Could virtual services for coaches be the answer to your overwhelm? Will hiring a virtual assistant really help you grow your business?

If you aren't new to coaching, you've probably already heard of virtual assistants but are these and other virtual service providers the key to building the business of your dreams?

As you begin to grow your coaching business, it's common to hit that point where you have more on your plate than one person can handle. There's working with clients, managing the day-to-day, and handling future growth. It's easy, and natural, to start to feel overwhelmed. So you start looking into a virtual assistant. Maybe you do a search on the internet or even ask around on some of your social media groups.

But is that the best way to go about getting help? And what are the first things you should outsource?

Virtual services exist that make running a business much simpler. However, it's important to understand how to identify the services that would be better outsourced and those that would be better kept in-house. Here’re some tips that you can follow.

3 Tips for Knowing When to Outsource Virtual Services for Coaches Like You

1. You are spending too much time on tasks unrelated to the core services of your business.

This can often be a tough question to answer because some coaches are stuck on the idea that, “If you want things done right you must do them yourself.”  This is a common mistake in business. Whether you ARE the expert in an area or have no experience at all, hiring and training right can prove that others can do the job as well, and sometimes better, than you can.

The reality is that you’ll spend far more over time trying to do your bookkeeping, marketing, or admin yourself rather than outsourcing those tasks to an experienced virtual services for coaches provider. 

Take some time to identify the tasks that are the biggest time wasters in your business and outsource them to someone who does them better. Time wasters can be things that take you much longer than they should because you don't know the systems or processes well enough to do them quickly. They can also be the things you are constantly procrastinating because you just don't like to do them no matter how good you may be. 

And even if you can do something faster than someone you hire, it doesn't mean you should. The key to overcoming overwhelm and developing a track record of success is letting go so you only do the things that ONLY YOU CAN DO!

 2. Does performing this function highlight your expertise?

The tasks and projects that you outsource may depend heavily on the nature of your coaching business. 

As a coach, there are specific things you have to do yourself. Planning and executing your coaching programs, for instance, is essential for your business’ development. But there are many different moving parts to creating, marketing and executing a coaching program. Yes, you will need a strong website and systems to make it happen. However, that doesn’t mean that you need to hire a team of IT professionals full-time.

On the other hand, if you are a business coach who teaches others how to create a brand, then you may want to do the brand development of your program yourself.

Outsource the parts of projects that don't highlight your expertise to someone who provides virtual services for coaches. 

3. Is it a service that is only needed a few times throughout the year?

Coaches often do annual or semiannual launches. Since these only occur a few times a year, at most, it makes sense to outsource these projects to a virtual services for coaches company. They'll bring a level of knowledge and expertise to the project so you don't have to spend a lot of time learning skills you'll only use once in a while. 

6 Top Virtual Services for Coaches to Delegate

Virtual services are available in a wide variety of skills. There is a service that offers a solution to almost every problem a coach faces. Here are some of the virtual services you can consider when choosing where to get started.

Graphic Design

Attractive visuals form an important part of branding. A graphic designer will, therefore, be an important member of your team.  However, it is highly unlikely that you will have a consistently high volume of work for him or her to complete. This means that hiring a graphic designer as a permanent member of your team won’t be the best use of your funds.

It's tempting to hire a virtual assistant as a generalist to handle everything from your basic admin to things like graphic design. Most virtual assistants, though, won't have that range of skills. It's better to let your virtual assistant do admin related tasks and then find freelance graphic designers who you can hire on an as-needed basis.  You’ll find that you save a lot of money and time without compromising on the quality that you need.

When looking for a good graphic designer, consider these important points:

• Experience - While Canva has come a long way as a graphic design tool for social media posts, experienced graphic designers will have skills in more advanced programs such as Adobe. Graphic designers have a deeper understanding of color theory, font styles and even psychology so that the graphic elements you are asking for will enhance your brand and message.
• Portfolio - Do they do the kind of graphic designs you need? Some graphic designers only do logos while others specialize in websites or print design. What are the types of projects you are looking for and does your graphic designer specialize in those areas.
• Accessibility - There's nothing more frustrating than needing something done by the end of the week and not being able to reach your graphic designer because the power in their country is unpredictable.  (Ask us how we know that one). Make sure you work with someone who's internet and electricity are reliable and they are available based on the hours you need. It's important to understand what you might be getting when someone who provides virtual services for coaches works in other countries.

Task and Appointment Scheduling

Task and appointment scheduling is one of the quickest and easiest virtual services for coaches to delegate when they are just getting started. Virtual Assistants are often one of the first people a coach will hire and they tend to have the core skills for this type of work.

Virtual assistants are often adept at the use of scheduling software and project management tools common in the coaching industry. Your virtual assistant can use these tools to call to confirm client or prospect appointments, follow up on tasks or manage other details on your behalf.

Travel arrangements can also be scheduled. A virtual assistant can schedule flights, accommodations, car rentals…essentially any aspect of traveling.

Content Creation and Management

Content is what establishes you as an expert in your field. This might consist of podcast episodes, blog posts, e-books, free webinars or courses, videos for social media and your website, etc... All successful coaches use a variety of content marketing strategies to make their brand visible to their target audience. And yet, it is a time consuming and often difficult process that requires content creators with deft skills and experience. This makes it excellent virtual services for coaches to delegate.

Marketing forms a huge part of your coaching business. If you aren't already producing consistent content to market your coaching skills, it will be an important next step.

A content marketing manager might be just the right person to add to your team. This person’s role is to make sure that all content pieces (whether written or visual) appropriately depict the brand. They help to create and implement a comprehensive content creation schedule. He or she can also help you get the most out of the content created and ultimately allow you to reach a wider audience. While some content managers can also create the content for you, this typically falls to you as the expert or to an expert content writer.

Social Media Management

If content on your podcast and blog are like the marketing signs IN your store...

Then social media is like the billboard outside enticing people to come in.

If your social media content isn't well managed, it will be like having a billboard in Death Valley, CA. There won't be many visitors.

