So you have made the decision that you need some business support and have decided to try a Virtual Assistant (VA) or virtual PA to help you to work more productively, giving you back headspace, time and energy so that you can concentrate upon growing your business and doing the work that you love. As important as the right VA and their skillset is, building a great rapport and communicating effectively with them.

Here are my top takeaways for effective communication with your VA and building a successful and long-term relationship:

 ✅Speak to or meet them before you start working with them: We have all met people with whom we just don’t “click” however great they are on paper. A positive working relationship requires mutual understanding and respect. I have had potential clients email me detailed spreadsheets and send me a list of tasks by email before we have even spoken on the telephone! It’s important for both of you to find out a little about them and their professional experience before you decide to work together. I offer a 1 hour free meeting or call precisely so that we had explore whether we are the right fit. I appreciate for a one off task you might just want someone to do something without a lot of fuss, but for an ongoing relationship take some time to check they are the right VA for you.

✅ Know what you want and communicate it: Be clear from the start about the expectations you have for your working relationship.  What exactly do you want them to do? How many hours do you need a week/month? By when do you need work to be turned around? VAs are great but I have yet to met one who can read minds (at least at the start, although as time goes by you do start to predict and pre-empt what needs doing!). Being clear about what you need and by when makes it more likely that your VA will be able to achieve what you need them to achieve in the right way.

✅Discuss and agree your preferred communication method: I always ask my clients this. Most do not want a deluge of emails and prefer a text or a Whatsapp for quick or urgent queries. Some like briefing notes with multiple links others just a short note with a conclusion. Again, as you get to know your VA over time you will trust them more and this will change but think about how best they can contact you. A couple of my clients like a quick check in before say 9am whereas for other clients this is a golden hour when they don’t want to be disturbed.

✅Don’t micromanage: it’s fine initially to want your VA to run things past you and send you lots of drafts, but you do need to trust them to carry out the work that you have asked them to do.  If you have done your research they will be experienced at carrying out the tasks you have asked them to do without being closely managed by you every step of the way. If it is a task that they haven’t done before, or it is their first project with you, speak to them at the start and agree parameters and then trust them to get on with it. It may be that they have a better/faster way of doing something! Most VAs come from a business background and have other clients so will have seen how the same task can be done in different ways so be open to their ideas. Having said that if you have established systems in place honed by trial and error it’s fine to expect them to do things your way – it’s all about communication and trust.

✅Build in regular reviews: set aside some time each week/month (depending upon how much your VA is doing for you) to touch base, discuss how things are going and build on your relationship with them. This means you can address any issues quickly and that your working relationship is as positive as possible.

✅Ask for help when you need it: One of the reasons that you are likely to need a VA is to get help with a task that you are not comfortable/skilled at, or hate doing. No-one is brilliant at everything! If you have asked a VA to help with a certain task, do ask them if you need assistance when you are trying to carry out some of that work yourself. Two heads are often better than one. The likelihood is that they have done that before themselves or know someone else in their network who is an expert, which could save you hours of time. One of the added benefits of a VA is that they come with years of experience and knowledge plus their own contacts so do tap into all of that.

Working with a VA can help you to increase turnover and take your business to the next level but, like all relationships, only if you invest some time and energy in developing it.

One of the best parts of my role as a virtual PA is the variety. When I started nearly 8 years ago I thought I would be managing emails and diaries, setting up meetings, booking travel and filing. Don’t get me wrong that still forms a fair chunk of my day to day (and bringing order out of chaos is very satisfying!), but I do love expanding my skills set and taking on interesting projects. One of these is supporting a client who are seeking B Corp status.

If you don’t know (and I didn’t until about a year ago), Certified B Corporations, or B Corps, are companies verified by B Lab to meet high standards of social and environmental performance, transparency and accountability on a wide range of issues from employee benefits and charitable giving to supply chain practices and community investment.

Currently there are over 6,800 B Corps in 89 countries with over 560,000 workers. To achieve and maintain certification, all B Corps must: 

✅ Complete the B Impact Assessment and achieve a verified total score of 80+ points

✅ Meet the B Corp legal requirement – in this country by amending Articles of Association to embed a commitment to consider the impact of decisions on all stakeholders.

✅ Sign the B Corp Agreement and the Declaration of Interdependence.

✅Publicly list their impact score on the B Lab Directory and recertify every 3 years.

