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April 26, 2021

What is a Virtual Assistant? And Why Smart Business Owners Use Them

Imagine a world where you focus on growing your business, and all your administrative, technical, and customer service tasks are cared for by capable and dedicated hands. If this scenario sounds like an unachievable nirvana, you’ve likely never heard of a virtual assistant. Virtual assistants (VA) can save the day–and your sanity. Knowing how to find and use VAs can change your life as an entrepreneur and help you take your business to the next level.

 

Why Use a VA

As you start and grow your business, it’s easy to fall into the trap of doing it all. You manage your calendar, pitch products, book travel, invoice clients, monitor your social media–all of it. But that’s neither sustainable nor advisable. First of all, you can’t be an expert in everything. Even if you are an expert in things as varied as social media, accounting, and marketing, managing it all is too much for one person who is focused on launching and growing a business. 

Recognizing that you need help and finding it is not a failure. Rather, it’s a way to set yourself up for success. Recognizing the need to outsource tasks, such as those that are administrative, technical, or generally outside your wheelhouse, is a sign of growth and commitment to your business. By outsourcing tasks that distract you from the core work of growing your business, you are showing your commitment to success in the areas that matter by focusing on what’s important and the things that make your business great.

 

More about VAs

VA’s are a real game-changer for many entrepreneurs because they can save you so much time and hassle as you scale your business. Often, VA’s have their own computers and other office resources. Some VA’s work for more than one client on a part-time basis and others work for a single client.

And, they commonly participate in support networks to continue learning and growing. Many have extensive contacts within the VA world if you find you need additional or focused support. 

There are two main types of VA’s. General VA’s can help in a wide variety of areas and those with a specialty within an industry or specific tasks. 

 

General VAs

A general VA is often a jack-of-all-trades who can help you with various tasks across categories. Think of this person as your day-to-day go-to resource to get things done. 

If you think of a traditional office, the general VA is like an executive assistant. The person who functions as the nerve center of the office, keeping people and projects on track. They can offer on-demand support, just how and when you need it. For example, general virtual assistants often perform:

  • Administrative tasks, including:
    • Managing your email and calendar
    • Arranging travel 
    • Performing receptionist duties (including answers calls, which are easily transferred to any phone in the world)
    • Managing files (including creating a file management system)
    • Taking minutes in meetings
    • Planning  events 
    • Issuing invitations
    • Entering data 
    • Creating reports and slideshows for presentations
    • Running personal errands, such as online shopping for holiday and birthday gifts
    • Answering support tickets
    • Transcribing voicemails, podcasts, or video content
    • Building databases
    • Maintaining mailing lists
    • Booking appointments
    • Entering CRM updates
    • Creating and managing spreadsheets
    • Updating web site pages
    • Creating PDFs, forms, and templates
    • Conducting basic research
    • Recruiting other resources, as needed
    • Serving as a liaison between you and other team members
  • Technology services, including:
    • Training team members to use new and existing software
    • Managing software
  • Customer Service tasks, including
    • Responding to customer emails and calls
    • Sending routine messages, like birthday wishes and reminders
    • Identifying trends from customer emails and calls and bringing them to your attention
  • Marketing and Social Media activities, including
    • Setting up, managing, and updating social media accounts
    • Creating large email lists
    • Testing and sending email blasts
    • Setting up Autoresponders
    • Publishing blog posts, managing comments, and replying to comments
  • Basic Financial tasks, including:
    • Bookkeeping
    • Invoicing
    • Entering receipts
    • Managing accounts receivable

 

Speciality VAs

A specialized VA possesses specific skills and know-how in a distinct area or industry. A specialist VA is more of a resource for particular projects or elements of your business. If you think of a general VA as an executive assistant or office manager, the specialty VA is more like a department head–the person with deep knowledge about a specific function or area.

Some Specialty VAs often focus on an industry, like real estate. However, many have deep expertise in a specific area, such as:

  • Social media
  • Research
  • eCommerce
  • Marketing 
  • Accounting/bookkeeping
  • Content creation and editing (written, audio, and video) 
  • Graphics (Design and photography)
  • Project management services
  • Mobile app development

Specialized assistants can complete more complicated and in-depth tasks within the specialized area. For example, a general VA can post a Tweet or update Instagram. A specialist can help with more in-depth work, such as embedding SEO words into posts.

Sometimes a general VA and a specialist work together. For example, a specialized VA with a background in web development or graphic design can create new material that a general VA can update and tweak over time.

 

Can One VA Do it All?

No. As you can see from the lists above, one VA–even the best VA available–can’t do all of these things. So, the trick is knowing what you need in a VA, writing the job description that covers your needs, and finding the person–or people–that you need.

VAs are so flexible. It’s easy to staff up and down, based on your needs. 

 

How to Get Started

VA’s can be remote employees or independent contractors who work from home. Both models work well depending on your needs. 

The first step is to determine the work you want the VA to complete. This thinking creates a scope of work and helps clarify what you’d like to have completed, outlines the timeframe, and estimates the number of hours needed to complete the project. 

Once you assess the scope of work, consider the type of VA you need, a contractor or an employee. If you have several needs, you may need a combination of resources to fill your needs.

For example, depending on your workload, you may want to bring a general VA on as an employee. You may also want to find a specialized VA to create your website and another specialized VA to build out your marketing plan. Because these are both shorter-term needs, a freelance resource may make more sense for those roles.

If you aren’t sure who qualifies as an employee and who qualifies as a contractor, here’s a handy rule of thumb: 

  • You pay independent contractors for the result of their work. You don’t have control over how, when, or where they do the job.
  • You pay employees for the result of the work and the ability to control how the job is done.