Social media changes, ALL...THE...TIME! Don't make it your career to keep up on all those changes. These are excellent virtuals service for coaches to delegate so they can free up more of their time and focus on what matters most.

Event Planning

Coaches, regardless of their niche, often host events (whether virtual or in-person) occasionally. Event planning is a highly detail-oriented process that can distract you from the core needs of your business. It may be something that you believe you can do yourself, but carefully consider the time you would lose when you could be spending that time attracting more clients.

You want your events to be the talk of the town for the right reasons. Consequently, your event planner should:

• Have great interpersonal skills
• Be able to manage time effectively
• Make stellar organization a priority
• Be flexible and have a contingency plan
• Have a track record of success in planning and executing similar events
• Be creative and innovative
• Have a passion for planning

Client Relationship Management

Building positive client relationships is crucial to business growth. You may not have a large client list when you start out so it's tempting to handle the management yourself. However, outsourcing the following client relationship management functions can help you establish even stronger relationships and provide a higher level of professionalism to your business:

• Manage invoicing and payments
• Follow up for schedule appointments
• Send thank you cards

What Should you Look for in a Virtual Services for Coaches Provider?

Now that you’ve jumped onto the outsourcing bandwagon, it's time to understand what to look for in an outsourcing partner. Here’re a few things that should be at the top of your checklist:

     1. Experience

Is it OK to hire someone that doesn't have experience with your programs or in your niche?

There's a good chance you'll find a lot of applicants that don't have a lot of experience with your specific tools or in your niche. For example, a content creator that specializes in articles on health and beauty may not be a great fit for your topic of money mindset. Or a website designer who has always used Wix might not be the right hire for your Kajabi website creation. This is often the case when looking at providers with lower hourly rates. Just like in the medical field, it's more expensive to get a specialist. You probably wouldn't get a nose job from someone who's worked in pediatric medicine for a few years and now wants to do plastic surgery too. And, if you decided to, you probably wouldn't pay them the same rate as someone who's specialized in nose jobs for 20 years.

It's totally OK to hire someone with less experience and skill as long as you understand what you are getting. You can't expect them to have the knowledge that a more experienced person will. They also won't be as fast as there is often a steep learning curve (that you are likely paying for). You'll also be investing more of your time to get them up to speed. All of these things will factor into the overall cost.

Now, if you have a routine task that you have already outlined a clear standard operating procedure, it may be perfectly OK to go with someone that isn't highly experienced.

     2. Flexible

Anyone you outsource business to should be flexible enough to meet your unique demands. This makes communication integral to creating a successful working relationship. Your expectations should be made clear from the get-go and you should also make it clear that there may be instances where flexibility must be exercised.

    3. Good reviews and social media presence

Customers paint a clear picture of the true service a company provides. You have to go beyond the fairy tale picture painted on the company’s website. Check out the social media pages and read the discussions people are having about the company or individual. If something doesn’t seem right, they might not be a good fit for your brand.

In this day and age, a person or company that is aligned with yours is a direct reflection of your business. Take some time to review the social media posts and content (just be careful when using this information for hiring individuals) posted by the company. If their values do not align with yours, it could come back to haunt you.

Ready to get started?

If you are finally ready to start outsourcing virtual services for your coaching business, the next logical step is to understand what tasks to outsource and who to outsource to. A great place to start is with these six focus areas:

• Graphic design
• Scheduling
• Content management
• Social media management
• Client management
• Event management

And if you want to say yes to a little bit of all of them, then a one-stop-shop for virtual services like Virtual A Team may be the best option for you.

Note: This article was originally published on April 30th, 2019 and updated February 5th, 2024.

You really want to grow your business and be successful. But how do you manage the time when you only have so much of it you want to give?

A few years ago, everyone was talking about this quote from Lori Greiner, one of the investors on the show Shark Tank.

“Entrepreneurs are the only people who will work 80 hours a week to avoid working 40 hours a week”

Unfortunately, it got many entrepreneurs thinking they could only be successful if they worked 80 hours a week! That would mean if you:

• have a full-time job, you can’t be an entrepreneur.
• suffer from chronic health conditions that limit your work time, you can’t be an entrepreneur.
• choose family over business, you can’t be an entrepreneur

The truth is, there are different definitions of success.

For some, it’s having the biggest business around.

For others, success is the perfect work-life balance. 

Entrepreneurship isn’t restricted to those that want to work 10 or 12 or 16 hours a day to grow their business. 

Those that are successful with a shortened schedule have a few tricks up their sleeves. And today I want to share some of that magic with you.

Download our Ultimate Guide to Delegating for More Tips & Tools on How to Delegate as a Solopreneur

How to Manage the Time You Have

Those of us with limited hours to work our business, whether by choice or necessity, have a magic secret. 

And it’s not that we possess some productivity gene others don’t. But it is rooted in scientific concepts that work in our favor. 

The first one is Parkinson’s Law. This concept states that work expands to the time allowed to complete it. 

Essentially, that means that more time isn’t going to allow us to do more work. 

Instead, we will just take longer to do the same amount of work! That alone should allow us to breathe a sigh of relief knowing we won’t actually be accomplishing more by working more.

Now, let’s talk strategies for managing the time you do have to produce the greatest results.

Vision

Most solopreneurs don’t really think about the vision they want to have for their businesses. 

They simply decide on a Tuesday in July that they want to start a business. And by Wednesday afternoon, they are out getting their first clients. 

Having a crystal-clear vision for where you want your business to go can be a powerful tool to help you stay focused and manage the time you want to invest in your business. 

For example: 

• Do you want to have a huge 7-figure business or would you be content with 6 figures?
• Is your goal to create a business that has a social purpose as well?
• Does your dream business involve your lifestyle?

Knowing the answers to these and other vision questions will help you form a vision statement. 

We’re not talking lofty ideal vision statement that we frame and hang on the wall like an inspirational poster.

We’re talking about a one-sentence, driving-force kind of statement. 

Like when you could go anywhere in the world and you choose an Appalachian Mountain get-away because that’s where your mom always wanted to go on her honeymoon. 

