On this week's Bootcamp call, we talked about the age-old debate: I need money to be able to do marketing, yet I need marketing to bring me the money.
I, too, had this dilemma when first starting my business.
I had set aside a specific amount of money to invest in my business and to pay bills while the business was getting up and running.
What I've found is that whatever amount that is for you, you could always use more.
Unless you maximize your investment along the way.
Before I quit my job in corporate, I had hired a Virtual Assistant to develop and set up my website, and to get things accomplished more quickly.
This worked well for me, since although I had these expenses with no income for a period of time, I knew it would bring me to an income more quickly once I quit my job.
I highly recommend starting your business before quitting your job, since it allows you to make decisions without the added pressure of having no income.
You can't do it all on your own.
Instead, you need to leverage your time and your resources.
By doing it this way, it also almost forces you to delegate, systematize and automate as much as possible.
This is a good thing, since it frees up your time once you do move more fully into the business, allowing you to focus only on your brilliance work: working with clients and attracting more clients.
Outsourcing allows the person you delegate to do their brilliance work.
I found that although I could do a lot of things, and do them quite well, it wasn't the best use of my time to be doing them.
My time was better used to meet with people to attract more clients and more work, and to work with clients who are thrilled to work with me.
Let me give you an example.
I hired an onsite/virtual Business Manager.
This means that she is someone who is local, who works both at her home and comes in to my home office periodically.
She has a marketing & human resources background, which is similar to parts of my background.
I could let my ego get in the way, wondering if she'll do a better job than I would do, thinking that she might market in ways that I don't want her to.
Instead, I'm thrilled to have someone of this high caliber on my team, to train her in my way of doing things, to depend on her to organize, systematize and implement the plans we've created together.
This can only be a good thing! It allows us to get more done, make more money, and enjoy your time off! She is doing what she loves to do, which allows me to do only the things I love to do.
��I learn from her just as much as she learns from me.
And yet, she's not me.
So clients who connect with me wouldn't necessarily connect with her.
They are attracted to me because of ALL of my experiences and background, along with my natural abilities and the inner magnetism that each one of us automatically has.
There is no one who is exactly like me.
My team currently consists of: • Online Web Virtual Assistant - 10 hours/mo • Onsite/virtual Business Manager - 16 hours/mo • Social Media VA - 10 hours/mo • Social Media Manager - 5 hours/mo • Public Relations/Speaking VA - 40 hours/mo • Travel Agent - 2 hours/mo • SEO on an as-needed basis • Accountant • Graphic Designer on an as-needed basis Total hours saved monthly: 83+ hours each MONTH! Soon I'll be adding: • Bookkeeper What do I use my time saved for? Taking care of me, creating products & services, learning and brainstorming, time with my family, flexibility to schedule my time.
I LOVE being self-employed! How did I get to be "OK" with outsourcing? As my income grew, the amount I outsourced grew.
Could I do this all by myself? Maybe.
Would I be healthy and sane? Probably not.
Could I get all of the things accomplished in the same amount of time? Definitely NO.
For example, I write my ezine content each week, then send it to my VA.
Could I put it into the ezine format, and send it to my list? Sure.
I used autoresponders a few years back when I was Affiliate Manager for two online real estate companies.
But it would take me longer and it would definitely be more heartache and frustration.
I'm HAPPY to pay my VA to do it for me.
I think of the time it would take me to do this, and instead I focus on attracting a new client or doing client work.
THIS is a better use of my time.
Focus instead on your brilliance work.
Depending on your rates, usually you can pay someone else to do certain tasks for much less than you could do it yourself.
If your rates don't support you being able to outsource, take a look at your hourly rate and figure out what rate you would need to charge to support outsourcing.
Next look at what value you would need to add to be able to charge a higher fee.
Can you add this value, or do you need extra training to be able to do this? Sometimes its our own limiting beliefs that hold us back from charging what we deserve.
Personal development is becoming more and more popular, and for good reason.
It shows you how what you think to be true may not necessarily be true, it could be a view to life that has been learned.
I recommend you start reading some of the personal development books available, a great one to start is The NEW Psycho-Cybernetics co-authored by Dan Kennedy.
My team and I have a weekly team call every Monday.
On the call, each person has 10 minutes to update what they are working on, what questions or clarification they need, and ideas they want to share.
This has become a very valuable time, since it helps everyone to understand areas they can support others in growing the business.
G Here is a great quote from Melanie Benson Strick, "Surround yourself with powerful implementers.
When you leverage your time and build a team of good people, then your dreams become real 100 times faster.
Most entrepreneurs are really great with ideas but lose traction when it comes to details and managing projects.
" I've been fortunate to have worked the past 8 years as Manager of Operations, Marketing & Human Resources, so as an entrepreneur I've had practice with the details and managing projects.
But I still surround myself with high-quality people.
My dreams ARE becoming real 100 times faster.
Your Assignment: Make a list of items you can delegate to someone else.
It doesn't have to cost a lot.
