Archive for April, 2009
What to Ask Yourself When Hiring a VA
April 15th, 2009 | 
Author: It is hard as a business owner sometimes to realize when you need support. When the time comes that you know you can’t continue to do it alone, you need to ask yourself the following questions:
• What projects do I have to outsource?
• What tasks do I really hate to do?
• What tasks could someone else help with to give me more time to myself?
• How could a VA help to build my business?
You then need to make sure you and your VA are a good fit. This applies to both of you. You will need to work together and communicate. It helps to give your VA a list of projects and when they need to be completed. Most VA’s have multiple clients so a list of upcoming projects allows us to figure out our schedules to best assist each of our clients. If either you or your VA are not happy working with each other or have personalities that clash you should look for someone that matches you better. That way everyone is happy and the work gets done in a quick and pleasant manner. A VA can give you insight to ways you can grow your business and also assist you in doing this. VA’s have a vast resource of knowledge available to them, and can tell you about new technologies you may not have heard of yet, or set you up with an introduction to someone that could use your services or help you in some way in your business. Listen to your VA when she suggests something new for you to try. Then, really review it and try to learn about it to make the best decision for you. VA’s are very knowledgeable and are continually learning new ideas and trends to keep up with the changing world. Think outside the box and let your VA suggest ways that may seem farfetched to you. You never know…one of these ideas may make your business grow to heights you only dreamed of before.
Erin Alli is a Virtual Business Manager, Business Coach and Writer. She has 13 years experience as an office manager and the skills to teach you how to manage your time, stay organized and make your business run more efficiently while you become increasingly more successful. For more information on the services Essential Assistance provides, please contact
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You’ve Cut All Your Costs
If you are like most companies, you have spent the better part of the last one to two years cutting as much expense out of your P&L as you can. In past years, this was trimming the fat, but this time around you had to cut deeper. You now have a much leaner organization, but now you need sales growth.
SO, WHAT DO YOU DO?
The most common responses that we have heard CEOs answer to this question are:
• “We just need to wait for the economy to pick up and then we are well positioned for growth.”
• “We need to upgrade our talent and get better sales people and/or sales managers.”
• “We need to penetrate new markets.”
• “We need to discount now to capture or retain market share.”
We have seen several companies put these strategies into action, but few have seen a significant difference on their bottom lines. Let’s take a closer look at each:
• Waiting for the economy…
If the economy does pick up, that’s great news for everybody (including your competition). But depending on who you listen to, that could be two quarters or two years away. Even when the recession is over, recovery takes a long time, possibly years. Waiting for an economic change is an uncertain strategy which depends on too many things outside of your control.
• Upgrading your talent…