Usually, independent contractors are in a different business than your own. For example, freelancers, like artists, editors, and writers, are often independent contractors. Independent contractors can also include outside companies doing work for you on an ongoing basis. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has set guidelines for determining if someone is an employee or an independent contractor. 

 

How to Find Your VA

With a good handle on what type of support you need, the next step is to create a job that highlights the skill set you need. Outline the tasks you want the VA to perform, detail the working conditions (onsite, virtual), and clarify your expectations for hours.

Expect to pay between $15 and $45 an hour, depending on the skills and experience you need to complete your tasks. 

Then, post your job on HireMyMom and relax while resumes for good candidates arrive in your inbox. Once you’ve narrowed the field, set up interviews, choose a candidate, check references and make a job offer. 

 

Why Use HireMy Mom

HireMyMom.com is a great place to find a VA that is right for all your needs for three reasons:

  • HireMyMom has exclusive partnerships with three top-rated VA training programs, creating a deep bench of talented professionals who visit the site looking for opportunities.
  • When you post your job, you’ll quickly have access to a wide array of qualified candidates who will be dedicated to helping your business succeed and grow. The site attracts job seekers from across the country with various specialized skill sets and a desire to work hard for you.
  •  HireMyMom’s Concierge service can streamline the process for you. The service was created for busy entrepreneurs and small business owners, like you, who need to hire help but don’t have the time or desire to go through the time-consuming process. With our full-service Concierge service, our HR Specialists will do it all for you from start to finish and present you with the top candidate(s). 

 

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March 27, 2021

Are You a Freelancer or Do You Depend on Them? Take Action to Protect Your Business Relationships from the PRO Act

As busy entrepreneurs, freelance professionals, and parents, it’s easy to lose track of all the potential legislation pending in Washington. That’s especially true right now, with school closures and pandemic-related restrictions forcing many of us to rethink our business models. 

But, a bill called the PRO Act is winding its way through the legislative process and, if passed, could have severe repercussions for freelance professionals and the small businesses that depend on them.

Whether you are a freelance professional or you hire them, this legislation could affect your business model. If it becomes a law, the PRO Act could limit job opportunities for mothers, retirees, and college students who depend on the freedom and flexibility that comes with contract work. And, the new rules will make it more difficult for small businesses to find the flexible, dedicated, and professional support that makes it possible for them to thrive.

In this blog, we’ll tell you more about the bill and how you can take action.

 

What is the PRO Act?

The PRO Act stands for Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act (S. 420/H.R. 842).

It’s the most comprehensive labor relations legislation since the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) of 1947. The bill contains a variety of provisions that affect contractor workers and employers. (Here’s a summary from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.)

 

How the Bill Affects Contract Workers

Most concerning, it requires workers who are now classified as independent contractors to be treated as employees who are free to form a union. While many freelancers are likely not interested in starting a union, the prospect of unionization and the requirements to treat freelancers as employees could have serious consequences for freelancers and the businesses that hire them.

Currently, independent contractors are exempt from labor laws and can’t form a union to bargain with an employer. If enacted, the definition of “employee” would expand to the point that it endangers freelance professionals’ livelihood.

Work is likely to be restructured well before workers can even consider organizing. According to Michael LeRoy, an expert in labor law at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, by encouraging businesses to circumvent the law in two ways.

First, the law would incent some employers to automate jobs that can be done remotely. 

More concerning is that businesses would be forced to avoid working directly with contractors, who they’d have to treat as employees. The most likely way they’d do this is by using an agency, who serves as an employer for the contract employee. 

For example, when a small business owner decides to hire a freelance virtual assistant or social media manager, the owner will turn to an agency to avoid having an employee on the books. The agency would serve as the “employer” and charge a fee to both the business and the freelancer.

The net effect will be to reduce the freelance professional’s negotiating power, raise prices for small businesses, and reduce the contractor’s income because they are now sharing their fees with an intermediary. It’s hard to see any winners, beyond the agency, in this scenario. 

When we think of all the small businesses and home-based mom professionals we’ve worked with over the years through HireMyMom.com, we know firsthand how these rules could backfire and hurt freelance professionals and small businesses.

 

What Problem is the PRO Act Trying to Solve?

Sometimes companies misclassify employees as independent contractors to avoid costs associated with having employees. In many cases, these workers function as full-time employees for the business. But, because they aren’t considered employees, the employer does not pay the associated costs, such as unemployment insurance premiums and payroll taxes.

While we can understand the motivation to change that dynamic, this bill goes about it the wrong way. 

According to Forbes magazine, genuine independent contractors don’t want to be considered employees. They have many clients and prefer the flexibility and freedom of independent contractor status. 

This perspective reflects our experience as well. We’ve worked with thousands of employers seeking mom professionals and mothers looking for meaningful work that lets them show up for their families on their own terms through HireMyMom.com. In many cases, a contractual relationship is the best scenario for all parties. This law will harm both sides of this equation. 

In fact, this bill could disproportionately affect our job seekers–especially the virtual assistants, copywriters, project managers, bookkeepers, and social media managers, who have successfully launched businesses and are thriving as independent contractors.

 

What’s Happening with the PRO Act

On March 9, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the PRO Act. The Senate can now choose to consider the legislation. President Joe Biden has voiced support for the bill becoming law.

The PRO Act has a long history. It was initially introduced in May 2019 and failed. In May of 2020, it passed the U.S. House of Representatives, but the Senate did not pick it up. Now that Democrats control both the legislative and executive branches of government, the bill has better chances of moving forward.  