It’s about deciding on the destination and knowing why getting there will deeply matter to you. 

When you have a clear vision, you can make better choices about how to spend and manage the time you have. 

And it helps you reject things that will distract you from getting to the Appalachian Mountains.

It’s All in the Planning

A great plan serves as a road map to manage the time you want to work. When you know what to do, you do those things and only those things. 

One of the hardest steps successful solopreneurs take is moving from a “fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants” concept of growing their business to a more structured and planned approach. 

This can be a struggle for the creative spirit. We understand! In fact, most of the coaches we work with are very creative and the thought of being limited by a “plan” can be uncomfortable at first. 

If you can relate to this, we want to encourage you because the truth of the matter is, it’s not so much about sticking hard and fast to the plan. It’s about the habit of planning.

President Eisenhower confused a lot of people with that quote. 

He was saying, plans are not guaranteed. Life happens.

Variables come into play and force constant changes to plans, right? 

His underlying message was we have to be flexible. Becoming too rigid can be just as detrimental to success as no planning at all. 

And that the magic lies in the planning itself. All the thought and strategy that goes into those plans are what lay the foundation for success.

Think 2020

This year has been a great year to test this theory. 

Many plans were set at the beginning of the year. Goals were created, programs were scheduled and plans were made. 

And then life happened. The entire world was shut down. 

What followed was our need to change plans on an hourly basis some days.

I think we can all agree that to survive quarantine, we had to drop any rigid tendencies we had and employ ongoing flexibility. 

It’s been a reminder that even a well-designed plan can change at any given moment.

However, even when you have to add-to, or take-away from, the basic plan framework will still give you a direction to go. 

It’s a flight plan

Virtual A Team recently launched our podcast, Coach's CoPilot. 

Pilots and CoPilots know that a plane almost never takes a direct flight from point A to point B. Adjustments need to be made along the way of every flight. 

But without that flight plan, they would not know what deviations to make in order to stay closely on course.

Creating a plan is an investment of your time but it’s an investment that will give you significant returns in the long run.

Fractional Analysis

Here’s another scientific principle for you. It’s called the Pareto Principle or the 80/20 rule.

Bear with me, math wasn’t my favorite subject either.

The 80/20 rule suggests that 80% of our results come from 20% of our efforts. 

For example, if you are trying to lose weight through diet and exercise, 20% of what you are doing is giving you 80% of the results you are achieving. 

What that also means is that 80% of our efforts only gives us a whopping 20% of our results! It’s time to reduce or eliminate that 80%. 

The Audit

Lately, many of our clients have requested help with auditing their business. 

They want to know what’s working and what’s not. 

We review things like their social media and email marketing.

We collect and analyze data from all our client's existing programs. 

Are Your Efforts Working?

One of our clients wanted a focused review of her social media efforts. 

She posts consistently on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, Linkedin, and Twitter.

Every message and many of the graphics are crafted specifically for the channel it is being posted on. Customization is time consuming. 

We took a look at how many people she was driving to her website and also how many “conversations” she was having. 

It turns out, for this client (and please know your results may differ), Facebook was by far the best use of her time.

That was her 20% driving her 80%.

Linkedin and Twitter produced very little results for her and Pinterest produced results that were actually hurting more than helping.

This coach decided to stop spending time crafting Pinterest images and editing her post length for Twitter. The time she spent on social media went down significantly.

Action Tip: Audit your time and the results you are getting. If it takes you more time than the results deserve, consider letting that task go.

Ditch Flying Solo

Now that you have chosen to be more effective and do the things that move you closer to your goal, it’s time to start thinking about how to also be more efficient. 

That means it’s time to stop doing the things that someone else can do and focus on the things that only you can do. It’s time to start delegating.

For coaches who have built their business all on their own, taking on a co-pilot (delegating) is often new territory and scary territory.

There are three keys to making delegation easier for the newbie.

1. Make a list of all the tasks you do and begin to decide which ones you can’t or shouldn’t be doing. This is your first task list for your first hire.
2. Take your time and hire well. Don’t hire quickly because that’s usually when problems arise. 
3. Be prepared. When you work with someone else, projects take longer. There’s back and forth communication and different work schedules. 

We have a LOT of great articles for the first time delegator. Some of these may be helpful to you.

• How to Prepare Your Coaching Business to Start Delegating
• Do You Need to Learn Something Before You Start Delegating?
• Why Is Outsourcing Beneficial?

Embrace Technology

Technology can be super scary if it isn’t in your zone of genius but it can be one of the best time savers we have. 

Using technology to automate tasks within your business is often a great investment.

But what are things that you can automate in your business? 

Appointment Scheduling

Tools like Calendly or Acuity allow you to create a calendar of available time and let others pick the time that works best for them. These systems even let the scheduler answer a few questions so you know what to expect when you get on the phone (or Zoom). 

We’ve reviewed several of the top scheduling tools to help you pick the one that’s right for you.

Social Media Scheduling

You don’t actually have to be available to post to social media at all hours of the day. Tools like SmarterQueue or Buffer allow you to create all of your posts in advance and have them post based on the schedule you choose.

You can even set up posts to go out when you are on vacation!

We have also reviewed the top social media scheduling tools so you don’t have to!

Email

We often don’t think of automating the emails we receive but there are lots of tools for handling this.

Since Gmail is the largest email service out there, we will focus on that. 

Let’s start with some of the features that have been around for a while.

• See only the emails you want to see when you want to see them. 

  Gmail’s Rules and Labels feature allows you to set up automations so that emails go to specific “folders” based on their content or who’s sending them. This is great so you never miss a client message or don’t have to see all your store sales emails in the inbox all the time. This feature allows you to stop having to use two different email addresses in order to keep one of them clear of the clutter.

• Templates used to be called Canned Responses when it was in beta.

This feature allows you to create template text that you send out over and over. If you always find yourself typing the same message, set up some templates to speed up the process.

• Customize your signature.

Many of us have Gmail set up to receive multiple different email addresses into one place. Gmail allows you to customize your signature depending on the email being received. You can even rotate your signature if you have a few different PS messages you want to use.

