Full Transcript for 180. Boosting Productivity Through Effective Delegation with Lesley Pyle

somebody, the questions to ask, how to vet them. And 72 00:04:26,124 --> 00:04:29,596 her company is amazing for finding really awesome 73 00:04:29,660 --> 00:04:33,164 talent for people who maybe either want to work on a project 74 00:04:33,244 --> 00:04:36,668 basis or part time and have an amazing 75 00:04:36,716 --> 00:04:40,276 skillset. So definitely take a listen to the podcast 76 00:04:40,340 --> 00:04:43,704 episode. And like I said, you can maybe hit pause 77 00:04:44,074 --> 00:04:47,786 and just run on over to amberholley.com retreat 78 00:04:47,930 --> 00:04:51,082 so that you can join us in the GSD retreat 79 00:04:51,178 --> 00:04:55,026 because hiring might be the thing that you work on. In fact, we do 80 00:04:55,050 --> 00:04:58,858 have one attendee who said that's probably what they're going to focus on 81 00:04:58,906 --> 00:05:02,746 is figuring out who they need to hire next. So enjoy 82 00:05:02,810 --> 00:05:06,562 the episode. Welcome to the podcast, 83 00:05:06,618 --> 00:05:10,374 Leslie. Thank you so much, Amber. It's so fun to be with you. 84 00:05:10,474 --> 00:05:14,190 Yeah, I'm very excited to have you on. When I got the email, 85 00:05:14,302 --> 00:05:18,022 I was like, how many times have I been told when, 86 00:05:18,158 --> 00:05:21,806 you know, you're talking to a friend or a colleague and you're 87 00:05:21,830 --> 00:05:25,598 like, I really need to hire somebody. I really have to find someone. 88 00:05:25,686 --> 00:05:29,374 And without fail, they would mention your group, your 89 00:05:29,414 --> 00:05:32,614 company. And so I thought, oh, my gosh, this is perfect. 90 00:05:32,694 --> 00:05:36,358 Because as I have said many times, 91 00:05:36,446 --> 00:05:39,958 I think hiring is one of the biggest pain points in 92 00:05:40,126 --> 00:05:43,734 owning and running and scaling a business. And so the 93 00:05:43,774 --> 00:05:47,470 more support we can get in having experts like you talk about 94 00:05:47,502 --> 00:05:51,062 it, I think it's so, so helpful. Yeah. Well, thank you very much. I know 95 00:05:51,078 --> 00:05:54,742 it was very scary for me the first time I hired someone. But, you 96 00:05:54,758 --> 00:05:58,366 know, as you learn, obviously it gets less scary so I'm here 97 00:05:58,430 --> 00:06:01,990 to help make it not scary for your listeners if they haven't hired. 98 00:06:02,142 --> 00:06:05,430 Absolutely. And, yeah, so I've already 99 00:06:05,542 --> 00:06:09,276 introduced you, but I do sometimes think when I 100 00:06:09,300 --> 00:06:13,044 have people share a little bit of their story about how they got started, 101 00:06:13,124 --> 00:06:16,868 we get some of those really fun nuggets. So I love the 102 00:06:16,876 --> 00:06:20,500 name of your company. Hire my mom, obviously. I think it's 103 00:06:20,532 --> 00:06:24,116 clever. So you were saying that when you started, it 104 00:06:24,140 --> 00:06:27,956 was hiring somebody was scary for you. Yes. Yeah. 105 00:06:28,020 --> 00:06:31,692 And when I actually first started, if you want to go back to the grassroots 106 00:06:31,748 --> 00:06:35,180 day, I had my first baby. She's now 107 00:06:35,212 --> 00:06:39,022 28. So that's how long I've been at this. And I 108 00:06:39,118 --> 00:06:42,646 soon discovered when I went back to work that it was not as easy as 109 00:06:42,670 --> 00:06:46,278 I thought it would be. I literally cried every single 110 00:06:46,326 --> 00:06:50,110 day for two weeks. And so I was like, you know, 111 00:06:50,142 --> 00:06:53,022 they're not going to let me work from home. I did ask, but 28 years 112 00:06:53,038 --> 00:06:56,526 ago, working from home was not a thing. So 113 00:06:56,670 --> 00:06:59,942 I was like, okay, I'm going to just do it. So I took the leap 114 00:06:59,998 --> 00:07:03,462 and began freelancing when that was really 115 00:07:03,518 --> 00:07:07,262 uncommon. And, of course, before that, we had to cut our budget because we 116 00:07:07,278 --> 00:07:11,070 were a brand new, you know, college grads. I just finished my master's degree. 117 00:07:11,102 --> 00:07:14,462 I had no forethought that I would ever be a stay at home mom. I 118 00:07:14,478 --> 00:07:17,982 always thought I'd be climbing that corporate ladder. So we bought a house 119 00:07:18,118 --> 00:07:21,678 thinking, we're going to be a dual income family. So I was like, okay, 120 00:07:21,726 --> 00:07:24,926 we're going to have to. We sold one of our cars. We became a one 121 00:07:24,950 --> 00:07:28,670 car family. We ate ramen noodles, which we did all through 122 00:07:28,702 --> 00:07:32,406 college because we put ourselves through college. And then we, you know, we cut 123 00:07:32,430 --> 00:07:36,044 out cable tv and every other bill that we could. And 124 00:07:36,124 --> 00:07:39,932 it was tough in the beginning, so I did that for a year or 125 00:07:39,948 --> 00:07:43,660 two. And then I started a website when the Internet was brand new to 126 00:07:43,692 --> 00:07:47,316 me, called home based working moms. And it was basically 127 00:07:47,380 --> 00:07:50,932 like an online chamber of commerce for moms that either 128 00:07:51,028 --> 00:07:54,020 worked at home or wanted to work at home because I was desperate for that 129 00:07:54,052 --> 00:07:57,844 connection and to learn from other women as well as I knew 130 00:07:57,884 --> 00:08:01,172 they would want to learn. You know, like, how are you getting clients? Or how 131 00:08:01,188 --> 00:08:04,680 do you invoice? Or, you know, what does. What does look? What does it look 132 00:08:04,712 --> 00:08:08,160 like to build your own website? You know, all of those questions. There was no 133 00:08:08,192 --> 00:08:11,896 social media. There were message boards, if you're old enough to remember 134 00:08:11,960 --> 00:08:15,416 message boards and forums. But that was about it. 135 00:08:15,480 --> 00:08:19,112 So I had that website. And that was such a blessing

to me. And I 136 00:08:19,128 --> 00:08:22,884 did that for about 14 years when I saw that kind of our 137 00:08:23,464 --> 00:08:26,984 business culture, if you will, started being more open to working from 138 00:08:27,024 --> 00:08:30,712 home. And I thought, you know, wouldn't it be great if I could start 139 00:08:30,848 --> 00:08:34,560 a website like Match.com, but for women who wanted to work from 140 00:08:34,592 --> 00:08:37,928 home and small businesses that would hire them. So that's where it all 141 00:08:37,976 --> 00:08:41,784 began for me. And I launched it in 2007 142 00:08:41,864 --> 00:08:45,488 because I had such a passion to help other women, number one, who 143 00:08:45,536 --> 00:08:49,272 had that desire to work, but to have flexibility around their family, 144 00:08:49,368 --> 00:08:52,920 but also as a small business owner myself, to connect to 145 00:08:52,952 --> 00:08:56,624 great, you know, employees or contractors. So it was like, 146 00:08:56,664 --> 00:09:00,396 for me, it was such, it a just resonated so perfectly in 147 00:09:00,420 --> 00:09:04,012 my heart because I was like, okay, I'm an entrepreneur and 148 00:09:04,068 --> 00:09:07,424 I'm a mom, and what if I could just bring these two audiences together? 149 00:09:07,924 --> 00:09:11,676 Oh, I love that so much. See, this is why I love, I love finding 150 00:09:11,700 --> 00:09:15,476 out a little bit more. Yeah. That is to know that you've been 151 00:09:15,500 --> 00:09:19,220 doing that, like the working from home thing, like you said, it's so accepted now. 152 00:09:19,252 --> 00:09:22,916 It's like, yeah, duh. But back then, I mean, even going back, 153 00:09:22,980 --> 00:09:26,676 like twelve years ago, the attitudes towards things were so different, 154 00:09:26,740 --> 00:09:30,202 even though it did still absolutely exist. Right, right. 155 00:09:30,258 --> 00:09:34,042 It's. I had that same thing that, you know, I went to grad 156 00:09:34,098 --> 00:09:37,890 school and I had, I don't know if I had fully thought 157 00:09:37,922 --> 00:09:40,490 it through, but there was part of me that always knew, like, I would not 158 00:09:40,522 --> 00:09:44,266 be working for someone else because that was why I left the.com world. 