 

Take Action 

Reach out to your elected representatives and let your voice be heard.

Let your representatives know that you depend on the freelance economy and want to ensure it isn’t negatively impacted by the PRO Act.

 

 

 

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February 8, 2021

Share the Love! Recognition is the Key to Happy Teams

People are like flowers. They bloom when they get attention. In the workplace, recognition often serves as the sun that helps feed your team and encourages them to keep up the excellent work. But, when you manage a team of remote workers, the traditional ways of thanking your team and showing appreciation may be more difficult. Team lunches, impromptu donut days, or stops at the coffee shop for a quick “well done” cup of joe are tougher to pull off when your team is scattered all over the country. 

So, what to do instead? Here are our tips for making appreciation part of your business’s culture and a list of suggestions to help you find the right tokens of your appreciation to share with your team.

 

Learn the Love Language of Your Employees

The first step is to do a little homework and find out what types of appreciation your employees find meaningful and what things don’t resonate–or worse, backfire. For example, some people love to hear their praises sung publicly. But, one person’s moment of glory can be a cringe-inducing experience for someone else. 

To find your team’s temperature, start by asking team members how they feel about recognition options as part of a regular conversation. Asking these questions may feel a little strange at first, but can be quite natural with practice. As you have meetings with each team member, casually ask about specific recognition preferences and file each person’s thoughts away for use later. 

Ask about specific options. For example, a team shout out, an afternoon off with pay, a spa gift card, a new chair–throw in whatever you are considering as part of your recognition plans to get a good sense. Also, ask each employee for ideas.

If that feels uncomfortable, another option is to send out a team survey asking each person to rank specific recognition options in terms of preference to get a pulse of what your team members genuinely appreciate. Include a write-in box so team members can contribute ideas, too. (If you take this route, consider sharing the survey results with your team so that everyone knows what matters to each other and recognition can become a team sport.)

As you are in the information-gathering stage, observe the way your employees recognize others. Do they start calls with a round of thank you’s? Are you often copied on notes where one team member praises another? These are clues about your current recognition culture. You may find that you want to build on it or head in another direction.

Finally, consider what makes the most sense for you. 

  • What’s your comfort level with recognition? Does it come naturally, or is it a muscle you need to build? 
  • What does your budget allow? If you don’t have a specific recognition budget, don’t worry. There are several ways to acknowledge good work and effort without spending money, and they are all appreciated. (See our ideas for recognizing your team below.)

Answering these questions will help you frame your thinking around recognition options for your team. Make a list of the ways you want to acknowledge others. 

 

Make Recognition a Practice

Now that you’ve done the research to determine what matters to you and your team and considered how you’d like to see a recognition culture grow for your business, it’s time to make a plan. Pick a few ideas from the list below and commit to sharing recognition at specific intervals. The right amount of recognition will vary based on your personality and team size. Find the right cadence and add the practice to your calendar. Don’t worry if it feels forced at first. It will get easier.

 

Ideas for Recognizing Your Team

First, let’s look at low and no-cost recognition ideas:

  • Say thank you often. It seems simple, but it’s easy to forget when you are in close contact with someone, and it goes a long way. Hand-written thank you cards, greeting cards, and emails are all effective. 
  • Start or end each team call with shout outs for good work.
  • Schedule quick one-on-one meetings with team members to share positive, encouraging feedback. When on these calls, make a point of not sharing constructive feedback or talking shop. Keep it to a few minutes of personal chit chat and a big helping of thanks.
  • Host a virtual award ceremony to recognize a great quarter or completion of a big project. Ask team members to present tributes to each other or serve as the MC who praises each person.
  • Praise your team via social media. You can use your business accounts, so all your customers see it, or you can add an endorsement of a person on LinkedIn.

If you have a small budget, want to recognize a significant contribution, or celebrate a milestone, here are some ideas to get the most bang for your buck.

  • Embrace the value of the surprise gift.
    • Send flowers for a job well done.
    • Treat the employee (or team) to lunch with a gift card to a local restaurant.
  • Personalize it! Order a personalized commemorative object, such as a nice pen, a plaque, or coffee mug, as a thank you for work on a specific project. 
  • Consider workplace perks as a thank you.
    • Offer increased flexibility.
    • Give the employee an unexpected afternoon off with pay.

If you have a bigger budget or just feel more comfortable using cash or gifts as a thank you, there are many options available.

  • A cash bonus is always welcome. Services like Zelle or PayPal can instantly deliver a cash boost as a thank you. Even a relatively modest amount of cash is welcome. Everyone enjoys finding an unexpected $25 deposit in their account.
  • Gift cards for travel are fun ways to say thank you. With a gift card, the size is not that important–it truly is the thought that matters. (Bonus idea: With travel difficult due to COVID-19, many people dream of their next vacation. Enlist a strategy of sharing travel-related gift cards as thank-you’s over the next few months to help your team see clear to a time when vacations and travel will once again be part of life. When they finally take the vacation, they’ll remember how you helped to make it possible.)  
  • If your team is home-based and you want to go big, consider using home office equipment as a thank you. Options include standing desks, comfortable chairs, or other office pieces that can make your team member more comfortable and productive each day.

 

What Do You Do?

Recognizing your team members goes a long way toward building an effective team and keeping people engaged. I’d love to hear more about how you acknowledge your team and the results you’ve seen.

 

 

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January 4, 2021

Happy New Year! Here are the Work-at-Home Trends Coming Your Way

As we look to 2021, everyone has questions about what the year will bring in terms of public health, the economy, and the future of work. If 2020 has taught us anything, it’s that making predictions about the future is a risky proposition. But based on what we are seeing for remote teams and remote work in 2021, here are some things we feel we will see in 2021.

