You Hired Help. Why Is Everything Still on You? with Tonya Thomas
Download MP3Hello, and welcome to the Service Based Business Society podcast. I'm your host, TiffanyAnn Bottcher. I left the corporate world to build my own businesses, and along the way, I've learned that scaling isn't all highlight reels. It's messy, it's hard, and it's totally worth it. As a mom of three, the author of the data driven method, and a serial entrepreneur, I know firsthand what it takes to build something bigger than yourself.
Speaker 1:This show is where we get real about entrepreneurship. The good, the bad, the beautiful, and, yes, even the ugly. Each week, I'll pull back the curtain to share stories, lessons, and strategies that help ambitious entrepreneurs scale their success. So let's get started. Welcome back to another episode.
Speaker 1:If you've been listening since we came back this season, you've heard me say three words over and over. Integrate, automate, delegate. Today, we're talking about one most business owners are worst at, delegate. My guest is Tonya Thomas, the founder of Team Delegate. Tonya started out as a corporate executive assistant for a construction company, not unlike myself.
Speaker 1:Moving across the country every time a project did, somewhere in there, she found a way to do the job virtually. And in 2001, long before remote work was a thing, everyone took seriously, she started her own virtual assistant company. That was twenty five years ago. Today, Team Delegate pairs business owners with US based executive assistants, most of them former corporate EAs, and she helped CEOs grow from a team of one to a team of 50. She's been featured in Entrepreneur Inc and Black Enterprise.
Speaker 1:She's even hosted a podcast called Unbottleneck Your Business, which honestly might be the most accurate podcast title I've ever heard. This conversation is about hiring an assistant. Yes. But it's really about getting out of your own way. We're gonna talk about how you know you're the bottleneck, what you should hand off first, and the difference between a VA and an executive assistant, and why so many owners are hiring help and still end up doing everything themselves.
Speaker 1:If you've ever said it's just faster if I do it myself, you will not wanna miss this conversation. Welcome to the show, Tonya.
Speaker 2:Thank you for having me.
Speaker 1:I was super excited when I got the message about having you on the podcast because this season, season six of the podcast, crazy, I don't even know how we're at season six, but here we are, is really I kind of have these three words, which is integrate, automate, delegate, which I think are really, you know, in in the current business climate are so important. So here comes this email from Team Delegate, and I was like, well, this just feels meant to be. So here you are. We have a we have a little bit of a similar career history before we got into what we're doing now, so that also appealed to me. So why don't you jump in, give our audience just a little bit of background about kind of where you started and how you ended up working in this crazy virtual space?
Speaker 2:Yes. It started about, I guess, twenty one years ago now. I had a background in executive assistant support, had just had my first son. We moved a lot at the time, so I wanted to have something that I could do. I wanted to start a business, but it had to be mobile.
Speaker 2:And so I came across a training program to be a virtual assistant and took that training program and here I am, but I've evolved a little bit as well. I was a solo practicing virtual executive assistant myself for many eighteen years. But during that time, I had a meeting with my coach at the time, and she says, You don't have a business, you just have a job you've created for yourself. And I'm like, What are you talking about? I have clients, websites.
Speaker 2:I do have a business, it just didn't land. But probably fast forward maybe two or three years after that, I began to feel some type of way about coming in here to the office, it just wasn't jazzing me to do the work. So I kind of stayed in this space about what do I want to do. But at that time too, her words came back and they hit home and I knew exactly what she meant. And so I just kind of decided that I no longer wanted to be the technician in my business, and that's when I morphed into the agency model.
Speaker 2:So rebranded the name and that's where I got here today.
Speaker 1:Amazing. So it's funny when you talk about kind of you've created yourself a job. So in my like early, like we're talking first two years of my business degree, we had some kind of entrepreneurship business low, like, and, and we ended up the whole semester we spent doing this business plan and say it, setting this all up. And then at the end of the semester, we had to present to the class. But I remember going through and there were some very unique things.
Speaker 1:Obviously, at the very beginning of business school, you have all these different students with varying directions that they want to go and whatnot. And I remember one of the people in their business plan essentially was they were going to... They they had designed a job where they didn't have to answer to anyone, but they essentially... It was just that. It was if if you don't work, the business doesn't run.