159 00:09:44,330 --> 00:09:47,970 Like, felt very disillusioned and, you know, had my 160 00:09:48,002 --> 00:09:51,578 existential crisis and all of that. And it was the same thing where 161 00:09:51,706 --> 00:09:55,350 I had, you know, my husband and I, you, you know, know, we paid for 162 00:09:55,382 --> 00:09:58,534 me to go back to school and to go through all of my schooling, and 163 00:09:58,614 --> 00:10:02,326 then I had my baby right away. And it was 164 00:10:02,350 --> 00:10:05,074 just one of those things. Yeah. Where we cut out everything 165 00:10:05,534 --> 00:10:09,006 and, you know, it was kind of this idea of like, 166 00:10:09,150 --> 00:10:12,926 I remember having that conversation, being in the kitchen and saying to my 167 00:10:12,950 --> 00:10:16,630 husband, like, well, you know, that, like, 168 00:10:16,662 --> 00:10:20,374 the only way for me to work full time would be, is if we put 169 00:10:20,414 --> 00:10:23,922 our kid in full time daycare, which in the Bay Area, you 170 00:10:23,938 --> 00:10:27,658 know, that's basically a salary, right? Yeah, yeah, exactly. 171 00:10:27,706 --> 00:10:31,538 It's more, it was more than our mortgage. Like, even, even part 172 00:10:31,586 --> 00:10:34,986 time childcare. Wow. Well, when we had three, because we have three, 173 00:10:35,130 --> 00:10:38,770 three and four and a half years, it was more expensive. It was like 174 00:10:38,802 --> 00:10:42,170 double our mortgage payment. Now, granted, we had a low mortgage payment, but 175 00:10:42,202 --> 00:10:45,850 still. So I just, I think it's such a great, like, I 176 00:10:45,882 --> 00:10:49,466 love that, though, that, you know, figuring it out. And 177 00:10:49,610 --> 00:10:53,354 again, I think I had an advantage of being in the.com world. So there were 178 00:10:53,394 --> 00:10:57,170 things about running a business that I kind of, like, felt more 179 00:10:57,202 --> 00:11:00,946 comfortable with that I think people struggle with, like, the technology. But 180 00:11:00,970 --> 00:11:04,362 at the same time, I never, like, I didn't grow up in an 181 00:11:04,378 --> 00:11:08,194 entrepreneurial family, like, didn't get any of that training. You know, 182 00:11:08,234 --> 00:11:11,682 it was so. It was like flying by the seat of your pants kind of 183 00:11:11,698 --> 00:11:15,090 thing and figuring it out. So I can't even imagine how it was for you. 184 00:11:15,122 --> 00:11:18,832 So that's. I think it's pretty amazing. I love that there was a lot. 185 00:11:18,848 --> 00:11:22,272 Of flying at the seat of my parents, too, because I was learning, you know, 186 00:11:22,288 --> 00:11:25,920 it's pretty much a fresh college grad. I didn't have a ton of business 187 00:11:26,112 --> 00:11:29,904 experience. I had a job in pr, which was my degree, 188 00:11:30,064 --> 00:11:33,800 for, like, nine months. And that was, you know, 189 00:11:33,952 --> 00:11:37,696 everything else was trial and error. Exactly, exactly. I know I had 190 00:11:37,720 --> 00:11:41,104 more nanny and retail experience than I ever had in anything 191 00:11:41,184 --> 00:11:44,860 else, even though I did work in the.com world. Like, I, you know, 192 00:11:44,892 --> 00:11:48,652 I learn it quickly. But, yeah, I think that's such a great story. And 193 00:11:48,668 --> 00:11:52,380 it's true, though. I mean, I think that that one, there's the 194 00:11:52,412 --> 00:11:56,092 couple of pieces that, you know, especially for new moms, but I 195 00:11:56,108 --> 00:11:59,788 think any moms really, when they're feeling as entrepreneurs, feeling 196 00:11:59,836 --> 00:12:03,380 so isolated and so it's like having that community and that 197 00:12:03,412 --> 00:12:07,212

connection is so important, but then finding people that, you 198 00:12:07,268 --> 00:12:10,982 know, are going to help support you, building your dream, and you 199 00:12:10,998 --> 00:12:14,754 get to support them having some freedom, I think it's super important. 200 00:12:15,454 --> 00:12:18,994 So you started the business, you said in 2007, 201 00:12:20,134 --> 00:12:23,982 the newest, latest business. What? I 202 00:12:23,998 --> 00:12:27,246 guess we were just talking and you said a lot of this. It's, you know, 203 00:12:27,310 --> 00:12:30,934 all of the pieces are still really important. But the 204 00:12:30,974 --> 00:12:34,334 one thing that I noticed with the people that I work with 205 00:12:34,414 --> 00:12:37,590 is this feeling of, I don't think I can 206 00:12:37,662 --> 00:12:41,470 hire. And the one thing I say all the time is if I could 207 00:12:41,502 --> 00:12:44,558 go back, that's the one thing I would have hired fast. I would have hired 208 00:12:44,646 --> 00:12:48,446 faster, because I think hiring the right people actually makes you 209 00:12:48,470 --> 00:12:52,014 money, even though we look at it as, like, a cost. Right. 210 00:12:52,134 --> 00:12:55,574 Yeah. I'm sorry. What are your suggestions 211 00:12:55,654 --> 00:12:59,154 for people when they're trying to decide, 212 00:12:59,534 --> 00:13:03,270 is it time to hire? Right. First of all, I would say the 213 00:13:03,302 --> 00:13:06,622 one thing you have to realize is you don't have to hire someone full time 214 00:13:06,678 --> 00:13:10,470 or even half time to hire someone. Like we get job posts that are 215 00:13:10,502 --> 00:13:14,166 for five or 10 hours a week. It's somebody brand new to hiring and 216 00:13:14,190 --> 00:13:17,254 they're a little bit afraid to commit to more than that because one, they don't 217 00:13:17,294 --> 00:13:20,446 know if they have enough work for that person. And number two, they may be 218 00:13:20,470 --> 00:13:23,958 worried about, can I afford someone? But I think almost 219 00:13:24,046 --> 00:13:27,478 always they realize, okay, now that they're taking this, it's 220 00:13:27,526 --> 00:13:31,246 typically a virtual assistant as the first hire because they can 221 00:13:31,270 --> 00:13:35,038 take off the things off your plate that are keeping you busy 222 00:13:35,126 --> 00:13:38,710 from either growing your business or doing what you love in your 223 00:13:38,742 --> 00:13:42,542 business. So I think there are signs to know when you should hire. 224 00:13:42,598 --> 00:13:46,230 One is your customer service is slipping. You're no longer able to give your 225 00:13:46,262 --> 00:13:49,798 best to your customers. You're wearing too many 226 00:13:49,846 --> 00:13:53,302 hats. You're trying to do it all. And you know, you can in the 227 00:13:53,318 --> 00:13:57,094 beginning, you have to sometimes in the beginning, but eventually you need to stop wearing 228 00:13:57,134 --> 00:14:00,846 all the hats. If you want

to grow and, and serve yourself 229 00:14:00,846 --> 00:14:04,388 customers well, you're working too many hours. If your 230 00:14:04,436 --> 00:14:08,012 husband's giving you the side eye too much, that could be a clue that, 231 00:14:08,068 --> 00:14:11,464 hey, come in here and, you know, spend some time with the family. 232 00:14:11,844 --> 00:14:15,484 Or maybe you don't have the capacity to take on new business because 233 00:14:15,524 --> 00:14:19,276 you're so bogged down in what you have. And ultimately you probably 234 00:14:19,340 --> 00:14:23,180 want to grow past that level wherever you're at. So 235 00:14:23,372 --> 00:14:27,126 giving some of what you do off, you know, to someone else. And 236 00:14:27,150 --> 00:14:30,566 like I said, maybe it's a virtual assistant for five or 10 hours. Maybe it's 237 00:14:30,590 --> 00:14:34,118 a social media person who's going to do, you know, three to five 238 00:14:34,166 --> 00:14:37,486 posts a week for you, you know, it could be virtually 239 00:14:37,550 --> 00:14:41,102 anything that's bogging you down and something that 240 00:14:41,198 --> 00:14:44,910 either you don't have time for or you don't love doing. And then 241 00:14:44,942 --> 00:14:48,054 the other way to know is if you do have other team members and they're 242 00:14:48,094 --> 00:14:51,870 bogged down and they're not able to accomplish what you're giving them, and maybe they're 243 00:14:51,902 --> 00:14:55,216 wearing too many hats. Maybe your virtual assistant is doing your 244 00:14:55,240 --> 00:14:58,960 accounting, your social media, your email, your calendar. 