Category: business management

I’m sure you have heard of the job title executive assistant (EA) before. Maybe in context with many other job titles such as personal assistant and administrative assistant. So what exactly is an executive assistant?

Executive assistants are professionals who have experience with project management and administrative tasks. They’re the go-to person who works closely with upper and senior management at a company to manage their calendar and schedules.

They are upper management’s right-hand assistants! 

When you’re working as the right-hand person for a CEO, or senior company team members, you’re responsible for them “working at their most optimal level.”  Your job is to keep them moving and have everything they need to be fully efficient at their fast and busy level.

EAs are organized, quick on their feet, have thick skin, and should know the in’s and out’s of the company they work for. So what exactly do they do?

The job description for an EA will always be specific to whatever company is employing the EA. Typical duties, however, will include scheduling and handling everything on the executive’s calendar. Consider executive assistants the gatekeepers of an executive’s time.

Here is a list of common responsibilities:

• Act as the point of contact among executives, employees, clients and other external partners
• Manage information flow in a timely and accurate manner
• Manage executives’ calendars and set up meetings
• Make travel and accommodation arrangements
• Document daily expenses and prepare weekly, monthly or quarterly reports
• Format information for internal and external communication – memos, emails, presentations, reports
• Take minutes during meetings
• Screen and direct phone calls and distribute correspondence
• Organize and maintain the company’s online filing system

Typical skills and requirements:

• Work experience as an Executive Assistant, Personal Assistant or similar role
• Excellent MS Office knowledge
• Outstanding organizational and time management skills
• Familiarity with office software and applications 
• Excellent verbal and written communications skills
• Discretion and confidentiality

EAs are usually expected to work independently on certain tasks or projects over a given period of time. As such, being able to multitask and stay on track are key qualifiers.

At Life by Design Staffing Solutions we have a team of expert Executive Assistants that come from a diverse background of industries. We are skilled at matching the right freelancer for you and your business.

Interested in learning more about how we can help you grow your business? Head to our website:

https://lifebydesignvs.com/getstarted/

Project managers (PM) play a critical role in any business, though that role can be hard to define and easy to underestimate. Most companies wait too long to hire a project manager because it seems unnecessary and find out too late that it is, in fact, necessary for company growth. As a new or growing business, how can you identify when you need to hire a project manager? 

Are you struggling to keep track of project details? 

Are you having problems with delegating project tasks and managing your team?

How about your team? Are they staying motivated and on task?

Any of these questions resonating with you? Yes?

You might consider hiring a project manager.

How can a project manager help your team?

• With planning, an essential and crucial element of any project. Project management ensures setting proper expectations about what can be delivered, by when, and for how much. They negotiate reasonable and achievable deadlines and milestones. They will define and clarify project scope, develop the project plan, outline the project schedule, and create policies and procedures to support the achievement of the project objectives.

• With organization, a PM sets up the project team’s structure so the plan created during the planning phase can be executed effectively. The project manager organizes projects into phases and task lists. They assign tasks to people and get status reports so everyone knows they are on time and under budget. Project managers know where each piece of the project is and where it is going next to ensure that all components are moving through the workflow in a timely manner. 

• With communication, a PM ensures all communication lines are open. This helps ensure the project is headed in the right direction. Having a central communications person decreases confusion and increases accuracy, a crucial component of any project!

Project managers require a variety of hard and soft skills. They need to have experience with many different types of projects and people in different industries.

When looking to hire a project manager, look out for these crucial skills:

• They listen carefully.
• Able to plan large scopes of work as well as schedule daily tasks.
• Excels at prioritizing the tasks at hand.
• They practice creative problem solving.
• Can identify and manage project risk.
• Will provide helpful feedback to clients and production teams.
• Able to lead teams to success.
• They are interested in upskilling and continuing to keep learning and growing. 

It’s not always feasible to hire an in-house dedicated project manager. Even part-time, a project manager can be a costly hire. So, consider hiring a freelance PM to fill your needs. A freelance project manager has all the same skills and experience as an in-house PM, but at a noticeable price cut. They are flexible, affordable and easy to hire. 

Whichever project management style works best for your company, our team at Life by Design Virtual Solutions can help!

https://lifebydesignvs.com/

Recruiting and hiring are crucial parts of any business, you need to make sure you are hiring the right person for your company.

Maybe you are struggling to fill a specific role, or you have a lot of positions to fill and little time, or you just can’t afford to hire an in-house recruitment team. Whatever your reason is, getting outside help will help you get the job done effectively and efficiently. 

Whether you are a small business or a larger one outsourcing – recruiting means your team can get on-demand support. 

So how can outsourcing the hiring process benefit your company? 

First of all, it can save you money. How, you ask. Just like many freelancers, external recruiters are only helping you when there is a need. Compared to a full-time in-house employee, this can save you a significant amount of money.

Recruitment costs can also include advertising, online job boards, tools, and software. The costs can add up. When you outsource, you only have one cost to worry about – paying your external partner.