So it’s not a design to be taken lightly nor is easy to achieve. Many companies fail on the first attempt. My role has been to:
 
✅ gather information, assess and overhaul my client’s practices and systems before submitting our application

✅prepare documentation to change the Articles of Association

✅discuss various aspects of the company’s systems and procedures, so that I can prepare supporting policies and processes

✅answer the B Corp analyst’s questions

✅produce draft answers to questions raised by B Corp during verification for discussion and approval by the directors
 
The verification process entails providing detailed answers with proof and a formal online review interview with our B Corp analyst, following which (hopefully) my client will be granted B Corp status.
 
It has been fascinating and challenging and all credit to my client for pursuing this. You really do have to “talk the talk and walk the walk”, it’s is not just a box ticking exercise. Looking forward it will make undoubtedly make my client more attractive to customers, clients and employees, but more tellingly it resonates with their principles and values. Increasingly the environmentally minded want to work with and for a business that not only believes in sustainability, diversity and inclusion but works positively towards it. If you want to know more about the process, or if I can support you in this please do get in touch.

Nine years ago when I set up Blue Skies Virtual Assistant the concept of a virtual PA was still pretty novel. I remember being thrilled at a local networking group when someone in my group exclaimed “Yes I I have one of those business angels!” saving me the hard work! Now days, especially post Covid, there are a lot more VAs being set up, many who specialise (for example, marketing, social media, tech). So you have (finally) decided that you need some support but how do you go about finding a great VA?

1 Work out what type of support you need – with email, bookkeeping, fielding calls, social media, marketing, preparing documents/templates, setting up meetings, writing blogs? Do you need regular support or on an ad hoc or even one off basis?

2 Ask people for recommendations/suggestions. Even if they haven’t used a virtual assistant themselves they are likely to know someone who does, or who has met one.

3 Have a look at their website, look at the services they offer and at any testimonials. Check out their LinkedIn profile, as that will give you more of a feel for their character and may show some mutual connections. (Although I am based in Hertfordshire nearly all my clients are local!).

4 Meet IRL or virtually. You need to know you can work together and most VAs will happily agree to this (I offer a 1 hour free consultation). It may be that you aren’t the right fit or in fact you need a different type of business support.

5 Check out their relevant experience, accreditations and qualifications.

6 Ask if they have business insurance – they should have VA Professional Indemnity, Employer’s Liability and Public Liability.

7 Check that they are registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office. VAs handle lots of personal data and should be registered.

8 If they do bookkeeping ask if they are registered with HMRC in line with the anti-money laundering regulations (not all VAs who do this work need to be registered).

9 Ask about how they keep your business information (including passwords) safe. I use a password manager which generates complex passwords and stores them safely.

10 Once you have found a great fit obtain a reference for them.
It’s a good idea to start off with a trial period to see how you both find it. Hopefully you will find your business angel who will help your business soar!

If you would like to know about Blue Skies Virtual Assistant please do get in touch!

As a virtual PA I am often asked for some tips and tricks on how busy business owners can improve their productivity and cut down on the time that they need to spend on admin (which let’s face it few of us like). Here are some of my suggestions:
 
Emails

There are a lot of different ideas about how best to manage your emails. If you have business support (whether employee or outsourced), you can set up delegated authorities and a separate mailbox so that they can access and manage your emails.

The 1 touch rule works for many people – so read an email, action it, delete or delegate it. Personally I love multiple sub folders (for example, for each client, supplier, system, work approaches, admin,) and file as I go. It makes retrieval so much easier!

You can also apply the 2 minute rule to (individual) emails – if you can do something in 2 minutes or less, just do it.

Another suggestion is to batch your emails (or indeed any other routine tasks) so you have say 2-3 set times a day to review and respond to them and otherwise leave them to one side (turning off notifications really helps with this). Set up a read later or archive file to which you send, for example, newsletters that you want to read at a later date. Set aside time each week to then review this folder.

Calendar


Some tips here are:

- use your diary/calendar fully. Attach Agendas/ Briefing Notes/ documents to be discussed/website links to the invite.

- Schedule all deadlines and reminders 3/7/14/28 days before, depending upon how much work might be needed (for example, for an insurance renewal deadline I schedule a 14 day reminder, for annual accounts a 28 day reminder).

- I also use the email option in outlook so I am also emailed the deadline reminder.

- In outlook you can also use Notes for your To Do lists and do set aside time to review and update these regularly.

Bookkeeping and invoicing

Most of my clients use xero but the tips below should work for most accountancy software packages.

- Ask at an early stage if you need to be set up on your client’s system as a supplier and ensure that that is done as quickly as possible

- Use the Repeating function for monthly/quarterly regular purchases (e.g. Canva, internet, Adobe Acrobat etc).