245 00:14:58,992 --> 00:15:02,648 It might be time to say, okay, let's let the virtual assistant really 246 00:15:02,696 --> 00:15:06,320 focus on virtual assistant task or customer 247 00:15:06,352 --> 00:15:10,048 service, and let's get someone in marketing or digital marketing to help 248 00:15:10,096 --> 00:15:13,776 with whatever else you need. Yeah, and I really, 249 00:15:13,920 --> 00:15:17,616 I appreciate that. You said when your customer service starts 250 00:15:17,640 --> 00:15:21,384 to slip, like, that's something where I think we get into a place 251 00:15:21,424 --> 00:15:24,652 of just beating ourselves up. And I actually, I don't hear people 252 00:15:24,708 --> 00:15:28,436 articulating that particular, like, sign as often. 253 00:15:28,540 --> 00:15:32,252 You know, I hear, like, the burnout and exhaustion and all the other things. 254 00:15:32,308 --> 00:15:35,972 But, but it's true. Like, there, there comes a point 255 00:15:36,028 --> 00:15:39,460 in which things are falling through the cracks. Right. And so it's, 256 00:15:39,572 --> 00:15:43,252 it's, and that's where, again, I think the narrative is often 257 00:15:43,308 --> 00:15:46,548 like, oh, I just need to do it better. I'm not doing it good enough. 258 00:15:46,636 --> 00:15:50,372 And there's like, some kind of failure on their part as opposed to, no, 259 00:15:50,428 --> 00:15:53,740 this just means you need support. Right, right. 260 00:15:53,812 --> 00:15:57,484 Absolutely. And so the other thing that I see, 261 00:15:57,524 --> 00:16:01,228 too is like, like you're saying, I think there's this idea 262 00:16:01,276 --> 00:16:05,028 of, well, if I give somebody more hours, they're going to be 263 00:16:05,156 --> 00:16:08,860 more consistent or prioritize me, which there's some truth to that. 264 00:16:08,892 --> 00:16:12,556 Yeah. But at the same time, I find, like, 265 00:16:12,620 --> 00:16:16,388 people will hire an assistant in particular and then 266 00:16:16,436 --> 00:16:19,704 have them doing all kinds of things that are 267 00:16:19,744 --> 00:16:23,368 absolutely not in their wheelhouse or not their strong suits. 268 00:16:23,536 --> 00:16:27,376 I guess how when people are in that place, you 269 00:16:27,400 --> 00:16:30,808 know, what are the, what are the recommendations? Or how do you 270 00:16:30,896 --> 00:16:34,720 advise people around, you know, finding what's 271 00:16:34,752 --> 00:16:38,312 the ideal, like, giving somebody enough for they, they 272 00:16:38,368 --> 00:16:41,744 say they still focus on you and they prioritize 273 00:16:41,824 --> 00:16:45,288 you, but at the same time, you're not just giving them, like the kid, everything 274 00:16:45,336 --> 00:16:48,990 in the kitchen sink. Right, right. Yeah. I think, you know, once you 275 00:16:49,022 --> 00:16:52,766 find yourself in that place where you're thinking, okay, I'm giving this person either more 276 00:16:52,830 --> 00:16:56,254 than they're capable of or it's more 277 00:16:56,414 --> 00:17:00,126 skills than they may not necessarily have. So I think 278 00:17:00,150 --> 00:17:03,822 it's good to kind of step back and review everything you do in a 279 00:17:03,838 --> 00:17:07,526 day for your business, you and any team members you have, and then 280 00:17:07,590 --> 00:17:10,950 kind of put them in buckets if you can. So these are admin 281 00:17:11,062 --> 00:17:14,896 tasks. These are customer service. This is marketing, social media, 282 00:17:15,000 --> 00:17:18,352 accounting. You know, all the buckets that you have and then 283 00:17:18,408 --> 00:17:21,968 align, you know, whatever team members have those skills 284 00:17:22,056 --> 00:17:25,808 that shine in those areas, you know, put, give them 285 00:17:25,856 --> 00:17:29,480 those responsibilities. And a lot of times, like I say, a 286 00:17:29,512 --> 00:17:33,200 job might only offer 10 hours a week on, you know, some of the job 287 00:17:33,232 --> 00:17:37,040 posts that we have, but that's fine for a lot of these ladies because they'll 288 00:17:37,072 --> 00:17:40,720 work for two or three people for 10 hours a week. And in one 289 00:17:40,752 --> 00:17:44,480 way that's good because they're learning a variety of skills, you know, so 290 00:17:44,512 --> 00:17:48,208 what they learn with employer one, they can take back to employer 291 00:17:48,256 -->

00:17:51,912 two and so on. And they can basically improve what they're doing and 292 00:17:51,928 --> 00:17:55,672 say, here's, here's, you know, another way to do this and it might be 293 00:17:55,688 --> 00:17:59,096 more efficient for us. So there is some value in the 294 00:17:59,160 --> 00:18:02,984 freelancer or employee working for more than one 295 00:18:03,024 --> 00:18:06,552 person. And of course, if you grow to a point where you need some, someone 296 00:18:06,688 --> 00:18:10,528 in virtual assistant capacity or any capacity for 30 297 00:18:10,576 --> 00:18:14,376 to 40, then, you know, that works as well because some people just 298 00:18:14,440 --> 00:18:18,256 like the standard, I'm working for one person and they 299 00:18:18,280 --> 00:18:21,960 really feel they excel in that role. So, yeah, 300 00:18:22,032 --> 00:18:25,664 it works either way. It really can. Yeah. And I think, 301 00:18:25,824 --> 00:18:29,432 so this is where I'll do the, I'll say 302 00:18:29,488 --> 00:18:33,184 what I know my, my clients are dealing with and I have dealt 303 00:18:33,224 --> 00:18:37,040 with is the one thing I'm seeing. So maybe 304 00:18:37,072 --> 00:18:40,656 this comes down to, like, how you vet people or the questions you ask 305 00:18:40,840 --> 00:18:44,504 is they're bringing on people and when they 306 00:18:44,584 --> 00:18:47,872 come to me and they'll, you know, come to a session or come to one 307 00:18:47,888 --> 00:18:50,816 of our calls or something and they're like, oh, my gosh, I found this person 308 00:18:50,920 --> 00:18:53,576 and they do this and they do this and they, and they start listing more 309 00:18:53,600 --> 00:18:56,844 and more and more. And then talking about the different people, I'm like, 310 00:18:57,144 --> 00:19:00,928 that feels like a rest. Like that person is probably either 311 00:19:00,976 --> 00:19:04,544 in burnout or headed towards burnout. And so, and then sure 312 00:19:04,584 --> 00:19:08,416 enough, like, they start to have things fall through the cracks and 313 00:19:08,560 --> 00:19:12,360 whatever. And so sometimes it's like I've always said, I think you 314 00:19:12,392 --> 00:19:16,128 do have to kind of listen. And I only learned this through hiring people 315 00:19:16,216 --> 00:19:20,056 who I met them, and I was like, oh, this person's amazing. And 316 00:19:20,080 --> 00:19:23,824 they were, they're amazing people and they completely overloaded 317 00:19:23,864 --> 00:19:27,656 themselves. And then they just, you know, then they felt so much 318 00:19:27,680 --> 00:19:31,152 shame about it that they just kind of started, you know, ignoring stuff or 319 00:19:31,168 --> 00:19:34,904 whatever, I guess. How do you suss for somebody who's, 320 00:19:35,024 --> 00:19:38,720 like, really got the energy and lots of varied skill 321 00:19:38,752 --> 00:19:42,600 sets? Like you said, they learn because they have multiple people and they're really 322 00:19:42,672 --> 00:19:46,416 just

