Become a Smarter Business in 2012!

by Michelle Hill-Smith
www.OnTaskAssistants.com


As a small business owner in a failing economy, eliminating unnecessary expenses in overhead and operations is one of the sure ways to keep your business afloat. Making this decision is critical to your success. Revamping your business to fit the “Go Virtual” business model should be the first step taken in operating your “Smarter Business.”  Choosing this type of model doesn’t have to mean a major re-writing of your business plan or taking out a small business loan.

This is actually fairly easy and simply requires that you retire the ice-age methods for production and implement 21st Century communication technologies.

Times have definitely changed and all for more productivity, simplicity and a better ozone layer.  Today, many small business owners are able to run a full operation from the comfort of their own homes cutting overhead expenses by nearly 60%.  With major cutbacks in space, leasing fees, property taxes, signage, hardware and furniture, unproductive staff, and utilities, not only are you spending thousands of dollars on the machinery, software, office space and more, the cost of managing other bodies and their needs is quite costly as well.

For this very reason, working with what is known as a Virtual Assistant or Business Support Specialist is one of the smarter ways to do business. However, working with any ole' VA just won't do. Ensure that you check out their expertise, the credentials and most importantly, their compatibility and ability to work with you and provide ALL of your business needs. Find out how they're operating their own business. What systems are they using, if any at all. An additional observation needs to be on the professionalism, organization and reputation of their company. Not only is working with a proficient and passionate individual or team crucial for your own productivity, but it’s also a smart starting point to establishing  better systems for your business.

The benefits of working with a virtual team are endless. From helping you run your office, keeping track of customers, freeing you to gain more productivity to build revenue and much more, a strong team can be the difference between success and failure.  In many cases, your virtual assistant or team will be more proficient than you at certain tasks, and will be able to complete them with greater accuracy and in less time than if you did them yourself.  Because as business owners, we tend to where many hats, even those that are not our type or color, we become severely overwhelmed, confused and unproductive. This costs us tons of time, money and ultimately customers.

Solve this problem by learning to delegate some of your time-consuming projects and activities. If you’re worried about training your new Virtual Assistant or Team to do what you need, keep in mind that they specialize in office management, social media, creative design and many other areas in small business marketing, productivity and operations. Your colleagues are already making strides towards modernized productivity which is to Go-Virtual. Do some research and learn how you to can eliminate issues with time management, high cost of doing business and become a Smarter Business in 2012!