by Amber Miller | May 4, 2023 | Blog, Delegating
Today we’re going to talk about one of the most popular questions I get as a Product Launch Manager… when to start planning your product launch?
When it comes to launching your online program or product, timing is everything. You want to make sure you’re not starting too early, not too late, but just right (sound familiar??). Finding the perfect timing is about as easy as finding a needle in a haystack. But not to worry 🙂 I’ve got some tips to help you figure out when to start planning your next launch.
First things first, don’t wait until the last minute to start planning your launch.
Trust me, I’ve been there, and it’s not fun for anyone on your team (including you!). You don’t want to be scrambling to put everything together at the last minute. Give yourself plenty of time to plan, strategize, and execute.
But how much time is enough time? Well… that is really going to depend on the complexity of your product launch. If you’re launching a brand new program or product, you’ll need more time to do some list building and build up buzz and anticipation (or seeding as it is called). On the other hand, if you’re launching a something you have done before, you might not need as much lead time.
Typically I recommend giving yourself at least three to six months to plan your product launch. This will give you enough time to create your marketing strategy, develop your messaging (or even tweak a few things from a previous launch), and build up excitement around your launch.
Of course, there are always exceptions to the rule, again, depending upon the complexity of the launch. Working with a Product Launch Manager you can start ahead and plan out your dates to allow plenty of time for ease and flow – and keep you and your team happy 🙂
Remember, there’s no one-size-fits-all answer when it comes to timing your product launch. But with a little bit of planning and a lot of flexibility, you’ll be well on your way to a successful launch.
Looking for a Product Launch Manager? We can help – let’s chat!
by Amber Miller | Oct 15, 2022 | Blog, Delegating
It’s inevitable. As a small business owner, you will wear many, many hats.
Customer Support Manager
Marketing manager.
Bookkeeper.
Content developer.
Coach.
Technical support staff.
But while this type of task juggling is to be expected, you have to be aware that not all of your hats are created equal. Marketing outweighs bookkeeping, for example, because without marketing, there will be no cash to manage. And Customer Support.. well without Customers, you have no business!
Not only that, but you have to consider how much time you’re spending in each area as well. If you spend all day tweaking the design on your website and put off sending an email to your list, what have you gained?
Sure, you might have a prettier website, but you lost an opportunity to drive traffic to your offer.
To effectively grow your business (and keep your sanity) it is important you learn how to work smarter and how to best use your time, by following these 2 very important tips.
Start by Prioritizing Your Daily Tasks
We all have different skills and sweet spots when it comes to the tasks we want and need to do. You might love customer support and hate bookkeeping, while someone else enjoys the numbers game and doesn’t like dealing with the help desk. But regardless of your personal preferences, one thing is certain: money-making tasks should be at the very top of your to-do list.
That might mean product creation, email marketing, client outreach, webinar development, or something entirely different. Identify those money-making tasks in your business and be sure to prioritize them every single day.
Know the Difference Between Important and Urgent
In his classic book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen Covey recommends prioritizing tasks based on a time-management grid. Every task is assigned to a quadrant of the grid, based on whether it is urgent, important, both, or neither.
Once you know where a task falls on the grid, you’ll immediately know what you should be working on. For example, marketing and planning are important but not urgent. A ringing phone is urgent, but not important. The sales page for your new program, which is launching tomorrow, is both urgent AND important.
So before you prioritize your daily to-do list, think about where each of your tasks falls in the quadrant, and schedule them accordingly.
Will you always be working on the best task for right now? Probably not. Nor will you always use your time as wisely as you could. But by making a conscious effort to organize and prioritize your days and delegate, you’ll find it’s a lot less stressful and overwhelming to manage your small business.
We also recommend delegating to a team that has a variety of support services, like Smart To Finish. We have helped our clients grow their businesses, for almost 2 decades now, just by delegating tasks such as customer care, email marketing management and much more!
by Amber Miller | Feb 16, 2022 | Blog
Could a virtual team be a significant answer to your business growth in 2o22 and beyond? While there’s always a combination of reasons businesses grow, each company is only as good as the staff they have behind them.
Hiring a virtual team from a virtual assistant company can provide several unique benefits in the months and years ahead. The same also applies if you could use some help with managing virtual teams.
In his entrepreneur.com article entitled Why Entrepreneurs Struggle Delegating to Remote Teams, Jeff J. Hunter shares the following:
“Here’s the truth: You do too many things as business owners. You do it because it’s important. However, it’s not important that you do it all.”
Why exactly should you consider hiring a remote team in 2022 to help you reach your business growth goals? Here are some compelling reasons to consider.
A Quick Answer to Staffing Disruptions
Multiple complex issues are playing out in the job market at the moment, which is causing significant turnover in many industries. Add in continued COVID concerns, inflation, childcare issues and early retirements among many other variables and, well, you have a recipe for epic hiring complications.
Growing businesses don’t have the option to sit idly by and hope staffing goes back to how it was pre-pandemic. This is all the truer since there’s no indication these concerns are going to disappear anytime soon.
