Able Virtual Assistant

10/31/2024

I am posting this Halloween quilt I made because it's Halloween today and the best way to share the day with everybody not local to me.

09/18/2024

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/three-filing-tips-able-virtual-assistant-lnfvc

My dad ran a one-man construction company, and his bookkeeping system was..

09/12/2024

Adjust outdated processes as your business evolves

As a small business owner or solo professional, you’ve got many processes and procedures in place, not to mention lots of outwardly facing marketing things, like your LinkedIn profile and your web site.

Over time, it’s easy to look at them, without really seeing them. That can be a problem, particularly as your business evolves. With that in mind, here are three ways I keep a fresh eye on my work:

Question past decisions. Decisions we made about how to do something 3 or 5 years ago may no longer apply today. Better software solutions are invented all the time. Maybe your business focus has shifted. Or, maybe, there is an easier, less expensive solution available now.

Look closely at the parts of your business that are right in front of you. The other day, a friend noticed a typo in her email newsletter that had literally been there for years – how could that happen?

To avoid this, I suggest you do a scan of the parts of your business you may be taking for granted. If you’re about to give a presentation you’ve given many times already, review it closely one more time. Look at your website – every page – and make sure all the buttons and links your potential clients might be clicking are working as they should.

Know that the buck stops with you. I’ve heard many times from solo-professionals: “I don’t know how that works, so and so set it up for me.” That’s fine, I don’t expect you to know how the technology was set up, let alone how to make modifications to it. But it is critical to check the work you outsource and make sure you understand what is supposed to happen when. Then document it, so you can look back later on and check again!

It’s easy to fall into a comfortable groove when running your own business. That can be a good thing; just make sure your eyes remain wide open!

08/30/2024

Ways To Hack Time Management

08/21/2024

Delegating Can Make a Big Difference

My dad grew up on a farm and moved to town when he got married. For the entire time I knew him he had a gigantic garden. I mean, in our backyard, in a farmer's field, and on another secondary lot. The man loved growing things.

I adopted that mentality of growing things. Being close to nature, digging in the soil, watching things grow. Not right away, of course. Some of my most frustrating hours were those spent sitting on a newspaper, pulling weeds out of long rows of carrots or onions.

What I learned from that experience was that my dad had a support system. He didn’t try to do it all himself. He delegated the things he didn’t like to do or didn’t have time to do to those of us who were available to him. He used his time to manage the overall project.

5 tips on the way to becoming a delegation hero:

1. Do your research. It’s important to know what skills are needed by the person you’re going to hire. Just like hiring an accountant to do your taxes, you’ll want to find someone with expertise. If you need to delegate setting up your newsletter, find someone with experience using MailChimp, Constant Contact or a similar program.

This may sound obvious, but I often hear solo professionals say they are thinking about hiring very smart friends, but I discover after a few questions they don’t have any relevant experience. You wouldn’t hire a “very smart friend” who knew nothing about cars to act as your auto mechanic – delegation of your business needs works the same way; specific skills are required.

2. Take time to plan. You’ve got to give the person doing the work enough time to schedule it into their calendar and get it done. This requires planning ahead. When I get ready to write my newsletter, for example, I ask my editor on Sunday or Monday if he has time for edits on Tuesday afternoon or Wednesday morning. I don’t just assume and send it over to him. You need to be prepared, too, for the answer to be “no” or “not this week.”

3. Provide specific information. “Can you handle this?” is not enough information for the person you’re delegating to – even if it’s a simple and (in your mind) self-explanatory task. Include details, timelines and any supporting information. For example: “I’m ready to publish my next newsletter. Attached is the word document and the images I’d like to use. Can we schedule it for this Friday at 6:00 am?” Be thorough: include deadlines and guidelines about how you’d like the work to be done.

4. Create check-in and control points. If you’ve delegated a project, schedule check-in points for milestones to make sure things stay on track. Sometimes there can be misunderstandings about the required tasks even when you both think you understand. Regular meetings will help with discovery and allow for adjustments.

5. Develop a communicative relationship. When you work with someone you are in a relationship with them. I don’t mean you need to be BFFs, but simple things that work in your other relationships will work in this one too. A simple, “Thank you – great job,” or “How was your weekend?” will go a long way. Be sure to answer questions about the project quickly so that it can stay on track and on time. Your work together will require conversation – either written or verbal.

