on June 28, 2019
QUIZ: DO YOU NEED SUPPORT STAFF?
I’ve talked to TONS of small business owners about where they spend their time, and I’ve read my fair share of new-client surveys, needs assessment documents, and time-management questionnaires. While all useful tools, let’s face it … they’re not much fun.
Let’s boil it down to the basics and find out how busy you really are, and if it’s time to expand your support team.
QUIZ: DO YOU NEED SUPPORT STAFF?
When was the last time you went to a networking event?
A. I go to three or four events a month.
B. I’m at one right now.
C. I met people at my cousin’s wedding last year.
How many hours do you work in a day?
A. About 8 or 9 hours a day, give or take.
B. 24 … My to-do list grows a face and talks to me in my dreams.
C. I haven’t slept in three years.
When was the last time you took some time off?
A. I schedule a short vacation twice a year.
B. Not since 1989, when my spouse threatened divorce if we didn’t take a vacation.
C. Does jury duty count?
How long is your to-do list?
A. I usually have a few top priorities, and a separate list of “someday” projects.
B. Four three-subject notebooks, a computer monitor framed with sticky notes and, in a pinch, the back of my hand.
C. There is, I’ve discovered, a finite number of rows in an Excel spreadsheet. I reached it yesterday.
Do you ever daydream about delegating tasks?
A. I definitely have days I wish I could let someone else handle the details.
B. Daydream, morning dream, afternoon dream, evening dream, nighttime dream…
C. Who’s got time to daydream?
If you had someone to handle the details, how would you spend the extra time?
A. I’d spend the time growing my prospect list, increasing my customer base, serving my current clients better, and growing my revenue.
B. I’d look into this “time off” thing I’ve been hearing about.
C. I’d attend my daughter’s kindergarten…er … high school … graduation.
Your idea of a perfect support-staff person is someone who…
A. Is smart, resourceful, easy to work with, has business experience, and who I trust can handle details without constant direction.
B. Is eager to take on special projects, meets deadlines, and is invested in my success.
C. Has no interest in vacation time, benefits, raises, sick leave, or anything else “employee”-related.
Mostly A’s
Your business is growing. You’re busy networking, following up with prospects, and taking care of your customers. But, you’re torn between making decisions about working in the business or on the business. You’re thinking about growing your business infrastructure.
Mostly B’s
You’re passionate and excited about your work, and you’re up to your eyeballs in ideas, strategies, and notes. You struggle to find time to devote to your vision because you’re mired down in day-to-day operations.
Mostly C’s
You’re losing sight of one of the most important tools required to grow and prosper. Balance. Having balance between work and life is vital in order to maintain your drive and enthusiasm and to provide prospective.
So, how will you find the time to focus on growing your business, realize your vision for success, and find that work-life balance? By getting help.
The goal of getting the help you need from qualified business service providers is pretty straight-forward – to take tasks off your to-do list so you have time to generate revenue, service your customers, grow your business and find work/life balance.
While we’re at it, investing in outsourced support could save you quite a few bucks, too. You get all the benefits of having a skilled, business-savvy, dedicated expert without the cost, commitment or (sometimes) headaches of an employee. Not to mention, most of the tasks you probably need help with are things that will never directly generate revenue for you; they’re all vitally important things that need to happen, but you’ll never get paid to do them. So, in order to scale and grow, you need to focus on the things that will – strategic planning, sales, customer service, product/service development, and your vision for your company.
Obviously there is virtual assistant firm right here to take on some of your day-to-day operations. But, we’re joined by several highly qualified and skilled colleagues with specialized skills and service offerings to meet every conceivable need a business-owner or executive may have – from bookkeeping and accounting, to business coaching and leadership consulting, to strategic marketing experts and human resource professionals, and more.
If your days are getting away from you and you don’t have much show for it, we know it’s not for lack of trying. It’s for lack of dedicated focus on the right things. It might be time to take the next step and start investing in the growth of your team. Only then will you be able to take the next steps to realize your business’s vision.