Clients Using VAs Part 9

In another of this series, here is an interview I did some months ago with Wendy Moore.

Please tell my readers a bit about who you are and what you do.

With over 14 years experience in the IT industry, I understood the amazing potential available to women in business who knew how to use the internet. What astounded me was the absolute lack of knowledge amongst fellow business women about the internet.  Basic fundamentals were just not understood by women and so many were missing golden opportunities to attract clients and get online.

I encountered two main barriers for women around the internet:  They either thought they had to do it all themselves, or they “don’t know what they don’t know”.  Faced with so many choices about the internet and feeling overwhelmed, many women simply choose to do nothing.

Recognising this gap, I decided to act and so Savvy Web Women was born.  I educate and empower other women in business to become internet savvy.

When did you realise you needed admin support for your business?

I know what I love to do and what I am good at. I also know which tasks take me a lot of time and what I don’t enjoy.  I quickly realised it would be a far better use of my time to focus on what I love and outsource the rest.  I now focus my energy on my business and have a number of VAs that I use, all specialists in their chosen field, to do the rest.  Doing this frees up my “brain space” and allows me to get back to business, knowing that my multitude of admin tasks are in great hands.

What type of support did you originally obtain?

I needed a knowledgable VA that would be able to get my blog up and running quickly and get it right first time.  Once the template was loaded and the blog was live, my VA is then able to update the blog regularly, including adding pictures to the articles and links to my social media.

Is the support you receive today the same as then or has that changed and if so, how?

As my blog has evolved, so has the support required to maintain it.  When my blog first went up, I chose a template based on what best matched the company colours and on what would be quick and easy to get loaded.  As I became more comfortable with the blog and also influenced by how easy other blogs were to navigate, I asked my VA to source more comprehensive templates to load behind my blog to make it more user friendly.  Once we chose the template, my VA was again employed to update and tailor the new template to fit into how I wanted the blog to look and feel.  By once again using a VA that knew her stuff, this process was quickly and easily implemented.

Do you have more than one VA supporting you, and if so, perhaps you’d like to give a brief idea what the difference is?

I have a number of VAs who each perform a different role.  Just as people are better at some tasks than others and enjoy some tasks more than others, so it is when it comes to finding a VA to suit your needs.  Be specific about the role you need them to fill and recruit the best person to fill that role.  Go for a specialist over a generalist.  I have a VA that does admin, one that updates my website, another who manages my affiliate program, and so on.  It is important to match the role to the best person for the job.

How did you find out about this type of support?

I first found out about VAs from a great mentor of mine, Brendan Nichols.  He employed no admin staff directly.  Instead, the admin side of his business was run using Virtual Assistants and I quickly understood just what a great business model that is.

How long have you had your current VA? (Feel free to name who they are)

Two of my longest VA relationships have been with Kathie Thomas (who established my blog) and Marta Costa (who manages my affiliate program).  Both were recruited for specific roles performing specific tasks and have been brilliant.  I also employ two part time VAs, Teresa and Ness, who are based in the Phillipines – these ladies really allow me the freedom to run my business.  My latest team member is Maria Zito.  For this role, I needed a local who could come into the office to provide on-site assistance as well as work remotely as needed.

Anything else you’d like to share?

Let go of the reins and outsource the tasks that you don’t need to do or don’t like to do to allow yourself to concentrate on what you do best. Be specific about what you need and if things are not working, move on.  There are some great VAs out there who will really work with you to help you achieve your business goals.