My guess is that 99% of the time the person assisting you wants to do a good job. If that’s not happening, check these five points to see where you two might be going off track.

Delegation is a powerful way to leverage your time and get help with areas of your business where you might not have expertise. Done well, it can be a big win for you and your business.

The lesson I learned from my dad as a kid was that I don't have to do it all by myself. I can hand off the parts I'm not good at or don't have time for to someone who has more expertise in that area. It's good for my productivity and I am not guilty when I do it and you shouldn't be either.
, , , , , SDBusiness,

08/06/2024

Building trust with your client is number one.

Jewelry making is one of my passions. I’ve only been doing it for about four years and I love the complexity of it. It started as a creative outlet and became an obsession almost overnight. You wouldn’t think that jewelry making would have anything to do with my other passion; office work, but there are a lot of underlying similarities.

My jewelry pieces are intricate puzzles of light and color. Lots of times that means using one-of-a-kind pieces to allow a design feature to stand out and make a statement.

As a virtual assistant I provide personalized support and adapt my services to meet the specific needs of my clients. I take intricate pieces of data and make sure it fits the format it needs to be in and is usable, clean, and fresh, delivering high-quality, customized results.

Both fields require a keen attention to detail and a commitment to an elegant final product. The ability to provide custom solutions is a valuable asset in any industry, and it ensures the needs and preferences of clients are met with exceptional care and attention to detail.

Both Jewelry makers and virtual assistants rely heavily on building trust and maintaining strong relationships with clients. Working closely with my clients and understanding their desires and preferences helps me craft meaningful pieces of jewelry that carry sentimental value. As a virtual assistant, I develop a deep understanding of my clients’ workflows, preferences, and professional needs. This is how I build a relationship of reliability and trust.

In both cases, the ability for me to understand and anticipate needs, combined with excellent communication, is crucial. Clients value these traits and it leads to more satisfaction, trust, and loyalty.

07/29/2024

What’s to Love About Excel

So many people throw their hands up as if to ward off something evil and back away when Excel is offered as a solution. But they don’t realize what a workhorse it is.
As a result, people turn to a lot of other products that are more difficult to learn and more expensive, to achieve similar results.
The problem I’ve discovered is not a lack of capable people but that people are afraid of what they don’t know.

Here’s how I use Excel to make projects simpler.

1. Stay on track: use it as a checklist.

Every project has steps you either need to set up or have been set up for you to follow to achieve the desired goal. Steps are easy to set up and add in with Excel. So are columns, like a checklist column. Use an X, a Y, or a N in a block to track starts and stops without losing time figuring out where you left off. I pick up right where I left off. If I’m designing the process and I get to a step I didn’t include, but realize I need, I can insert a row, add the step and keep on going. I don’t have to open another app or program to reenter everything I’ve already accomplished and make it fit their parameters.

2. Make lists of things to take care of later.

Add columns. Label them anything that makes sense. Track money, dates, timelines… anything you need to keep top of mind, and do it easily in Excel. This is especially useful when mind mapping something or trying to explain a process to someone who hasn’t been rattling around in my brain since the start of the project.

3. It’s easy to learn.

Start entering text into an Excel sheet and see your project and process build out in your mind’s eye, firming up the processes one line at a time. Start by adding columns to track times, dates, and cost, and then include a totals line using a simple, easy formula, to find out what it will cost and or how many pieces you need if you’re designing a project, and your outline is done. I do this with my book list. I can sort them by title or author and or price. I check my Excel sheet before I go on a buying spree. I even know what I spent on books for the year by adding a simple total formula. It’s a great addition to a business plan too.

4. Use Excel sheets to track wages, and worksheets for projects.

Enter every step and track every cent dedicated to a project. This can sometimes be done ahead of time if you know the cost of each element. You can even project what an employee will cost you and roughly, what the taxes will be.

5. Graphs and visuals.

When I want to show something visually like how many books of a certain kind I have, I can use a chart or insert a photo, and display it right on the sheet with the information. A picture IS worth a thousand words if it’s the right picture.

6. The best part.

When you save this now completed worksheet in Excel it’s ready for the next one or 100 projects using the same process. Rinse and repeat. Now, that is a time saver.

