Teamwork makes the dream work
Or does it?
Here are a couple of scenarios that may look familiar to you:
You’re swamped, too busy to take 5 and have a breather, you’re scared you’re dropping the ball somewhere, so you try and manage everything even more. You know you really need to be looking at engaging someone to help you out, start looking into hiring a VA but the thought of it scares the hell out of you for so many different reasons. How? What? When? Why? How much? It’s easier to just leave that door shut, you have enough to deal with.
Or…
You’ve hired VA’s in the past and it just didn’t work. They were not the right fit for you and your business for whatever reason and you feel jaded now. All you want is for someone to step in and take ownership, to take on the stuff you hate doing but it’s not panning out as you thought it would. You’re frustrated, disappointed, bogged down and feel so overwhelmed because you’re still doing ALL the tasks!
Sit back, take a deep breath, you are not alone in this.
It is something nearly every business owner goes through. I could probably describe 50 scenarios and you will recognise them all.
Whether businesses hire people in person or virtual, the process is very much similar. Sometimes it’s trial and error and do it all over again but with a few tips and tricks from my end, you may just make this road a hell of a lot easier to walk.
Rule nr 1: KNOW THY VISION, THY BUSINESS, THY SYSTEMS &THY PROCESSES
I am not saying this has to be set in stone or you have to be disciplined to the max and rigid AF but you have to have a view of what is happening in your business and how it works.
Otherwise, it’s like getting a cleaner into a house stacked to the brim with junk. I can assure you, not much cleaning will be done.
If you work out the ins and outs of how things work best for you, you’ll be able to delegate with ease and make the handover a breeze too.
Rule nr 2 – Clarity
‘A lack of clarity could put the brakes on your journey to success’– Steve Maraboli
And this doesn’t apply just to this aspect of running a business or living your life for that matter.
Just like you got clear on what you wanted to do in business, whom you wanted to work with, what you were going to offer, you need to apply that same thought to this and put all the feels into it.
Once you have your structure in place and a clear view of what is happening in your business, you have a clear idea of the tasks you could delegate to someone else and how it will work.
How would it feel to have that perfect person working for you?
What would it be like? How will you feel knowing someone is handling the tasks you hate doing and that someone actually loves doing them?
Can you imagine, someone on your team who is passionate about the things you so desperately avoid doing?
Again, sit back, feel it!
If you think you will never be able to find the person who can do everything you want them to do, think again. There is someone out there for you and your business who is the right fit. You might not find them immediately, but they are out there in this vast Universe. You will have to persevere for a bit but it works.
Rule nr 3 – Don’t Give Your Power Away
You are the captain of the ship!
Just like you get clear on the type of person, you also have to be clear on what role this person is going to take in your business.
A VA is not a business manager or vice versa. Respect the path they have chosen. Having the systems and processes mapped out and the clarity on the type of person you’d like to take on will help you a long way with this.
What happens a lot is business owners don’t have the systems in place and so desperately want help, so they hand over everything and hope the other party is just going to sort it all out.
That’s not really what a VA does, that could be what a business manager does but it all depends what your business requires and what your budget allows for too.
I started out as a VA and I can say, it’s such a blessing to work with an ‘organised’ client (I put that in brackets as it means a whole lot of different things – it’s what I refer to above. They were clear on what they wanted and their business needed and they had some sort of structure in place already).
Rule nr 4 – Hire for fit
When you’re ready – Write out the ‘position’. What type of person will be perfect for your business? What will success look like when they work with you? You need to get clear on your expectations and be able to communicate them.
Have some kind of timeline in your head on what you’d like to see accomplished within this trial period.
Ask you business besties for referrals, any masterminds you are in, local business groups, etc. I generally advise against dumping this as a post in a big group on Facebook because you will get inundated with people wanting to work for you who are not the right fit.
Again clarity, ask for it all and more. You can start small and trial it out.
Start the vetting process, be selective.
When interviewing, ask them all the questions. If they are right for you and excel at what they do, they’ll be happy to answer all of them.
Hire the right fit for you and your business, even if they might not be as experienced as you like. If you have a clear view of what you want executing within your business and how you like it done, you can train them.
In essence, you are looking for a team member not just a gun for hire.
Rule nr 5 – Set this up for success
Start with a 3 – 6-month trial. This is great for both of you.
Set clear expectations, a clear onboarding structure and have a plan for what you’d like to see done within the trial period. Start small, have weekly check-ins.
Communication is key here. Assess regularly where they are at. Set them up for success and you will set yourself up for success!
Be the captain, steer your ship!
Much Love,
Joyce xo.
Are you looking into hiring you first assistant or have you tried and not been successful? I’d love to hear from you! If you are struggling with mapping out systems and processes, let me know. Email me your questions big or small: joyce@joycedebakker.com or via the contact me page.