 

Remote Work Continues to Grow

COVID remade the workplace quickly, and many offices were (and are) shuttered. This rapid change opened many eyes to the possibilities of working from home for workers and employers–including those who had not previously been interested in virtual work setups.

While some workers may be returning to the office in 2021, Newsweek recently reported that the share of those working from home and who wish to continue is large and growing. This finding, coupled with the fact that businesses that have not previously searched for remote team members are warming up to the idea, tells me the future of working-at-home is stronger than ever. I expect it to grow quickly in 2021 and beyond because remote work offers so many benefits for each party, including:

For workers:

  • No commute.
  • Flexible schedules.
  • More family time.

For employers:

  • Larger talent pool.
  • Lower real estate costs.
  • More flexibility to add talent to the team.

 

Better Collaboration

With all the benefits of remote work, team communication can still be a challenge. But, I expect that to improve in 2021 as teams settle on collaboration processes that better meet their needs. Expect Zoom calls to be used more strategically going forward and for open knowledge sources to gain traction as we move into 2021. I also expect old-fashioned telephone calls to re-emerge as a critical communication method. People will crave the benefits of conversation without the fatigue that comes from Zoom calls. 

 

Greater Focus on Growth and Development

As people get through the pandemic and look to the future, many are likely to be interested in enhancing their skill sets for greater flexibility and increased economic security.  As a result, I expect to see more people focus on rounding out their skills through online professional development, webinars, and professional organizations. Many online platforms offer remote training. (Check out the training options provided on HireMyMom.com.) I expect new training options to appear and more people to take advantage of them in 2021.

 

More Need for Virtual Assistants and More Virtual Assistants

I expect a sharp rise in the number of people looking for a Virtual Assistant (VA) and the number of people entering this line of work because it offers many benefits for both parties.

VA’s take care of many tasks, including email response, appointment setting, travel planning, and calendar management. It’s a great business model because it solves a problem so many business owners have–squeezing more tasks into a day. Small business owners looking for on-demand support or help with administrative tasks find VA’s indispensable.

It’s also an excellent lifestyle for moms who want to control their own time, skip the commute, and put family first while still keeping professional ambitions alive. For many moms who found themselves without school or childcare options in 2020, launching a business that provides economic security and flexibility is a top 2021 priority. I expect the popularity of online Virtual Training to grow quickly next year. If you’re interested in exploring this career path, we’ve rounded up the best VA training options so you can find the one that works best for you.

 

Evolving Recruiting Methods

Employers and job seekers will continue to find new ways to connect. Many business owners are turning to smaller, niche job sites that specialize in candidates with specific backgrounds or profiles, like HireMyMom.com. Likewise, top-notch professionals looking for companies dedicated to supporting remote work in the long-term are turning to the same sites. 

Using a niche platform dedicated to connecting driven professionals looking for remote work can make the recruitment process faster and easier for both parties through shared expectations about work arrangements. 

Small business owners appreciate sorting through a more manageable pool of candidates specifically looking for remote work. Professionals dedicated to working-from-home can limit their search to like-minded employers, creating a win-win situation that I expect to continue in 2021 and beyond.

 

New  Interview Techniques and Questions Emerge                                                                                                                           

The emergence of COVID-related regulations has accelerated the trend of moving interviews from in-person affairs to calls and video conferences. I expect this trend to continue. As interviews move out of the conference room and on to Zoom calls, the interview process changes along with the script that many have used for decades.

Expect larger groups of people to participate in the interview process, leading to a more robust review of the candidate. I also predict that employers will consider more candidates for the same role. Questions that focus on soft skills will take center stage, as teams know that communication skills, teamwork, and self-motivation are essential components for successful virtual teams. Direct questions about experience effectively contributing virtually and managing projects and people from a home office will emerge as a critical line of interview questioning.

Job seekers will also ask new questions, including pointed questions about work expectations, dedication to maintaining a remote team, hours flexibility, and opportunities to grow within the company.

 

What Do You Expect?

I’d love to hear your predictions for 2021. Please share them so we can all compare notes next year. No matter what happens, I wish you and your family a safe, healthy, and prosperous new year.

 

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November 16, 2020

Business Promotions Made Easy with These 4 Simple Steps

Social media is an inescapable force. It appears on your phone, it can drive a news cycle, and it is the basis for many conversations between friends and neighbors. Love it or hate it, social media is an efficient, low-cost way to reach a broad audience to promote your business and grow your brand. More and more, small businesses are using social media to interact with customers and potential customers. (Check out our prior posts on creating a stand-out social media presence.) One of the key ways social media can grow your business is through promotions. Here’s a step-by-step guide for finding and running the right social media promotion for your business. 

 

Determine the Goals for your Promotion

In addition to generating buzz about your business, promotions are great tools to achieve specific objectives. So, as you consider a promotion, think about your purpose. Because there’s a vast universe of promotions, there’s not a one-size-fits-all prescription for promotional goals. Some potential options include:

  • Gaining followers
  • Growing engagement
  • Finding referrals
  • Promoting loyalty
  • Sales of a particular item or over a specific time frame

Once you know your goal, it’s easier to choose the right promotion and create an offer meaningful to your followers.

 

Craft Your Offer

Crafting the offer’s specifics is often the most fun (and challenging) aspect of the process. In general, the offering should be unique to your business and feel special for your followers. Consider your overall value proposition and how your offering could drive engagement. Make sure the promotion offers something that your followers will find desirable.

