Rescue Desk

When I flip the calendar from July to August, it’s usually met with a groan and exasperated sigh.  Why? Because August is the worst month. Ever.

August is like the Sunday night of the calendar year. When I was a kid, it meant a few short weeks until school started. Throughout my career, it usually meant a few short weeks until the beginning of an insanely busy fall season.  My usual glass-half-full optimism battles with glass-almost-empty pessimism because I know the clock is ticking. I spend the entire month feeling like I’m staring down the barrel of busy.

There are no holidays, it’s ridiculously hot, and it’s long – 31 days.  There’s no “like ripping off a band aid” quick solution to getting through it. Believe me, I’ve tried. Some years I mark off the days with a big red marker.  Other years I’ve bought myself a little present for every week I got through without incident. Last year I went so far as to cut out the word “July” and tape it over the word “August” on my wall calendar, trying to convince myself it was like July was a reeeeeeeaaaaaallly long weekend. 

With the exception of an occasional birthday, the only good thing about August is September follows it.

But, this year is different. For the first time, I can actually do something about it.

I’m sure there are others who share my aggravation with August. This year I’m channeling my empathy into my work. Thanks to what I do, I can effectively use it to make a difference in someone else’s end-of-summer blues.

My job is to make my others’ jobs easier by taking care of details of their to-do lists, so I have a feeling many are starting to feel the same way I do. They look at their projects, task lists and looming deadlines, wondering where the summer went when they thought they’d have all the time in the world.

Well, I’m here to help. I know exactly what it’s like wondering if you’re prepared for the next busy cycle. Details you didn’t consider crop up, to-do lists are littered with addendums of addendums, and you think you’ll never be ready.

But, you will be ready. September is going to roll around whether you like it or not. Time is the great equalizer … everybody has the same amount, no matter who you are or how busy you are. The difference is in how you use that time you have. You can spend time stressing about the details, or let someone else handle them and spend time planning for the big picture.

Since launching my business earlier this year, a huge part of my time is spent networking. After all, I own a heavily referral-based business, and the more people I meet, the larger my client base grows.

But, I recently went through an interesting exercise with a consultant friend of mine, who asked “How much are these events costing you?”

“Um … well … I leave from these events with the same amount of money I went with … so … nothing?”

I knew it was the wrong answer, but I wanted our conversation to segue into my friend’s area of expertise — cost-effective networking.

I’d never put any hard numbers behind my networking. Thankfully, I’ve been pretty lucky just relying on word-of-mouth combined with a little research, and I’ve found success at most of the events, speakers and meetings I’ve attended. But, our conversation was a reminder that my time is valuable, and that it’s OK to cherry pick.

Having a basic idea about a group’s membership or event’s attendees is an obvious place to start. If your business caters to other businesses, for example, attending Chamber events or checking out local referral-networking groups is a no-brainer.

But, don’t stop there.

Pull out your business plan and take a look at your ideal clientele. How large is your ideal client? Five employees? A hundred employees? What’s their estimated annual revenue? Can they easily afford and appreciate the value your business provides?  Which department do they oversee? Accounting? Human Resources? The whole enchilada?

Find out where these folks hang out – it could be industry association meetings, a monthly happy hour, or even in an online networking group.

Another thing I’ve found, which can sometimes fly in the face of your research, is to pay attention to your gut and watch the interaction.

I once attended a weekly referral networking group as the guest of a business acquaintance.  I did my due diligence ahead of time, and it seemed like it could be the perfect fit … the representative businesses fit my clientele criteria, the weekly meetings fit into my schedule, and I appreciated the group’s vision.

Well, while the businesses certainly fit my client base, it turned out very few of the attendees were the decision-makers I needed, nobody came up to say hello or introduce themselves, and 95% of the referrals were one member simply using another member’s services … I knew I’d burn through that pretty quickly.

So, before filling up your calendar with networking events and meetings, take the time to determine the investment you’re making. Ten or 15 minutes of quick research could mean the difference between a few hours of potentially wasted billable time or finding yourself in a room full of potential clientele.

If you ever hear about how successful gazillionaires got their start, it’s not unusual to hear their story start with “I built my first gizmo on the tool bench in the back of the garage…” or “My first office was the cramped corner of our basement…” or “My business was born between meals at the kitchen table…”

What do all these stories have in common? They started at home.

It’s often the most logical (and sometimes the only) option to starting a small business. The commute is three seconds, the dress code includes whatever is clean, you can start and end your day when you like, or reward yourself after a string of 14-hour days with a random Tuesday afternoon walk through the park.