Now let’s talk some of the cool new features Gmail offers.

• See Ya Later! Gmail’s snooze feature allows you to dismiss an email if you can’t or don’t want to address it at the moment.

It will pop back into your inbox at the top when you want it to. This feature is great if you are clearing your inbox between meetings but don’t have time for lengthy responses.

• There’s also the option to send your emails at a later date.

This is handy if you happen to be working on the weekends or late at night and don’t want your response to appear as though you work all hours of the day! 

If you need help setting up Gmail or any other automations for your business, reach out to Virtual A Team. We’d be happy to lend a hand.

It’s important to remember that automation does not replace humans.

We often get asked about very complex automations and our recommendation is always to evaluate the cost to set up something versus paying a human to do it. How long will it take to break even? 

Work Smarter, Not Harder

The best ways to make the most out of the limited time you want or need to work involve working smarter, not harder. More hours will not result in more profit.

To better manage the time you have, focus on these 5 basic principles:

1. Have a clear vision.
2. Create a plan.
3. Find your high reward tasks and focus on those.
4. Ditch the solo and delegate.
5. Embrace technology and automate.

Realize that this will take an investment of your time. For a short while, you may be working more while you get the tools and systems set up. But the rewards are well worth the investment!

What will you do with all that extra time?

Are you a procrastinator? If so, it's ok. We're here to help you ensure that you have the tools you need to avoid hiring an ineffective virtual team.

Meet Jan, she’s a self-professed procrastinator. She’s well aware that it’s her biggest challenge. 

She’ll tell you herself that she ALWAYS waits until the last minute; always.

In her defense, it’s often because she’s working on other projects that she’s procrastinated completing. Her procrastination is a vicious cycle. 

Jan’s procrastination makes sense when you hear her story. As a student in high school, she never felt the need to get anything done right away. She’s brilliant. 

She could slide by without studying, complete projects overnight, and still get A’s and B’s in all her classes.

It wasn’t until Jan went to college that she started to notice how her procrastination was beginning to affect her performance. But she still ‘got by’.

Once Jan started her coaching business, things did NOT get any better. She was still in the habit of just waiting, knowing that she could pull an all-nighter to get the things done.

Fortunately, her business didn’t suffer, at first. She brought in several new clients and was beginning to build some group programs. But then she got super busy. 

Jan quickly realized that her procrastinator style had little effect on outcomes when she wasn’t busy but things started snowballing on her when busy times hit.

Download our Ultimate Guide to Delegating for More Tips & Tools on How to Delegate as a Solopreneur

You may have guessed by now that our friend Jan isn’t a real person. 

She’s merely the personification of many of our dearly-loved procrastinator clients that we’ve worked with over the years; talented and well intended but perpetually in over their head.

The Great And Wonderful Idea

Back to client “Jan”. 

Jan started hearing about Virtual Assistants in some of her online groups. She decided hiring one could take a lot of the work off her plate. 

They could help her be less of a procrastinator and she could get back to focusing on the things she loved to do.

“This is going to be so great!”, Jan thought. 

She quickly hired a virtual assistant that had been recommended to her by one of her friends. 

The virtual assistant and Jan got on a Zoom call and outlined the tasks that Jan needed to have done. 

After the hour-long call, the VA had a long list of tasks to complete; once Jan got her all of the access to programs she’d need. 

However, since the call ran a little late, and Jan had another call immediately after, she didn’t get the VA her access right away. 

And then other things came up.

And then days went by. 

Little did Jan know, follow-up wasn’t her new VA’s strong suit. She was great at doing what you told her to do, but she wasn’t strong in managing her client’s disorganization.

So, more days went by. And deadlines were missed. 

And, that was just the beginning. 

How Procrastinators Sabotage Virtual Assistants

Before we move on, we want you to understand that being a procrastinator doesn’t mean you can’t be successful.

And it certainly doesn’t mean you can’t delegate. 

It simply means you need to be aware that ‘it’s a thing’ for you. 

Being aware of your procrastinator work style means you will change the things you look for in a candidate. 

And it means you will need to take a look at how being a procrastinator can make it harder for a VA to really help you. 

And you will closely watch your own behaviors and how they are affecting the overall team performance. Because having a team is what will take your business to the next level.

Here are some key ways you may be sabotaging what a virtual assistant can do for you.

Not Providing Enough Details

If you are a procrastinator who is working on a big project, you may be the kind of person who works out the details at the last minute. 

Not working out the details ahead of time doesn’t allow you to pass the baton on tasks. 

Virtual assistants are skilled but they aren’t mind readers. 

If all the VA has is a big picture overview of the project, the details will be missed and it isn’t going to help you complete your project.

• Sketch out the timeline of what needs to be done, or at least the general project flow, before you present the project to your VA. 
• Make sure you highlight for both of you, pertinent deadlines even if you haven’t thought all the way through the minor details.

Not Giving Keys to the Kingdom (or at Least the Guard Tower)

Odds are you have many different programs you use in your business. 

From appointment scheduling tools to email management systems and even website dashboards. 

The more tasks you want your VA to perform for you, the more passwords he or she will need to have to independently get the job done. 

Ensuring that your VA has access upfront ensures that they can make progress on their own. 

Don’t procrastinate making sure your VA has access to all the programs you will ask them to use. 

Tools like Lastpass can make sharing and revoking password details easy!

Not Leaving Room for Review

A second set of eyes to review something is invaluable. , especially when the first set isn’t you. 

Virtual assistants do their best for you but we’re all human. Even the most talented assistants still miss things. 

Let’s say your VA is tasked to write your social media posts or articles, create newsletter emails, or many other things that will be seen by clients and prospects. 

You will want to review that before it’s published. Remember, it’s still your brand. Everything that is published is a reflection of your brand.

For this reason, we highly recommend you review any public-facing project. 

You will sabotage yourself and your VA’s success if you wait until the last minute to check things over. 

• Leave enough time between the due date you provide your VA to allow for revisions and final review. 
• Let your VA know when you will get the review/revision back to her for changes. 
• Give your VA permission to follow up with you if she has not received it by that date. 