Specific promotional options are endless. Here are some ideas to help get you started:

  • Contests, including scavenger hunts, talent or art competitions, kid writing or coloring contests, product raffles, or prize drawings, often generate a lot of participation.
  • Free items, like a gift with purchase or a small free item during certain hours/days, can drive business during slower times.
  • Discounts and coupons available to anyone who shares your promotion or earned with specific interactions, such as tagging friends or starting to follow your social media accounts, are popular options.
  • Swag giveaways of premium items, such as mugs, hats, pens, and branded water bottles, can really bring out your fans. Many business owners like to give away promotional items because it results in free advertising as customers use them.
  • Exclusive access opportunities are a great option to drive traffic to shops, restaurants, and events. Social media followers can gain exclusive access to your business/product based on the steps you outline in your promotion or by using your website or other online processes to make a reservation.

As you consider your offer, keep the potential prize proportional to the entrant’s investment to participate. For example, don’t give away a high-value item to everyone who shares your link. Likewise, if you ask your followers to make a significant investment in your promotion, such as creating a meme that shows why they love your product, the pay-off should be more exclusive. If you conduct a contest, you may need a panel of judges (such as employees or other superfans) to pick a winner for your prize. Discounts in exchange for link sharing are generally a good trade-off in this area. 

You also want to make sure that the graphics that you have for this campaign shows your business logo, too. This helps familiarize your audience with your logo and improve your brand awareness. Designing a professional logo is easy with the use of logo makers such as BrandCrowd or working with graphic designers.

Next, develop a timeline for your promotion. Include plenty of time to do any pre-work and build in some time for follow up and assessment.

 

Draft a Communication Plan

With your offer and timeline in hand, it’s time to consider your communication plan. Communication is the key to a successful promotion. Look at any existing communication plans you maintain and see if opportunities exist to take an upcoming communication or advertisement and add information about your promotion. Depending on your goals, consider a mix of social media and traditional vehicles for reaching your audience.  

Then, prepare your posts and other media well in advance of your start date. Be sure to:

  • Clearly outline how the promotion works, including any exclusions or deadlines.
  • Include plans to publicly share the name of your promotion winners, if appropriate. 
  • Thank everyone who participates. 
  • Share your appreciation for the enthusiasm your followers show around the promotion.

When the launch day arrives, deploy your communication materials and monitor the feedback you are getting on your posts. Posting comments and making updates based on questions or comments that appear will let your audience know that you are engaged in the promotion. To help keep your promotion top-of-mind, regularly share information about it with your followers.

 

Assess Your Results

When the promotion ends, take a look at how it went. Consider:

  • Did you meet your goals?
  • Did managing the promotion take the time you expected? Less time? More time? (If the answer is more time, you might want to hire a Virtual Assistant to help in the future.)
  • What feedback did you hear from those who participated? How about those that mentioned the promotion to you but didn’t participate?
  • What did you learn in the process?

Answers to these questions will help you craft even more successful promotions in the future.

 

What’s Working for You?

Promotions are a fun way to drive business. We’d love to hear about your experiences–the good, the bad, and the ugly. Drop me a line and let me know what promotions you’ve tried.

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November 2, 2020

What is the Best Human Resources Solution for Your Small Business

Having a thriving business can be extremely rewarding especially when a company’s growth results in expanding to onboard extra help.

If a company owner has a managerial background, they will have some knowledge and/or experience when it comes to onboarding, training, and evaluating employees and their work. 

For the entrepreneur who is used to working for themselves and themselves alone, it’s a different story. 

This is where having human resource personnel can be beneficial. The biggest question when it comes to a company’s HR is whether to outsource or insource.

 

Outsourcing vs Insourcing HR

An internal human resource department would be a good decision if a company is mid to large size in scale. Typically this applies to companies with more than a handful of employees.

For small businesses, however, it wouldn’t make sense to hire a full HR department within the organization if they are only dealing with just a few key staff. In this case, it’s much easier and faster to outsource instead. 

 

Why is HR important for small businesses

Having some form of HR in place is necessary for the function of any business that employs others. 

But human resource tasks are redundant, time-consuming, and don’t contribute to the bottom line of a company’s profits. 

Left up to the owner or core staff members to take care of could lead to a negative impact on a business’s productivity and cost the company a lot of money in the long run.

The realized benefit of having an outsourced human resource system in place is immediate. 

The newfound time allows small business owners to focus on the tasks that bring them the most ROI and significantly improve the function of the company’s operations overall.

 

The Top 3 Benefits of HR Outsourcing

  1. Time-Saving 
  2. Cost-Effective
  3. Less Staff Turnover

 

A good HR company will set up a consultation with their client to learn about their needs and help determine the role they are looking to fill for their expansion. They will usually handle all aspects of the job posting itself and screen applicants as the resumes come in.

When it comes to interviewing candidates, the HR company can help write the interview questions, schedule, and conduct them. 

They will select only the most qualified to move forward for the final interview with the company owner. They will even send out courtesy emails to applicants who were not selected for the job.

An outside human resource organization can save small businesses time, money, and result in less staff turnover due to the thorough pre-screening and onboarding process that takes place.

If you’re a small business owner looking to expand your organization and think that outsourcing your human resources would be a good fit for you, Hire My Mom does offer an excellent Concierge Package for consideration. You can learn more about this service here.

 

 

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October 19, 2020

How to Help Your Small Business Thrive in Uncertain Times

With everything that’s gone down in 2020, it may be time to look at your business with fresh eyes to assess your current state and determine where you are headed. One way to do this is to perform a SWOT analysis. SWOT stands for:

  • Strengths
  • Weaknesses
  • Opportunities
  • Threats

This analysis is quick and gives you a good sense of where you are at this point, where you are heading and how to make the most of every opportunity. Grab some paper and a pen (or sit down at your computer) and use this guide to get started. Here is a free worksheet to help you in this process.