overwhelmed and probably taking on way too much. 323 00:19:46,560 --> 00:19:50,376 Yeah, I think you do start looking for signs like, you know, if they're 324 00:19:50,400 --> 00:19:53,680 not responding as timely as they used to or you're 325 00:19:53,712 --> 00:19:57,516 noticing a few more errors than normal, then I think 326 00:19:57,540 --> 00:20:00,820 it's time to have a one on one meeting and not a, oh, my gosh, 327 00:20:00,852 --> 00:20:04,612 you're terrible messing up meeting. But, hey, what's going on? And how can I 328 00:20:04,628 --> 00:20:08,396 better support you? Are you taking on too much? Should we revisit the 329 00:20:08,420 --> 00:20:11,932 tasks that you have? Do you feel like you're better at one or, you know, 330 00:20:11,988 --> 00:20:15,708 this one or that one, however many they have, and let them 331 00:20:15,756 --> 00:20:19,500 tell you, because if you have someone that you really value, you want 332 00:20:19,532 --> 00:20:23,014 them to be happy and you want them to excel and be their best. So. 333 00:20:23,044 --> 00:20:26,866 So maybe they really just love the VA stuff and 334 00:20:26,890 --> 00:20:30,698 they're really stressed and pulled too thinly on some of the other tasks, 335 00:20:30,826 --> 00:20:34,346 or vice versa, whichever it is. Maybe they really love the digital 336 00:20:34,410 --> 00:20:38,154 marketing and they don't really like the admin, whatever it is. I think just 337 00:20:38,194 --> 00:20:41,994 having those honest conversations with your team one on 338 00:20:42,034 --> 00:20:45,770 one, and I think that you earn their respect even more because I've 339 00:20:45,802 --> 00:20:49,194 had some of my team tell me that they are 340 00:20:49,234 --> 00:20:52,912 so, like, touched because when I onboard someone, 341 00:20:52,968 --> 00:20:55,496 I have them fill out a Google form and I ask them a bunch of 342 00:20:55,520 --> 00:20:59,312 questions about themselves because I want to get to know them, number one. But 343 00:20:59,328 --> 00:21:02,648 it's also a cheat sheet for gifts and ways 344 00:21:02,696 --> 00:21:06,376 to honor them and celebrate them and 345 00:21:06,400 --> 00:21:09,656 things like that. And they're not used to that, but those are things that when 346 00:21:09,680 --> 00:21:13,256 you pour into your team, you not only get the 347 00:21:13,320 --> 00:21:17,120 best out of them, but they become more loyal to you as 348 00:21:17,152 --> 00:21:20,920 well. Because, I mean, let's be honest, it's so much easier to keep someone long 349 00:21:20,992 --> 00:21:24,672 term than to train and replace and train and replace. 350 00:21:24,848 --> 00:21:28,576 Oh, absolutely. Yeah. I do the same thing. The 351 00:21:28,640 --> 00:21:32,360 Google form and kind of find out. It's really nice. And back when 352 00:21:32,392 --> 00:21:35,084 we were still a brick and mortar in person, 353 00:21:36,224 --> 00:21:39,984 it was, yeah. Even having snacks in the office that they like those

354 00:21:40,024 --> 00:21:43,752 little things that make them feel cared for and, you 355 00:21:43,768 --> 00:21:47,478 know, even something that I did, because when I worked in 356 00:21:47,486 --> 00:21:51,166 the.com world and started a new job, they would always, on your first day, 357 00:21:51,270 --> 00:21:54,862 like, take you out for, like, a nice lunch with the team or, you know, 358 00:21:54,878 --> 00:21:58,414 like, you're close, the people you were probably going to work with a lot now, 359 00:21:58,454 --> 00:22:01,878 then after then they probably throw you in the deep end and never talk to 360 00:22:01,886 --> 00:22:05,622 you again. But somewhat true. But. But I 361 00:22:05,638 --> 00:22:09,374 feel like those little touches do matter. They do add 362 00:22:09,414 --> 00:22:13,226 up. And, and I agree. I've had that even when I've 363 00:22:13,250 --> 00:22:16,610 hired therapists where I, like, check in and have 364 00:22:16,642 --> 00:22:20,178 conversations because things are slipping or things are happening, 365 00:22:20,346 --> 00:22:23,850 and sometimes you find out, like, they're not. You know, 366 00:22:24,002 --> 00:22:27,682 they're going through major stuff. But, but it's hard. It's a 367 00:22:27,698 --> 00:22:31,074 hard balance of, like, you know, how much do 368 00:22:31,114 --> 00:22:34,706 you give understanding, of course. Especially when there's 369 00:22:34,730 --> 00:22:38,526 somebody who's been so good. But what would you say for, like, if you 370 00:22:38,550 --> 00:22:42,262 start to see that almost immediately, like, things are slipping through the 371 00:22:42,278 --> 00:22:46,022 cracks and you're checking in and somebody's really overwhelmed and, 372 00:22:46,078 --> 00:22:49,774 you know, if this is a solopreneur who, this is their 373 00:22:49,814 --> 00:22:53,446 first hire and they can't really afford to have more than one. Do you have 374 00:22:53,470 --> 00:22:56,526 any, like, thoughts about that? I realize I just threw you in the deep end 375 00:22:56,550 --> 00:23:00,262 on this question. That's a great question. And I would say, you know, 376 00:23:00,318 --> 00:23:03,084 it's a great time to have a heart to heart. I mean. I mean, we're 377 00:23:03,124 --> 00:23:06,804 people. We're business owners, but we're people. And one of my team 378 00:23:06,844 --> 00:23:10,260 members is the single mom. So there have been seasons where she's had to deal 379 00:23:10,292 --> 00:23:13,916 with things that are hard, you know, and she'll have to pull back just a 380 00:23:13,940 --> 00:23:17,748 little bit, you know, and deal with some things. And I have, you know, another 381 00:23:17,796 --> 00:23:21,324 team member who can kind of fill in for her when those things happen, because 382 00:23:21,484 --> 00:23:24,884 I understand. I was a single mom for a season as well, and it's hard. 383 00:23:24,964 --> 00:23:28,596 I mean, you deal with certain things. So I think having those heart to 384 00:23:28,620 --> 00:23:32,424 hearts with, you know, okay, is this temporary, what you're going through, the things 385 00:23:32,464 --> 00:23:35,984 that are falling through the cracks, or is this just not the 386 00:23:36,104 --> 00:23:39,512 job that you thought it was? You know, be honest with me, because 387 00:23:39,688 --> 00:23:43,416 if it's not, it's better to know now than to get six months down the 388 00:23:43,440 --> 00:23:46,720 road when you've invested even more time, you know, and 389 00:23:46,752 --> 00:23:50,232 sometimes you can do all the right things in an interview, and 390 00:23:50,288 --> 00:23:53,632 still, the person may not be the best fit. I mean, that just 391 00:23:53,688 --> 00:23:57,304 happens. Of course, the better you interview and the better your questions are 392 00:23:57,344 --> 00:24:00,952 and the references, obviously, the better chance you're going to have at that not 393 00:24:01,008 --> 00:24:04,776 happening. But, you know, there's no fail safe, 100% way 394 00:24:04,840 --> 00:24:08,576 to make sure that this person's going to be your rock star forever. 395 00:24:08,680 --> 00:24:12,496 So I think just having those honest conversation and allowing them, you know, 396 00:24:12,520 --> 00:24:15,804 you don't have to pry into their life, but just letting them know 397 00:24:16,144 --> 00:24:19,832 you need to know that this person is the right fit and that they're going 398 00:24:19,848 --> 00:24:23,136 to be dependable and that they want to work with you. And if not, you 399 00:24:23,160 --> 00:24:26,896 know, thank you for the service you did provide. I wish you all 400 00:24:26,920 --> 00:24:30,432 the best, but I do need someone that can do xxx and. And 401 00:24:30,488 --> 00:24:34,320 not give me their leftovers. Maybe say it a little bit nicer 402 00:24:34,352 --> 00:24:38,048 than that. Of course. No, I love that, though. It's 403 00:24:38,096 --> 00:24:41,720 true. I do think it's just having those really honest conversations. 404 00:24:41,832 --> 00:24:45,404 And, yeah, I do think it starts in the interview process, 405 00:24:46,544 --> 00:24:50,136 but I always tell people. I've made every single mistake, even though 406 00:24:50,280 --> 00:24:53,882 when I worked, I did Internet operations and I would hire 407 00:24:53,938 --> 00:24:57,738 people. And so I had the experience of hiring. But it feels 408 00:24:57,786 --> 00:25:01,626 so different to hire when it's your own business. You know, there's like 409 00:25:01,650 --> 00:25:05,234 an emotional attachment to it, for sure. But I do think that even 410 00:25:05,274 --> 00:25:08,786 that structure helped me, like, lay out a good, 411 00:25:08,890 --> 00:25:12,314 like, way of approaching the interview process. And I 412 00:25:12,354 --> 00:25:15,946 still made mistakes. Like, you know, somebody's 413 00:25:15,970 --> 00:25:19,522 anxiety didn't show up at all, and then they were so anxious, they, 414 00:25:19,618 --> 00:25:23,466 like,