Speaker 1:If you, you know, there's no real scalability. There's no growth potential. You you are the business. The business is you. And that is very different than than scaling that that business.
Speaker 1:And I think that that's such a common struggle in the service based space. You know, it's a, it's a plumber who decides, Hey, I don't want to answer to the man anymore. I want to start my own business and I want to do this. Or it's, you know, someone who, you know, a woman who decides, Hey, I want to start my own business. Maybe my kids have gone back to school now and I don't really want to work nine to five anymore.
Speaker 1:Kind of much like yourself looking for a little more flexibility. And, you know, little does everyone know at that time that you have the flexibility to work as much as you want, but you're, you know, it's that's about it. And so it's, it's definitely an interesting journey. So you now twenty one years ago is a long time in the virtual space. Think, you know, post COVID, everybody has some kind of virtual element, you know, I and think we're seeing a little bit of a shift now back to the office in the corporate space.
Speaker 1:A lot of people want their employees back and whatnot, but you you were kind of early, early in the virtual timeline.
Speaker 2:I remember back then I did a lot of educating. People didn't know what it was. And so it has definitely evolved over the years, even in terms of the technology. So there was no video when I first started. People were still using fax machines.
Speaker 2:So updating myself. But yeah, it has definitely changed.
Speaker 1:Yeah. And I think that there's so much change going on right now. I think it's a crazy, crazy time to be alive and operating a business and whatnot. I would say though, one of the biggest challenges that business owners have as they start to grow is that, you know, a lot of it is up in their brain. And so, you know, a lot of the business owners just say, you know, it's just faster for me just to do it myself.
Speaker 1:What... How do you work through those things as you're helping people start that delegating process? Because to be honest, on day one, it probably is faster for them to do it themselves.
Speaker 2:Right. And it and it really is. And you're right. A lot of people have things in their head, so they don't really have documented processes. So when they're onboarding someone, for me, that's that virtual EA, it's going to be a lot of them telling initially kind of what needs to be done because there's nothing documented.
Speaker 2:And people can find that challenging because they're thinking, Yeah, it's just quicker for me to do it. But I always remind people that the reward is on the back end. You know, you may have to initially, you know, do a little bit more upfront, but just know on the back end, you're gonna reap the rewards. And then I also share too, you know, don't think that you have to do everything by email. Communication is key when you're initially delegating.
Speaker 2:So if that's maybe two or three meetings initially and then kind of taper off as you get a good rhythm going, Because when you're initially speaking to someone, they're able to capture what you're saying and take notes. That's usually easier for us than trying to sit down and think, Okay, I'm going to write out this email and explain what needs to happen. That's the way I always kind of explain it to people. And they tend to find that easier in terms of their initial start, you know, with their assistant.
Speaker 1:Absolutely. I think especially, you know, if you've been doing something a long time, you know, I I kind of... It's like even when the power goes out, you still walk into a room and hit the light switch. You know the power's out, you know the light's not coming on, but it is so automatic. You get in a car, you automatically put your seatbelt on.
Speaker 1:You don't think, oh, I need to put my seatbelt on. It's just so second nature. And so if you have been a part of running your business for a really long time, you do so many things that are the light switch and the seatbelt that you don't even know that they are a thing. And so if someone says, what do you do? What are the tasks I need to take from you?
Speaker 1:It isn't until the lights don't come on that someone's like, well, someone used to turn the lights on. Okay. Well, we better add that to a process somewhere because it's not being done any... A lot of times as, you know, you really see that as well with with great team members who have been with the organization for a long time, and then maybe they have have left or, you know, you see people go on maternity leave or whatever. And all of a sudden you're like, oh, I had no idea that so and so did that until it stopped getting done.
Speaker 2:Right. Exactly. So not having those processes and stuff in place, you're really kind of bottlenecking yourself too, because then you're right. Then whoever was responsible for that, or even if that's you, if you're not able to do it, then it's not going to get done. So that's something that a lot of people, I think they do think about it, but just trying to take the time to sit down and do it is difficult.