That’s where virtual assistant services like the option of hiring a virtual team can help you grow your business quickly. You may be starting out and need to quickly scale your company’s growth. You may also have an established business that needs a sizeable staffing boost to continue progressing. Either way, a virtual team can help you weather the uncertain times many companies are experiencing with the labor markets right now.
Easier to Integrate a Remote Team into Your Business Growth Strategy
Yes, remote work was forced into the limelight due to the pandemic. And in 2021, many businesses still saw remote work as more of a necessity due to COVID. But now, companies increasingly view the virtual work option as something independent of COVID.
They’re wondering if it makes sense to stay completely remote or are at least to embrace a hybrid set-up with some in-office and remote days. They’ve had the chance to evaluate the pros and cons of a growing demand for a virtual workplace.
What does that mean for businesses considering hiring a virtual team from a VA company in 2022? First, companies are becoming more open-minded about virtual work arrangements. Yes, the idea of remote work was, for a time, a necessary evil. But now, in many cases, it’s being looked at as more necessary than evil.
Also, far more businesses are set up to easily integrate an on-demand remote team into their business growth strategy. To do so no longer seems so “cutting edge.” Taking that step just feels more natural, normal and comfortable now.
An Option that Provides Plenty of Value
At first glance, hiring a remote team may seem like a significant investment in resources. However, when you consider the cost of potential employee turnover, rehiring and training that’s involved, an increasing number of businesses have discovered that outsourcing work to a virtual assistant team can be quite cost effective.
Sure, you don’t need to worry about providing additional office space at your company’s business location. But you also have a seasoned, on-demand remote team to meet you where your needs are today rather than three or six months from now. Not having enough support today could cost your company in lost revenue now and lead to stagnant growth down the road.
Complex Problem-Solving
Plenty of small businesses can get by with the help of a virtual personal assistant at first. However, as your business grows, it can be beneficial to have an experienced team on your side.
With each virtual team member added, you gain a more vital ability to solve complex problems about your business and how it relates to an ever-changing world. It can be quite the advantage to know you have experience on your side right when you need it most. Complex problems begin to feel more manageable too.
The Perfect Opportunity to Let Go
One of the most challenging aspects of running a business is learning to let go. You know you can only do so much and that you’ll need a team behind you to accomplish your goals.
Hiring a virtual team offers the perfect opportunity for learning to let go, as scary as that can be. The great news is that once you leave the work in good hands, you discover freedom waiting on the other side.
You have the time to lead your business instead of feeling too overwhelmed with uncompleted tasks to take on that role. You also discover a much healthier work/life balance while enjoying the progress you see in your business.
Is Hiring a Virtual Team a Smart Move for Growth in Your Business?
It very well may be. It’s also possible you could use some support with leading remote teams. In that case, an online business manager can help with your virtual project management needs. The best virtual assistant companies will provide a variety of services, tailoring to what works best for your business.
If you’d like to learn more about how Smart to Finish can help you grow your business through virtual teams, please feel free to get in touch. You’re also welcome to schedule a free 30-minute consultation to see what specific strategy would work best for your business.
by Amber Miller | Jan 31, 2022 | Blog
2021 was a year of growth for so many. If you were one of the business owners who made goals, crushed them, on repeat… Congrats! You are making moves and your efforts are paying off. It’s so rewarding to plant seeds and watch them grow.
But, you may have noticed some “growing pains” along the way. The relief you felt when you first hired your Virtual Assistant or team may have faded and overwhelm has begun to creep back in. You and your team are likely putting in more hours than anticipated, and it probably seems your to-do list is ALSO growing at an alarming rate.
Are you excited about your business expanding but nervous about how you’ll get it all done?
You aren’t alone. Many business owners feel this as they build and expand their dream business.
The solution is simple. Your business is growing, so should your team.
By this point you’ve learned that the more you invest in your business, the more it has a chance to flourish. Your current team is great. But they are giving their all. So, to invest more in your business, you need more people.
You don’t need a different team, you just to expand on what you already have. Your current team has a great knowledge of your operations and has gifts they bring to the table. But they simply can’t do it all.
That’s where we come in. Here are some benefits of keeping your current team and simply expanding with Smart to Finish.
Get the Most Value from Your Current Team
When you expand, this gives your current team a chance to explore what they are really good at, what they enjoy doing, and dive into those things more. On the flip side, this means they can delegate (to us) the stuff that bogs them down. When your team gets to do the things they really love (and delegate the stuff they don’t) it shows. It shows by their passion, their personal vested interested, and in their loyalty to and longevity with you.
Simply put, people do their best when they are doing what they love.
Gain Access to a Team of Experts
When you work with Smart to Finish, you get the whole team. This means you have access to people with a variety of talents. It’s hard to find a single person who can write copy, create the sales page, and design the graphics (with excellence). But when you have a team, each person brings their talents to the table.
