This isn't the first time I have worked with the lovely Bami so I was thrilled when she got in touch with me again.
Bami is a coach and speaker with a difference. She set up Inspired to Soar to provide individuals and families with the tools to rebuild their lives after a cancer diagnosis. Bami firmly believes that you shouldn't just be existing, but instead, you should be thriving. And she should know as she was diagnosed with breast cancer six years ago.
After being in business for 3 years, Bami started working with a business coach in order to move things forward. That was the catalyst for rebranding and a need for new templates and banners for social media. Bami also needed a lead magnet designed, as well as setting up a mailing list campaign and newsletter templates. Bami initially tried to do these things herself, but came to the conclusion that trying to do so was not an efficient use of her time. Design and behind-the-scenes tech are not her areas of strength, and her time is more valuable elsewhere.
So, she approached me!
I think this is a really important step that business owners need to ask themselves if they are thinking about outsourcing; Could my time be better spent doing something else? Outsourcing tasks to a virtual assistant or other professional freelancers can be scary, especially if you’re already on a tight budget and are a bit of a control freak. But in the long run, hiring these experts to handle tasks they are experienced to do will leave you free to grow your business. If you're struggling to work out what tasks you could outsource, I have a task sheet that you can download here.
As Bami says:"The speed, efficiency and expertise of a VA are invaluable. You are freed up to focus on what you do best."
Priorities, Deadlines and Communication
There were three tasks that Bami wanted to outsource, so we started by establishing priorities and deadlines. By doing this I can schedule in my diary what tasks I'm doing for which client so that I can commit to those deadlines.
When working virtually with people, communication is the most important part. It's really important to me that clients are 100% happy with the work I do, so part of my process is checking in with the client to discuss the work done so far and making changes as we go. This is really important for design work like the lead magnet and social media banners as we need to get it right, as they are reflective of the business image and branding.
Sometimes my clients want help with setting up a system and then be in a position to understand and manage that system on their own, so an element of training can be involved. Personally speaking, I love this type of work as it's really satisfying to be able to see something that I have set up being implemented and used successfully by the client. Bami had already chosen her email marketing platform but wanted help with creating a newsletter template, setting up a campaign, and training on how to use the new platform herself.
So my final task was providing some training via a Zoom call. I also screen recorded a walkthrough demo of some of the procedures which were then sent to Bami as a video file so that she had visual instructions to hand if she needed them in the future.
Bami's thoughts on working with me "As my coach says, "time is my biggest resource" - it therefore makes perfect sense to use a VA as skilled as Claire so that I can grow my business by honing in on my strengths."
If you're interested to know more about what Bami does then why not visit her website. You can also sign up for her newsletter which contains practical tools and tips on how to make your future a fulfilling one in spite of the challenges of your new normal. And if that's not enough Bami has written a book - Navigating Your New Normal.
If you would like support with any of the tasks mentioned in this blog please get in touch. I offer a free 30 minute call so why not get in touch.