virtual assistance Archives - Page 7 of 17 - Denise Riches

Protecting Your Boundaries

Boundaries. What does that term mean to you?

Recently, in weekly client strategy calls I’ve had with a couple of my clients, they’ve surprised me by telling me how much they appreciate my business boundaries and even went so far as to say they would like to adopt something similar in their own businesses.

I found this a bit surprising because my boundaries don’t always accommodate my client’s working hours (time zones, work hours, etc. – but don’t worry, we always make it work for both of us!).

So, what exactly are they talking about? I’ll explain:

Weekly Work Schedule

It’s important to have a REGULAR work schedule. This is especially true for those with families. It doesn’t matter if you are working from 6 a.m.-noon daily, you’re the typical 9-5 business owner, or you work late afternoons into the evening. The key is being consistent with your schedule so that your clients will always know when they can reach you.

Determine what holidays you will be away from your desk. It’s important to spend quality time with loved ones on major holidays, and that goes for YOU as well.

Work out your vacation weeks WELL in advance (I advise that you do this in January or February when it’s cold, crappy and we’re all dreaming of summer), and communicate that with your clients/customers. Either send out a personalized email with this information to your clients/customers or have it in your out-of-office at least a few weeks prior (more on this later!).

Daily Working Hours

Just like having a consistent weekly schedule, it’s important to also work consistent hours during the day. Of course, if you’re self-employed, this also doesn’t mean you’re chained to your desk. Let’s be honest, one of the key reasons we decide to become our own boss is so that we have certain freedoms that we didn’t have in the workplace.

However, being available during specific hours of the day, just like days of the week, means your clients/customers know when is best to reach you.

And if you’re out having a tooth pulled, you don’t have to TELL your clients that! You can simply say you’re away from your desk, and you will look into it as soon as you are able. Providing an ETA is even better – it lets them know they ARE definitely a priority.

Out of Office

This is a blissful little tool to have, and most email clients have it, thank goodness. If you aren’t sure how to set this up, Google something like, “How to set up out of office in ____”. There will be step-by-step instructions to walk you through it.

What do you say?

My own O-O-O says:

Subject: Thank you for your email!
I apologize for the autoresponder but I wanted you to know that your email is very important to me.
I am out of the office on (this date) and will resume my regular working hours on (this date). Thank you, and have a wonderful day!

There are even out-of-office generators that you can find online – some may be snarky/funny, so just be sure you REALLY have that kind of relationship with your client/customers so that they won’t be offended. I try to stick to politeness and professional.

Self-Care

One of my favourite quotes is “The only people who get upset about you setting boundaries are the ones who were benefiting from you having none.” – Unknown

It’s true, and I have experienced first-hand, push-back on my boundaries. Clients/customers who truly care about you, and enjoy working with you will not only respect your boundaries, they will help you to protect them, simply by REMEMBERING them.

Having boundaries, to me, ranks WAY up there with self-care. I feel this way because no one else is going to protect your time, so it’s up to you to do so.

“Working for the man” usually means you have to work days/hours THEY want you to. It also means that getting vacation time can be tricky, and you may not even get the specific weeks you want. And to get more than a few weeks per year, you have to spend a LONG time with the company to earn them.

Being a business owner has its perks and us business owners need to take full advantage of them!

I hope you’ve found this blog post helpful – and a huge shout out to the clients who suggested that I write this post!

Book a free consultation call with me and let’s talk about moving your business forward.

Achieving Flow in Your Business

Tell me if this has ever happened to you:

You begin a project that you really enjoy – it engages you to the point where you lose all track of time. You literally sit down to work, and the next time you look at the time, HOURS have gone by. But instead of feeling drained or tired of the task, you feel completely engaged and happy.

THAT, my friends, is called ‘flow”, or alternately, ‘zone’. And it’s a wonderful thing.

When work doesn’t feel like work, that is the best kind of work to do and work that you should strive to get more of in your life. Here are 8 ways you can achieve flow:

Choose tasks that are JUST challenging enough

Studies show that if the work (or challenge) is too great, we become disheartened and can begin to feel anxious about the task, which gives us a negative feeling that we will associate with similar future tasks.

Aim for projects that balance both skill and challenge, and if you strike the right balance, you’ll find your enthusiasm will increase,

Have a clear understanding of the task at hand

It’s fairly obvious that the clearer the task outline is, the easier it will be to go from start to finish, whereas if you get partway through the task, and experience a hiccup of sorts, this can be construed as a minor setback, which interrupts the possibility of “flow”.

Give yourself uninterrupted time

Reducing interruptions to the best of your ability will allow you to immerse yourself in the task, giving you a greater chance of achieving flow.

Determine your most productive time of day

This is also known as biological peak time. Do you work best in the morning? Aim to block out time in the morning for specific tasks that require a lot of attention. If you’re a night-owl, the same applies – block out your evenings and limit all distractions.