There may come a time when you gain confidence that your VA and trust her outcomes. If so,  you can slack off a bit. 

But if you are still in the review stage and your VA gets something back to you by the due date, you may be tempted to wait till the last minute to check it over. This won’t leave any time for a second draft and you’ll end up having to make the changes yourself.

How Virtual Assistants Sabotage Procrastinators

Like we said, being a procrastinator doesn’t mean you are determined to be perpetually overwhelmed. 

And you certainly aren’t going to change your procrastinator ways overnight. 

For that reason, it’s also important to know what red flags to look for when hiring a VA. And if you already have a VA, learning how certain tendencies on their side can present problems when paired with your natural procrastinator style.

Virtual assistants are typically well trained in the tasks you have them do. But often, managing people, including you, is not typically their strong suit; or their desire. 

Since most VAs aren’t used to challenging their bosses, they are more likely to sit back and wait to hear from you. 

For procrastinator coaches this is a recipe for disaster. 

If you’re a natural procrastinator, you will need a little more personal management and accountability in addition to the tasks you want to have done. 

** At the very least, you'll need someone who can be aggressive enough to follow up on needed tasks and push you a little when they aren’t getting what they need to do an excellent job for you.

In addition, if a VA doesn’t recognize that you are a procrastinator, they may also wait till the last minute, a deadline you agreed to, in order to get a task done. 

Don’t Throw in the Towel

Being a procrastinator does not mean you can’t benefit from delegating. It just means you may need to look for someone that has a slightly different set of skills than you originally thought.

Sure, you still want someone who has the organization and marketing skills you are looking for but you will also need someone who isn’t just a SELF-starter but someone who can hold you accountable. You need someone who can press you for more information when necessary and not wait for a response. 

A great VA will recognize that you are a procrastinator and will help you identify realistic deadlines and set them.

These qualifications tend to be rare in virtual assistants though. It’s like hiring an administrative assistant when you need an executive assistant.

What can you do then? What’s above a VA? 

We are SOOO glad you asked! 

Introducing the Online Business Manager

The next step in virtual services after a virtual assistant is an Online Business Manager; sometimes also called a Virtual Business Manager. 

An Online Business Manager is someone who can do more for you and your business. 

This person is going to have more leadership and project management skills than a traditional VA. 

While he or she may still do some of the admin tasks, they may also outsource those on your behalf to other VAs. 

The best part, though, is that THEY manage the team for you. 

An Online Business Manager is going to be that person who holds you accountable. 

She’s going to push back when you need more accountability. 

She’s going to dig in to get the details rather than wait around for you to share them. They are going to find the answers rather than wait for you to provide them. 

If you want to read more about Online Business Managers, check out some of these great articles:

Virtual Assistant or Online Business Manager - What’s the Difference?

How to Choose the Right Online Business Manager for YOU 

Online Business Manager Interview Questions You Need to Ask

What You Can Do Right Now

An OBM sounds great but what if you have a virtual assistant right now and you need to get things moving in the right direction. Here are some tips that may help:

Plan Ahead

One of the number one things you can do to help your VAs is to plan WAY ahead. 

Solopreneurs tend to fly by the seat of their pants. But that doesn’t work well when you have others on the team trying to help you reach your goals. 

• Create a plan at least 3 to 6 months in advance and work from that plan. 
• Make sure you discuss changes with your VA as soon as you know about them.

Work Backward from Deadlines

Most procrastinators don’t think about deadlines. They work at the last minute. 

If you plan out your deadlines in advance, it can help you determine a better time frame for getting things done.

Build in a Cushion 

It's easy to anticipate how long it will take YOU to do something but working with others requires additional time. 

Unless you have a VA full time, 40 hours a week, she has other things she is doing. 

She’s not always going to be able to drop everything to work on your last-minute project. Sending her a revision at 7pm in the evening and asking her to send the email to your list at 10am the next morning isn’t realistic. 

Give your VA a longer turnaround time than you think is necessary. Negotiate realistic expectations in advance.

Encourage Accountability

Empower your VA to follow up with you as needed. Tell her it’s OK to email you or call if you haven’t gotten something to her by a certain date. 

For some VAs, this is a skill they can adapt to when they are encouraged to do so by their “boss”. 

For others, it’s just way outside of their comfort zone and they won’t do it no matter how much you encourage them.

Work with a Coach

Even coaches need coaches. 

If procrastination is preventing your business success, consider working with a coach that can help you overcome some of these traits. It may just be one of the best investments you make.

You Can Do It!

Being a procrastinator doesn’t mean you can’t be successful and it doesn’t mean you can’t delegate. 

It simply means you change the things you look for in a candidate and closely watch your own behaviors and how they are affecting the overall team performance. 

Are you thinking about working with an Online Business Manager but you aren’t sure what it’s all about? A little planning and understanding will help you choose the right Online Business Manager for you. 

Working with an Online Business Manager can be business changing.

Making sure you choose the right Online Business Manager for you helps to avoid turnover. And will get you the most out of your OBM partnership.

Meet Tish. She's a coach who works with families to help them through the world of Special Needs services.

Most of her coaching programs are offered online. She’s grown a very steady pace over the last couple of years.

She's hired a VA and someone to produce her podcast.

She even has a go-to graphics designer.

Unfortunately, she’s starting to find herself spending a lot of time working with each of her team members. She is often frustrated by helping them understand what she wants. 

Recently, Tish attended a Mastermind group, virtually - of course. She heard from several different members about their experiences working with online business managers.

She was intrigued by the possibilities. But after listening to the varied experiences of her peers, she left feeling confused and overwhelmed. 

It seemed like a great solution but she didn't trust that it wouldn't be another bad outsourcing experience.

Download our Ultimate Guide to Delegating for More Tips & Tools on How to Delegate as a Solopreneur

Know What YOU Need

Online business managers are a really great way to help coaches build and grow their coaching business without adding extra hours to their workload.

In fact, OBMs usually relieve you of work so you have more time to do the things that you choose to do.