Speaker 2:But I always share with people, have the person, like you kind of alluded to there, the person that is responsible for that specific workflow or whatever, have them document it out. That definitely takes the workload off of you. And then that way too, they're not walking out the door if they relieve and taking that process with them in their head. So... Yeah.
Speaker 1:Yes. Yeah. It's... You know, there's there's a couple pieces to that. I think a lot of people are insecure.
Speaker 1:It comes from a place of insecurity that they don't want someone to be better at the job than they are themselves when they're training someone. So there's this little bit of like, well, I don't want to give them all my secrets or I don't want, you know, everyone to know this process. And I always, you know, I always say like a rising tide lists all boats. And so it's like the only way that you can continue to grow and take on new challenges and, you know, new opportunities and things is ultimately for those for those jobs that were tasks or whatever that were previously being done. And the more detailed the process is, the better that chances for success, because there's actually nothing worse than, you know, saying, okay, well, I've hired, you know, someone to delegate these tasks to, and I'm going to get started on this task.
Speaker 1:But now the person who has the old role, if you will, is failing. And, you know, ultimately that you just end up with both. You end up with your old job and your new job, and then you're overwhelmed and nothing is really working.
Speaker 2:True. And I guess in terms of that, if that is happening, there's a lot of impact in there, I guess. I think initially, having that fear of giving someone else over what you feel like is your IP can be risky, but you also have to think about too what the greater reward is. Is it for you to keep it yourself and then you stay bottlenecked just you being the technician? Or do you really want to grow?
Speaker 2:And so then also that piece, I think you talked a little bit about too, but if the person is not really working out, that's always a fear of people as well. And I always tell people it could be a little bit of both sometimes. Always say, kind of look inward to, is there something that you could be doing better to support them? Not always thinking that it's just all on them because sometimes it could be a delegation issue. Maybe you didn't do something on your side the way you could have related it better or not been there really for questions or taking a look internally first and then thinking, even if that doesn't work out and you do end up letting the person go, so that you know the next time, what could I do differently in order for it to be successful the next time.
Speaker 1:Absolutely. Now, if someone were to ask you, what is the difference between... And and you've kind of layered it up. So we've got virtual assistants, we've got executive assistants, and then in your case, we have virtual executive assistants. Yeah.
Speaker 1:How do you define those three?
Speaker 2:Yes. And so I look at it this way. I think the executive assistant level is more of someone, if you look at it maybe like a doer and a thinker. From executive assistant level, that person is typically more critical thinking. So they're just not a taskmaster.
Speaker 2:They're going to be someone who is thinking ahead. So for example, maybe they're keeping watch on your calendar. They are going to check-in with the person that you're meeting with and make sure that the person's still going to show up. They are going to, if you're traveling, they're going to, while you're traveling, make sure that keep an eye on your flight. If it's late, they're going to contact the hotel and let them know that you're on late arrival so that your room doesn't get given away.
Speaker 2:They're going to do things that you don't have to constantly tell them to do. And so to me, that's the difference. So that's typically what I've seen. So that's the level of difference that I see in an executive assistant, that right hand person who you can count on and that they're working proactively and you're not always having a manager.
Speaker 1:Absolutely. So I think there's a level of confidence that's required to do that. You know, I think there's, there's kind of this piece where, you know, people will will follow the processes. They will do, you know, and you can have some amazing people on your team that do exactly. And they, you know, they follow it to the letter and it's right every time.
Speaker 1:But, you know, maybe something goes wrong. Maybe suddenly, you know, it's like they're you're unavailable or something and that person freeze and they're like, don't know what to do. And they just call... Everything stops. And and because there...
Speaker 1:There's this concern with doing it wrong and so they don't want to do anything. And so I think that they're required, you know, there's a certain level of confidence that is required to say, Hey, I know that that calling the hotel is the right thing. So I'm not going to wait and say, should I call the hotel? I'm just going to call the hotel and then say, by the way, call, you know, it's like, and then it all just keeps happening in the background ultimately is that kind of progression. And I think to truly scale an organization, it is very difficult to do without someone who is proactively, you know, I always say there's a lot of balls in there and, you know, you need someone to help, you know, count them and catch them.
