Quick PSA:
I built a list of the 12 tools I use to grow any company. If you run a company and want to grow, check it out.
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A lot of people are worried about an overseas employee managing their email inbox. A ton of classified info in there.
The best method:
Set up a second inbox the VA manages and set up an auto forward. It sends a copy of every email yo get to the second inbox and leaves a copy in yours.
Then set up a “send mail as” function in that second inbox that allows them to send mail as you from that second inbox (or they just reply as your assistant).
You see emails come in, and they get responded to by your assistant telling you they took care of it.
After you’ve been working with them for several weeks / months and feel more comfortable, backup and archive your email inbox and then let them in to start handling it at the point.
A few other tips:
Filters...
Set up “filters” and “labels” for all of your emails so they automatically get filtered into folders and all of the junk skips your inbox all together.
Go on the left sidebar of GMail and click the + sign by “Labels”. Add one.
Click on an email that should go in that category. Click the three dots at the very top of it. Click “Filter messages like these”.
Add it to the label and have it skip your inbox if it is not critical (like an amazon receipt).
This is a total game changer.
Where do I find them?
A lot of people ask me where to find a virtual assistant / executive assistant…
I recommend Support Shepherd - I’ve hired 30+ employees through them and it is a great experience. I’m also an investor in the company.
If you're in the USA - I’d recommend searching in LATAM for a tech savvy person with a business admin degree / similar. You can also recruit paralegals who have an excellent skillset for this.
Same time zone, good written english, from good upper class families who own companies / live just like we do.
My favorite country to target is Colombia - there are great business and engineering colleges there with the talent that matches this job description.
What is the cost?
You can find exceptional people for $1,000-1,500 per month. With business degrees and experience.
Scheduling…
If you’re going to use your admin for scheduling because you don’t want to send a calendly link to certain people, make sure they are pretending to be you.
There is NOTHING worse than going back and forth with somebody’s VA to schedule an appointment when they aren’t even CC’d on the emails.
I personally think there is a VERY kind way to send a scheduling link and I do this all the time:
“I’m flexible - let me know a few times that work for you, send me your scheduling link, or you can view mine here.”
Travel them here…
People think it isn’t feasible, but our entire LATAM team has come to the states multiple times.
When you hire a key employee get them to your city for a few days for training / facetime. It does a ton to build trust.
Earlier this month we flew 15 LATAM employees to Athens GA for 3 days. The flights averaged $700 each.
This is a no brainer to build a culture.
What about other roles?
At my self storage company we have folks in acquisitions, customer service, collections, underwriting, finance, project management, and more.
We even get assistants for our US based employees who work on-the-ground with contractors, etc. They manage the email inbox, bill customers, organize vendors, pay bills, and more - making each of my traveling employees more efficient.
I recommend Support Shepherd for finding an overseas employee for you or your company.
Thats all for now - more on this to come!
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Lets run through a few tweets that were very popular this week:
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This tweet got some legs because of how practical it is. The steps can be applied to any business:
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This kid has serious guts. Selling his vehicles with a new baby in the house!
I like it and know he will crush it:
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I met my business partner in 2011. Luck was on my side.
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Too many business owners refuse to do the stuff that has been working for business owners for years. Do the stuff that doesn't scale:
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Real men who have things to lose make smart decisions.
Onward and upward,
Nick Huber
P.S.
If you are interested in selling your business, I can help you.
My business brokerage can get you in front of millions of people and hundreds of qualified buyers in yohttps://www.nickhuber.com/sellur industry.
Fill out this form today and we can set up a time to talk.
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