- Use the Copy To function for invoices that you send more than once. This copies over all the details from the last invoice automatically adding the next invoice number and today’s date. You just then check and update the other sections.

- Turn on automated reminders for invoices so xero chase unpaid invoices for you.

- Link expenses to a client if they are chargeable, so that they are automatically picked up on the next invoice
 
- Use Dext, which is software that automates your bookkeeping process. You forward photos of receipts or emails with invoices attached to Dext, which then uploads and “reads” the receipt/invoice for you to check and in turn send on to your accountancy software.

- Make sure that your invoices

a) are addressed to the right company/business entity,

b) quote a reference or PO if one is needed and

c) are sent to the right email address (which is usually not your client contact but a generic accounts@ address and

- if your client sends you information about how to invoice them read it and follow their system.

Templates

If you find yourself typing the same information even if just a few lines, create a template document and have that open in the background. As well as speeding up the process, you will send the correct information in a standardised form each and every time. Obviously, you can top and tail each communication to make it more personal.

Once you have a good template such as your standard client contract, you can then delegate preparing the next one to someone else for you to then review, which will save you time. I had one client who ran a trades business who had 29 standard templates for quotes. He would list which ones to use to create the quote to send to the client.

To-do lists

Whilst I still look a physical to do list, having an electronic version(s) that you can share with people makes sense. Using a simple excel spreadsheet with Action and Done categories and columns for individual people to complete is a great way to track progress. Think about using colour coding to prioritise tasks (for example, red, amber and green) and review at least weekly.

Delegating

One of the best ways to free up your own time and, as importantly; headspace, is to delegate. This goes against the grain for the majority of SMEs. However, no-one is brilliant at everything and if you spend say 5-10 hours a week on basic admin that someone else can do for you, that’s 5-10 hours more revenue you can generate.

There are some tasks that you won’t like doing (such as negotiating fees or credit control). Sometimes it is easier to ask someone else to do that and creates a distance that can be helpful. Having even a part time PA can also give the perception of you being a more established or larger business than you are.

A good assistant will also bring their own ideas and business experience to the table, reduce stress and help you grow your business. I am a generalist virtual PA/EA and if you would like to discuss how I might be able to help you please do get in touch! I offer a free 1 hour consultation.

Running your own business can be exhausting and the volume of niggly, admin tasks never-ending. There are some simple ways that you can streamline your systems to free up some valuable time to do more of the work that you love and increase turnover.

1 If you do your own day to day bookkeeping use the repeat transaction facility. The accounts software packages such as xero and Quick Books Online allow you to set up repeat transactions for regular or repeat transactions such as monthly subscriptions or regular payments. This can be for a set period of time or indefinitely and you can always edit the transaction if the price changes. Once the payment has been made you just reconcile it through your bank feed as usual.


2 Smartphones allow you to photograph or scan business receipts which you can then send to your accounts software via, for example, Receipt Bank, or to a file sharing site such as dropbox so you have a record to keep your accountant and/or HMRC happy. So when you next buy a train ticket or a coffee on the go take a photo of the receipt and you don’t need to try to find it at month’s or (even worse) year end or worry if you spill your coffee all over it!



3 Automate and have procedures in place. Use templates which you can and top and tail if needed to respond to common queries or to confirm for example your business meeting. If you find yourself sending the same response more than a few times create a template, which will save you valuable time going forward and will also ensure you cover everything fully. It also means that you can delegate certain tasks safe in the knowledge that a system is in place.



4 If you run into difficulties talk to other small business owners in the same field. A problem shared is indeed a problem halved and if you come up against an issue you won’t be the first (or the last). Someone else’s perspective is invariably useful and an objective take really helps. Often I find trying to explain an issue out loud to some one leads to me finding the solution. There are loads of online forums too which are usually packed full of information and tips.



5 My final tip is consider outsourcing certain tasks perhaps to a virtual PA. No business owner is excellent at everything! We all have some tasks we hate and the pressure of trying to remember to do everything takes up valuable headspace. Most business owners worry about the cost of this but it actually means that you can increase turnover. Let’s say you can delegate 10 hrs of admin to me per month at a cost of £280 pm. This frees you up by 10 hrs pm at £100 per hour to earn your business an extra £720 pm net (£1,000 less the £280 you pay me).


If you are interested please do get in touch either by emailing me at [email protected] or calling me on 07719 760 636!
 

LinkedIn is a social media site primarily for business and for professional networking and career and business development. Think of it as a business Facebook, but with “connections” as opposed to “friends”. Used properly at whatever stage of your career it can create opportunities, raise your profile and generate business for you. This blog focuses upon how to write a great profile to help you market and showcase your business and its goods and services.

