Work on Your Business, Not In It
Ever feel like you’re being pulled into several directions all at once? And wonder how on earth you’ll get it all done? Instagram. Facebook. Youtube. Amazon book descriptions. Book Mockups. Sending books to social media influencers. Amazon ads. Writing. Editing. Publishing. The list goes on and on and on…
Trust me. I’ve been there. As I increase my capacity to do more, I find that I can take time to do those things that give me the most enjoyment. For me, that includes writing, researching, meditating, doing yoga (yes, that was a shameless plug lol), strategizing, envisioning, and dreaming..
So the question is HOW DO YOU INCREASE YOUR CAPACITY?
The answer is delegation. When you delegate those tasks which you despise, you’re not good at, or that you just simply don’t enjoy, you not only free up your time but you increase your capacity and your company’s capacity (if you’re the CEO) to do more.
It is not easy to delegate. Let me tell you. I’m a recovering control addict.
When we opened our first restaurant in 2004, I wanted every table spic and span. Every piece of garnish perfectly placed on every single dish. Every penny accounted for.
But it costs me quality time with my family. I, also, lost some great employees who were looking for growth opportunities which I couldn’t offer because of my near-sightedness.
I’ve learned to let go and give up those tasks which I can delegate to others that would cost me less than my hourly pay. When I was able to do this, it allowed for growth opportunities for all in the company.
I’ve taken what I learned and am applying it to the Book Publishing/Writing industry. To me at this stage, delegating in the publishing world means hiring an administrative assistant or virtual assistant (VA) or any independent contractor so that I can focus on what I like best!
My virtual assistant (VA) from India does the following for Grow Grit Press: create book mockups, create graphics, update my website with each book that comes out, post on my youtube, edit details on my youtube, research competitors and keywords, edit photos I’ve taken to remove glare or make it better, and more. My VA for my restaurants does even more, manages our online brand reputation, posts on our social media, creates newsletters emails, designs in-store marketing and replies to reviews, donation request emails, and so much more!
My CPA creates monthly financial statements complete with a balance ledger and profit/loss statements with itemized deductions so I can see where I stand.
My designer formats all my books and any additional material needed per book.
My illustrator artistically brings to life to my words.
My editor gives me new eyes which dissect the text for grammatical and punctuation errors.
Essentially, we all work as a team but we focus on what we do best!
When I learned to delegate, it allowed me time and the creativity to make strategical decisions that led to increased revenue for my company. This enabled me to hire more Human resources than ever before which leads to more production and eventually, more revenue. It’s the opposite of a vicious cycle. It’s a free-flowing cycle.
So the question is are you working IN your company or ON it? I wanna know! You may be at a stage where you're working in the business and that's okay as long as you don't stay there :)
(I am paying $29/mth for my VA. It does take some training though as they are not native English speaking. If you’re seeking more English speaking VAs, I have a company I use that is stateside which trains their VAs first- Ramon Osa.) Virtual Assistants - I’ve tried a lot! These are the ones I recommend:
AskSunday.com
Ramon Osa info@superreva.com
Accountants
Jay Parks, CPA
Designers
Praise Saflor, Graphic Designer
Nicole Lavoie, Graphic Designer
Editor
EditNow on Fiverr.com
Illustrators
Candy Joyce
Trust me. I’ve been there. As I increase my capacity to do more, I find that I can take time to do those things that give me the most enjoyment. For me, that includes writing, researching, meditating, doing yoga (yes, that was a shameless plug lol), strategizing, envisioning, and dreaming..
So the question is HOW DO YOU INCREASE YOUR CAPACITY?
The answer is delegation. When you delegate those tasks which you despise, you’re not good at, or that you just simply don’t enjoy, you not only free up your time but you increase your capacity and your company’s capacity (if you’re the CEO) to do more.
It is not easy to delegate. Let me tell you. I’m a recovering control addict.
When we opened our first restaurant in 2004, I wanted every table spic and span. Every piece of garnish perfectly placed on every single dish. Every penny accounted for.
But it costs me quality time with my family. I, also, lost some great employees who were looking for growth opportunities which I couldn’t offer because of my near-sightedness.
I’ve learned to let go and give up those tasks which I can delegate to others that would cost me less than my hourly pay. When I was able to do this, it allowed for growth opportunities for all in the company.
I’ve taken what I learned and am applying it to the Book Publishing/Writing industry. To me at this stage, delegating in the publishing world means hiring an administrative assistant or virtual assistant (VA) or any independent contractor so that I can focus on what I like best!
My virtual assistant (VA) from India does the following for Grow Grit Press: create book mockups, create graphics, update my website with each book that comes out, post on my youtube, edit details on my youtube, research competitors and keywords, edit photos I’ve taken to remove glare or make it better, and more. My VA for my restaurants does even more, manages our online brand reputation, posts on our social media, creates newsletters emails, designs in-store marketing and replies to reviews, donation request emails, and so much more!
My CPA creates monthly financial statements complete with a balance ledger and profit/loss statements with itemized deductions so I can see where I stand.
My designer formats all my books and any additional material needed per book.
My illustrator artistically brings to life to my words.
My editor gives me new eyes which dissect the text for grammatical and punctuation errors.
Essentially, we all work as a team but we focus on what we do best!
When I learned to delegate, it allowed me time and the creativity to make strategical decisions that led to increased revenue for my company. This enabled me to hire more Human resources than ever before which leads to more production and eventually, more revenue. It’s the opposite of a vicious cycle. It’s a free-flowing cycle.
So the question is are you working IN your company or ON it? I wanna know! You may be at a stage where you're working in the business and that's okay as long as you don't stay there :)
(I am paying $29/mth for my VA. It does take some training though as they are not native English speaking. If you’re seeking more English speaking VAs, I have a company I use that is stateside which trains their VAs first- Ramon Osa.) Virtual Assistants - I’ve tried a lot! These are the ones I recommend:
AskSunday.com
Ramon Osa info@superreva.com
Accountants
Jay Parks, CPA
Designers
Praise Saflor, Graphic Designer
Nicole Lavoie, Graphic Designer
Editor
EditNow on Fiverr.com
Illustrators
Candy Joyce