couldn't function. Or, you know, you know, so. Or, like, 415 00:25:23,650 --> 00:25:27,490 one case, I was like, well, that was obviously a lie, but I'm 416 00:25:27,522 --> 00:25:31,314 intrigued. Let me see. Turns out that wasn't a good choice. 417 00:25:31,394 --> 00:25:35,162 So, by the way, it was more about their capacity. 418 00:25:35,218 --> 00:25:37,914 You know what I mean? Like, it wasn't like they were. I was like, oh, 419 00:25:37,954 --> 00:25:41,746 let me take somebody who's a blatant liar. But, but, yeah, when it comes 420 00:25:41,810 --> 00:25:45,234 to the process of interviewing somebody, 421 00:25:45,394 --> 00:25:48,620 what is, what do you recommend people do? 422 00:25:48,762 --> 00:25:52,456 Yeah, and when we do that, I also wanted to jump back after this 423 00:25:52,480 --> 00:25:55,304 and talk about the job post because I see a lot of errors in that. 424 00:25:55,344 --> 00:25:58,752 I don't want to forget to mention that. But as far as the interview, I 425 00:25:58,768 --> 00:26:02,520 think it's good to have some questions, you know, prepared, obviously in 426 00:26:02,552 --> 00:26:06,160 advance that kind of really get to the meat 427 00:26:06,192 --> 00:26:09,840 of it. Like, you want to know what interests them about this 428 00:26:09,872 --> 00:26:13,264 job and what you're looking for is, is this just a job and they're looking 429 00:26:13,304 --> 00:26:16,600 for money because they just want to make money? Or is this something, is there 430 00:26:16,632 --> 00:26:20,466 something about your job that resonated with them? And I look for things like, did 431 00:26:20,490 --> 00:26:24,226 they read anything about our history or our social media? Did they 432 00:26:24,250 --> 00:26:28,050 know anything at all about hiring my mom? Or are they just like, yeah, 433 00:26:28,162 --> 00:26:31,890 I'm a great virtual assistant, hire me, or whatever it might be. So that's one 434 00:26:31,962 --> 00:26:35,786 thing. Then I also like to know what other virtual jobs they've held, 435 00:26:35,850 --> 00:26:39,554 what their responsibilities are, and kind of learn a little bit about what that was 436 00:26:39,594 --> 00:26:43,106 like, what they liked about it, what they didn't like about it, because 437 00:26:43,250 --> 00:26:46,274 what they didn't like about it. You're looking for anything that you would have them 438 00:26:46,314 --> 00:26:49,546 do, and you're like, okay, she didn't like that. And that's like a big part 439 00:26:49,570 --> 00:26:53,402 of what this role would be. That's going to be a telltale sign. And 440 00:26:53,418 --> 00:26:57,214 if what they loved is what you need, then that's a good sign. 441 00:26:57,754 --> 00:27:01,274 Also, what's your top tip for a successful 442 00:27:01,354 --> 00:27:04,882 virtual working relationship, you know, and I, that 443 00:27:04,938 --> 00:27:08,530 sometimes is a different one for people because they're like, oh, gosh, I don't know. 444 00:27:08,642 --> 00:27:11,746 But, you know, I'm like, take your time. Like, think about it. What do you 445 00:27:11,770 --> 00:27:14,810 think is so important? And obviously one of them for me is 446 00:27:14,842 --> 00:27:18,620 communication. Like, I don't need to know everything you're doing all 447 00:27:18,652 --> 00:27:22,156 day long, but I do want to be in communication to be updated 448 00:27:22,260 --> 00:27:25,844 on this project or that project or this 449 00:27:25,884 --> 00:27:29,516 customer. You know, I'm having an issue with this customer for this reason. 450 00:27:29,580 --> 00:27:32,932 Like, I want to be aware of things, but I don't want to micromanage anyone. 451 00:27:32,988 --> 00:27:36,764 For me, that's how I, you know, that's what I value. So I'm looking 452 00:27:36,804 --> 00:27:40,604 for what they value in a virtual relationship, and then what do they 453 00:27:40,644 --> 00:27:44,472 like and not like about working virtually? Because, you know, there are pros 454 00:27:44,488 --> 00:27:48,256 and cons. I think there are a lot more pros personally, but, you know, 455 00:27:48,280 --> 00:27:51,536 what are they dislike? If you learn that they really struggle with 456 00:27:51,560 --> 00:27:55,376 isolation or something, you know, is that going to be a barrier to 457 00:27:55,400 --> 00:27:58,784 them succeeding long term in a 458 00:27:58,904 --> 00:28:02,384 virtual working relationship? And then 459 00:28:02,424 --> 00:28:06,256 ask, how did the skills that I'm looking for fit your past? 460 00:28:06,440 --> 00:28:10,024 So I like them to kind of tell me what they've done and how that 461 00:28:10,064 --> 00:28:13,016 matches what I'm looking for. And it doesn't, you know, it's never going to be 462 00:28:13,040 --> 00:28:16,560 100%, but I'm looking for at least 50% 463 00:28:16,672 --> 00:28:20,440 match on what they've done before and how it will work with 464 00:28:20,472 --> 00:28:24,200 what I'm looking for. Then also ask about disruptions, because a 465 00:28:24,232 --> 00:28:28,080 lot of people have young kids, and I have no problem with 466 00:28:28,112 --> 00:28:31,272 that. But if you're going to be working for 30 hours and you have young 467 00:28:31,328 --> 00:28:35,008 kids, I'm like, okay, what's, how are we going to handle that? Even though you're 468 00:28:35,096 --> 00:28:38,728 probably not supposed to ask specifically, I just like to see 469 00:28:38,776 --> 00:28:42,440 what, how do they handle disruptions? Do they have someone who helps with the 470 00:28:42,472 --> 00:28:45,904 kids, or do they have to constantly leave to care for 471 00:28:45,944 --> 00:28:49,464 others? If so, those are fine. But a 30 hours a week 472 00:28:49,504 --> 00:28:53,264 job may not be the best fit for someone that has a ton 473 00:28:53,344 --> 00:28:57,016 going on at their house. Then I also ask what makes them think they're the 474 00:28:57,040 --> 00:29:00,880 best candidate and then to describe themselves. So those are

just 475 00:29:00,912 --> 00:29:04,624 some of my favorites in an interview. Yeah, I like 476 00:29:04,704 --> 00:29:08,541 those, the ones where you mentioned that, 477 00:29:08,541 --> 00:29:11,770 like, their talent. I do think it's important to know, like, what people don't like 478 00:29:11,802 --> 00:29:15,210 just as much as what they do. I remember I had this person 479 00:29:15,362 --> 00:29:18,914 who was, I thought was perfect. Loved the 480 00:29:18,954 --> 00:29:22,762 energy, like, similar vibes. It was all great. 481 00:29:22,938 --> 00:29:26,442 But then she was describing basically, I'm not a 482 00:29:26,458 --> 00:29:29,538 micromanager. If anybody knows, I'm like the opposite. I'm like, can I just give it 483 00:29:29,546 --> 00:29:32,134 to you? And you just do it? Like, I don't want to have to deal, 484 00:29:32,602 --> 00:29:36,440 but with, you do need communication. Right, like that, like you said. And she 485 00:29:36,472 --> 00:29:40,104 was like, I don't want people, like, checking in and asking me, 486 00:29:40,144 --> 00:29:43,896 like, why, what? Where are things at? It was basically like, she didn't want 487 00:29:43,920 --> 00:29:47,720 someone checking in and, like, questioning her. And I'm like, the way 488 00:29:47,752 --> 00:29:51,424 it was worded was so, like, I just couldn't hire her. And it sucked 489 00:29:51,464 --> 00:29:54,616 because I loved her so much, but I just knew. I was like, oh, there's 490 00:29:54,640 --> 00:29:58,400 gonna be pushback. And that's, like, to me, the one thing, knowing me 491 00:29:58,432 --> 00:30:02,258 and my personality, that's the other part. It's like I'm going to get 492 00:30:02,306 --> 00:30:06,114 really irritated if I'm, like, following up with you because you haven't told me 493 00:30:06,154 --> 00:30:09,818 how something's happening and then you have an attitude, like, I 494 00:30:09,826 --> 00:30:12,898 already know that's going to be a problem. Right, right. So I think it's also 495 00:30:12,946 --> 00:30:16,138 like understanding yourself and especially working 496 00:30:16,226 --> 00:30:19,770 with so many, I say, neuro spicy business 497 00:30:19,842 --> 00:30:23,410 owners, it's like we can be, like, highly sensitive. 498 00:30:23,562 --> 00:30:26,970 We can be, you know, we can be a little scattered. And I always say, 499 00:30:27,002 --> 00:30:30,656 like, I'm very understanding. If I've forgotten, I'll own when I 500 00:30:30,680 --> 00:30:34,264 forget something. But I think it's also understanding how knowing 501 00:30:34,344 --> 00:30:38,096 you and your personality, when people say certain 502 00:30:38,160 --> 00:30:42,008 things, like paying attention to that don't just like, oh, it'll be fine. 503 00:30:42,096 --> 00:30:45,320 Like, I think that's the mistake we make so many times. Right, 504 00:30:45,472 --> 00:30:49,064 right. Yeah. Because you are looking for someone complementary to you. Not 505 00:30:49,104 --> 00:30:52,896 someone exactly like