Speaker 2:Right. Exactly. Because if everything falls on you, then it can feel as though you don't even have support, that you don't have help. And then you can be thinking, What's to use? And so sometimes people fall into that trap and they don't really know what's happening, but that's typically what it is.
Speaker 2:You have team, but everything still falls on you. Everybody's still bringing all the decisions back to you. Just like you said, they'll have what they need to do, but if a problem comes up, they don't know how to handle it themselves. And then sometimes we, again, I put that, we have to think about that ourselves and let people know, Think this through. Or even saying something to the effect of, If there's a problem that comes up, bring a solution.
Speaker 2:You can't bring a problem to me without a solution. It doesn't mean that I'll take the solution, but at least that's helping them build that muscle to do the thinking on their own.
Speaker 1:Absolutely. Yeah, it could be a good confidence booster in training as someone's kind of moving from that virtual assistant to executive role and say, well, you know, what would you have done? What would you, what would you think is the correct answer? And then kind of go through that with them. And, and I think then when you can say, yeah, that is the right answer.
Speaker 1:Or yes, that is what I would have done. Then they can start. That's our good confidence booster to say, Oh good, yeah, okay, that was the right thing or I would have made the right call there.
Speaker 2:Exactly. So yeah, that's one way to try to tackle that because yeah, it can be taxing if everything is still depending on you because obviously you're trying to, you brought people on so that you can spend your time doing what you want to do. But if you're constantly being pulled back in, that's typically not going to happen. And then of course that just builds frustration.
Speaker 1:Right. Right. What do you think are the, you know, when hiring or adding someone to the team, you've got skills, you know, can they use this app? Can they, you know, do this process? And then there's attributes, which I think are like, who is the person?
Speaker 1:The pieces that you... That the, you know, the the attributes they arrive with. What are... What do you think are some of the most important attributes to to to have for someone who's a great executive assistant?
Speaker 2:And so I guess here, what you'd be thinking about is hard skills versus soft skills. So obviously the hard skills, you are following up under the having the ability to be able to use a specific software, those types of things. I think we touched upon one of the soft skills, which is critical thinking. Then there's also organization, different in prioritizing, being able to do that as well, being able to know what's important now and what to wait, being able to work in an organized fashion. So those are different things that you can look at in terms of, yeah, when you're bringing someone on, because I think sometimes people do just get hung up on the hard skills.
Speaker 2:Can they do this particular software? Can they work in this particular software? Or what have you, and they forget about the soft skills, which are truly important because both of them matter. And so I do think that's a good question because a lot of people just don't... They don't think about that.
Speaker 2:And so when it maybe doesn't work out, and a lot of times that can be why, because they only looked at those hard skills when evaluating the person.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I think if someone is a great fit for the team, if they are, you know, and an executive assistant is someone you work very closely with. This is someone who is, you know, you're going to talk to more than really anyone else in the business. They need be able to know what you would say. They need to be able to think critically. And so that person really needs to be a match.
Speaker 1:So even, I mean, they might be the very best person on every single app that your business uses. They might be super organized, But if you can't have a conversation with them, if you can't, like, you don't enjoy working with them, then chances are it's not going to be a great fit. Know, it's, it's ultimately that piece, you know, I reflect back. So, you know, when I started in the corporate space, I, you know, was progressing along and I would say for about two years I was financial controller and then also ended up as executive assistant to the CEO. And so I was really doing these two roles and.
Speaker 1:And I, I feel like, I mean, it was, it was a lot. Ended up with that that was the start of my, oh, I work a lot of hours now. But I would say that that was invaluable because as the executive assistant, I was a part of, you know, and, and dealing with so many situations, contract negotiations, insurance issues, you know, but like all of these types of things that in my other role, I just wouldn't have, have seen. And I think that, you know, exposure and seeing how someone who's in the role is dealing with things and whatnot. I mean, I just find it fascinating.