But not all online business managers are created equal. If you don’t know what you are looking for, you may end up with more of a mess than you bargained for.

Let’s explore a little more about what you need to know to find the right online business manager for you. 

What IS An Online Business Manager Anyway?

You’ve heard the term but you may not have a good understanding of what an Online Business Manager, aka OBM, is or what he or she does. 

OBMs are a category of freelancers typically known as Virtual Business Managers.

The terms Virtual Business Manager and Online Business Manager are often synonymous. However, there is a slight difference between the two.

While both can help manage businesses remotely.

Online Business Managers focus on managing online businesses. 

An online business could be an e-commerce site, affiliate marketing, vlogs or blogs, SaaS (software as a solution) companies, or digital products, just to name a few.

With this large variety of online businesses, it’s easy to see how the world of Online Business Managers is growing at exponential rates!

Know What To Expect

What does an online business manager, um, well, manage?

There is often some confusion regarding the role and responsibilities of an OBM.

A great OBM is best utilized to manage projects and teams, not to perform most of the tasks.

While there may be some tasks that an OBM will perform simply because they can, many of the tasks will be outsourced to other experts.

Currently, Tish is acting as the business manager.

She’s in charge of making sure each person knows what to do, how to do it, and that they get it done. 

And this is where you start to see that not all OBMs are created equal.

One of the reasons that different people have different experiences with their OBMs is because they have different expectations than the OBM does. 

What Do You Do Well?

Part of the problem is that OBMs vary greatly in their expertise.

Many OBMs will come to you with prior management experience in specific key areas such as social media, content creation, or administration, for example. 

There’s a reason that traditional businesses have specialized positions. They have Office Managers, Production Managers, Marketing Managers, HR managers, etc…

It’s because each area of business has its own set of skills and challenges.

But, typically, there is one main general manager who handles the management of the entire company. 

Most often, an MBA is the ideal candidate for the general manager position.

Master of Business

Let’s look at it in terms of the MBA, from Wikipedia: 

The Master of Business Administration (MBA or M.B.A.) degree originated in the United States in the early 20th century when the country industrialized and companies sought scientific management.[1] The core courses in an MBA program cover various areas of business administration such as accounting, applied statistics, human resources, business communication, business ethics, business law, business strategy, finance, managerial economics, management, entrepreneurship, marketing, supply-chain management, and operations management in a manner most relevant to management analysis and strategy.

If your business is exclusively online, your online business manager can serve as your general manager. 

While you may not require your OBM to have an MBA degree, you are looking for someone with equivalent work experience.

Choose What to Delegate

If you work with both online and offline aspects of your business, your online business manager may only manage one part.

Good OBMs have a wide base of knowledge without going deep into any one area.

This varied experience allows them to help with the overall management of the online elements of your business.

If you simply need someone who is great at social media and can manage social media marketing for you, then you’d want to hire a social media manager, not an online business manager. 

Clarify Your Expectations

But those expectations should be made clear in the interview process and discussed when things change.

Trouble may also happen when a business owner expects their online business manager to manage things outside of his or her areas of expertise.

Think of asking an HR manager to manage production.

Often, the OBM is not upfront with their client to let them know the request is not a good fit.

Matching Expertise With Projects

Having conversations early, and often, will help to make sure everyone is having the best possible experience with the greatest possible results.

As a business owner, your job is to guide your team and focus your time on doing the things that only you can do.

When you hire a virtual assistant, you are choosing to delegate tasks.

When you work with an OBM, you are delegating projects.

Which projects you delegate will be determined by your OBMs areas of expertise.

Choosing The Right OBM For YOUR Needs

With there being such a huge discrepancy in the quality of online business managers, how do you hire the right one? 

How do you choose the right online business manager?

How do you ensure their experience is well-suited for your particular project management needs?

Write a clear job description

Depending on how you do your hiring, you may or may not be posting an actual job description somewhere.

But even if you don’t, a well-written job description will help you to have a clear idea of what your needs and desires are. 

Workable.com offers some great tips on writing a good job description.

For example, they suggest clearly describing tasks without using jargon or vague descriptions.  

Interview Several Candidates

Hiring well takes time.

Don’t look at the first few resumes, have one interview, and offer the job on the spot.

From our experience, the first candidate usually looks pretty good until you interview several more!

Take your time. Make a list to help you evaluate the prospects, and check out our article on online business manager interview questions you can ask.

Ask for Referrals

Referrals are generally going to provide glowing reports about your potential candidates.

It can be tricky to know what questions you can and can’t ask.

However, when you’ve nailed down a few key questions, you can get the 'inside scoop' on what your candidate may not share with you.  

Check Social Media 

We hate to admit this but checking what your candidate is posting on is such an important step these days.

There are stories everywhere of employees who said or did something, shared on social media, and ultimately damaged the reputation of the company.

While we can’t avoid ALL of these situations, we can minimize them by reviewing social media profiles before hiring.

Do a Careful Review

Hopefully, you took some great notes on each candidate up to this point.

Virtual A Team potential candidate ranking system.

We've identified the skills and traits that are most important and rate them throughout each step.

This helps take the guesswork out of hiring and makes the process less subjective.

That being said, gut instinct is something we measure but it's only one part of the overall candidate rating. 

Interview Again

That’s right. The best companies will tell you to conduct more than one interview with your top-pick candidates.

The second interview is an opportunity for you to chat with a candidate when they are more relaxed.

It gives you the opportunity to clarify their answers to any outstanding questions you might have.

It also gives you another chance to ask more granular 'pocket questions' to further evaluate if this is the right Online Business Manager for you. 

Red Flags

If you’ve never hired an Online Business Manager before, you may not know what to look out for.

Here are some red flags that may signal a less than ideal candidate:

• A Yes Ma’amer - This is the person who agrees with everything you say all the time. While an OBM isn’t a coach, he or she should be able to give you ideas or call you out when something doesn’t fit with your goals. They are there to help you grow your business and sometimes you don’t know what you don’t know.

• Negativity. It’s rare to see this in an interview when prospects are on their best behavior so if it does come out, you know it will only get worse. 