you, but not one, someone polar opposite either. So 506 00:30:53,000 --> 00:30:56,686 I think those or clues to look for as well, because 507 00:30:56,750 --> 00:31:00,470 it is good to have someone who compliments you and, you know, has 508 00:31:00,502 --> 00:31:04,174 skills that you don't have, but who's not going to constantly, like, have 509 00:31:04,214 --> 00:31:07,742 friction. Like, okay, I should be able to ask in, 510 00:31:07,878 --> 00:31:11,110 you know, check on this project because I haven't heard from you all week. Like, 511 00:31:11,142 --> 00:31:14,486 hey, is everything going okay? What's the status? Like, that shouldn't be a 512 00:31:14,510 --> 00:31:17,902 big, like, red flag for the person. That should be like, oh, yeah, I should 513 00:31:17,918 --> 00:31:21,570 have updated you because we haven't talked in a week. Exactly, exactly. 514 00:31:21,642 --> 00:31:24,986 And, you know, in my, it could have been that they had a, you know, 515 00:31:25,010 --> 00:31:28,434 she had a boss that was a micromanager and felt really 516 00:31:28,474 --> 00:31:32,242 belittled or something. But the way it was expressed, I'm like, well, I'm just not 517 00:31:32,258 --> 00:31:36,098 willing to take that risk. Right, right. Yeah. Okay. So 518 00:31:36,186 --> 00:31:39,554 I love those questions. Those were some really good 519 00:31:39,594 --> 00:31:43,362 ones. And you said, though, even before the interview questions, 520 00:31:43,418 --> 00:31:46,498 you see that people are having some missteps in the job 521 00:31:46,546 --> 00:31:50,216 descriptions, right? Yeah. So that's kind of step one for me is 522 00:31:50,240 --> 00:31:53,976 having a good job post, because we get everything from one sentence, I 523 00:31:54,000 --> 00:31:57,488 need to hire an assistant, please apply. Like, 524 00:31:57,536 --> 00:32:01,216 literally, that'll be the job post. And then we have from that, 525 00:32:01,280 --> 00:32:04,816 we have like a 45 page book. And 526 00:32:04,920 --> 00:32:08,704 I'm exaggerating, obviously, but it's somewhere in the middle. And 527 00:32:08,744 --> 00:32:12,504 I tell people it doesn't have to be difficult, but, you know, start by sharing 528 00:32:12,544 --> 00:32:16,028 a brief description of what your company does. So, you know, if 529 00:32:16,076 --> 00:32:19,836 you are a florist, you know, that might really resonate with someone just 530 00:32:19,860 --> 00:32:23,268 knowing what you are and what your business does. So I think not just putting 531 00:32:23,316 --> 00:32:26,828 what the job is, but what your business is and what your business 532 00:32:26,916 --> 00:32:30,660 does is important. If you have a mission state, if you have 533 00:32:30,692 --> 00:32:34,332 company values, those are also going to align with certain people 534 00:32:34,388 --> 00:32:38,180 and bring the right, hopefully, people to apply. And if you have 535 00:32:38,212 --> 00:32:41,660 something in your mission statement that's just

like, oh, that's not really how I 536 00:32:41,692 --> 00:32:45,482 roll, then you're hopefully preventing someone who's not 537 00:32:45,498 --> 00:32:49,314 a good fit from applying. So that helps attract the right candidates. 538 00:32:49,394 --> 00:32:52,850 And then obviously list the roles, responsibilities and 539 00:32:52,882 --> 00:32:56,578 requirements. More than just, I need an assistant. Like give a brief 540 00:32:56,626 --> 00:32:59,978 overview of what types of things the person would be doing or what 541 00:33:00,026 --> 00:33:03,666 tools that you might use to give the person a good idea 542 00:33:03,690 --> 00:33:07,354 of, okay, this is what the person's looking for. Share 543 00:33:07,394 --> 00:33:10,736 the benefits of working for your company. Like, I 544 00:33:10,760 --> 00:33:14,528 see sometimes they'll say, you know, we invest in our employees 545 00:33:14,576 --> 00:33:18,376 and do training quarterly, or we have opportunities 546 00:33:18,480 --> 00:33:21,728 to grow. We take off these days or these 547 00:33:21,776 --> 00:33:25,064 holidays. We celebrate these milestones and 548 00:33:25,104 --> 00:33:28,552 accomplishments. We value independence or we 549 00:33:28,568 --> 00:33:32,288 value lots of collaboration. We have a very 550 00:33:32,376 --> 00:33:35,882 fun and light hearted work environment, or we have a more serious 551 00:33:36,008 --> 00:33:39,654 and, you know, let's do the work. Like any kind of clues that 552 00:33:39,694 --> 00:33:42,678 give people an idea of what it's like to work for you. Again, I think 553 00:33:42,726 --> 00:33:46,366 helps you attract the right type of candidate and then, 554 00:33:46,430 --> 00:33:50,214 you know, provide enough information but don't overwhelm. Because 555 00:33:50,254 --> 00:33:53,918 I think when you write too much, people do not read the entire 556 00:33:53,966 --> 00:33:57,526 job description. And I know sometimes people say, apply with, you 557 00:33:57,550 --> 00:34:01,110 know, times point, you know, whatever font. And that's 558 00:34:01,142 --> 00:34:04,856 fine. But if you're going to have someone, you want 559 00:34:04,880 --> 00:34:08,424 them to take tests and things like that. I feel like those are better in 560 00:34:08,464 --> 00:34:11,984 round two because if you put too many requirements in the 561 00:34:12,024 --> 00:34:15,504 initial job post, a lot of times people are like, that's too much 562 00:34:15,544 --> 00:34:18,808 work. And I don't even know if they will like me. So I'm just going 563 00:34:18,816 --> 00:34:21,680 to go to the next job post. So you have to kind of balance that 564 00:34:21,712 --> 00:34:25,536 out. Like, if it's important for you to know that they're detail oriented, then, 565 00:34:25,560 --> 00:34:29,227 yeah, put something in there that initially gives you a clue whether 566 00:34:29,275 --> 00:34:33,019 they read through it and have that detail oriented personality. 567 00:34:33,171 --> 00:34:37,011 But don't

make it so hard that you're going to turn away people that might 568 00:34:37,027 --> 00:34:39,811 have been a good candidate and keep them from applying. 569 00:34:39,987 --> 00:34:42,903 Absolutely. And, yeah, I did that. 570 00:34:43,203 --> 00:34:46,963 The one time that it really stood out to me was I 571 00:34:47,003 --> 00:34:50,747 had in there, when you apply the subject line of 572 00:34:50,755 --> 00:34:54,411 the email, put most awesome assistant, and 573 00:34:54,467 --> 00:34:58,056 that was just the subject line. It literally eliminated 574 00:34:58,160 --> 00:35:01,760 97% of the applications, which I was 575 00:35:01,792 --> 00:35:04,488 like, it was great because I was like, good. I don't have to read. And 576 00:35:04,536 --> 00:35:07,352 I did read a couple of them and thought when you read it and you're 577 00:35:07,368 --> 00:35:10,800 like, oh, gosh, they sound so great. But to me, I'm 578 00:35:10,832 --> 00:35:14,524 like, if you can't when you're supposed to be putting on your best, 579 00:35:14,824 --> 00:35:18,624 best foot forward and you don't do that. And I ended up hiring 580 00:35:18,664 --> 00:35:22,368 two people. Of the three that 581 00:35:22,416 --> 00:35:26,164 actually made it through, it was like 30 something people who didn't. 582 00:35:26,504 --> 00:35:30,256 And the one was, Joanna, was with me 583 00:35:30,280 --> 00:35:34,080 for years and just a rock