Probably, by now you’ve heard that old saying that an entrepreneur would rather work 80 hours for themselves and 40 hours or someone else.
Honestly, there is another way.
Yes, the reality is unless you can effectively replace yourself…
you’ll be stuck working crazy hours for a long-period of time.
Perhaps you’ve tried to replace yourself and dabbled in hiring people but struggled on how to pass off the work?
The good news is that by creating systems you can easily replace yourself. You can totally open up your calendar so that you can get to the real work.
It’s time to change your entrepreneur mindset!
It’s time to learn the magical world of scaling your business with outsourcing and change your life!
Systems and Processes
Most small business owners remember that heavy training manual from the first day of new job. After that horrible experience, you promised yourself you would never be stifled like that again!
I totally get it!
Those manuals were not written by the end user and were sure to put you to sleep the first day of your new job. And that’s why so many small business owners push back and think systems would restrict them and their creativity.
Systems are a very basic blueprint that let you know who is responsible for doing the thing, what are the simple steps and guidelines and what tools are needed.
It frees you from repetitive and unnecessary administrative tasks that your virtual assistant could easily do for you!
If you’re missing any of these pieces you definitely end up reacting.
Running around dealing with damage control.
It also costs you more money, and wastes time you don’t have
What small business owners don’t realize is how systems and processes can change your life
Where to start
Don’t fantasize about getting a week off to set up all your systems. I see people do that all the time. Waiting, waiting, or stealing time and evenings and weekends trying to get this aspect sorted out. But it’s simply doesn’t work for a bunch of reasons.
Detailed steps seldom work. You want very simple systems and processes that can be easily navigated by anyone. And the tendency is to over do the steps and try to get them perfectly done once and for all.
But, this is very time-consuming and never works. The first time your assistant in the Philippines tries this system or process they will realize there are steps missing. And you’ll say something like oh yes that always works most of the time, except on Tuesdays when we need a different password etc.
Just like when you started your business your systems and process will evolve for the better.
Keep it simple
Just start by recording things that you do everyday.
You can use a simple screen capture like Loom. It’s free and you’re doing the work anyhow. So just record it and hand it off to your virtual staff or team member write out the steps. Then moving forward you will add more details and build strength on strength.
Some of the benefits are:
you’ll be eliminating human error.
Using less brain power to complete tasks
be able to Pivot an add new steps easily
Don’t delegate!
I hear people say all the time that you should learn to delegate.
But honestly delegation create more work. Because the work has to come through you. If you set up systems and processes effectively even new work can be done by your team completely without you.
All kinds of amazing things can happen around you without your input. Your Filipino virtual assistant can complete all kinds of work without you!
Most of us have been employees at one point. And we remember how parentified the systems were. We were hired to do a job and then we were checked on constantly by our superiors like a parent checking your homework. When you are set up effectively, there are so many benefits to outsourcing virtual assistants and one is how they can follow systems and processes!
However, hiring a virtual assistant without the right set up is a recipe for stress and disaster. I’ve heard many small business owners say “won’t my outsourcing Filipino virtual assistant come with systems?” They can’t create an infrastructure for YOUR business and manage you!
They don’t know how you want your social media done. When hiring a VA you don’t want to throw data entry at them. You want them doing important work that moves your company forward. Their hourly rate is very affordable but you still shouldn’t waste these resources.
The Problem With Virtual Assist Services
Small business owners get really excited when they learn how affordable it is to outsource to the Philippines. It is a luxury we didn’t really until recently. It can save money, and really let you scale your business.
Virtual assistant outsourcing has many benefits that allows small business owners to compete on every level. Yet, without effective systems and processes outsourcing companies won’t work for you! They send you a great Filipino worker from their outsourcing firm and you think you are all set!
But, without systems and processes — all you’re doing is adding more people to chaos.
The benefits of outsourcing for small business are huge but nothing can save you if you don’t have the right set up.
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