Secondly, outsourcing saves you time. Hiring can take up a lot of your time. Writing the job description, advertising, sourcing, vetting, following up, and interviewing are all time-consuming tasks. By delegating the entire process or parts of it, to an experienced recruiting freelancer or recruiting agency, you are saving time. 

When you know a professional is focusing on these tasks, you can use your time to focus on other important parts of your business, like scaling up. You can save a lot of time on some tasks where you don’t have the expertise (e.g. sourcing) but still participate in interviews where your point of view is valuable or be part of the final interview after an initial vetting interview. This gives you the best of both worlds: control over the process and saving time. Win-Win.

Thirdly, you can accelerate the hiring process by outsourcing because the external recruiter is focusing on finding you the right candidate. Finding the right candidate can sometimes take one to two months! Now, what if you are growing quickly and need to hire many new employees at once? This can become an all-consuming task. Outsource! External recruiters can effectively and efficiently advertise, source, vet, and interview candidates for you. What if you are hiring for a completely new role within your company? Outsource to an experienced recruiter who has hired for this role before. Utilize their expertise for efficiency and effectiveness.

When you choose to outsource, not only are you taking the hiring duties off your shoulders but also the shoulders of other employees or departments. This means that you and your co-workers can fully focus on what you do best and not spread yourself too thin.

Generally speaking, outsourcing certain tasks of your business to qualified experienced freelancers or agencies will save you time, money, and stress. To learn more about outsourcing for your business, reach out to Life By Design Virtual Solutions. www.lifebydesignvs.com

The start of a brand-new year is upon us. Many of us are starting the year off with renewed goals of health and wellness. This is not just about losing a few pounds, hitting the gym a little more or watching what you eat. This includes overall well-being and that involves those who you work closely with. Your employees and co-workers. 

So, what can leaders like you do to support your co-workers? Here are four ways you can make 2023 the healthiest year yet for your team.

• Create a “people first” work environment. Work-life balance, that’s all we hear about these days. Well, there is a reason why. People are realizing that the past workaholic culture of the United States just isn’t sustainable. Hustle culture is being replaced by a work culture that respects and nourishes its employees. So make sure you are evolving along with an evolving work culture. How? Offering flexibility and compassion whenever possible can help reduce work-related stress. Realize that your team has family and friends that are important outside of work.
  
• Ask how your team members are doing. When was the last time you actually inquired about an employee’s well-being? Physical and emotional. Setting up a time to check in and discuss how you can support them will help each person feel seen and cared for. Make sure to carve out time beyond your regular working meetings. Even a short conversation can make a big difference.

• Encourage teamwork. Research shows that collaborative problem-solving leads to better outcomes. People are more likely to take calculated risks that lead to innovation if they have the support of a team behind them. Working in a team encourages personal growth, increases job satisfaction, and reduces stress. It’s the foundation on which successful businesses are built.

• Recognize and celebrate wins! Recognition is an important driver of psychological wellness. Taking the time to recognize good work will make your people feel appreciated. This also incentivizes employees to continue to work hard and reinforces the impact of all they do. Doing so builds camaraderie, acts as an incentive for the next round of work and reinforces the teamwork you’ve already built. A little bit goes a long way.

• As more research and evidence are released surrounding the links between mental health and happiness and productivity in the workplace, it’s important to ensure you’re actively cultivating a space and culture where employees are motivated to come to work get the job done.

Interested in what we do at Life By Design Virtual Solutions? Reach out here www.lifebydesignvs.com to talk to one of our trained freelancers. 

“How do I stay focused on work during the holidays?”

If you are working from home, this adds an extra challenge, posing the question:

“How can I stay home and stay focused at work?”

Even though it is one of the most wonderful times of the year, the holidays can be a productivity killer. So how can you balance celebrating the season while keeping productivity high? Here are 5 tips on how to stay productive during the busy holiday season. 

Plan

Make a to-do list of your priorities, estimate the time it will take you to finish each assignment, block time in your calendar for these assignments, and then start your work. Stick with your plan, it will help you stay on the right track. 

Don’t over commit

Saying “yes” to all requests while at work during the holidays only sets you up for failure –  given that you’re probably having trouble concentrating in the first place.

So, be selective with what you take on – list all your work, and decide what are your most important and most urgent tasks and goals for this time period. You don’t have to do everything that comes your way. 

While you may enjoy being the social planner and party decorator. The right way to embrace the holidays is not by fully surrendering to the preparation of festivities, the partying and decoration. Let someone else take the lead. 

You can still be helpful and participate in the celebrations, but remember that your time is valuable too. Especially if you will have to face specific end-of-year deadlines, the holiday spirit can easily be replaced by anxiety when deadlines loom.

