Though there are many different kinds of people who run businesses, there exists two types that sit at the opposite ends of the rainbow: Deadline Dave and Timely Tina.
Deadline Dave coasts through the majority of his working hours. He’s spontaneous and lively, keen to chase opportunities, and has the knack of juggling lots of projects at once, without needing a copious amount of detail to complete his work. People trust him, because they know the job will always get done, and to a great quality but what they won’t see is Dave panicking at a deadline that’s somehow appeared from nowhere and which sees him working into the night.
In comparison, Timely Tina is ultra-organised. She uses online and offline tools to know exactly what she is working on and when and has plenty of notes and briefs to work from when turning her attention to a project…which she does well before its deadline. Tina doesn’t necessarily jump on every opportunity; she weighs each of them up and determines their impact and return. Tina is trusted by her clients, as she keeps them informed of progress.
Neither Dave nor Tina are wrong in their approach as they each do what’s needed.
Their outcomes clearly speak volumes, and their clients are happy. However, a day in the life of Dave, whilst undoubtedly exhilarating, is likely to be high-pressured, stressful and manic at times. Clearly, people who identify with Dave’s way of working find the high-octane, fast pace of business exciting, which is fine, but many would not. On the flipside, some business owners would find Tina’s approach a little stifling for business growth, when chasing their entrepreneurial goals, and satisfying their ambition.
With Tina at one end of the spectrum and Dave at the other, where would you fall? Maybe you exhibit the behaviours of both from time to time.
Most business owners probably exist somewhere in the middle.
Does this sound familiar? Most days, your work probably unfolds at a nice, manageable pace; however, there will likely be days where you seem to do nothing but chase your tail and little gets done. If you are not someone like Dave who positively thrives in such a scenario, and it feels incredibly stressful, it might be an idea to ask for help if your work begins to run away from you. Nip it in the bud quickly—if your workload suddenly looks like a mountain to climb, get a (metaphorical) guide to help you conquer it, in the shape of a Virtual Assistant.
When engaging the services of a VA, some people prefer to ‘bank’ a set number of hours with them each month . . . and in this case tasks are likely to be repetitive, such as event planning, book-keeping, or social media management, i.e. things that need to be actioned consistently.
However, there are times when the support needed from a VA is ad-hoc and as an experienced and accomplished VA, I’m used to making sense of a client’s suddenly crazy workload. I am used to helping business owners organise their priorities and working out which tasks I can take off them to help shoulder their burden. I can make objective suggestions and bring much-needed clarity to clients who are already overwhelmed and who can’t see the wood for the trees.
Though used to spinning plenty of plates, Dave may need an extra hand every now and again, too, in the shape of a VA. After all, it’s not healthy for anyone to constantly run on adrenaline as this could lower your immune system over time. Even Tina, a disciplined, meticulous planner, may require a VA when looking to grow her business, when she wants some time off, or when faced with tasks that she doesn’t find stimulating, because, regardless of how organised she may be, there will still be some jobs she hates, just like the rest of us.
My point is, no matter how you run your business and what your daily routine looks like, there are bound to be times when business would benefit from the support of a VA. It doesn’t have to be a regular thing; I can provide professional business and administration support on specific projects to ensure they run smoothly, or, as a consultant, identifying areas within your organisation that are ripe for streamlining, so that the business becomes more efficient.
When entrenched in its operation and concerned about every single aspect of the organisation, it is difficult for business owners to be objective about its entire structure, but, if an element of your organisation could run better and save you time and/or money, wouldn’t you want to explore this?
Because every single business is different to the next, I can’t explain how I will help until I find out more about you. Firstly I will ascertain your needs and then we can establish a plan to take forward.
Don’t worry, Tina, I’m here to do those tasks you don’t want to do and hang fire, Dave, I’m the extra pair of hands you need at the moment . . . and, to everyone else, I’ll turn your mountain into a molehill.