Speaker 1:Obviously I carried on to do, you know, those things myself because I love it so much, but I find it, you know, everyone kind of has these different pieces and sometimes they, well, I don't really want to be an assistant or, you know, what if that person doesn't want to be? But I truly think that role, there isn't really anybody closer to the top without being at the top when... And the top can be very stressful.
Speaker 2:Right. Exactly. And one thing that you brought up there was the communication piece. And I'll say this, and I see this every day. People feel like they can have support, but they don't want to talk to them.
Speaker 2:They're too busy to communicate and talk to them. Then what happens a lot of times too, with under utilization, especially with it being virtual, because I was sight out of mind. And so that's one piece that always is a pet peeve of mine, but I do see it all the time, and I do think it's critical. I tell people that it's critical that you talk with this person, especially initially, but then to keep it going, because the more they communicate with you, the more they're going to pick up on things about you that's going to be helpful for them to be able to support you. They'll learn more about you, and the more they know about you and understand you, the better they'll be able to provide that support, and you're going to get more value from it.
Speaker 1:Absolutely. I I think that it is important to, you know, choose a channel, however you're gonna communicate with that person that works best for you. So, like, I use with my executive assistant, I use a lot of Marco Polo, which is like a video messenger and we have like a whole team chat online and all of, you know, it has all of that. But the reason I like Marco Polo is because I can plunk my phone up in the holder or whatever while I'm dry, you know, I'll drop the kids off at school and I can, you know, hit the hit one button, yammer on a whole bunch of, okay, this is because when I'm driving, this is when like things start coming to me. Oh, what about that?
Speaker 1:Oh, I need to do that. And oh, this and that. And so I can just hit one button and have like, just a, okay, here's my bit of a brain dump, you know, and, and. Because it's that it's video, you also get that little bit more personal pit piece to it. You know, you can say, Oh yeah, like, you know, it's a nice day where, you know, where you are or, yeah, new hairdo.
Speaker 1:That's great. Like you can kind of build that rapport because, you know, in the day and age where there's a lot of AI and, and, you know, I always liked the human to contact to feel human. And you know, it's like, then you're kind of building that rapport and you can... But, you know, there's other people on the team that I communicate with just in like maybe an audio message while I'm quickly doing something, you know, a chat. A lot of times people are like, I don't have, know, it's like, I have so many emails that an email from one more person is just buried into a box with 50 emails.
Speaker 1:And so it's like, well, you're just one more list, one more email I need to deal with. And so I was, you know, we need to find a way that we can communicate that it's going to jump to the top. That isn't just, you know, one more thing in a pile of, of many, because that is where it becomes, you know, inefficient.
Speaker 2:Exactly. Yeah. And I like the idea of the video. I think that's important too, yeah, so people can see you. That definitely helps up level the level of rapport that you're building.
Speaker 2:But, finding what works for you in terms of communicating is essential because obviously if it's not something that you typically like to do the way you like to communicate. So it is a question to always ask when you're working with someone, how do you communicate? Because if it's not in your standard way, then it's definitely not something you're going to consistently keep up.
Speaker 1:Yes. Yeah. I had someone a long time ago by an executive assistant who said, you know... And I'm I'm very upfront about ours and say, you know, these are our hours. This is...
Speaker 1:You know? And and there's some roles that don't need any overlap with hours. You know, if someone's going to come in and they're going to do some website updates in the middle of the night and they're going to send me for approval, I mean, maybe I don't need to talk to you very often. But if we're working together on a project and you are working the opposite hours that I am. Well, if I send you something at 02:00 on a Monday and then you're going to look at it on Tuesday night or whatever when you're working, and then I'm going to get the revisions and then, oh, I have one more correction.
Speaker 1:So before you know it, it's Thursday And it's like, we're just doing this loop. And so this someone said, oh, I I think I can I think I can do this job? It would work better for me if I switch shifts. And I said, I'm I'm really sorry. Like, and I'm very upfront from the very beginning.
Speaker 1:This isn't a surprise. I say like, I... It just doesn't it just doesn't work. So, I mean, there's times where I can say, hey, like, long as we have four hours of overlap, that's okay. Or like, can find things that work.