If music helps you achieve flow, make sure to tune in

Some people work best with music, others need complete silence. There is no right or wrong answer with this, it’s very individual. Choose what works best for you and stick with it.

Have a clear goal

When you’re able to establish a clear goal, it helps with limiting distractions, and keep your mind from wandering off-task. Without knowing the expected outcome, how will you know when you’re actually finished the task? Without this goal, you’ll be more likely to procrastinate, therefore, you won’t enter flow.

Enjoy some caffeine

Caffeine’s not for everyone, but if it doesn’t produce any adverse effects, coffee can help you focus more intensely, work longer and improve your short-term memory. The ideal amount of caffeine? About 200 mg (or two cups of coffee).

Stay hydrated

We all know how important drinking water is for our overall health, but did you know that without sufficient hydration, your energy production decreases, which leaves you feeling foggy and fatigued. In order to achieve flow, your mind needs to feel sharp and up to the task. Drinking adequate amounts of water can enable you to think up to 14% faster! Fill that glass!

When you reach the state of flow, you’ll definitely know it. You’ll feel ultra productive and uber happy. Like a superstar! Tasks you enjoy working on play a very big part in achieving flow, so when you find the right ones, make note of them and look for more of the same.

Need some help with social media? Book a free consultation call with me and we can talk about your business needs.

VA Superpower: Research

One of the first key things I learned when I became a virtual assistant in 2016 was, “people will pay you to do things you love to do because they either don’t like the task or they just don’t have time to do it themselves“.

This fact blew my mind back then, and it still does today.

When my clients ask me to take on a research project, I crack my knuckles and get ready for some fun, because it’s something that I love to do. And not even just for clients, but also for myself. Sometimes, it’s hard for me to believe someone wouldn’t like to do that themselves… but I get it.

Because there are tasks I don’t enjoy doing either (don’t ask me to chase invoices, for example!).

Types of Research Projects I’ve Done

So, you may be wondering what types of things I’ve been asked to research.

One of my first projects was to research a Canadian holiday to Banff, Alberta for a U.K. client. She wanted to travel to Canada with her husband, and wanted to know the best time of year to go, what types of wildlife were in the area, sites to see, restaurants to try, and gas stations that were close to their hotel (I researched hotels, too). It was an epic opportunity to brag about Canada and all we have to offer (and of course, you cannot come to Canada and NOT have a Tim Horton’s coffee!).

Another client wanted to share inspiring quotes from well-known people, so that I could recreate those quotes to images in Canva (another one of my favourite tasks). There were, of course, stipulations with those quotes. They needed to relate to her coaching business, and spark some deep thoughts.

I’ve also spent time researching days of the year for clients. Did you know that just about every day is a special day for something? It’s true – check out Days of The Year. I take these dates, and plan out a month of social media posts, with related images and text. This is definitely a fun project!

Most recently, I’ve been working with a spa and wellness consultant who works with luxury, five-star hotels. Not only do I wish I was getting massages and spa treatments at these gorgeous locations, but it’s so interesting to learn about other parts of the world.

In Conclusion

Whether it’s where to go for a vacation, or looking for types of content to share on your social media channels, I’m happy to take on those research projects – which will, of course, tick one more thing off your to-do list, allowing you more time to focus on what you do best!

A more in-depth method of figuring out what you can outsource is my free VA Delegation Worksheet, which you can download here.

My job is to make sure that the job gets done. Let’s book a free consultation call and discuss how, together, we can move your business forward.

I look forward to hearing from you!

Click here to download your copy of 10 Things You Can Outsource Now.

Spring Cleaning Your Business

🥳 Sing it with me:🌷

🎶 It’s the most productive time of the year! 🎵

Spring cleaning: love it or hate it, it has to be done. AND, once it’s done, your productivity will shoot through the roof! Spring cleaning isn’t just for your house (but if it’s warm enough, DO throw those windows open and air out your home!)

Spring cleaning can (and SHOULD) be applied to businesses, as well. Here are some great places to start:

Your blog

Remove old blog posts from circulation.
Update blog posts that are still relevant.
Update your website plugins at least twice per month.

Your social media

Refresh your social media images and captions if you use a scheduler.
Update your business hashtags, making them CamelCase.
Reword/update your CTAs (calls to action).

Your inbox

Update your O-O-O (out of office) to safeguard your time. USE IT.
Strive for Inbox Zero. Failing that, get a grip on using labels and folders. Better yet, set up rules so that specific contacts are automatically labels upon receiving email.
Review old emails and delete/archive any that are no longer relevant.

Your files

Clean out large hidden files from Google: click on your storage used/capacity at the bottom of your inbox/Google Drive folder. Review/remove files that are no longer necessary.
Decide on a central location for ALL of your documents and files, both personal and business. ie: If you have some in Google Keep, others in Trello, and some in OneNote, pick one and move everything there.
Review online documents you’ve shared with others; make them the owner and remove yourself, if applicable.
Review online docs shared with you; remove yourself if applicable.

