http://www.pr-squared.com/index.php/2009/11/4-ways-to-build-relationships-with-web-content

PR Squared
November 2009

Advisory boards…coaches…great stuff, for the big picture.  But what about when the somebody that you need sometime is just someone to take care of “stuff” so that you can focus on the big picture? “If I could just get rid of this pile on my desk and have a few more hours in the day, I think that I could be so much more successful.”

I’ve heard this comment before. Hell, I’ve made it myself. When running a small business, you start off having to do everything, wearing 10 hats (why is it always 10 hats  that everyone talks about?) because you just can’t afford to hire someone when you don’t have any clients or haven’t sold any products. And then you grow and things change and you need more people to help you get your everything done. But what do you keep on your desk and what do you let others help you with? The answers are different for everyone that asks, but everyone goes through that process regularly.

Awhile back, I met with a potential client to talk to them about outsourcing some of their back office responsibilities. “We can take over the accounting, move your IT infrastructure to our data center and get you up and running on an automated virtual phone system so you can free up some of your time and, well probably let your office manager go and just get some part-time administrative support.”   I looked across the table at the pained look on her face and knew that there was something else going on.  She saw my puzzled expression and opened up. “It’s not just about the office.  It’s about me.  My office manager also handles all of ‘my stuff.’ Booking flights, planning my husband’s surprise party, keeping my contacts up to date…she does it all.” I left that meeting thinking, “yeah, that would be hard to give up, no matter what the potential savings to the business.”

Months later, I met Holly Mais at a networking lunch put on by Chuck Blakeman with TeamNimbusWest.   Holly said five words in her 20 second introduction that made me sit up and take notice. “I provide Virtual Assistant services.” What??!  I didn’t even know there was such a thing. It made sense, but I had never met anyone that provided those services. My head started spinning and I knew that I wanted to talk to her about it further. We had coffee the following day, where we talked about out how her services through Holly Assist could fill a gap in the services that my company provides and get me over a very real obstacle that I have faced when providing virtual office solutions to small business.

Since meeting Holly, I have of course seen 10 more mentions of “Virtual Assistant” services, including a good post by Karen Leland in WebWorkerDaily recently. The benefits can be substantial to using a part-time, yet dedicated person to help you with some key aspects of your professional life. Many owners that are starting businesses in today’s economy were soldiers in corporate America that fell victim to downsizing and reductions in the executive and middle management ranks. These are often the same executives that grew accustomed to having an executive assistant that handled all of the day to day happenings so that they could focus on the slaying bigger dragons. With the proliferation of the Virtual Assistant market, new business owners can operate at the productivity levels they are accustomed to, without having to break the bank by hiring someone full time. And beyond professional services, Kristi Butkovich of At Your Service offers a more specialized set of in-home services to assist families that are faced with elder care needs, an increasing issue for business owners and their families.

With all the support that is available, both virtual and in-town, maybe it’s time for me to head back to that prospect that couldn’t stand to part with her office manager and let her know about this new trend. Maybe that deal isn’t dead yet.

Have you had any experiences with Virtual Assistants?  What about actual executive assistants?  How do they compare in your mind?  What struggles or benefits do you foresee in going virtual with this key role?

Everybody needs somebody, sometime – Part I: Advisory Boards

Everybody needs somebody, sometime – Part II: Coaches

Why is it that I can’t seem to swing a cat without hitting a coach of some kind as I’m out networking? I mean seriously, has there been an explosion in this area that I didn’t hear about, or am I just traveling in different circles? Can anyone tell me?

With all that said… I think that it’s great. With so many small business owners feeling isolated and that they are going at it alone, any help that they can get to be more confident in themselves or their business, to develop new skills and tools to help them grow or in general just feel better and more relaxed is a great, great thing.

By way of example, I recently met Gary Harvey with Achievement Dynamics. Gary is a member of the Corporate Tee Box group that I joined this spring and he offers coaching services for business owners and executives to help them be more effective in sales. After a few conversations with Gary, I went through an initial assessment with him and learned some very interesting things about myself. What I DIDN’T learn is that I hate selling. I already knew that. I love networking.  I love evangelizing. I hate selling. I recently had a colleague say to me three times in one conversation  “well, you are a sales guy.” I wanted to reach through the phone and strangle the guy.  I don’t want to be “that guy”. But, what the assessment did point out is that maaayyyybeee I might have some “head trash” (as Gary likes to put it) about what it means to be in sales. Given my violent reaction to being referred to as “in sales,” I think he might be on to something there. (As an aside, I saw an article on keys to selling when you hate to sell that I thought had some good points.)

