| One of the biggest mistakes most small business | | | | would increase because they would have more |
| owners make is spending too much time working | | | | time to spend growing the business. |
| in their business instead of on their business. | | | | The reality is, you really don't have to go out and |
| Michael Gerber, author of The E-Myth, correctly | | | | hire a full time assistant. These days you can find |
| stated "Most entrepreneurs are merely technicians | | | | "virtual assistants" or VA's who will only charge |
| with an entrepreneurial seizure". They get stuck | | | | for blocks of time. For example, I've hired a VA in |
| doing daily activities or what I call "low priority | | | | the past to do 12 hours a week for me. This |
| tasks". Low priority tasks don't really contribute | | | | included tasks like inputting new leads into an |
| directly to increasing the bottom line, but they are | | | | online database, designing and sending our |
| things that usually need to get done like sending | | | | postcards to prospects and clients, and adding |
| out emails or postcards to customers, ordering | | | | content the website. |
| supplies, working on your website, or sometimes | | | | I also hired a VA to make follow up phone calls |
| even making courtesy phone calls. These can be | | | | for me after I had mailed out a big promotion. |
| important tasks, but are not always priorities. | | | | You can usually find virtual assistants through sites |
| Priorities for you as a business owner should be | | | | like You might even want to search in your area. |
| focused always on growing your business- | | | | Even if I find them online, I usually contact them |
| increasing customers and the frequency of their | | | | by phone to interview them and make sure they |
| purchases. This means that most of your time | | | | have the qualifications I'm looking for. A good VA |
| outside of doing quality work should be focused | | | | will charge about $18-$20 per hour, but many |
| on marketing. | | | | times if you buy blocks of time each week and |
| Outsourcing Your "Low Priority Work" The biggest | | | | sign a 3 month contract, you can get a better |
| response that I'll get back from making a | | | | price. |
| statement like this is - "That sounds great, but I | | | | If you can invest just 10 hours a week for a VA |
| can't afford to hire an office assistant to do all of | | | | to take care of those smaller responsibilities, it will |
| these smaller tasks." When you think about it, it's | | | | free you up to focus on the most important |
| really a "catch 22". The cycle keeps going. A small | | | | aspect of your business - growing your customer |
| business owner believes they can't afford to hire | | | | base. |
| someone, even though if they did, the business | | | | |