It’s free to join LinkedIn and easy to create a basic profile. You can pay a subscription and join LinkedIn Premium which includes seminars and courses but for most people and free version is sufficient.

Here are some tips and tricks to create or improve your profile and personal brand on LinkedIn:

• When creating or reviewing your profile make the most of your introduction as everyone will see that; use a good photo, mention your business name and your website (if you have one), add some taglines.
• Make sure you fill out all the Contact Information (you will be amazed at how many people don’t!) with your name, website(s) and telephone numbers.
• The “About” section comes next: this is where you showcase you, your business and your skills set, and market your business. Set out what problems your client or customer faces, and how you and your business are the solution. Who do you want to attract and what are their challenges? Invite them to contact you. Don’t go into huge detail about your last job or role that comes in the next section “Experience”.
• Ask clients and former colleagues to endorse your skills and post a Recommendation (review) on your LinkedIn page. To do this scroll to the bottom of your LinkedIn page and click on “Ask for a Recommendation” and follow the instructions. I tend to send an email to my clients asking for a review for my website. If they are happy to give one I thank them and then send a request via LinkedIn and repeat the review they have just given me and invite them to copy and paste it into a Recommendation. 
• It’s easy to build up Connections on LinkedIn. LinkedIn will ask to access your contacts and suggest Connections based on that. Alternatively you can search for people and then invite them to connect. It’s best to customise the invite by adding a personal message, such as we know each other from….. As you meet business contacts Connect with them on LinkedIn and if they have a company page Follow that page. Do this with your existing clients too. If you see them post something you should then like and comment upon it. They will appreciate it and it shows you are taking an active interest. Connections are currency. You may find out that someone you know has a shared connection (for example a second or third connection) and you can ask them to introduce you. Don’t connect and instantly try a hard sell – no-one on LinkedIn likes it. Take time to build up a relationship, ask them about themselves and their business and be interested.
• Write articles (these are longer like a blog) and posts (short form content usually of a few sentences) on LinkedIn as this will raise your profile and you will become a trusted voice.  Use photos, images or videos as these will make your article or post stand out. You can add some hashtags to each  LinkedIn will suggest some based upon content or you can create your own.
• Posts can include events you are going to or have been to – just a short note about how much you are looking forward to it or thanking the speaker/organisers is always welcome! You can ensure LinkedIn signposts your comment to someone by mentioning an individual or business by name, just type @ and then the start of their name and LinkedIn will pop up a list of names. Just click on the right one. The name will then be highlighted in blue and LinkedIn will notify them that they have been mentioned in a post.
• If someone comments upon your article or post always acknowledge their contribution by liking (or even loving!) their comment and replying if appropriate. Again tag them in as before with @ and their name if replying. Be helpful to others, share, comment and engage.
• If you see a great post or article and/or you want to support someone share their post with your Connections. This raises both your and their profile and is a sure fire winner! Or be more targeted - if you see something that you think will be of use or interest to someone in particular send it to them with a brief message.
• It's a matter of personal preference but you can include personal content in your posts, articles or comments. Yes LinkedIn is primarily a business socia media but increasingly personal content is used. Interestingly I have found that my posts with some personal content usually are read, liked and commented upon more. Having some personal content reveals more of who you are and is more authentic. Posting about failures or where something hasn't gone according to plan invariably sees supportive and helpful comments.
• Think about where your actual or prospective clients may hang out and ask to join any groups that look interesting. It’s probably better to join a handful rather than every one going.
• Finally this is a long game – don’t do a lot on LinkedIn for a couple of weeks and expect overnight results. Be consistent and regular – keep yourself in the forefront of someone’s mind and make it a habit. Schedule some time to spend on LinkedIn. Be engaged and engaging.

LinkedIn’s Social Selling Index (“SSI”) is an algorithm that measures how well you are performing on LinkedIn.

It assesses:

• Your personal brand
• Your ability to find the right people
• Your engagement with insights and
• Your relationship building skills

You can look up your own SSL by logging into your LinkedIn account and searching here - https://www.linkedin.com/sales/ssi

If your score is less than 30 you need to do some work. Between 30-50 is Ok, 50-60 is good and 60-70 is excellent. You can look at the SSL breakdown to see in which areas you need to do better.

I hope that you have found this blog useful – if you have any queries or want some help with your LinkedIn profile, or any other aspects of it such as assistance with managing or increasing your LinkedIn activity, please do get in touch with me at [email protected] or on 07719 760636.