The days are getting longer, we lost that hour of sleep (thanks a lot daylight savings) but it is finally coming, that is right, screw winter is coming it is all about the summer time! 

Ok if your a parent there maybe minor dread about the six week holiday that will ensue but forget about that and think of being warm in your bones…oh right we live in the UK so lets go with slightly less frozen, yes I know I should let it go – see what I did there!!! 

The problem is that as a business owner it isn’t always that straight forward, who will answer the phone, what about my emails? So many entrepreneurs end up taking their work on holiday with them because they feel they have no other option.

Going away on holiday really doesn’t have to be a problem when you are in business, we all need a break. While you are relaxing with a beer by the pool I am here to help you with anything that you need, be it invoicing, chasing payments or replying to email. Nobody need know that you’re away! 

So when you next hear your friends wife complaining that they are always interrupted when on holiday by that, “bloody mobile phone” give them  my details!

Not ONLY can I help your business when you are away I can also help you get away! That is right I can help you organise and arrange your trip be it a UK staycation or a trip of your dreams I can help you research and find accommodation and travel as well as excursions etc. 

That’s right I am your cure for the summertime blues.

Meet my little Popstar she is 6…nearly 7 as she will shout at me as it is her birthday this month. On Sunday 8 March Hen (the hubster) and I were watching the rugby (he is Scottish) and we realise that the boy child was singing (that is not unusual!) but the girl child was awfully quiet and as any parent know, quiet does not often equal good!

I went upstairs to have a looksie and found that she had made herself a bed on her bedroom floor and had put herself to bed. She announced she wasn’t feeling very well.

To make sure that we all spent some quality time together on Sunday night we had a family cwtch night where we watched one of the kids fav TV shows, Clarence, and if we are honest as parents we watch it when they are not around!!

Sadly the little lady then puked in the night! Puke is not my forte let me tell you. I have a weak tummy, but also I knew that as self-employed I had more of a chance of moving things round to be able to look after her than Henry. My gorgeous clients were lovely and I managed to move everything around.

Why have I told you all this? I wanted to explain to you that all your work will always be done, I may need to move some face to face items around, however your family, and mine always come first.

This is why small companies need virtual and freelance assistance as you need to make sure that you spend time with your family and not doing those administrative tasks making sure you don’t miss out on those key moments and poorly cuddles.

“I just find it really overwhelming” is something that I heard yesterday from one of my friends who happens to also be a client. She was talking to me about some of the tasks that she needed to do for her business. I took one look at her and said, “send it over to me, that is exactly what I am here for.” 

It is my job to take those issues away from you. To stop that stress and the cold feeling that runs through your core when you see a pile of something that is just not your bag baby!

I may call myself a ‘Jack of all trades, master of some’ but it is true. If I cannot do what you need to be done, I will know an amazing person who can help. Those things that you see piling up that give you that feeling of dread, those letters that you don’t want to open – just hand them over to me!

She is now sat on another desk all chilled out actually working on her business and not on those extra bits and bobs that distract her from making her amazing business, even more amazing!

That is right you got this! Blogs, they either flow or they don’t so what should you do!

I challenged myself to keep blogging this year as I, like many others, dip in and throw out LOADS of content and then will disappear for a period of time as they no longer flow. If I am being honest with you, which I like to be, I am writing this one on the day of release as nothing has been right in my writing over the last few days and that is why I am writing about this topic.

I have been writing virtual assistant truth bombs left, right and centre since the start of the year and this week, well being honest, nothing felt right and although I sometimes believe that sometimes the best thing to do is be quiet – something that my husband wishes that I would take on board more than I do!!! I know, that from a business perspective consistency is key!

This doesn’t just mean for me, it also means for you. You have to show up. You have to commit. Not only is blogging sometimes hard but so is being self-employed and you know what you need to step up to the plate day in day out, even in the rough times.

Why am I telling you this. Blogs help your business. VA’s produce blogs for their clients. I am a VA. Not only lto VA’s produce blogs for their clients, so do copywriters and I am super proud to not only work with one of those bad boys but two, meaning that I can always find you someone whose style of writing and tone of voice suites you and your business.

Keep on going, even when it is tough, keep blogging and keep showing up!

Now I will give you ten reasons, however I wonder if you even knew that I was a qualified event and wedding planner, an events planner for a company as well as helping arrange and organise one of the most prestigious Business award ceremonies in South Wales each year. 

If you still need ten reasons to work with me to plan your event here they are!

1.  Plan Your Event

You have an idea but not sure how to execute it…I gotcha! Tell me your idea and give me a week and I will present you with a plan! 

2. Find a Venue

I will present you with several available options within your specified price range. I will have checked that they are free for you and have all the information for you to make the decision that is best for your event. 

3. Invite Your Guests

Whichever way you want to invite people to your event from Eventbrite to printed invitations I can sort it for you.

4. Manage Responses

How many people are attending? Are they the right people? Do we need to invite more? Let me deal with the stress and you just give yes or no answers! 

5. Manage Payment

I can deal with the money side of it all from ticket cost to invoicing and even paying the staff on the night!

6. Promote Your Event

If I don’t know them someone I know will! Let me spend the time getting your event out there to the people that need to see it and be there. 

7. Arrange Transport/ Accommodation

Do you need taxis? A minibus? Let me sort it out and I can properly get a really good rate for guests, making you look good. 

8. Find a Caterer

Finding the right caterer for the right price can take FOREVER, so let me do it…so far you just have to turn up! 