Hiring Virtual Assistants (VA's) allows you to have high-quality help in specific areas, without hiring someone full-time.
I, too, had this dilemma when first starting my business.
I had set aside a specific amount of money to invest in my business and to pay bills while the business was getting up and running.
What I've found is that whatever amount that is for you, you could always use more.
Unless you maximize your investment along the way.
Before I quit my job in corporate, I had hired a Virtual Assistant to develop and set up my website, and to get things accomplished more quickly.
This worked well for me, since although I had these expenses with no income for a period of time, I knew it would bring me to an income more quickly once I quit my job.
I highly recommend starting your business before quitting your job, since it allows you to make decisions without the added pressure of having no income.
You can't do it all on your own.
Instead, you need to leverage your time and your resources.
By doing it this way, it also almost forces you to delegate, systematize and automate as much as possible.
This is a good thing, since it frees up your time once you do move more fully into the business, allowing you to focus only on your brilliance work: working with clients and attracting more clients.
Outsourcing allows the person you delegate to do their brilliance work.
I found that although I could do a lot of things, and do them quite well, it wasn't the best use of my time to be doing them.
My time was better used to meet with people to attract more clients and more work, and to work with clients who are thrilled to work with me.
Let me give you an example.
I hired an onsite/virtual Business Manager.
This means that she is someone who is local, who works both at her home and comes in to my home office periodically.
She has a marketing & human resources background, which is similar to parts of my background.
I could let my ego get in the way, wondering if she'll do a better job than I would do, thinking that she might market in ways that I don't want her to.
Instead, I'm thrilled to have someone of this high caliber on my team, to train her in my way of doing things, to depend on her to organize, systematize and implement the plans we've created together.
This can only be a good thing! It allows us to get more done, make more money, and enjoy your time off! She is doing what she loves to do, which allows me to do only the things I love to do.
��I learn from her just as much as she learns from me.
And yet, she's not me.
So clients who connect with me wouldn't necessarily connect with her.
They are attracted to me because of ALL of my experiences and background, along with my natural abilities and the inner magnetism that each one of us automatically has.
There is no one who is exactly like me.
My team currently consists of: • Online Web Virtual Assistant - 10 hours/mo • Onsite/virtual Business Manager - 16 hours/mo • Social Media VA - 10 hours/mo • Social Media Manager - 5 hours/mo • Public Relations/Speaking VA - 40 hours/mo • Travel Agent - 2 hours/mo • SEO on an as-needed basis • Accountant • Graphic Designer on an as-needed basis Total hours saved monthly: 83+ hours each MONTH! Soon I'll be adding: • Bookkeeper What do I use my time saved for? Taking care of me, creating products & services, learning and brainstorming, time with my family, flexibility to schedule my time.
I LOVE being self-employed! How did I get to be "OK" with outsourcing? As my income grew, the amount I outsourced grew.
Could I do this all by myself? Maybe.
Would I be healthy and sane? Probably not.
Could I get all of the things accomplished in the same amount of time? Definitely NO.
For example, I write my ezine content each week, then send it to my VA.
Could I put it into the ezine format, and send it to my list? Sure.
I used autoresponders a few years back when I was Affiliate Manager for two online real estate companies.
But it would take me longer and it would definitely be more heartache and frustration.
I'm HAPPY to pay my VA to do it for me.
I think of the time it would take me to do this, and instead I focus on attracting a new client or doing client work.
THIS is a better use of my time.
Focus instead on your brilliance work.
Depending on your rates, usually you can pay someone else to do certain tasks for much less than you could do it yourself.
If your rates don't support you being able to outsource, take a look at your hourly rate and figure out what rate you would need to charge to support outsourcing.
Next look at what value you would need to add to be able to charge a higher fee.
Can you add this value, or do you need extra training to be able to do this? Sometimes its our own limiting beliefs that hold us back from charging what we deserve.
Personal development is becoming more and more popular, and for good reason.
It shows you how what you think to be true may not necessarily be true, it could be a view to life that has been learned.
I recommend you start reading some of the personal development books available, a great one to start is The NEW Psycho-Cybernetics co-authored by Dan Kennedy.
My team and I have a weekly team call every Monday.
On the call, each person has 10 minutes to update what they are working on, what questions or clarification they need, and ideas they want to share.
This has become a very valuable time, since it helps everyone to understand areas they can support others in growing the business.
G Here is a great quote from Melanie Benson Strick, "Surround yourself with powerful implementers.
When you leverage your time and build a team of good people, then your dreams become real 100 times faster.
Most entrepreneurs are really great with ideas but lose traction when it comes to details and managing projects.
" I've been fortunate to have worked the past 8 years as Manager of Operations, Marketing & Human Resources, so as an entrepreneur I've had practice with the details and managing projects.
But I still surround myself with high-quality people.
My dreams ARE becoming real 100 times faster.
Your Assignment: Make a list of items you can delegate to someone else.
It doesn't have to cost a lot.
Hiring Virtual Assistants (VA's) allows you to have high-quality help in specific areas, without hiring someone full-time.
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