely motivated to learn from you, and help you, is fabulous. If you live near a college community, I highly recommend hiring an intern. If you screen well, you’ll find someone who can help you accelerate your business growth with minimal pay and awesome energy. (And they can probably teach us a few new tips in the rapidly advancing world of social networking, as well). We can’t wait to get started with ours.

Email Control

Bria Simpson — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 23:00:39 +0000

Email is a simple, helpful form of communication. However, if we aren’t careful, email can slurp up too much of our time, drain us, and distract us from more important tasks.

Some tips to consider:

1) Only check email twice a day.

2) As your business grows, ask an assistant to screen your emails and answer what they can without you.

3) Save lower priority emails in “to do this week” file and respond to those on Fridays.

4) Do not, and I repeat, do not discuss or debate sensitive issues over email. Either let the issue go or pick up the phone and call.

Interdependent People

Meredith Liepelt — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 12:38:21 +0000

“Interdependent people combine their own efforts with the efforts of others to achieve their greatest success.” – Stephen Covey

Steven Covey “introduces” my chapter on how to build your support team in my book Flourish! 10 Easy, Elegant, and Essential Marketing Strategies for Solo- and Micropreneurs.

Without These 2 Things, You’ll Always Feel Stress in Your Business

Sandra Martini — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 05:04:14 +0000

The past few of weeks have been “off” our regular routine in that my Mum sold her house of 36 years and has decided to move to South Carolina, I was vacationing in New Hampshire the next week (pretty much unreachable), preparing for and attending my sister’s beach wedding for 70 people last week (we served as wedding planner), Mum bought a house in SC and my primary assistant is on her honeymoon this week.

With all the personal stuff going on, you’d think that nothing’s been going on in the business. . .truth is, I’ve been hosting teleseminars, client consulting, signing a new client, hosting a 30 Day Blogging Challenge, writing my ezine, mailing out over 50 handwritten cards, putting up a new site, getting ready to launch my signature system, etc.

This is the first time I’ve actually thought about everything that’s been happening over the past few weeks and taking the time to celebrate all that’s been, and is being, accomplished.

And it’s all been happening for two reasons:

1. I have a well-trained Team to support me so that things keep moving and

2. Systems are in place so that someone can be out and the business keeps going with nary a hiccup

While it may not immediately come to mind, these two things form the basis of your Client Attraction and Client Retention efforts.

So let me ask you…

What would happen if you walked out of the office today, right now to spend the day totally unplugged doing something YOU wanted to do? Would work continue? Would things get done? Or would you face a larger pile with more emails and more stress when you return?

Do you have someone to sort through your emails, sending you only those which require your attention?

Do you have Client Welcome Packets at the ready for when a new client comes on board? Are they personalized so they feel truly welcomed from Day 1?

What happens if you’re unexpectedly out of the office and it’s time for your ezine to go out? Is there an extra article waiting for such an occurrence or an old one ready to be repurposed or does your ezine wait?

If you’re running a program which provides quarterly gifts as part of it, whose in charge of ensuring they happen? If it’s you, chances are, it will become your clients and that’s not good for retention.

All of the above, and much more, are easily handled when you have the right team and the right systems in place.

What one thing can you do today to move your Team or one of your systems forward?