Speaker 1:But I do find that, you know, this sometimes virtual to people means flexible in that, like, I'll just do it when I want. And so, you know, I think that, you know, anytime that it's important to be super upfront about what are your non negotiables. Ours are we need to have, like, I need you here during this time so that we can get back to a customer at the right time or if I'm dealing with an emergency. And when when this person who I'm thinking of said like, no, no, I can totally do this. And then it's totally fine.
Speaker 1:I thought you don't really understand the the role if you think you can do it all in the middle of the night because there is stuff that can be done then, but not all of it.
Speaker 2:You're right. That's so true. So that is definitely another area where you have to be on the same page because you're right. What is your turnaround time on things? And even the task, communication.
Speaker 2:Obviously with projects, if it's a longer term project, then you come together and agree upon a deadline, but then you also have the communication in between. So having that information and knowing upfront is definitely something that you need to do because you're right, if you're not on the same page, it's not going to work. And so in a virtual position, people can feel that way, especially too, it depends on how they're working. If you're an employee, it could be different because then obviously, yeah, they have to set times, but if they're not, then their work standard can be flexible. So it is important to talk with them and get a clear understanding of what their work time looks like.
Speaker 2:That's a good point.
Speaker 1:Yeah. Oftentimes I think business owners as they start to grow, end up with more and more meetings, especially if you're in that I'm trying to get, you know, you're around the million dollar mark and you're really trying to, and I think that then people end up spending a lot more time in meetings, on calls, doing, you know. And so what I hear from business owners, and I'm curious, you know, if you hear the same is, is it's like, oh, I need help, but all of these tasks really need me. But... And I always I always laugh because I'm like, you know what?
Speaker 1:There's a lot of people running like multimillion dollar... I'm like, most people have help. No one does it alone. And so those people who think like, have to get back to every email, I... Everything requires me.
Speaker 1:How do you coach them through something like that?
Speaker 2:It really goes back to time. And so when people come to us, they have really kind of made up their mind that they need support. Oftentimes they just don't know what, and so they have reached that point where they are ready. But the thing of it is they still have a hard time letting go. They still kind of fall within that parameter.
Speaker 2:They're still hanging on to things. And we find that it's like they come for help, but then it's like pulling teeth sometime to let them help you. So we do run into that. Typically what we do is one thing to help is just to make sure that they identify those specific areas where they do need help. Because a lot of times, like I said, they want it, but they don't know specifically what that looks like.
Speaker 2:So helping them build a plan of the different tasks and areas where they need support. We interview them to capture that information. That's helpful because then they know. And then the other thing is just holding them accountable. You said you wanted support here.
Speaker 2:What does that look like now? I know this is an area that you haven't released. So what are some things that we can do to kind of help you feel more comfortable releasing this? And so a lot of times, they'll tell us what it is that may be holding them back We're able to kind of work through things. Sometimes it's just a timing standpoint.
Speaker 2:They're so busy and they just don't think about it. And so those are some of the ways and areas that we are able to help people because yeah, you just get used to doing it, and that's is what it is. Totally.
Speaker 1:Totally. What are a few what are the a few of the most surprising things that maybe you think that executive assistants that you have like, hey, we help with this and business owners seem so surprised that this is a support we can help. I don't travel. You know, lot of people are like, oh, I don't do a travel. I don't really need anyone to manage my calendar.
Speaker 1:I take care of that. I don't think I need an executive assistant. So what are those like less typical things executive assistants can provide support that maybe are like, oh, wow, had I known had I known I could get help with this, I would have done it already.
Speaker 2:Yeah. I would say like invoicing, because a lot of times people don't think about that. And that's that's something that can take a lot of time or following up on them and stuff like that. Another thing is research. I've known clients that maybe they work with corporate and government entities and they didn't realize getting the support around that area in terms of helping with the RFPs, the proposals, those types of areas that they don't typically think about.
Speaker 2:That really saves them a lot of time in those areas.
Speaker 1:Right. Right. I found like, especially because I, I was the executive assistant for that time. I, and you learn so much of what is going on. And it's very interesting because, I mean, I went on to, to have worked with so many service based businesses now in my, in my own business.