9. Offer ‘On The Night’ Support

I won’t leave you on the night…well, I will leave you alone. I will be present at the event and make sure it runs smoothly. If anything doesn’t go to plan you won’t know about it as it is my job to fix it and your job to have a great time! Right now I imagine myself as JLO in the Wedding Planner…but I won’t run off with your husband! 

10. Follow Up

I will do all the follow-up from thank yous to feedback. From briefing you about who was there and anything that you need to know and more. That is right, before, during and after. I will give you an all-round service. 

If the answer is yes then I may be the (not so) secret weapon that you need.

You only have one life and you need to enjoy it!! When you start a business  you do so in something you enjoy and love, there are however, many other things such as family, friends and social times which make life enjoyable so do you really want to spend most of it working? I mean  you probably went self-employed to get back a little but of that work live balance thing that everyone talks about! 

We all wish for a few more hours in the day to be able to get things done be it the clothes washing, an extra snooze or your admin! Being a business owner means that on top of running your business and all that it entails you also have to work on business growth! 

If you want to spend more time with the friends and family, or even working on how to grow your business you could probably do with someone like me. I can take away so many of your administrative tasks freeing you from those dreaded days or night of your own personal admin. 

If you hire a VA you will not need to worry about things like PAYE, workplace pension, annual or sick leave. There’s no need to hire an employee and worry about having enough work to keep them busy, with a VA you only pay them for the work they have completed, and they can take on as much or as little as you require.

Also if I don’t do what you need I certainly know and trust someone who does so I will be able to recommend the best of the best to you! Remember you have one life, enjoy it by remembering why you started your business in the first place!

Sometimes when you have a meeting and there is so much information to take in, sometimes it’s best to record it so you can review it at a later date.
However how often will you listen to it and then find that exact section can be hard so why not send me the file!

That’s right I can take that audio file and turn it into a verbatim document for you to review at any time. I also can usually do it within 48 hours!

Why not get those board meetings and one on one meetings finally written up.

If you quote “Blogtype” you will get 10% your first-audio typing now you can’t say that I don’t give you anything.

Long story short, I can’t! I mean it is bloody awesome. From being lost in the woods to making sure you do the next right thing. there are a few ways we can turn it into • lessons for business-ok I may fail but I love it so much I wanted to write a blog about a film other than Star Wars!

Olaf, he’s your work wife/husband. Your support, however, I do need to share it will not ‘all make science when I am older, as I am heading towards order and everything doesn’t get answered- BUT-you do have more support and love. which makes it okay that it doesn’t make sense.

Anna is the Optimist, the one who when you feel like you want to jack it all in who tells you it is all going to be ok and they remind you of the why and seem to have that magic in them to make you smile – I am super lucky to have a few of these in my life!

Finally Elsa. I think as someone who is self-employed you
have to have a little bit of Elsa on you… What do I mean?
Well, shes stubborn, persistent, inquisitive and bloody fierce. It isn’t an easy ride being self-employed. I mean I hate to break it to you its not all coffee shops and PJ days → though they can happen. Some days it is a slog. Hard grind, long hours and tight cash flow. But, like Frozen 2 the hard work and persistent pays off when you go ‘into the unknown’ and you discover “the one I’ve been looking for all of my life” (Show yourself) it is totally worth it.

Ok, I am done but I will leave you with one final note” Reindeers are better than people!”

1. Giving over passwords and sensitive information

Ok first, I don’t need to know your inside leg but let’s be real sharing your personal details and private business information with a complete stranger can seem very risky.
 
By law I am not allowed to share any private information regarding yourself or your business unless instructed to do so, not to mention the GDPR laws PLUS the HUGE confidentiality agreement that I sign for you means this is not a worry. I also have ways to keep all my client info safe and separate and when we start working together I will show you and explain how I do this. Hopefully this elevates any worries…however back to the inside let! 

2. A VA will not be able to do my job as well as I can
 
You may feel that a VA will not be able to carry out your tasks as well as you can yourself and you will spend lots of time teaching me and showing me how you do things so what is the point.

Now, sorry to be cheeky but if you could do everything you wouldn’t feel frazzled and you wouldn’t be looking at a VA! So let me tell you something about me. I am the Princess Leia of admin, if I can’t do it I know someone who can, let’s call them my CP30 and R2D2s (can you tell I like Star Wars) and there is something else you need to know. I CANNOT BE YOU and NO ONE ELSE CAN BE YOU IN YOUR COMPANY. You are what makes the company unique so listen, sometimes the way you do something can be done by someone else and I promise that I do listen.
 
Before you get started we will have a big chat and we will discuss, in lots of detail, what you need and if you have any preferences of certain things. This will ensure that you are happy and can get back to being you and allow me to use the force!

3. I won’t know what my VA is doing and for how long

First things first you have to trust me, but I get if you don’t at the start. So to help you I use an online program called My Hours to register my time. This then calculates the cost and I can, if you want, print you out a timesheet that shows you what I did when.

4. Your too expensive
When considering using a VA you may feel that it is not worth the investment and consider doing the work yourself to save money. Remember I am giving you back time that you can put back into the business as well as time with the family. You may look at the rate and thing “huh!” but you need to remember you don’t pay tax, pay annual or sick leave or any of those wonderful things. I sort that.

Yup, that is right, I don’t work, you don’t pay me! I mean HELLO BARGAIN! 

Look not only can I help you with the tasks you need done I can set you up on systems and train you how to use them saving you EVEN more time! Outsourcing and hiring someone like me can really help you grow your business. But it is really important that you and your VA click. We are a good community and if we meet and don’t work I will certainly know someone who you will click with! Remember I want to be part of the solution not the reason you have stress.