star. And so it's like I even felt 584 00:35:34,112 --> 00:35:37,936 that pull to ignore that. But it was that little thing that 585 00:35:37,960 --> 00:35:41,168 just makes such a difference. But, yeah, I could see where, yeah, you don't want 586 00:35:41,176 --> 00:35:44,824 to make it insurmountable for people as well. Sometimes they'll 587 00:35:44,864 --> 00:35:47,928 tell you to write an essay or, you know, do a lot of stuff like 588 00:35:47,976 --> 00:35:51,776 what you had to do. The subject line is perfect because then, you know, if 589 00:35:51,800 --> 00:35:55,320 they read the entire job description, okay, are they paying 590 00:35:55,352 --> 00:35:59,112 attention and are they really interested in this job or are they applying for 50 591 00:35:59,168 --> 00:36:02,752 jobs today? And they just, bam, bam, bam, bam. They don't really care, 592 00:36:02,888 --> 00:36:06,584 you know? So those little ways to, you know, I just had somebody last week, 593 00:36:06,624 --> 00:36:10,112 in fact, messaged me on LinkedIn, and she goes, I just want to give you 594 00:36:10,128 --> 00:36:13,720 some feedback. I've got some great candidates, but over half of 595 00:36:13,752 --> 00:36:17,528 them who applied did not follow the instructions. And I think it 596 00:36:17,536 --> 00:36:21,128 was something similar. So she was like, I mean, it saved me time because I 597 00:36:21,136 --> 00:36:24,894 was able to just delete half of the applicants, and I only 598 00:36:24,934 --> 00:36:28,590 had to go through half. So that's word to the wise for anyone applying for 599 00:36:28,622 --> 00:36:32,230 work, too, is read the job description two or three times and make sure 600 00:36:32,262 --> 00:36:35,902 you're clueing in on everything they're looking for. Yeah. And 601 00:36:35,918 --> 00:36:39,478 I agree. I think most of the people, it was literally, they're just 602 00:36:39,526 --> 00:36:43,046 like, like, it was on indeed, I think. And so it was just like, boom. 603 00:36:43,110 --> 00:36:46,678 Apply, apply, apply, apply. And, like, they didn't even have some of the basic 604 00:36:46,726 --> 00:36:50,390 criteria, but, but it was, it is helpful, you know, 605 00:36:50,422 --> 00:36:54,208 to have that, just that little, little thing. But I also do understand 606 00:36:54,256 --> 00:36:58,080 what you're saying about not putting too much. I guess, being a therapist, I've worked 607 00:36:58,112 --> 00:37:01,640 with so many people who, you know, as their 608 00:37:01,672 --> 00:37:05,384 therapist, who were, like, amazing people, but they lacked 609 00:37:05,424 --> 00:37:08,856 the confidence or they felt like, oh, I don't know if I can do that. 610 00:37:08,880 --> 00:37:12,392 And I'm like, what are you talking about? Especially when it was something they had 611 00:37:12,408 --> 00:37:16,192 a degree in or something. I'm like, you are totally qualified. You're an amazing 612 00:37:16,248 --> 00:37:19,746 person. You have to just apply. Like, let 613 00:37:19,810 --> 00:37:23,290 them, you know, let. Let the process, like, uncover 614 00:37:23,362 --> 00:37:26,874 that. So I like that idea of being thoughtful about 615 00:37:26,994 --> 00:37:30,594 managing the overwhelm for people as well. Right? 616 00:37:30,674 --> 00:37:34,370 Yeah. What, um, so if you're, you know, thinking about 617 00:37:34,522 --> 00:37:38,322 the people, so many business owners when they're starting out and 618 00:37:38,338 --> 00:37:41,826 they're like, okay, I, like you said, I want this stuff, and I need some 619 00:37:41,850 --> 00:37:44,560 accounting help and I need some marketing, marketing help, and I need this and that 620 00:37:44,592 --> 00:37:48,112 and, you know, personal chef, whatever, you know, they have all these things. 621 00:37:48,248 --> 00:37:52,024 Where would you say the line is? Or how. How 622 00:37:52,064 --> 00:37:55,736 should somebody approach that when they're like, oh, here's my unicorn. 623 00:37:55,800 --> 00:37:58,964 If I could have somebody that embodied all of these qualities 624 00:37:59,344 --> 00:38:03,088 versus let me put something out that is appealing and is 625 00:38:03,136 --> 00:38:06,936 probably going to get, like, good candidates, what would you 626 00:38:06,960 --> 00:38:10,762 say? Where's the line in that? Or how would you approach that? So I 627 00:38:10,778 --> 00:38:14,498 think there are two ways to approach that. One is if you do have multiple 628 00:38:14,546 --> 00:38:18,218 roles that you're looking to fill, I would say, okay, which one's the most

pressing, 629 00:38:18,266 --> 00:38:21,994 which one's taking the most of your majority of your time and does, has 630 00:38:22,034 --> 00:38:25,546 the tasks that you dislike the most, that's probably who you should hire 631 00:38:25,610 --> 00:38:29,322 first. And I wouldn't recommend hiring several people at once. I'd 632 00:38:29,338 --> 00:38:32,858 hire one, kind of get them rolling, then hire the next. Or 633 00:38:32,986 --> 00:38:36,610 another option that I know works for some is to just hire an online 634 00:38:36,682 --> 00:38:40,482 business manager. And that person is somebody who basically would 635 00:38:40,498 --> 00:38:44,146 be your right hand woman or man, and they would know 636 00:38:44,210 --> 00:38:47,802 all of those roles. So it could be that you hired that person to learn 637 00:38:47,858 --> 00:38:51,434 the VA role, the digital marketing role, whatever other 638 00:38:51,474 --> 00:38:54,906 roles that you have. And that way they can even create 639 00:38:54,970 --> 00:38:58,658 sops for you. Like, here's what a virtual assistant has to do, and we're going 640 00:38:58,666 --> 00:39:02,362 to create the SoP for her and for, you know, the email 641 00:39:02,418 --> 00:39:06,098 marketing person, the social media person, the accounting person, whatever 642 00:39:06,146 --> 00:39:09,864 roles you need. And she can help organize all of that 643 00:39:09,904 --> 00:39:13,712 and then also help you in the hiring process. If, like, you don't like the 644 00:39:13,728 --> 00:39:17,400 interview process, maybe you have her or him begin that process 645 00:39:17,472 --> 00:39:21,232 and then you review her top two or three candidates. So that's another 646 00:39:21,288 --> 00:39:25,120 great way I did that, actually not, she wasn't my first hour, but I did 647 00:39:25,152 --> 00:39:28,912 have an online business manager who set me fully up in Asana, who 648 00:39:28,928 --> 00:39:32,760 got me so much more organized than I was and had, you know, 649 00:39:32,792 --> 00:39:36,584 different boards created for different team members, some that were for the full team. 650 00:39:36,664 --> 00:39:40,324 And it was so nice to have all of that done 651 00:39:40,364 --> 00:39:44,156 for me. And she knew a little bit about every role, so if somebody couldn't, 652 00:39:44,260 --> 00:39:47,764 like, you know, had vacation, she could step in if needed, 653 00:39:47,884 --> 00:39:51,612 you know, for that person. So that's another great option. Of course you're going to 654 00:39:51,628 --> 00:39:55,404 pay that online business manager a higher fee than you would pay, 655 00:39:55,444 --> 00:39:59,116 say, a va or something, but that is another great option for somebody that's 656 00:39:59,140 --> 00:40:02,412 like, I need help in all the places and I want to do it 657 00:40:02,428 --> 00:40:06,056 now. Absolutely. Yeah. And I, the operations 658 00:40:06,160 --> 00:40:09,928 part, you know, I've had somebody that didn't call herself 659

