By Michele Scism
The Results Lady
As entrepreneurs it is important that we focus on what I call IPA's (income producing activities) but how do you do that when you are the one and only employee in your business? Someone has to post to social media, get your blog posts scheduled, do your bookkeeping, etc. etc. The answer is to hire a team but I find that a lot of entrepreneurs get hung up here. Maybe you don't know how to hire a virtual assistant.
You might even be thinking what is a virtual assistant. A virtual assistant is a person that acts as your assistant but does it from their own home or office. It is a great way for small business to get assistance with some of their business needs without having to pay a full time employee.
I decided that I wanted to speak to an expert on hiring teams and virtual assistants. So I invited my friend Terri Zwierzynski who is the founder of Solo-E.com. Terri has a great team of VA's that she has worked with now for many years and she is going to share her secrets for success with hiring and keeping virtual office assistants.
You can listen to this call for free – Click Here for details.
I have to admit that hiring a VA seems to be a great business addition but at the same time I’m nervous that they won’t share the same work ethic that I have.
That’s why I would never go into a situation blind. I would ask some of you out there who have great VA’s and see if they have time for another client.
I toyed with the idea of searching for a VA and finding the ‘right one’. I share the sentiments that @Jeff discussed, so that always prevented me from starting the process. Instead, I found an even better solution for me – I hired an IPA – an In Person Assistant! The best part about it is that she is my wife.
This is turning out to be a wonderful way to bring her into what I am doing so she really understand and ‘gets’ what I am doing.
Husband and wife working together? Successfully? So far so good!
With that said, I am still looking forward to the time when even the 2 of us need to hire a VA!
Thanks for sharing, Michele and Terri!
Be Well.
Paul.
http://AllAboutGratitude.com
Hey Paul – You are one lucky guy. It is great that you and your wife get to work together. I know there will come a time when you guys will need a few VA’s too. :)) Thanks for commenting, Michele
@Lynn Brown – I haven’t tried a VA service yet actually. I do see how I will need to explore it further as my business grows. I have found that testimonials carry a lot of weight in most other things.
Hey Jeff – I think it is a great idea to ask around when you are ready to hire a VA. I did and ended up with some really great people. We also have to remember though that personalities play into the mix – so someone who works well with someone else might not always be right for you. I had that happen as well this year. No big deal just a little learning experience. Thanks for the comments, Michele
Hey Lynn – Thank you so much for sharing. You brought up another great point here. We have to know what we want when we are looking for a VA. When I first started looking I thought any VA would do but I quickly found out that I had specific things I wanted done and that I wanted someone to be able to think through different situations – not just be an implementer. Thanks for commenting. Michele