Are you the Bottleneck in Your Business?

Yes, you may be the bottleneck in your business. Clogging up the flow. Disrupting the growth. Strangeling the life out of it.

Many entrepreneurs and small business owners hold onto an ‘operator mentality’. It’s a natural occurrence – they had to do everything, wear every hat when they first opened for business.

The tragedy occurs when they start to see a bit of success, when things start to flow and happen, and they remain in that operator mentality instead of switching their mindset to an owners mentality. Effectively clogging up the business and preventing growth.

There is no way around it – you can’t scale your business without moving away from you doing everything…it just can’t be done (without burning you out in the process).

I have personally witnessed the implosion of many businesses due to lack of delegation, outsourcing, and management.

There are so many parts to a successful business – sales, marketing, admin, tech, finance, the list goes on. Your job as the owner is to build a team around you that you can trust will take responsibility for their piece of the pie.

Your time should be exclusively on income producing activities – those things only YOU can do.

Those things that are the reason you started your business in the first place. Those things that give you energy and joy, that you are excellent at, and that are directly connected to your purpose. All other projects/hats should be off your plate.

That “other stuff” that is necessary to run a business, the stuff you abhor, the stuff that is a grind, the day-to-day tasks that you are OK at, or incompetent at but you are trying, or competent but don’t like – that stuff needs to go.

Think about it – if you delegate or outsource a few things for a fee, but this frees you up to gain a new client, or do one more speaking engagement, or sell “X” many more units…isn’t it worth it? Say it costs you $500 but with the extra time (and ability to focus on income producing activities) you gain a client worth $10K…I would do that any day of the week!  Spend $500 to make $10K.

But you have to know how and what to outsource – or delegate.

There are 3 things to consider when hiring a virtual assistant, or even a part-time employee:

• Do they align with your Mission, Vision, Core Values and Culture
• Flat out – do you like them, can you trust them, do you appreciate their attitude, do you feel you can have open communication with them.
• Do they have the skills, knowledge and experience to do the things you are asking them to do

How do you go about starting the process?

Glad you asked!  Means you are ready to seriously consider it and make a move!

First, list all the things you want to ‘lay down’ – the hats you want to remove from your activities. Here are a few examples: website design/management, admin, automation design/creation and maintenance, appointment setting, billing/finance, database management and list maintenance, follow up, welcome packages/onboarding, social media, podcast production, article/blog postings.

Next, identify which you plan to start with (hint – ask yourself ‘which do I dread doing the most’, or which (if done right/more consistently/better) would make an impact on the bottom line.

For those things you identified make a job description, a ‘task list’ that your new assistant would be expected to accomplish. Start with simply writing the things you do now, then add what you wish was being done in addition to that.

Then define your process, system, procedure for each item. Write it out. Create documentation for them. Checklists, spreadsheets, calendars, whatever it takes to get it out of your brain completely and into a format they can use, see the vision and the big picture, and implement.

This is a good exercise even if you are NOT going to outsource it. Creating more structure inside your business ensures more consistency, predictability, effectiveness, and impact. We have seen countless business owners and professionals lose a prospect to someone else, lose a client, or lose time, all of which results in a loss of revenue, simply because there were not systems in place.

Here is an easy way to do it….Video yourself as you go through the motions! That is by far the easiest way to show your new hire what and how you have done it up to this date. Now, keep in mind and be open to new ideas and ways of doing things. Just because it has “always been done this way” doesn’t mean there isn’t a better or different way. You just admitted you didn’t like it, are not an expert at it, and want to unload it off your plate. The person you hire may be incredible at it, love it, and have a more efficient and effective way of doing things.

Once you know what you want to unload, and have it ready to hand over, it’s time to find the right person.

Have very clear, detailed, and concise job descriptions for each position/need. Complete with the goal of the position, the tasks, and the expectations. Define what background, skills, or education/experience you prefer in each role.

Talk to your professional network about their virtual assistants, staff, etc. See if they have any referrals or recommendations for you.

Spread the word that you are hiring via your social media. Possibly place it on a job seeker site such as Indeed (not necessary if you are looking for specific task oriented virtual assistant type projects).

There are even multiple sites that you can ‘put a job out there’ and freelancers contact you if they feel they are a good fit. But beware, many will contact you without even fully reading what you are looking for.

Here is a fun twist on how to weed those applicants out… in your job posting hide an assignment, ask them to do something specific just to see if they (1) really read the job description; (2) if they can follow simple instructions; (3) shows you their abilities.  Might be to send you a favorite quote – or post one and tag you if you are hiring for a social media manager. Or email you with a specific sentence or their ‘insights’ on your business based off their research.

Or perhaps you ask them to schedule an appointment by calling instead of digital so you can assess their phone skills. Important if you plan to have them communicating via the phone/conversations.

It is not hard to find a good fit for your position in todays digital world. There are literally thousands of VA’s and VA agencies that can help you establish a connection. We have a few NBG members that are Virtual Assistants, Social Media Managers, Web-‘guys’ that do monthly contracts, and more.

However you connect with applicants have a set of questions to ask them that will unveil if they are a good fit for your needs and your Mission/Values. Create a test project for them to show you their stuff or look at previous work they have done for others. Call or contact their references and make sure it is not just their Mom and best friend.

Does it sound daunting – and like you don’t even have time to do the hiring and onboarding process?

Of course it does! But the extra work now to define processes, get the right people, and train them is NOTHING compared to the hours you will continue to still do those activities yourself if you don’t, thereby continuing to spin your wheels without scaling or growing as you do. Wasted hours, wasted efforts, and leaving money on the table.

You are running a business – not just doing a hobby to keep you occupied. Businesses take investment.

Recently I had a conversation with an NBG Member and client in our GROW program – they were struggling with adding yet one more monthly ‘bill’ to the expense column. I reminded them of the return they will get and to think of it as an investment in the business – not another ‘bill’. That if they invest a bit of money in the right person, then they will have the time to go out and sign on and work with more clients. Way more than what it would take to pay the virtual assistant!

Here is a short list of the top things entrepreneurs, small business owners, and professionals outsource:

1. Social Media Manager & Graphic Design
2. Bookkeeper/Taxes/Invoicing/Accounting
3. General Admin & Appointment Setter
4. Email “Gatekeeper”
5. Automation creation/design and maintenance
6. Copywriter or Ghost writer
7. Website creation/design and maintenance
8. Content management (Blog/Articles/Vlog/Podcast production and distribution)
9. Research Assistant
10. Customer Service & Client Onboarding

Remember, this will not happen overnight. You will hire one for a specific area, then add a second one, then maybe even a third. But each time you free up more time on your calendar for you to focus your efforts on those activities that have a direct and positive impact on the bottom line.

Happy virtual assistant hunting!