But, it also means the commute is only three seconds, there are days the clothes you’re wearing are only questionably clean, days run together as your scrambling to build your business, and sometimes the Tuesday walk through the park is thwarted by worry about what you’re In Box is doing while you’re away.

But, to maintain my sanity and still make progress, I’ve been discovering little tips and tricks for the newly christened home office … whether it’s a converted spare bedroom, the back of the closet, the shed behind the house, or an underground bunker.

Go Pit Bull on your time
I treat my day like I would any on-site job, and decided early not to be shy about setting office hours. Granted, I usually shuffle in earlier and stay later, but it helps me stay committed to growing my business without feeling like the “bad guy” when chatty neighbors or well-meaning friends call for mid-day favors. It’s easy enough to say “Sure, I can help! I work from 9 to 5:30, so if it’s before or after, let me know!”

It’s OK to walk away
This is the blessing and curse of the three-second commute … it’s damn near impossible to walk away at the end of the day. But, for your sanity, try.  Burnout is not an option, and walking away is the best line of defense. For me, walking away means literally shutting down my computer because it’s a hassle to fire it up again for “just one more quick thing.” It’s not always easy, but I try to do it fast so everything is shut down before I realize it. Like ripping off a bandage.

Separation of Church and State
Along the same lines as walking away, I’ve found it’s imperative to have truly dedicated spaces for work and life. I resist the temptation to grab my red pen and take even a simple editing project from my office into the living room.  I fear it’ll start with one project, and before I know it, every surface will be covered and I won’t have an escape. By limiting your work to its rightful place, there’s no need to worry about escape. It’s amazing what simply closing the door can do.

Coffee Breaks
OK … this is actually code for “meeting.” But, it’s the only workaround I could come up with since vowing to shun meetings after my life in corporate America. But, it’s my way to get my tail-end out of the office, make sure I still have some clean clothes hanging in the closet, and stay connected with the outside world. In my line of work, it’s also an effective networking tool, as I often schedule follow-up coffee breaks with people I meet at events just to get to know them a little better. I try to schedule at least two or three coffee breaks every week.

These are just a few of the tricks I’m picking up along the way, but so far they’re pretty effective tools in keeping me motivated and somewhat balanced. It’s not always easy to work from home, but the pros tend to outmaneuver the cons if you’re conscious about how and where you’re spending your time.

As I perused my morning newspaper, a small headline caught my attention.

“The Bottom Line: Optimistic Entrepreneurs”

Finally…some good news!

It was just a short brief, but it summarized a survey by American Express of small business owners that showed America’s small business owners are “optimistic in the face of the economy’s downturn, with the majority planning to expand their operations despite cash flow concerns and soaring energy costs.”

The brief went on to quote an American Express small-business advisor, who echoed the 627 owners and managers who were surveyed. “This is a good opportunity for them to hire people leaving other jobs, talent that was not available to them a year or two ago…”

Almost as good as the first cup of coffee in the morning, the story injected a little energy into my own determination to be a successful small business owner. However, not only did it solidify my resolve to follow the “goals for growth” outlined in my own business plan, but it reassured me that it’s the perfect time to be in the virtual assistance industry.

The entrepreneurs and executives in the survey want to grow their businesses, but I think it’s safe to assume they’re also not unaware of the current economic climate. I have no doubt that most of them are starting to think outside the box in order to stay on track to grow.

That, my friends, is where us VAs are ready to roll.

I’m sure most of you have seen the stats and the benefits.

• VAs can often get something done in three hours what can take an on-site employee six hours to complete.
• While a VA’s hourly rate may seem higher than a permanent staffer, we all know it’s actually a cost savings because an employee can cost up to 2½ times their actual salary.
• Hiring permanent employees can potentially be risky, costly and time-consuming. So, having a few virtual staffers can easily be an interim or permanent solution for just about any business.
• VAs have a unique understanding of their entrepreneur clients.  VAs are also business owners, so they understand productivity, the importance of their own professional development and, similar to what their clients probably do for their own customers, not hesitating to go above-and-beyond the call of duty.

It’s prime time for us virtual professionals. We’re pretty good at thinking outside the box – it’s a necessary skill in order to efficiently and cost-effectively tackle the plethora of projects that come across our desks. So, I think we’re naturally drawn to our entrepreneur clients, who are also adept at energetically finding ways around conventional economic wisdom in order to succeed. 

It’s time to start an Economic Renaissance. As we hob-nob with current and potential VA clients, remember … we’re all in this together, and outside the box can often be the best place to be.