VA's are NOT Band-Aids for your business

Your income has been consistently increasing and you're ready to hire a virtual assistant (VA) for continual work.        

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Go you! It's your birthday! Go you!

In the online world this can be a badge of honor. You hire your first long-term assistant and you start to feel like a real GIRL BOSS. You have a team and are checking off your accomplishments for the year.

Then you meet with your VA for the first time, you feel like you were given a final exam for Neurosurgery 505. ​

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She asked you for everything but your mother's maiden name and if you aren't using LastPass she may need your mother's maiden name.

You tell her you'll get everything she needs before she starts.  

Now here you are this gorgeous GIRL BOSS trying to slap an ugly bandaid on your business and your lovely new VA calls you out on every inconsistency and flaw of your business. And if she doesn't say it to you, she's telling all her VA girlfriends about you.  

From the outside looking in your business is ideal. You are the IT girl in your industry. And now you have someone looking at all your skeletons in your chaotic biz closet.  This was not what you signed up for. Think about this, If you go into something as serious as surgery, you would want the doctor to be prepared with more than band-aids right?

Of course! So just hiring a VA will not instantly transform your business. There’s some prep work to be done on your part.

Help yourself and your future VA out today! Get your business out of your head. You do not want to be a one woman show.

I'll repeat you do not want to be a one woman show!

This will cripple your creativity and drain your energy.

Here's 3 things you can do today:

1. Sign up for LastPass, seriously it's $12 a year for the paid version and saves you the headache of changing passwords when you need to bring someone on.

2. Get a piece of a paper and WRITE down everything that you do in your business. Spoiler Alert: a business that lives in your head does not have the full capabilities to flourish.

3. On another piece of paper, fold the paper into fourths. Look at the previous paper and now put those tasks into the following categories:

1. Tasks only you can do (your expertise)
2. Tasks you are okay at doing
3. Tasks that take you aren't that good at and(or) hate doing
4. Tasks that take you forever and (or) you just don't know how to do effectively.

3.1. Add these lists to Evernote so you will have them on hand when you write up your job description.

{Tele-seminar} Self-Care for Solopreneurs

Join me for Self-Care for chic + savvy solopreneur women tele -seminar.

December 11, 2014 @ 8PM EST

I’m going to show you the importance of self-care and how it impacts your business, the three pillars of self-care, and how to make time for self-care during stressful times.

Flash Back Friday: [Solopreneur Edition] Six & Savvy

Flashback Fridays: taking a walk back in my entrepreneurial past.

You know how they say some people are born to be entrepreneurs. I never thought that about myself. Looking back though there are many factors that connect the dots & create a picture of the entrepreneurial dream.

Technically I was the only child. My sister and I are 13 years apart. I'm the youngest.

I had a lot of free time to myself.

My mamar had a nice perfume collection. I would spray and spray the various smells until I couldn't breathe. My mama would fuss, but I didn't mind, I was busy creating.

I would pretend that I was a superstar and I was going to an event and everyone couldn't keep their eyes off of me and were lured to me by my perfume.

I started spraying the mixes into old crayola water color paint containers. I would take them to school and sell them. One day my mama locked me out of her room. She said she was tired of me stealing her things and blah blah blah.

She locked me out of my warehouse.

Mama killed production with that.

By this point I was selling to other classrooms [remember elementary students don’t interact with other classes often].

THIS WAS BIG.

I had even had customers at my after school care program. Different aged kids at different schools too. .

I wasn't ready to close shop. The internet wasn't around yet, so I couldn’t go to google for answers.  

I found everything in my house that smelt good by the slightest. Mixing and mixing and the matches just weren't right.

I was nearing a dead end, and then it came to me: buy your own supplies.

I went to the craft store and got mini bottles. I purchased alcohol, essential oils, and baby powder. We’re not even going to talk about the powder.

I was back in business. I was selling the paint pots at school and aftercare during the week. On Saturdays I would set up shop up the neighborhood and sell the bigger bottles.

I was six and a savvy solopreneur !

Pink Lemonade Stand: Fostering Entrepreneurship in Girls

When you think of summer you think of children playing outdoors, vacations, barbecues, and generally a good time! At least I know I do. Many people think refreshing sweet tea and fresh lemonade. 

Mid winter I wanted fresh lemonade and thought how I would have the Diva groups start lemonade stands. Then I thought teach them to truly create a lemonade stand or whatever their creative minds can conjure up. An idea was born...

I am hosting a virtual Lemonade Stand for young girls next month through my nonprofit organization, Divas, Inc. It's fostering entrepreneurship in young girls and those young girls at hearts. 

We are in a choose yourself era, where you can make your dreams come true. You don't have to wait for someone to discover how amazing you are. You discover how amazing you are and you act on it. You create the things that you want and dream of, instead of PASSIVELY waiting. 

There are sooooo many gatekeepers and naysayers that prevent people from believing in themselves. There used to be a time when people had to convince others to believe in them, but these days people don't even believe in themselves. 

Societies and parents are on auto repeat "go to school, make good grades, and go to college." Even though it's proving that college degrees aren't keeping these student from being under-employed and on the long list of the unemployed. I will applaud the efforts to encourage girls to explore fields that have been traditionally considered male jobs. I'm all for furthering your education if thats what YOU want to do. 

However, I still rarely see girls being encouraged to be entrepreneurs. The purpose of the workshop is truly to encourage creativity and belief that if they dream big and work towards an established goal...they can make it happen. The event is open to girls 5 years old to 17 years old. We will create, have fun, create some more, chit chat, create and cultivate dream(ers). 

I have solicited local positive female entrepreneurs to assist with the activities and empowerment. I will keep you updated.  

How are you choosing yourself?

Phenomenal Fridays featuring Own Your Sole

Phenomenal Fridays- highlighting phenomenal females who took the leap of faith towards their passions and life’s purpose.

I interviewed Stephanie Cook owner of Own Your Sole. She was gracious enough to share how adversity pushed her passion into profit.

1.)    Tell me a little about yourself and your company.

My name is Stephanie Cook I am a 32 year old native of Newport News , Va. I am the Owner of Own Your Sole shoetique. I started my company after I was laid off from my job of 7 years. I had always wanted to start my own business but this was the push I needed.

2.)    What challenges do you think you face for being a woman in your field?

The biggest challenge I face is making my brand bigger than my competition. However nothing great comes easy. So, I believe my time will come when God sees fit.

3.)    What advice do you have for any woman considering starting her own brand/business?

The only advice I have is Do It. There is no better feeling than to see your hard work and dedication appreciated.

4.)    Have you ever dealt with self-doubt regarding your company?

Absolutely, I have doubts every day . This is new to me; I am totally out of my comfort zone. I am learning that speaking positive things into the universe makes every doubt disappear

5.)    What's your daily mantra?

Today I choose my greatness. Today I will own my greatness and play big.

Be sure to check out Own Your Sole for the flyest shoes! Sign up for the mailing list to be informed of specials and pre-orders.

instagram - ownyoursole

facebook - facebook.com/ownyoursole

website - www.ownyoursole.com

email - ownyoursole@gmail.com

If you are interested in being featured or know a beautiful woman that should be featured, email me directly kimber@kimberleeonline.com.

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