Virtual Business Manager, Sara Speicher has seen first-hand how overwhelm impacts the growth of small businesses. Speicher recalls the incident that started her on a new career path: “Years ago, when I was still an employee, my boss wanted to take his successful small business to the next level, so he hired a team of marketing consultants. They conducted interviews with employees, reviewed current marketing activities, numbers, etc. Then they returned quite a few weeks later with a two-hour PowerPoint presentation and a booklet. They dissected every aspect of the business, encouraged the owner to discontinue quite a few services and provided a list of recommendations. What happened was, the business owner was so overwhelmed that eventually that booklet ended up in the bottom of a drawer. It was like flushing thousands, if not tens of thousands, of dollars down the drain.”
That’s when Speicher made a promise to herself, “At that point, I remember saying to myself that when I was in a position to consult, I will also make sure I can be there for the clients to guide them through implementing all the changes or to simply provide the service for them.” Today, she owns VBM Pro, a service that provides Virtual Business Managers to help entrepreneurs battle the overwhelm that can impede growth. “We consult (provide recommendations, devise strategies, plans, templates, etc.); we act as accountability partners when our clients want to do the work on their own; and we provide hands-on, done-for-you services so our clients can focus on their strengths, revenue-generating activities, and their lives.”
“You (Entrepreneurs) have every opportunity to make it happen, to reach your goals, live your dreams…but doing so successfully will require a lot of focus, discipline, confidence and a team.” Jack Welch, former CEO of General Electric and Executive Chairman of Strayer University’s Jack Welch Management Institute, echoes Speicher’s statements. Welch credits his feat of increasing GE’s value by 4000% during his tenure as CEO to his ability to leverage other people’s knowledge and skills, “My main job was developing talent. I was a gardener providing water and other nourishment to our top people.”
Speicher explains how partnering with a Virtual Business Manager can help businesses become more valuable: “Remember, as an entrepreneur, you only make money when you make sales and perform billable activities. Let’s say you currently talk to ten prospects per month and close three of them which translates into $15,000 in sales per month. You could double, triple or even quadruple your revenues if you had ten sales conversations per week. And you can when you free up your time by delegating.”
Speicher’s advice to entrepreneurs facing overwhelm, “So, take a look across all of your activities to determine what are the things you love doing, are great at, and are getting paid for and what are the ones you simply hate? Where and how is your time spent? Where does the money come from? How do you see yourself in a few months, a year, 3, 5, 10? What role does your business play in this? Take action across all these things to determine what kind of assistant would be the most helpful to you in the short-as well as the long-run.
In the beginning, you should consider hiring a virtual assistant to minimize your expenses, compared to hiring an employee. You can find highly qualified and experienced assistants. Their rates vary significantly. Do your research before you hire, and instead of their rates, focus on the value they will create for you.”
Speicher’s advice isn’t just theory. It’s proven extremely effective for VBM Pro clients. One client wrote, “Sara has been a huge help in setting up my new coaching business. Her knowledge, understanding and professionalism have given me great comfort as I was navigating the seas of social media, website management and business strategies. Sara’s honesty and authenticity are some of the refreshing and motivating ingredients, I as a starting entrepreneur, really value, ” says Julika von Stackelberg, a Parenting Coach, Speaker, Founder of Empowering Generations Through Peaceful Parenting.
Author Vanessa Simpkins says, “Sara has been my virtual business manager since 2012 and hiring her to manage my social media and blog was the smartest thing I ever did for my business and my sanity! I trust Sara implicitly and I cannot say that about anyone else when it comes to my business.”
Sara is a co-author of the new book, “BOLD Helping You Unleash The Hero Within” with 12 other BOLD authors including Les Brown and Melissa Krivachek. the book will be available on Amazon.com, September 3rd, 2014.
To find out more about what a Virtual Business Manager can increase business growth and how to get started with one, readers should visit: http://www.vmbpro.com.