 

Assess Your Strengths

Let’s start with the positive. Make a list of the strengths your business shows right now. They may be the same as pre-COVID-19, or they may be wildly different. Either way, be generous with your strengths. Include things like a great staff, dedicated customers, and your killer website or social media presence. The objective here is to get a good handle on all the things you have in your corner. Listing strengths helps affirm all the things that are going well. Put yourself in the shoes of a customer or staff member and consider your business from that perspective, as well. 

 

Consider Your Weaknesses

Next, make a list of the flaws you see in the business right now. Like the strengths, you may see faults that resemble what you saw before or a different set of disadvantages. It’s essential to create a complete and honest list but think big picture. Don’t include small issues that happen on a one-off basis, like a customer complaint or a minor hiccup. Don’t be overly critical. The goal here is to objectively consider areas of your business that could use some attention. A good list of weaknesses makes it easier to address any issues and solve for them going forward.

 

Identify Your Opportunities

Now, it’s time to look at your opportunities. The world has changed in the last six months, which likely means new opportunities have opened. The point of considering opportunities is to see new possibilities–both short and long-term options. You may see a long list of options right away. If you are struggling, that’s understandable. But, try to identify at least three opportunities on the horizon. Cast a wide net. Here are three ways to help frame your thinking:

  • Jot down the opportunities you have traditionally pursued if they are still viable. 
  • Consider what new avenues may be available for the future. You don’t need a plan to pursue the opportunity to list it–it’s ok just to see the prospect and note it. Planning to capitalize on the opportunity can come later.
  • Think of opportunities in many ways–perhaps you have a chance to hire a virtual staff member to bring in some expertise or reduce your workload or that of a team member.

Generating a list of possibilities will make you feel better about the future and start the wheels turning for new options in the future.

 

Outline Threats on the Horizon

Finally, write down the threats facing your business right now. I know–this can be scary. But, don’t be afraid to list the risks. Identifying them and committing them to paper won’t make them more likely to happen. Instead, looking at the list of risks can defang them a bit and make them feel more approachable. 

As you think about the threats, identify those you can control and those you can’t. For example, you can’t control what happens with the pandemic. But, you can make a staffing tweak that reduces the threat of staff turnover. List both in different categories to make them easier to assess.

 

Sample Worksheet

Here’s a worksheet to help you conduct your SWOT analysis. As you can see, it’s not fancy, but it serves as a good starting point for organizing your thoughts. You can also download one using the link above.

 

Products/Services            Staff               Marketing        General Environment
Strengths
Weaknesses
Opportunities
Threats (Use an * to denote threats outside of your control)

 

Final Tips Before You Get Started

Here are my best tips for conducting a successful exercise:

  • Do your initial thinking, then set it aside for a week. I find creating this space helps make the reflection more in-depth and more insightful.
  • After a week passes, revisit your work and write down your initial edits. 
  • Do this again over a few days before you start making plans to address what you uncover. 

Once complete, file your completed analysis. Review it in six months to see how things have changed and how much progress you’ve made. 

 

This is the Perfect Time to Conduct a SWOT Analysis

With so many things going on, spending an hour conducting a SWOT analysis may seem like a low priority item. But, this is a great way to look at your business with fresh eyes and consider how the future may unfold. I always find this process valuable, and I look forward to hearing what you learn. Send us an email and share your experiences. 

 

 

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October 5, 2020

How to Wow Your Audience with Amazing Blog Content

If you’re reading this, you understand the power of blogs. Blogs offer fun and interesting ways to learn new things, connect with others who share similar interests, and interact with your favorite personalities, brands, products, and services. 

As a business owner, entrepreneur, or mompreneur, blogs offer a fantastic opportunity to increase your online profile, share more about your business or area of expertise, and grow your brand. Some blogs are personal passion projects, and others are geared toward selling. But all great blogs have three things in common. They all:

  • Speak to a specific audience.
  • Are relevant and authentic.
  • Encourage action, discussion, or debate among readers.

If you have a blog or are thinking about starting a blog, these tips can help you take your blog to the next level.

 

Know Your Readers

Part of the magic of a blog is that it lets readers and writers connect in new ways. Thanks to the vastness of the internet, readers can find blogs on almost any topic imaginable. That same vastness means that your universe of potential readers is gigantic. Because your blog’s reach can easily exceed your customer base, the key to tapping this magic is finding the right readers for your blog. As a creator, this means that your blogs must be targeted to specific readers. 

When you create a business blog, you want your content to find the right people–those who might have an interest in your product, service, or business. To make sure your blog lands with the right audience, picture the reader before you start writing. Ask yourself what you want the reader to:

  • Know
  • Feel, and 
  • Do differently as a result of reading the blog.

The answer doesn’t have to be serious–many blogs are for fun or branding. Your answer can also be part of a goal, such as creating interest in a new product and converting a certain percentage of readers to buyers. Starting with the reader in mind makes it easier to write content that resonates with your readers and accomplishes your goals.

Like all communication, understanding your audience is vital. Think about what interests your audience, what drives them, and what moves them to act/buy. Consider spending some advertising or promotion dollars to help find your followers and make sure they see your content. A social media consultant can help you find and entice the right readers. (Hiremymom.com is a great place to find a freelance Social Media consultant.)

