When growing a business, there comes a time when the CEO or founder can’t wear all the hats and do all the things in the business as well as grow it. It may have worked in the early days, but now, one person, on their own, trying to wear those hats and do it successfully is simply not reasonable or practical in this fast-paced entrepreneurial world.
This level of overwhelm and lack of downtime can cause significant issues like errors in judgment and mistakes, and even mental health problems such as depression or anxiety.
Some CEOs get to a tipping point and decide to give up on the business because they no longer have the energy and experience burnout. The company they loved and built themselves just became a burden rather than something they enjoyed.
Before this happens to you, consider getting help…early!
At Tandem Resource Solutions (TRS), we have two levels of assistants. Virtual Assistants (VA) and Virtual Executive Assistants (VEA) to support our clients.
Wondering what the difference between a VA and VEA is?
When hiring a VA from TRS, you work with an intermediate-skilled person on administrative tasks. This would include scheduling, email management, monitoring systems for automation, reminders, building task lists, and answering customer service emails, plus any other day-to-day tasks needed to keep the business moving forward. They can also handle one-off project work. We refer to VAs that do flat-fee project work, such as research projects or similar ones, as “project VAs.”
VAs are experienced in the areas they support clients with and help to keep your business running efficiently. More importantly, they love to do these tasks that you dread! (Yes, some people really do like to do them)! Your TRS intermediate VA will communicate with you and keep you updated on the workflow of how their projects and tasks are going. This may be in the form of a weekly meeting, an email, within a project management tool, or a phone call. Whichever way you have decided, works best for you. Our CEO often refers to this as your “communication love language.”
TRS’ VEAs are slightly different and more experienced by time or skill set. They can be looked at as more of your right-hand person. They often have more responsibility in your business and can even be considered part of your leadership team. They are highly skilled at project management, team coordination, strategic planning, and business development. They also have emotional intelligence (high EQ) and an ability to think outside the box and stay one step ahead, offering to help make systems more efficient and workflows flow more effectively.
VEAs (also known as our “specialists”) may lead your internal, back-office team, aid you in creating new offerings for your business, and handle higher-level tasks in your company. They specialize in C-level Executive Assistance, SEO, Online Business Management, Project Management, and more. You’ll find with a VEA, you’ll communicate closely and regularly to keep your business running successfully and in growth mode. This will give you back much-needed time to focus on other things that only you can do.
Think of your VEA as more of a strategic business partner. If you are considering a VEA, consider empowering them with the authority to make certain decisions for you/your business, oversee vendors, and help you materialize your vision, break it down, and delegate all the parts to the right people to meet deadlines and achieve your goals.
How do you know what support you need and when to upgrade it? TRS will assign you a VAM (Virtual Account Manager) with whom you can communicate as needed. The VAM will help evaluate the work your VA or VEA is doing, if they are sticking to the established Scope of Work (SOW), and help you decide if any changes need to be made. You may find yourself at a point where you even engage with an in-tandem team of two...a VA and a VEA. When you combine the power or two, you will propel your business even faster! Imagine taking 20 hours or more “stuff” off your plate every week!
If you are ready to talk about support services for you and your business, please get in touch with us. We would love to connect and see how one (or even two) of our outstanding VAs or VEAs can support you, help you grow your business, and give you your life back!
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