Written by Katy-Jane Mason for & on behalf of Virtually Smart Ltd
“When I started my Teacher Training way back in 2009, one of the most striking things a lecturer said to us was “When you start working full time, get a cleaner”
We were all baffled by this as an NQT (Newly Qualified Teacher) salary certainly wasn’t going to set any of us up in such comfortable financial security to afford a cleaner once as fortnight.
However, once I started teaching full time, I instantly understood what she meant. Then I started to meet heads of department & senior leadership who not only had enormous responsibility at work, but also had families, homes, partners/husbands, dogs, cats, ageing parents you name it & somehow they seemed on the surface to be managing it all.
Of course, for the most part once you are a HOD or on the Senior Leadership pathway, you can afford some help along the way, such as a cleaner. Having spent most of my teaching career living alone, no children, plenty of cats (not crazy cat lady) I still could not afford a cleaner or any kind of additional help come to think of it.
60 hour weeks blurred into each other, half term & summer holidays flew by & time seemed to be sucked out of the air, leaving little left for any kind of rest or relaxation, let alone any semblance of a work life balance.
So, what on earth was I thinking when I decided to leave the security of PAYE & become self-employed? Did I honestly think I would be able to find that illusive work life balance? And what about other business owners who seek success, but also have responsibilities beyond the business?
Is this you? Do you run your own business, your home, maybe have a family, a dog, cat, birds, a sports class 3 times a week, parents’ evenings or the PTA?
Do you want your business to be community based, ethical, charitable, philanthropic & want people to engage with your product, share with their friends, come back as repeat customers & give you a five star rating?
Do you want to run your social media channels, your website, YouTube channel & keep up to date with the latest trends?
Do you want to run a fundraiser, a coffee shop, sell apparel & merchandise, give out free advice & in amongst all of this, do you actually want to earn some money to live off?
But this is what running a business is all about, surely?
Well, yes, but what happens when you stretch yourself too thin?
What happens when your brilliant ideas collide with the reality of running a business & the day to day effort that entails? What can happen is that you can stretch yourself too thin, have too many projects on the go at any given time & slowly but surely lose sight of why you are doing it all. Add to that the fact that running your own business is your way of earning money, of having an income & something has got to give.
So, how can you recognise if this has happened to you? When you are fully immersed in the day to day running of your business, how can you see the signs that you might, or could be doing too much, with very little come back & how can you find some way to create a balance?
When you run your own business is it all so very easy to become completely side tracked from where your business model should be going, by trying to juggle too many balls in the air. Every business owner knows that to be seen & remain current in an ever changing market, you need to keep on top of the trends in your sector, be mindful of your client avatars & stay one step ahead of the competition.
Therefore, despite you wanting to do everything & be everything to everyone, how could you remain on track & avoid stretching yourself too thin. Virtually Smart Ltd have gathered a few ideas to consider going forward”.
Hire a Virtual Assistant (VA) or Online Business Manager (OBM)
Hire someone else? Surely that is another expense you cannot afford? However, if you are literally unable to keep on top of everything & need some business support, a VA or OBM could be the relief you need & the benefit of a VA/OBM is that they work remotely & can be employed as a self-employed contractor.
Having a remote working employee still means you have a contract drawn up together, but you can choose the amount of hours support you need per week & the specific tasks you would require your VA/OBM to undertake for you.
Whether you need straight forward administration help, or an email intervention, someone to take control of the diary, to keep your policies & legal procedures up to date, someone to run your social media channels, your website, human resources support, IT infrastructure, etc – someone to support you while you get on with running your business; then a VA or OBM could be one way to allow you the time to be a business owner.
Re-focus on the business
Your business is your baby, but it is also the source of your income. Therefore, despite the need for showing your customer base what kind of person you are & or how philanthropic your activities are; keeping your focus firmly on developing your business is essential.
There is nothing selfish about thinking of yourself first, that is what business is all about. Knowing that every other business owner faces the same challenges you do, should help you go some way to realise that at the end of the day, no one else is going to pay you if you are not at work.
If you need to review & or re-write your business plan, then an OBM can support you with this & help implement it going forward ensuring your goals are kept on track.
Social media & advertising
We all know that social media representation & advertising is key to the success of any business. However, rather than pouring over the latest trends, preparing posts for social media channels, advertising, sharing other relevant news; this is where the benefits of hiring a VA (Virtual Assistant) could help.
Hiring a VA is another cost, but in the long run if a few hours a week are being paid for someone else to take up your social media presence, it will not only enable you to re-focus back on the nitty gritty of running your business, but it will also give you freedom to keep your energy for your business needs beyond the social media platforms.
If you are considering seeking VA & or OBM support, please do contact Helena Parrott in the first instance.
Written by Katy-Jane Mason for & on behalf of Virtually Smart Ltd