• Short Answers - While not everyone is going to be thoroughly expressive in an interview, someone who is able to talk through ideas and concepts with you will likely be a better long term fit.

• REALLLLLLLLYYYY LONG Answers - on the flip side, if someone is extremely long-winded, that may use up a lot of your time.

• Someone who is JUST LIKE YOU!  - One huge trap coaches fall into is getting along so well with someone because they are just like them and then hiring them. You don’t want or need a clone (as much as you think you do). You need someone who compliments your abilities and can pick up slack in areas you aren’t great in.

That’s a Wrap!

The right Online Business Manager can help to relieve a lot of the overwhelm of managing the online areas of your business.

Take your time in finding the right fit.

Experience the greatest return on your investment by determining your exact needs. And investing time to find the 'right-fit' OBM who will compliment your skills and can help you manage your online business needs 

Let's chat about how to prepare your coaching business to delegate.

Congratulations! You finally decided to take that huge step to start your coaching business. Did you have ANY idea how much detail was going to be involved? We are guessing you probably don't have the funds to pay someone to tackle the creation and set up of your business, but you will want to start outsourcing as soon as possible in order to keep your sanity.

So how DO you prepare your coaching business to delegate?

Once the basics are in place, you can reach out to freelancers who can help you with your daily administrative and marketing tasks so that you can focus on coaching.

Have a Clear Objective for Your Business

What do you plan to do with your coaching business? 

More importantly, how do you plan to achieve this? These questions should be answered clearly and succinctly so that it is easy for freelancers to understand exactly what your business is about.

Choose Your Niche. 

Once you have YOUR niche, it is easy to create an objective that will apply to all the clients you work with.

For example, a relationship coach will focus mainly on couples, while a life coach is more general and can work with couples AND individuals. Think about your skill set and what you want to offer your clients to determine your niche.

If you prepare your coaching business to delegate any of your marketing, from social media to email campaigns, your team will need to know your niche.

Create a Mission Statement. 

Once your niche is established, you can start working on other key elements of your business.

Step one will be creating your mission statement. This only needs to be one or two sentences describing your business values and what you aim to provide. When creating your mission statement it is important to incorporate three core elements:

• State your vision or mission for your business
• Define your objectives and goals
• State your core values (this will help to shape freelancer’s behavior in the future)

These statements should be short and to the point. When your mission statement is read, it should immediately become clear what your business is about and what you expect from those you work with in the future.

Create a Business Plan

Even if you have no need to get bank loans, a business plan can serve as a road map for your business. You’d never set out on a family vacation in the old station wagon without having an idea of where you are going. And you shouldn’t start a business without having a plan either.

Your business plan will also serve to help guide you as you work with freelancers.

The following are some steps you can take to start your business plan or simplify an existing one:

Do your homework!

Research your industry as much as you can. Read industry reports, examine competing businesses, and be detailed about exactly what you plan to offer your clients. You must also know your product, your business, and your competition intimately.

What is the purpose of your plan?

Think of your business plan as a type of road map that will give you and future freelancers the directions you need to execute daily functions to grow your business. With this in mind, your “road map” should include instructions on how to deal with foreseeable obstacles that could occur.

Develop your company profile.

Examples: What you plan to offer? Who do you plan to offer it to? What is the history of your business?

Document your business.

From the beginning, be clear about your cash flow, expenses, and industry projections. In addition to using this to show freelancers that you have solid a financial plan, you can also use it to attract investors in the future, if necessary.

Create your marketing plan.

Make sure it is aggressive, especially while your coaching business is new. It should state plans for your services, how you plan to launch them, and the marketing methods you will implement to get your business out to the masses.

Make sure that your business plan is adaptable.

The coaching business is ever-changing as society finds new ways to do things, and your business plan should have information about how you plan to adapt to these changes. What is your approach? Are there financial implications that may occur as a result of making the necessary changes?

Tell people why you care about starting a coaching business.

What made you so passionate about the industry that set you on the path to starting your own business? This is the sweet spot of any budding business...making people care as much about your coaching venture as you do.

Develop Your Business Brand

Even if you prepare your coaching business to delegate your brand creation, it is always a good idea to know what goes into brand development so that you can be involved in every step. Just remember, the brand you adopt for your coaching business will also be YOUR identity. It will play a major role in how freelancers and future clients perceive you.

Your brand must be consistent and something your target audience can relate to. Essentially, you're communicating who you are and what you can do for those who are looking for the services you offer.

There are several steps involved in effective brand development, including but not limited to:

1. What is the purpose of your brand?

Did a major life event propel you toward building a coaching business? Did something in childhood make you want to help other people? Answering these types of questions will allow you to determine your purpose.

2. Researching branding techniques

Industry competitors use certain branding techniques and knowing these will allow you to differentiate yourself from them and what they have to offer.

3. Make sure you are very specific when determining your target audience.

What is the buyer persona of your brand? For example, what is their age, location, education level, gender, and income?

4. Establish a mission statement

A mission statement will help your brand tell people exactly why you wake up every morning to perform your coaching duties.

5. State the primary benefits

These benefits and qualities are those that your brand offers, especially those which competitors are not offering.

6. Develop the voice of your brand

This helps to communicate with your target audience.

7. Make sure that the personality of your brand is always clear and present.

8. Develop the messaging and story of your brand.

Tell people exactly who you are and outline your motivations.

9. Create a tagline and logo for your brand.

10. Ensure that your brand is present in all elements of your coaching business.

Who Is Your Target Audience?

You should know who your clients are before starting your business. 

This is where determining your target audience comes into play.

Start by looking at the competition to see who their customers are...their demographics. Would any of them work well for your coaching business?

Consider the services you are offering and who could benefit from them the most. For example, if you want to coach young women, you will target women under the age of 30 who are struggling and need guidance in creating a solid foundation in their lives. They likely have, at the least, a high school education and are either recently married or single.

Psycho-graphics is another area you want to explore. 