 

Write Relevant and Authentic Material

With your audience in mind, it’s time to start creating content. Here are some tips to help you start writing:

  • Determine what you want to say. Pick one topic for each blog. It’s tempting to try to put several ideas into one blog but stick to one. Once you start blogging, you’ll have plenty of opportunities to share all your content. And, sticking to one idea makes it easier on you as the writer and for your readers.
  • Make sure the content you are considering is relevant and authentic to your voice and your brand. When you write about things you know and care about, your expertise and enthusiasm shine through. 
  • Choose words, phrases, and an overall style that reflects you and your business. If you are blogging about decorating, a fun, breezy tone is probably the right fit. If you blog about estate planning or insurance, you likely want a style that shows more gravitas to help you establish credibility and reflects your expertise.
  • Add photos and graphics to create visual interest.
  • Use spell check and tools like Grammarly to make sure your blog is free of spelling or punctuation errors. You can use a free-level grammar check or purchase an annual subscription to help make all your writing sing. 

 

Need help writing?

Not everyone loves the process of blogging, but that doesn’t have to be a barrier to starting a blog that supports your business. If you don’t love writing or don’t have the time to do it well, consider hiring a ghostwriter. You share your ideas with a writer who then drafts your blog in your voice. You still get credit as the author while saving a lot of time. 

 

Invite Engagement

The best blogs make readers think and create engagement, measured through likes, comments, and discussion. So, be prepared to engage with your audience and have a conversation.

End each blog with a question for readers. Invite your readers to weigh in on the topic–whether they agree, disagree, or have experiences to share. Have a plan for responding to comments. Engagement is what keeps readers returning. You may even identify a staff member or hire a virtual assistant or social media consultant to take point on responses.

Blogging is a fun and rewarding way to grow your online presence. These tips can help you take your content from ho-hum to fantastic. Leave a comment sharing your experience with blogging.

 

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September 14, 2020

How to Handle a Negative Business Review

You and your team work hard everyday to make sure your customers get the best of your product and service. But, despite your best efforts, things are bound to go wrong sometimes and you may find yourself the recipient of a negative online business review. Let’s be clear: this stings. But, it can also be a catalyst for growth and discovery.

Here are some tips to manage a negative review with grace.

Remain Calm

It’s tough to receive (or read) negative feedback about you or your business. Give yourself some time to process and even cool down before you respond. Although you may want to fire off the first response that comes to mind, responding immediately may lead to a regrettable response that can make things worse. Taking a short walk, praying and/or talking with a friend or co-worker can help you decompress before responding. 

After you’ve had a minute to process your feelings, consider the feedback. Ask yourself:

  • Is this feedback actionable?
  • Is the complaint reasonable?
  • What helpful insight can I gather from this situation?
  • Is there an involved team member who I can talk with to get a fuller picture of what happened?

With facts gathered and nerves calmed, you are ready to respond. While responding too quickly can backfire, waiting too long to respond can also backfire. Online comments move quickly, so try to respond in a timely manner. This lets you intervene before the situation spirals to a new level.

 

Respond Professionally and Politely

The first step is to draft a response that is both professional and polite. Put the first draft into an email or a document instead of the platform where it will ultimately be posted. This lets you think and edit freely without the worry of someone seeing a version that’s not final. Your response should do four things:

  1. Establish your credibility to address the problem.
  2. Acknowledge that you saw the feedback and appreciate it. 
  3. Own the issue and apologize without going into unnecessary detail.
  4. Move the conversation offline to avoid a public spectacle.

Here’s a good base response that you can use:

@JaneSmith I’m the (title) at/of (insert business name). Thank you for your feedback about our service. We continually look for opportunities to improve and your insight helps. We are so sorry that XYZ happened to you. We always try to provide ABC and I’m disappointed to learn that we missed the mark. Please call or PM me so that I can help resolve this issue as soon as possible. 

Once you have a draft, ask someone less involved to review it for tone, accuracy, and clarity.

Tip: Consider hiring a freelance writer to draft a template library of responses to possible complaints. Having pre-drafted responses that you edit as needed can make responding to complaints faster and easier. You can find a writer to help with this on HireMyMom.

 

Avoid Common Pitfalls

You can avoid common mistakes by following this list of don’ts when you respond.

Don’t:

  • Attack the person who provided the feedback by questioning their motives or asking if the interaction was real. Remember this is not a personal attack, even if it feels like it. 
  • Recount the reviewers actions during the interaction that led to the complaint. For example, don’t say: “You were rude” or dispute what happened.
  • Suggest that the reviewer is wrong or minimize their complaint For example, avoid saying “I’m sorry you didn’t like that product, but everyone else does.”
  • Make comments that could be viewed as defensive. Avoid: “You are wrong. We ALWAYS do XYZ, we never do ABC, like this review states.”
  • Ignore the review. While it may be tempting to ignore a bad review, doing so can make you look out of touch. It’s better to address it in a constructive way.

 

Learn From the Feedback

Receiving a negative business review is challenging but it also offers a silver lining in the form of growth and improvement. After the passion has ebbed and your response is posted, consider if there are nuggets that can help you or your team improve in the future. Also, consider if your response made sense based on the situation and identify anything you might do differently next time.

 

Move On Quickly

You pour your heart and soul into your business and it’s never fun to get a negative review. But, it happens to everyone and it’s important not to dwell on the negative feedback. When you get a negative review, hold your head high, follow the tips outlined here, and see what you can learn from the experience. 

I’d love to hear your stories about responding to negative reviews. Drop me a line sharing your experiences.

 

 

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August 31, 2020

Which Time Tracking Software is Right for You and Your Remote Team?

Which time tracking software is right for you and your remote team?