Other

Review saved posts/articles on Facebook, OneNote, Evernote, etc. Action them or delete them.
Create an online document that contains all of your testimonials. Store this in your central location!
Create an emergency procedure in the event that, God forbid, something happens to you. Your loved ones will know exactly how to wrap things up for you.
Review your saved browser bookmarks, remove or reorganize them.
If you don’t have a backup system in place for your website and your files, research and implement one.

These are just some of the things I do in my own business, and I can help you with yours.

Book a free consultation call and let’s discuss how, together, we can move your business forward.

I look forward to hearing from you!

How to Prepare Your Business to Hire a VA

“I know I need help, but I’m not sure what I need help with.”

Does that sound familiar? If this is you, you’re not alone.

When I speak to potential clients on our consultation calls, the conversation sometimes starts this way. I pick up on this right away and start asking questions about their business, the types of tasks they do for their business, and what tasks they would prefer not to do themselves.

The thing is, you can’t possibly delegate if you don’t have a plan.

My advice is to pick a few (1-3) tasks that you could use help with RIGHT NOW. I offer a free Delegation Worksheet that my clients have found helpful – grab it here.

The next step is to find out if your virtual assistant knows how to do those tasks, and going beyond that if they’ve worked with your specific software/application for that task.

This is important because while, for example, Active Campaign is much like any other email marketing application if your virtual assistant has only ever worked with MailChimp, it’s important that you provide training in order for your VA to complete the tasks you’ll be assigned. This training can be provided by you, via a video walk-through, Youtube videos, or even the application’s own help pages.

Passwords

If you’re having your VA log into your accounts, you’ll need to share password information with them.

Some clients are nervous about this – after all, haven’t we all been advised not to share our passwords with ANYONE?

Here’s the honest truth, if you want to get the job done, but don’t want to do it yourself, there is simply no other way to get around this.

Using an application like LastPass is a great way to securely share your password information. You can choose whether your VA sees this information or not, based on the settings you choose. Plus, you can rescind your information when you and your VA part ways.

Communication

Choosing how you will communicate with your VA is important:

email
weekly calls
WhatsApp
Trello or similar project management applications

Having this setup, or at least decided on, ahead of time is super helpful.

Patience

Weren’t expecting this, were you?

Initially, there may be some snags. And by this, I mean specifically with your VA logging into your accounts for the first time. It can be a little frustrating, and maybe a bit scary when you receive emails about an unfamiliar login attempt.

While it may not be normal for you, VAs aren’t new to this. We often experience these mini-roadblocks as we try to get set up. Verification codes are the worst, because there is usually a time limit for them, and if we can’t receive them before the process times out, we have to start all over again.

From my own personal standpoint, I would love to be in a WhatsApp chat or even a Zoom call while logging into a new client’s account for the first time – this way verification codes can be received immediately and I can get on with the work 🙂

Also, this is a new partnership, and it may take a month or two to figure out what working together looks like.

In conclusion, the more organized my new clients are when we enter our work relationship, the smoother everything goes after. It’s great when my clients have put some thought into the HOWs of getting started, but if in doubt, it never hurts to ask your VA what they need from you.

I hope you’ve found this blog post helpful!

Ready to get started? Let’s talk – book a free consultation call with me.

4 Things You Should Know About Outsourcing

A new year or a new season is the perfect time to reorganize your life and determine your priorities. In this post, I’m going to talk about four aspects of outsourcing (here’s a hint, outsourcing is what my clients pay me for!).

What does ‘outsourcing’ mean?

There are a few ways to describe outsourcing:

hiring an outside source to complete a task
getting the job done but not necessarily doing it yourself
giving the task, project, or assignment to someone who may be more qualified

Sometimes, you don’t want to do the thing, or you don’t have the time. Other times, outsourcing means having someone who is more qualified do it.

What are the benefits of outsourcing?

When you think about it, we kinda outsource all the time. Fellow moms, I know, do, for sure. Having the kids take out the garbage or shovel the driveway, and asking your spouse to help you with a do-to list. It helps you to tackle the to-do list quicker, right? Here are some other benefits:

frees up time to do something else
sometimes it can be cheaper to have someone else do it
adds flexibility to your life
allows you time to focus on your flow, your genius

Essentially, outsourcing means that you regain time, time that you wouldn’t have without a little extra help.

What could you outsource?

You could outsource just about anything, these days. You can hire a housekeeper. You could take your laundry to a wash-and-fold service. When you order take-out food, you’re outsourcing the cooking. Grocery delivery counts, too.

But what about in business? Here are some great ideas:

bookkeeping
social media updates
blog/website updates
general administration
product sourcing
internet research
ghostwriting
sound/video editing
SEO
creating processes/SOPs
email marketing

By outsourcing, you can easily gain hours in your day, week, month, and year, just by outsourcing some of those tasks that either don’t interest you or just turn out to be a huge time-suck.

Guess what?

I can help!

Book a free consultation call with me to see how outsourcing to me can benefit you and your business.