Ask your loved ones to respect your work hours

Working while your loved ones are planning festive get-togethers means you’re bound to get caught in at least some of the logistical problems. To make sure you get quality work done, you’ll need to explain that you won’t be able to help your loved ones as much as you would like. Be clear on the times of day you won’t be able to answer their calls and requests – and instruct them how to reach you if there’s an absolute emergency.

Avoid multitasking

The number one biggest distractor during the festive season? Personal holiday errands. So don’t bring them to work. While you are at work, or during your work hours (those of you who work from home.) don’t shop, organize parties or do travel planning. Keep it work related.

Be flexible

Can you start your day earlier sometimes? That way you can leave earlier to run holiday related errands or bake cookies for your kids school holiday party. 

Can you take a few days off? If you have a couple of vacation days left, use them to do some holiday shopping and spend some quality time with your family and friends. This way, you’ll feel at least a little bit refreshed and recharged when you go back to the office, and thus more likely to focus on work in a productive manner.

Staying focused on work during the holidays isn’t  impossible – it just takes some planning and discipline. If you follow these tips, you’ll be certain to have both enough focus for your work and enough time to take in at least some of the holiday spirit.

Happy holidays everyone and share this post with your friends and family who might benefit from these holiday tips! 

First of all, what is a lead?

A lead is someone who is interested in your product, service, or business. A person shows interest by submitting personal information to get a freebie, signs up for a trial, or subscribes to your content. This person is a lead. 

There are two types of leads, outbound leads and inbound leads, and both are important for growing your business. 

An outbound lead is someone who doesn’t know about your business yet, but you want them to know about it. The best way to get people to know about your business is to reach out to those potential customers, interest them in your product/services, and explain what you do and how you can help them. This is where a virtual assistant (VA) comes in. You can delegate some outbound lead generation tasks to VA’s!

4 Outbound lead generation tasks you can delegate.

1. Cold calling- When hiring a VA for cold calling, make sure they are well versed in your business or industry. Give them a script and tight parameters to ensure they have the tools they need to do the job well. 
2. Cold emailing- Any VA should have experience writing emails and setting up campaigns. This is a great task to outsource to your VA. Just make sure they are on brand and in your voice. 
3. Social selling- Social selling allows your business to zero in on business prospects on social media and build rapport with a network of potential leads. Done right, social selling could potentially replace the dreaded practice of cold calling.
4. Data collection- This is an easy one. Once you have reached out to a potential customer, you will collect information about them, such as their contact information. Have your VA compile all the data for your leads into an organized spreadsheet for future use. 

Alternatively, inbound leads come to you through your social media, website, or blog. They find you through SEO keywords or even word of mouth.  

Managing inbound leads is time consuming. Getting people’s attention, especially on the internet, is very competitive. In order to attract clients, you need to understand what a potential consumer needs or what their pain points are. You have to study that, write copy and make graphics that portray their needs and how you are the business that offers a solution! And ultimately, get them to you with a CTA! Phew. 

These things take up a lot of time–time that you could be spending on other tasks, like developing your product or expanding your team.

6 Inbound lead generation tasks your VA can handle for you.

1. Content creation- Definitely hire a VA for this. Content creation is time- consuming, but ultimately, not terribly difficult. Allow your VA access to your previous content, logos, and brand kits. Have them create content with your voice. This content can be used on all social media platforms, marketing campaigns, blogs etc. 
2. Social media management- Many businesses will offload the entirety of their social media to a VA. This VA can create content, come up with a social media strategy, schedule out social media to a variety of platforms, and engage with your customer base, so you don’t have to!
3. Email marketing- Hire a VA to help you with creating and sending email campaigns.
4. Basic SEO– Many VA’s are well versed in SEO, which is important to consider in our social media driven marketing world, and take advantage of their skills.
5. Basic marketing research- You most likely don’t have time to research potential leads and your competition. A VA is a perfect person to spend the hours needed nurturing leads and seeing what your competition is doing. What is working for them and what isn’t? Your VA can help you find out. 
6. Graphic design- There are a variety of software options available now for graphic design that don’t require a bachelor’s degree in graphic design to navigate. A VA can create and edit graphics for you to use in various areas of your marketing. 

In conclusion, businesses should have inbound and outbound lead generation as part of their sales and marketing efforts. It’s a process that begins with generating awareness about your product or service and ends with converting leads into customers, which involves dozens of smaller activities that you simply have no time for.

That’s why many businesses delegate their inbound and outbound lead generation to a VA. It’s more efficient and cost-effective to hire someone to fill your sales pipeline with interested leads. 

And when you have a VA to help you with generating leads, they can also help with other tasks, like social media management and email campaigns.

Think about it this way: would you rather spend hours trying to generate leads yourself or use that time to work on high-level tasks that only you can do? If you want to focus on growing your business, then lead generation is best left to a virtual assistant. 

Are you interested in learning more about our virtual assistant services at Life By Design Virtual Solutions? Check out our website here https://lifebydesignvs.com/. Let us do the busy work, so you can get back to doing what you love.