Smart to Finish is a boutique of office solutions and services for online businesses ranging from handling customer service to CRM management and tool integrations. By partnering with us, you have access to support for several areas of your business.
Ways we Can Support You
Hire our team to fill the gaps to take your team and biz to the next level. A Smart to Finish Diva can support your team in a variety of areas such as running reports and analytics on a regular basis, draft social media content, doing an audit of your current website or funnel, give or branding a facelift, and much, MUCH more.
Explore expanding with Smart to Finish Office Solutions – schedule a free 30-minute free consultation.
by Amber Miller | Sep 15, 2021 | Blog
Could virtual assistant services be the answer to your workload paralysis? You know, that feeling of having so much to do that you can’t get anything done. You perfectly understand what needs accomplished. You can visualize that ever-increasing to-do list. But it’s like you can’t take one step in the right direction.
Do you ever find yourself saying something like this?
“I can’t do anything.”
“Why can’t I do anything?”
“I can’t get myself to do anything.”
“I can’t get anything done.”
And the longer you let things go, the worse it gets. You increasingly get more stuck in the mud than the day before. This only adds to that sinking feeling of being unable to make the first move. You know things have to change and quickly but what can you do? If you can relate, here’s how a virtual team, virtual assistant or online business manager can help you get back on track when workload paralysis pays an unwelcomed visit.
Virtual Assistants Can Complete that First Task
Isn’t that the monkey you need off your back most anyway? That very first item that needs to be checked off your to-do list feels heavier than a Manhattan skyscraper. VA services can help you with that first essential task that’s been locking you up. And you know what? After that, the rest of those tasks won’t feel so weighty.
You Can Get Caught Up Quickly
If you’ve felt workload paralysis for a while now, you likely have what seems like a mountain of tasks you need to complete. The trouble is your responsibilities keep compiling. Because of that, it doesn’t just seem impossible to catch up—it actually is impossible.
That fact has nothing to do with your low motivation levels. Instead, it has everything to do with the fact you only have so much energy and hours in your day. But it’s way too easy to fall into a self-defeating cycle of telling yourself tomorrow will be different. That tomorrow will be the magical day when all tasks get done. That day you can leave work with your head held high because you finally conquered the impossible.
The truth is you can leave your business with confidence and peace, but not without added support. You don’t have to let that unhealthy cycle of hope and defeat continue. Especially if your tasks have stacked up for a long time now, a VA team can dig you out quickly. Otherwise, it will keep getting worse. A virtual team can get you up to date soon so you can get back to being awesome.
Someone to Walk Through the Tasks with You
Being an entrepreneur, business owner or manager can feel isolating. Few people, if any, understand the immense challenges you face. Sometimes it may feel like you have to pick up the world and carry it each day. That’s not a healthy way to go through a single day. But to do that over the long term can be crushing.
Just knowing you have extra people on your side in itself can help with workload paralysis. You don’t feel so much like everything depends on what you get done. Having a virtual team, virtual personal assistant or online business manager allows you mental relief and better results as the relentless pressure eases up.
The Chance to Take Better Care of Your Health
Often, workload paralysis is a symptom of other areas in your life not receiving adequate attention. That may include not getting enough sleep or exercise. A poor diet can also play a role, as can just being too busy.
In her lifehacker.com article entitled How to Overcome Workload Paralysis and Get Back into Action, Belle Beth Cooper shares the following:
“The easiest things for me to overlook when I’m overwhelmed with work are exercise time, healthy eating, and getting enough sleep. Unfortunately, those aren’t things I can easily give up if I want to keep functioning at my best. And when my workload is off the charts it’s even more important that I’m performing well.”
When your life is out of balance, mental and spiritual health can become a challenge. You can struggle socially as well when you’re too busy to meaningfully connect with friends and family. If you find yourself stuck and unable to do anything despite a packed schedule, it could be a great time to evaluate what matters most.
Hiring a virtual assistant, remote team or online business manager can give you the chance to take back your personal wellness. That way, you have the energy to focus on what’s most important at your business and away from it.
Want to Learn More About How Virtual Assistant Services Can Help?
At Smart to Finish, we understand you have a big job to do and that you’re only one person. We’re passionate about improving the lives of our clients and helping them realize a lot more is possible than they thought. You don’t have to do all of that alone. We’re here for you.
If you’d like to learn more about how we can assist your company, please get in touch with us. You’re also welcome to schedule a free 30-minute free consultation.
by Amber Miller | Aug 23, 2021 | Blog
While the rest of the world seems to have crashed our “work from home” party this past year, we’ve been helping clients THRIVE in online business for 16 years!!
Want to know how we got started?
Listen is as our head Delegation Diva, Amber Miller shares the story of how Smart to Finish began on her interview with AZTV. And learn what we do to maximize our client’s success.
https://www.aztv.com/posts/get-know-delegation-divas-smart-finish-office-solutions
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Smart to Finish supports clients from ALL over the world. If you’re curious if the Delegation Diva’s can help your business reach its full potential, reach out for a free discovery call.
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