Starting a business can be very stressful, specially when you are doing it all by yourself. We may not have been aware of all the other aspects of business on top of our offerings/services and may not be ready for them!
Don't get me wrong, it is possible to learn and manage all aspects of your small business by yourself.
But this can take away time from your passion - the very reason you started your business - to doing other aspects of your business that you may not be confident in doing. Specially since usually these things require some amount of specialty and understanding in order to manage them.
For example, book-keeping and administrative customer care can take a whole lot of time and not a small amount of knowledge. While we might want to manage everything, it is worth to outsource these tasks to an administrative assistant or virtual assistant who understands our heart-centered business and has a feel for the industry.
Let me introduce you to Emily Hartman. Emily has kindly written a blog for us to shed light and instill confidence to outsource.
Have a read of 4 areas of business that an Administrative Assistant like Emily can help you with!
If you have taken the leap into yoga entrepreneurship, congratulations!
Because I know you do this already, let’s take a moment to pause and reflect.
How are you feeling? If you are teaching in studios, how many locations are you balancing? Have you connected with your personal brand so that you are able to stay aligned with who you are at each studio? If you are teaching hybrid or have a mostly online presence, what spaces are you showing up in? Are you on social media, do you have your website set up?
It is so common for entrepreneurs to start a business based on their passions, only to find themselves not working on their passions at all, but balancing all the administrative tasks that it takes to keep the business running.
The options for getting help with these tasks in your business are endless, but let’s talk about 4 important ways in which outsourcing can create exponential success in your business.
If you haven’t quite made the decision to start your business, these tips will give you something to consider while you are in the planning stages.
1. Customer Care
You are a yoga professional. You care deeply about your customers. However, your greatest impact is made when you are sharing your love of yoga or helping a student move functionally through pain or teaching how to simply sit and observe the breath for a few moments. The gifts and time you want to give are cut short when you are your own customer service representative, trying to track down a subscriber’s login information, sending monthly payment confirmations, and keeping your email inbox at 0.
You can get help with these tasks!
Look for a “virtual assistant” (VA) or “administrative assistant.” These are professionals who likely have a business of their own completely centered around helping you focus your energy on your passion, not on your administrative to-do list. You can even find assistants who have a niche in helping yoga and wellness professionals, so you can feel like your business is in good hands.
Here are some things you might want to ask for help within the customer care realm:
Customer profile management (logins, payments, subscriptions).
Email management and organization. Yes, your assistant can reply to FAQ emails and they can pass more involved questions on to you.
Email list management. Your assistant can help you build your email list, which is great exposure for your services. They can also organize or create your newsletter and other updates to engage with your email list.
2. Social Media Management
Nearly 30% of global ad revenue came from social media in 2020. In fact, social media ad revenue grew 12% even in the midst of a global pandemic. Social media can be an incredible tool for your business, but it is also time-consuming. If you are looking to reach more people and establish more engagement with your audience, a VA can help you.
Each social media platform (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, TikTok, etc…) has its own algorithm to determine which profiles are shared where and when. A VA will likely know these algorithms and will help you reach more people while you stay connected with your mission and vision.
Social media management could include:
Engaging with followers by ensuring a response to each and every comment and direct message.
Engaging with other users by commenting and liking posts.
Scheduling when and where to post your content.
Assisting in creating content.
3. Templating
Maybe you love creating content, but just wish it took one hour less of your time. Hiring a VA to create a batch of templates for any and all of your social media platforms can allow you to swiftly add your content to a pre-crafted post so that you don’t have to spend time teaching yourself how to be a graphic designer, unless you’re in to that.
Have you done the work to create a brand that helps convey and embody your message? Your assistant can ensure that each and every one of your templates and posts are aligned with this brand by having the appropriate color schemes, typefaces, and layouts.
Useful instances in which to create templates may be:
Call to Action story sequences for Instagram.
Facebook feed posts.
Pinterest Pins. (Did you know that you can create 5-8 Pins based on one blog post, YouTube video, or newsletter!?)
4. Bookkeeping
If balancing spreadsheets and tracking your income and expenses feels draining, you are not alone! Yep, you can outsource your accounting and bookkeeping tasks too!
Whether or not you have selected a program to work with like QuickBooks or PayPal, a VA can help you stay organized and in charge of your business financials. Depending on your comfort level, your assistant could help you:
Create and send invoices.
Maintain a log of income and expenses.
Organize and track documents needed for tax purposes.
Do not doubt that you are capable of flourishing in your new or evolving yoga business.
You can learn and do all the things. It is also ok to ask for help so that you can focus your energy on what you are passionate about and continue to share your love of yoga and wellness!
Also, keep in mind that the 4 service topics above are only a few that you can find assistance with. There are so many opportunities for outsourcing and as the owner of your brand, you get to make a very tailored and detailed list about what specific tasks you need help with and how frequently you need assistance with these tasks.
Reach out!
Emily can help you gain a better understanding of your business! Don't hesitate to reach out with your needs; she can help with an estimate of services she provides.
Send her an email at emily@ehadminsolutions.com and check out some client testimonials on her website: www.ehadminsolutions.com
Your Branding Task: List the activities you do for your business.
For example:
Coming up with / shooting classes
Writing courses
Making content for social media
Scheduling content uploads
Bookkeeping
Etc. etc. etc.
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