00:40:09,976 --> 00:40:13,480 an online business manager, but it was that same type of thing. I think it's 660 00:40:13,512 --> 00:40:17,184 nice not only because it's somebody else who's thinking strategically 661 00:40:17,264 --> 00:40:20,536 for you, because, I mean, that to me is a 662 00:40:20,560 --> 00:40:24,192 distinguishing difference is the online business manager versus 663 00:40:24,248 --> 00:40:27,848 a virtual assistant is they are a lot more strategic and thinking 664 00:40:27,896 --> 00:40:31,682 about things and like you said, can help you kind 665 00:40:31,698 --> 00:40:35,322 of create those processes. I also think it's nice if, you 666 00:40:35,378 --> 00:40:39,218 know, that you tend to get, like, attached to people 667 00:40:39,306 --> 00:40:42,454 and you feel bad rejecting or saying no to people, 668 00:40:42,994 --> 00:40:46,642 whether or not it's a operations person. I always found it was 669 00:40:46,738 --> 00:40:50,586 nice to have, like, I had my assistant when we would be 670 00:40:50,610 --> 00:40:54,400 hiring for, like, therapist or anything, she would be the one. We had, 671 00:40:54,482 --> 00:40:58,300 like, little blurbs written after each stage of the interview process that she 672 00:40:58,332 --> 00:41:02,100 would send out because I would feel terrible, and then 673 00:41:02,132 --> 00:41:05,916 I would not reply and say, I'm sorry, we've gone a different route. And then 674 00:41:05,940 --> 00:41:09,116 I felt terrible for not replying to them. Cause, you know, they're waiting. So it's 675 00:41:09,140 --> 00:41:12,724 like, I feel like sometimes having that buffer, even just 676 00:41:12,804 --> 00:41:16,644 for you to, like, be able to stay, stay 677 00:41:16,684 --> 00:41:19,876 in your zone and not get too emotional about all the decisions can be 678 00:41:19,900 --> 00:41:22,924 helpful for us. 100%. 679 00:41:23,584 --> 00:41:27,352 Awesome. Well, I mean, gosh, this went so fast. I 680 00:41:27,368 --> 00:41:30,720 want to be mindful of time, but so, yeah, so, so many 681 00:41:30,752 --> 00:41:34,280 people. I think it's the feeling of, 682 00:41:34,472 --> 00:41:38,264 oh, I can't. I can't hire. I'm not ready. They get 683 00:41:38,304 --> 00:41:41,920 nervous about, like, yeah, can I afford it? Is it sustainable? 684 00:41:42,112 --> 00:41:45,928 And I'm usually of the, you know, that's my biggest lesson, 685 00:41:45,976 --> 00:41:49,576 is constantly saying every time I have hired. And I 686 00:41:49,640 --> 00:41:53,460 really realize, like, they save you money because you're also not 687 00:41:53,492 --> 00:41:57,324 losing clients because things are falling through the cracks. Like, they're taking care of 688 00:41:57,364 --> 00:42:00,828 things. And it frees you and your energy up to do the, like, 689 00:42:00,916 --> 00:42:04,544 bringing in more business or doing the things that matter more, 690 00:42:04,844 --> 00:42:08,652 but for that. And so it's like, is there anything you 691 00:42:08,668 --> 00:42:12,372 would say to people when they're in that place of, like, 692 00:42:12,548 --> 00:42:16,124 okay, I'm kind of on the cusp. Things aren't necessarily 693 00:42:16,164 --> 00:42:19,836 falling through the cracks. I'm not. I'm not, like, overworking, per se, but 694 00:42:19,860 --> 00:42:23,664 I. But I know that I'm not. I'm not able to grow because 695 00:42:23,964 --> 00:42:27,516 I'm in this place. Is there any other advice you would give to 696 00:42:27,540 --> 00:42:31,276 somebody around, like, how to check in with themselves to 697 00:42:31,300 --> 00:42:34,988 know if they're ready? Yeah, I think, you know, anytime you're meeting 698 00:42:35,036 --> 00:42:38,772 any of those criteria we talked about earlier, being overwhelmed, 699 00:42:38,868 --> 00:42:42,460 burned out, wearing too many hats, all of those. 700 00:42:42,572 --> 00:42:46,260 If you find yourself in any or all of those places, then it's probably time 701 00:42:46,292 --> 00:42:50,080 to step back and review and just think, okay, where am I spending the majority 702 00:42:50,112 --> 00:42:53,720 of my time? If it's answering emails and scheduling calls and 703 00:42:53,752 --> 00:42:57,584 things that an admin could do for you, then what? If you 704 00:42:57,624 --> 00:43:01,288 could then give that to someone else, and then you could actually be 705 00:43:01,336 --> 00:43:04,840 more present in, you know, growing your business and 706 00:43:04,872 --> 00:43:08,496 soliciting new clients. Whether that's going out and networking or doing more 707 00:43:08,520 --> 00:43:11,720 on social media or just being visible 708 00:43:11,832 --> 00:43:15,426 more, I think you'll see quickly that you'll more than 709 00:43:15,560 --> 00:43:18,790 make up for the amount of money that you're paying out. And as your business 710 00:43:18,862 --> 00:43:22,534 grows, you just give more hours or you hire more people. So it 711 00:43:22,574 --> 00:43:26,230 doesn't have to be scary. You can start small if you're like, 712 00:43:26,262 --> 00:43:29,862 okay, I think I can afford 10 hours a week or 5 hours a week, 713 00:43:29,878 --> 00:43:33,462 then start there, because I promise you, there's somebody out there that's like, I have 714 00:43:33,478 --> 00:43:36,262 a newborn. I can only work five or 10 hours a week. And she'll be 715 00:43:36,278 --> 00:43:39,894 like, ding, ding, perfect. I want that job. So I'd say, 716 00:43:39,934 --> 00:43:43,494 just take the leap. You have really have nothing to lose. If it doesn't work 717 00:43:43,534 --> 00:43:47,080 out, then you're not tired to it forever. You can 718 00:43:47,152 --> 00:43:50,864 learn what you've learned. Trial and error. We both went that route. 719 00:43:50,944 --> 00:43:54,752 We had to learn as we went. And I think 720 00:43:54,848 --> 00:43:58,416 you'll see quickly that it's a blessing. And like you 721 00:43:58,440 --> 00:44:02,080 said, you'll look back and say, man, I wish I'd done that sooner. It's not 722 00:44:02,112 --> 00:44:05,664 so scary after all. Absolutely. I love it. 723 00:44:05,824 --> 00:44:09,472 So if people want to find out more information about you 724 00:44:09,568 --> 00:44:13,140 and get, I know you have a good 725 00:44:13,212 --> 00:44:16,972 little freebie for the listeners. Where should they go? Yeah, so I have 726 00:44:16,988 --> 00:44:19,924 a couple of freebies. I can give you the link to put in the show 727 00:44:19,964 --> 00:44:23,692 notes. We have the top interview questions, and then we also have 728 00:44:23,708 --> 00:44:27,532 a template for your job post. And if someone's interested, like, I 729 00:44:27,548 --> 00:44:31,012 need all the things we do have a short course on 730 00:44:31,068 --> 00:44:34,812 hiring made easy. You can also find that on hire, my mom's 731 00:44:34,868 --> 00:44:38,668 website under post a job. So we have several resources because 732 00:44:38,716 --> 00:44:42,036 we love serving the small business owner, the entrepreneur, the 733 00:44:42,060 --> 00:44:45,704 solopreneur, you know, and we even have a concierge program 734 00:44:46,204 --> 00:44:49,660 for those business owners that are like, I am too busy. I don't like 735 00:44:49,692 --> 00:44:53,108 hiring. Can you do it for me? And I was asked that, like, three years 736 00:44:53,116 --> 00:44:56,356 ago, and I go, oh, I don't have time either. What do you mean? And 737 00:44:56,380 --> 00:44:59,700 then the light bulb went off and I thought, well, I don't have time, but 738 00:44:59,772 --> 00:45:03,144 I could hire someone who's an HR person. 739 00:45:03,484 --> 00:45:06,644 So we have a couple of HR people who will actually do the whole process 740 00:45:06,724 --> 00:45:10,456 for you. So we try to be, you know, every way that 741 00:45:10,480 --> 00:45:14,080 we can serve the small business owner and the woman, man. Anyone 742 00:45:14,152 --> 00:45:17,808 looking for remote work, we really try to meet them where they're at. Oh, 743 00:45:17,856 --> 00:45:21,688 wonderful. Well, I'm glad you mentioned the concierge thing, because I sure know a 744 00:45:21,696 --> 00:45:25,192 lot of people who are in that place of like, I am totally overwhelmed and 745 00:45:25,208 --> 00:45:28,728 I don't want to do it. So. Yes, that is wonderful. Well, thank you. 746 00:45:28,816 --> 00:45:31,624 Thank you again. It was so great to officially meet you. 747 00:45:31,784 --> 00:45:35,444 Espanooza. This was really valuable. I think 748 00:45:35,484 --> 00:45:39,180 that's going to be a helpful process. And we will have all of 749 00:45:39,212 --> 00:45:43,052 the links that you mentioned in the show notes for people to go check out 750 00:45:43,108 --> 00:45:46,716 and get those questions and those templates and get some 751 00:45:46,740 --> 00:45:50,516 people hired. Yes. Wonderful. Thank you 752 00:45:50,540 --> 00:45:51,804 so much, Amber. Thank you.