Having an accurate time tracking system in place is crucial in order to successfully manage remote work. It’s one of the best ways to monitor your team’s progress, understand your productivity rates, and properly measure your KPI’s (Key Performance Indicators).

The three main reasons for time tracking are to gauge client work, to manage your remote team, and to help improve productivity and profitability.

This article covers the benefits of having a time tracking system in place plus our top 5 recommendations for time tracking software.

 

Benefits of Time Tracking For Remote Teams

Accountability

With remote work, it’s easy to become distracted. The freedom, though wonderful – can become a playground for bad habits to be developed (like going on your social media accounts when you should be working).

By using a time tracking software, you’ll be able to monitor your team’s time on and time off each task and catch any issues early on before they become much bigger ones. 

From the worker’s perspective, time tracking is a great way to help you keep to your schedule, stay on track with tasks from start to completion, and it gives you the chance to celebrate the wins and milestones of your job performance. 

It also gives you the confidence so that if your work were to ever come into question, you have a track record to explain the situation to the management department.

 

Project Management

The many offers of time tracking software make it easy to manage any project from virtually anywhere (or any device). Time tracking software contains many features that help you keep track of projects. From quick reports to visual dashboards that provide you with real-time project views, it’s easy to see everything in one place. 

It helps team leaders manage the projects within their team and provides the opportunity to make decisions about priorities, tasks, and project shifting at-a-glance.

 

Less Stress

Tight deadlines, misplaced files, uncertainty with team progress, and miscommunication can contribute to stress. Stress on the workers, the employer, and overall health of the company.

Time tracking software can do a pretty great job dealing with all of the above pain points. It helps you keep on track with due dates, can act as a hub for file tracking, provides team progress in a visual snapshot, and allows for stronger communication and clarity.

 

Cost-Efficient

There are many ways that a time tracking software can help the productivity and cost-efficiency of a company’s operations. It can eliminate wasted time that takes place in an office environment where employee socialization can steal from productivity. It can help monitor project progress and once completed, can help determine the baseline of tasks and their costs to create a better pricing structure for future clients/projects. Finally, because time tracking is automated, this can free up time on your management teams end which you can use towards other aspects of running your business.

 

5 Time Tracking Software for Remote Teams

Review our picks for time tracking software and evaluate (include pricing): 

Time Doctor

  • What it is: Time Doctor is a Software As A Service (also known as SaaS) platform which provides time tracking and productivity tools. It’s owned by the team at Staff.com and was founded in 2012. It has the ability to easily integrate with the most commonly used CRM systems.
  • What it does: Time Doctor provides time tracking and employee monitoring, online timesheets and payroll, project budgeting and management, distraction alerts, allows for screenshots, website and app monitoring, client login access, and more.
  • What it costs: Time Doctor offers a FREE 14-Day Trial with no credit card required. Packages range on a per user basis between $7 – $20 per month.

Wrike

  • What it is: Wrike is an online project management platform that provides a simple way to plan projects, streamline communication, and workflow. The company was founded in 2006 and has accomplished some noteworthy “street cred” including; 2020 TrustRadius Top Rated Award, 2019 and 2018 Customer’s Choice Awards, and is also mentioned as one of the Top Places to Work between from 2015 – 2019 consecutively.
  • What it does: Wrike offers task management, Gantt Charts, workflow management, task prioritization, workload views, custom reports, real-time activity, shareable dashboards, document collaboration, file sharing, real-time activity, custom calendar, and integration with calendars, dropbox, Google Docs and more.
  • What it costs: Wrike offers a Free Trial and plans ranging from $0 to $10/month per user. 

Clockify

  • What it is: Clockify is an attractive time tracking software because it’s the only software that is entirely FREE. There are no user restrictions, it’s simply free. But there must be a catch right? Clockify does charge to upgrade and allow for additional features. The additional features do make it hard to resist. Clockify was founded in 2009 and has over 2 million users, over 100 employees, and a substantial amount of glowing reviews.
  • What it does: Some features that Clockify offers include timesheets, time-off tracking, hourly rates, real-time tracking, time reports, multiple users, exports and share reports, and more.
  • What it costs: Clockify is FREE and their plans start at $0 per month and range up to $29.99/month with a combination of user and/or flat-fee pricing depending on the package you select.

Toggl

  • What it is: Toggl is an app for time tracking. It allows you to track your activities on a daily basis across different platforms. It gives you detailed insights so you can identify the areas you need to improve on.
  • What it does: Toggl offers a way to easily organize your team through their 3-Stage Hierarchy, provide a continuous backup of data, offer no signup or termination fees, allows for easy integration with FreshBooks, Basecamp and more. It provides real-time synchronization between web apps, desktop apps, phone apps, and more. Because Toggl is open source, it allows accessibility users need to build different third party integrations into it.
  • What it costs: Just like it’s competitors, Toggl provides a Free Trial with plans ranging from $10 to $20/month per user with Enterprise Packages for more complex situations.

Harvest

  • What it is: Harvest is a cloud-based time tracking software. It is built to handle small to large-scale businesses. It has invoicing and timesheet features. Harvest was founded in 2006 by Danny Wen and Shawn Liu who were looking for their own ways to solve some of their growing web design studio pain points. 
  • What it does: Harvest features time and expense tracking, invoicing, expense tracking, time-based reporting, and more.
  • What it costs: Harvest is free to try with no credit card required. The free trial includes 1 user and 2 projects. After the Free Trial, Harvest is $12 per user. 

 

We hope you’ve found this article helpful. You also might like our “How To Effectively and Successfully Manage Your Remote Team” here. 

 

This site contains affiliate links to courses and resources. We may receive a commission for purchases made through these links.

 

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