07/28/2024

About Margaret Schneider
A dedicated solo-professional with a service-based business supporting other solo-professionals, Margaret launched her business Able Virtual Assistant in April of 2024. She specializes in doing the admin side of business for her employers providing them with the peace of mind that allows them to sleep at night knowing things are under control.
She enjoys doing the parts that need to be done, but that many people hate or don't have time for. She gets a sense of accomplishment from knowing she’s made their life easier. It’s like cleaning the kitchen after a family holiday. It’s repetitive but it feels so good when it’s done.
She is the author of “Virtual Insights”, her twice monthly email newsletter.
Margaret has a Masters of Management from the University of Mary and a Bachelors in Business Administration and Entrepreneurship from the University of North Dakota.

07/23/2024

During the time Margaret worked as my grant administrative assistant, she has mastered a wide variety of tasks including financial statements, payroll, billing, human resource management, student information software, interoffice documentation, communication and scheduling.
She was very effective coordinating among a variety of academic programs for our grant.
Margaret has taken courses that qualify her to completely manage all aspects of the grant. She handled all purchases for the $400,000 per year grant, effectively communicating with suppliers, and arranged all purchasing requests, ordering, billing and shipping.
Margaret has participated in all grant management meetings, maintained detailed records and files of proceedings and decisions.
Her greatest personal asset, in my opinion, is her ability to work independently once as assignment is given. She seeks out information and procedural knowledge on her own and saves me a great amount of time, in addition, she has mastered effective communication with all levels of participation. She writes well, analyses documents, and speaks well. She is a highly competent professional. Margaret is friendly and personable.

07/04/2024

How to Delegate Effectively

Delegation is a powerful way to leverage your time and get help with areas of your business where you might not have expertise. Done well; it can be a big win for you and your business. Today’s newsletter recommends how to become a delegation rock star!

It seems that at least once each week I hear the same five words from friends and clients: “I need to delegate more.” And then, immediately afterward, they say, “But I don’t think there’s anybody who will understand my work, take it as seriously as I do, and do a really great job.”

As a result, nothing gets delegated and they are left doing everything for themselves. The problem, I’ve discovered, is not a lack of capable and committed people willing to help. It’s that people simply don’t know how to delegate and are afraid to let go, even a little. So they assume there’s no way forward.

Here’s what I recommend instead on your way to becoming a delegation rock star:

1. Do your research. It’s important to know what skills are needed by the person you’re going to hire. Just like hiring an accountant to do your taxes, you’ll want to find someone with expertise. If you need to delegate setting up your newsletter, find someone with experience using MailChimp, Constant Contact or a similar program. This may sound obvious, but I often hear solo professionals say they are thinking about hiring very smart friends, but I discover after a few questions they don’t have any relevant experience. You wouldn’t hire a “very smart friend” who knew nothing about cars to act as your auto mechanic – delegation of your business needs works the same way; specific skills are required.

2. Take time to plan. You’ve got to give the person doing the work enough time to schedule it into their calendar and get it done. This requires planning ahead. When I get ready to write my newsletter, for example, I ask my editor on Sunday or Monday if she has time for edits on Tuesday afternoon or Wednesday morning. I don’t just assume and send it over to her. You need to be prepared, too, for the answer to be “no” or “not this week.”

3. Provide specific information. “Can you handle this?” is not enough information for the person you’re delegating to – even if it’s a simple and (in your mind) self-explanatory task. Include details, timelines and any supporting information. For example: “I’m ready to publish my next newsletter. Attached is the word document and the images I’d like to use. Can we schedule it for this Friday at 6:00 am?” Be thorough: include deadlines and guidelines about how you’d like the work to be done.

4. Create check-in and control points. If you’ve delegated a project, schedule check-in points for milestones to make sure things stay on track. Sometimes there can be misunderstandings about the required tasks even when you both think you understand. Regular meetings will help with discovery and allow for adjustments.

5. Develop a communicative relationship. When you work with someone you are in a relationship with them. I don’t mean you need to be BFFs, but simple things that work in your other relationships will work in this one too. A simple, “Thank you – great job,” or “How was your weekend?” will go a long way. Be sure to answer questions about the project quickly so that it can stay on track and on time. Your work together will require conversation – either written or verbal. My guess is that 99% of the time the person assisting you wants to do a good job. If that’s not happening, check these five points to see where you two might be going off track.

Delegation is a powerful way to leverage your time and get help with areas of your business where you might not have expertise. Done well, it can be a big win for you and your business.

06/30/2024

Check out my Newsletter fresh off the keyboard!

06/26/2024