Psycho-graphics is where you get into the personal characteristics of your target market. It includes things like:

• Personality
• Values
• Lifestyles
• Attitudes
• Hobbies and interests
• Behavior

You should spend some time narrowing down all of these characteristics and demographics until you have the ideal person in mind. This person becomes...you got it...your target audience.

Determine Your Unique Selling Proposition

Once you determine your niche, craft your mission statement, and create your mission statement, you’ll need to develop your unique selling proposition. 

What is your “unique selling proposition” or USP, you ask? 

Your USP is what sets you apart from other coaching businesses. It answers how you will outshine your competitors? Take time to answer these questions as it will help you craft the very best USP for your business. 

Not only will this help you build your client list in the future, but it will prepare your coaching business to delegate and help freelancers determine if your business is one that they want to work with. 

Examining your competitors is an important area to focus on while contemplating your selling proposition.

Ask yourself, “What are they doing and how can I do it better?”.

For example, if you plan on delving into relationship coaching where other coaches focus on repairing broken relationships, you could help new parents transition into parenthood as a team. This gives you a narrower niche and, let’s face it, there will always be new parents out there struggling to adapt to their new lives who could use some guidance from you.

In the above scenario, you can target freelancers who are parents with experience in this stage of life, making them more valuable to your team and clients.

What You Don’t Need

Just as there are some key things you WILL need to prepare your coaching business to delegate, there are also a handful of things you don’t need to worry about right away.

• Learn Everything - Contrary to popular belief, you don’t need to learn how to do everything in your business before you delegate those tasks. You can read more about that on our article here.
• Having SOPs - It’s common to hear that you need standard operating procedures (SOPs) before you start outsourcing. That’s true if you are trying to work with very low pay overseas individuals. However, if you work with a team of specialists, they will bring the SOPs to you. 
• Pay for Tools - Many freelancers will bring access to tools or software you can use in your business. You won’t need to spend time shopping around and selecting the right tools before you get started.

Summary

Having the essentials in order before reaching out to freelancers will make the transition to having them on your team far easier. When you have these elements in order, freelancers get a clear picture of what your coaching company does and what your ultimate goals are. With this information, you can all work together to ensure all objectives are met and that you can continue to expand your business.

CLICK HERE if you're ready to get started!!!

So you’ve started a business...now what?

Like most entrepreneurs, your business is the culmination of your blood, sweat, and tears. You’ve poured all your time and effort into seeing your idea flourish, never actually taking the time to think about the “after”.

What do I do AFTER my business takes off?

Today we are going to delve into the world of outsourcing. 

WHAT IS OUTSOURCING?

Outsourcing or outside resourcing, as defined by the Wikipedia, is an agreement in which one company hires another company to be responsible for a planned or existing activity that is or could be done internally.

Simple, right? 

Not so to a budding business owner used to taking charge of every aspect of their business. To these energetic entrepreneurs, outsourcing is a scary prospect invented to rip away the reins of their control. But in reality, outsourcing could be the boost a business needs in order to level up to the next phase of success.

FEAR OF OUTSOURCING

Let’s first talk about the elephant in the room...business reputation. The looming question that stabs at the back of your mind like a Saturday night horror flick. 

“What if the finished product doesn’t reflect my dedication to perfection?” 

Rest easy! No matter what project is being outsourced, ultimately, it will need your final approval before it ever reaches the client’s inbox. As you continue to work with the freelancer, they will begin to understand your vision and overtime begin to produce work that closely mimics your own. 

3 REASONS WHY OUTSOURCING IS BENEFICIAL 

1. What can collaboration do for you?
2. How can outsourcing actually make you money?
3. Why outsourcing is a fantastic trade off.
   

WHAT CAN COLLABORATION DO FOR YOU?

Collaboration is an excellent feature of outsourcing. Sometimes, as entrepreneurs, tunnel vision sets in and breaks down the flow of new ideas needed to keep a business fresh and evolving. Collaborating offers the opportunity to throw around ideas that would have otherwise never seen the light of day. 

Imagine for a moment if the forward-thinking caveman who thought up rubber tires kept his idea all to himself? Well then, we might still see Fred Flintstone motoring around on a set of four  clumsy Fire-STONE wheels today!

HOW OUTSOURCING CAN ACTUALLY MAKE YOU MONEY?

The one thing in the world no one can buy, sell, or save is time. Any successful business-owner worth their salt knows that time is the most precious commodity. Given that eye-opening factoid, aside from cloning oneself, there is only ONE way to accomplish more with the allotted 1,440 minutes in any given day...you guessed it...outsourcing! 

The ability to hand-off one to two tasks would allow you the time to follow-up with potential clients. Extra time also allows the opportunity to touch bases with current clients and brainstorm future projects they’d like to pursue with you.

So, in retrospect, the $40 you paid to a freelancer to write yesterday’s blog post (which saved two hours of your precious time) could have the potential return of an entirely new income stream.  

Moral - The time saved from outsourcing yesterday could be easily be invested with a client today, thereby paying dividends tomorrow. Now that sounds better than playing the stock market!

WHY OUTSOURCING IS A FANTASTIC TRADE OFF

Allowing someone else to tackle a project might trigger a slight grumbling right at the pit of your stomach. 

It’s happening right now, isn’t it?

Calm down...it’s natural.

Let’s face it, the meticulous nature which drives most entrepreneurs to success is the same double-edged sword that keeps them from unclenching their white-fisted grip from the controls. But imagine the amount of time you would save if you didn’t have to search for images, toil over ad copy, and then schedule a post on all your social media platforms.

What could you do with that extra hour of freed up time?

Exactly! Now you’re getting it. That’s what outsourcing could do for you! 

You have just added an hour to market to new clients, or hit a deadline you’ve been struggling to meet since you were spread so thin. 

Feel that? 

That’s the feeling of calm rushing over you like a soft Hawaiian breeze.

You’re welcome.

There’s no shame in NOT wanting to take a backseat to outsourcing...INITIALLY. But, as a savvy business-owner, there comes a time when admitting you can’t do it all is not a sign of defeat, but a symbol of growth.

CLICK HERE if you're ready to get started!