Just the assessment with Gary helped me to see five, six, 27 areas where perhaps I could improve my mentality, behaviors and skills with respect to sales. That’s how coaches can help business owners, in a variety of areas. No one can be an expert in everything, so if you want to have a successful business you have to decide what areas you are the strongest in and where you need some help. If you can figure that out, then you have some choices to make: hire to fill the gaps, outsource your non-core strengths or improve your skills to become more effective at your areas of weakness. We started Insight because business owners were focusing almost half of their time on the non-core, back office bullshit that is necessary to have a business operate, but that they didn’t want to do, weren’t any good at and consumed valuable time that they could spend growing the business.   Hire, outsource or improve.

Anyone close to me knows that I’m a big fan of therapy. The ability to let someone else help you to see things about yourself that you want to change and giving you the tools to change them.  I look at coaching as business therapy… so whether you are getting it through a Coach, or unofficially through advisors as I discussed last week, make sure you are getting it somewhere.  We could all use it.

What kind of coaches have you used?   Have they been effective?   Does just having a coach help you to have the confidence to trust your instincts more? What other resources help you manage and grow your business?

Next week: Everybody Needs Somebody, Sometime – Part III: Virtual Assistants

It’s true.  Everybody DOES need somebody, sometime. The world of a small business owner / operator can be a lonely, lonely place. If you are like most, you started your business by yourself or maybe  one other person. You did everything yourself, because you have a passion for the business, and slowly, you’ve brought on more people to help you out. But because it is your baby and you have such a deep involvement in the business, everyone still comes to you to make the “final decision.”  You are supposed to be right, all the time, and you are supposed to have all the answers.  Right?

Does this sound familiar? It will to a lot of people. But we all know, or at least we should, that we can’t possibly have all the right answers (contrary to what a few people that I have worked with in the past believe). Being so engulfed in the business, you may not be able to see what is going on around you at a macro level. You might not be the first to spot new markets, new products or even warning signs of things to come. And even if you are lucky enough to have surrounded yourself with talented employees who eat and breathe your business like you do, you all might be suffering from the same issue of too much time in the business, and not enough time on the business.

That’s why you probably already have your unofficial advisors.  The people that you turn to that don’t have any vested interest in your business, but that you trust as intelligent or just easy to talk to. And if you don’t, you should.

Scott Thorogood, good friend and Chairman of Aegean Group, first showed me the value of “official” advisory boards when we worked together on a software company in California. Scott put together a well thought out advisory group that he knew could provide him with feedback on the direction of the business, open doors for to larger organizations and in general, make sure that periodically we all stepped back from the business and looked at it with fresh eyes. In addition to official meetings, these advisors were Scott’s resources as things happened in the business that he needed to bounce off of outsiders. And they were also advocates for the business, setting up and attending key meetings with Scott with the groups that could help our start-up business.

Small, self-funded businesses don’t often have the benefit of a stock option pool to incent advisory board members, or feel like they have time to manage an outside group and explain their actions, but they should find a way.   With no Board of Directors to answer to, no reporting requirements and often no one to even talk to, it is easy to lose focus on how best to grow the business.

Invite members to your advisory group that can provide you with:

• Honest opinions – no one needs a “yes man” as an advisor.
• General business acumen or specific industry knowledge. It’s good to have a mix.
• Connections into businesses or groups that can help you grow your business (and a willingness to make introductions and be an advocate).
• A desire to see you succeed, due to a personal relationship, a direct financial incentive (profit sharing) or an indirect incentive (business partnering opportunities).

Make the advisory board an acknowledged entity, both internally and externally.   Your team should understand and respect the importance of the advisors’ roles.

Get everyone together at least once every six months.   Many great ideas can come from a group dynamic, and the opportunity for your advisors to mingle among each other can be an attractive incentive to get, and stay, with the team.

Keep the size of the group to a manageable level.   Three or four official advisors should be more than enough.

Even though being challenged to defend your actions and the direction the company can be difficult, it is an invaluable asset to avoid foreseeable pitfalls and taking advantage of opportunities. Consider who you call regularly to “vent.”  Consider who is on your “must have breakfast with once a month” list.  You probably already have your advisors, so why not make today the day that you formalize it and start getting some real value out of those relationships?  You’ll be glad you did.

Do you have an advisory board?  Is it “official” or “unofficial?”  How has it helped you? Share your thoughts on how advisors help you manage and grow your business.

Next week:  Everybody Needs Somebody, Sometime – Part II: Coaches