Speaker 1:And, and you refer back, you know, it's like, oh, well, like there's so much similar. And so people will say to me, well, industries do you work with? And I always say, well, you know, to to me, it doesn't really matter whether it's, you know, you're going to get there and you're going to, you know, take a foot like, because it's like, could be photography. It could be being a lawyer. It could be being a plumber because those are the, I'm not going to tell you how to do those things or be a part of those things.
Speaker 1:But you know, whether that, you know, the running and the organization and the making sure that the team is in the right spots and researching payment processors or, you know, insurance renewals, making sure you're getting the best deal or, you know, all of those types of things. Really, it's like the legwork and it's so nice when someone can bring to you and say, hey, so we've got that renewal coming up. I looked, I've shopped it around, you know, actually we should not renew here because this is actually better coverage and it's less expensive. You know, do you want me to, you know, give it the thumbs up or the thumbs down? And then you can say, oh yeah, that sounds great.
Speaker 1:And, you know, and then they're going go and take care of that and bring it back to you so that you need to sign it. And so something like that where, you know, it's like, these are some of the ways where people like, oh, maybe I can't afford an executive assistant yet. And you're like, well, oftentimes though, it's finding savings. Maybe it's subscriptions that you've, you know, paid for for all these years that you're not really using or you started with Wix and so you've got your domain and stuff over there, but actually you've moved your email over there, but you're still paying for the, you know, those are the kinds of things that someone can go through and especially someone who's experienced and knows what they're looking at probably better than the business owner, you know, can say, Oh yeah, we need to move that and condense this. And we actually don't need that at all.
Speaker 1:And can generally find some good savings and make things more efficient. Just moves faster.
Speaker 2:Exactly. Yeah. Those are a lot of the little things that you don't typically think about that are... They do take up a lot of time and at the same time, like you said, saving you money because you're not paying attention to it where someone else is able to help you stay on top of that. Even different certifications and things like that too.
Speaker 2:Like you mentioned, I know we do have some attorneys and they have to have certain licenses and different things that they have to stay on track with. And the EA is helping them maintain those and reminding them when it's time. So you have different little ways that they can provide support to be able to help you stay on track, because that's what it's really all about.
Speaker 1:Absolutely. Absolutely. Now, one of the things that oftentimes now, because I came from, you know, I came from corporate. I had an executive assistant and then I started my business brand new. And one of my first roles that I hired was an executive assistant.
Speaker 1:And you know, people are like, well, does she does she have access to your email? She has access to your emails? And I'm like, yes. How do you trust someone like that? How do you you know, do you there is I mean, I it was so normal to me that I didn't even really think about it, but it came up actually.
Speaker 1:I get everyone just has different kind of comfort zones. Right? So we were planning a trip. We have two dogs, two wiener dogs, and we had not had a trip ever since we got them as puppies. And so we were going to take this family trip.
Speaker 1:So I'm, and, and so now we have to plan for the dog. What do you do with the dogs? Right? And so I was like, Oh, well, we can get like a pet sitter. They come and they stay at your house and take care of your things.
Speaker 1:And my, my husband was like, In our house? And I was like, Yes? He's like, here without us? I was like, yes. And for me, I was like this, like, because I had had friends growing up that had done like, this was so normal to me.
Speaker 1:Right? And he was, he looked at me like I had sprouted like an extra head and had lost my mind. And I was like, I was like, well, like so and so like friends of ours had what I was like, so like she's worked with them for years. I'm sure like, I'm sure it's fine. He was like, there was no way this was...
Speaker 1:He was so weirded out by this. And so we ended up, they went to a wiener dog specific like group, like dog place. They loved it. They had an amazing time. And, but it was in that moment that I kind of, you know, it's like everyone has different comfort levels, but I truly think that for an executive assistant to be effective, you have to let them in.
Speaker 1:Like you have to be willing because if you're just going to like every time you remember, oh, I'll just forward this over. You know, you're going to be crazy busy and that person's going to be sitting there being like, can I help? What can I do? What can I do now? Can I help you?
Speaker 1:And like, have to let them in.
Speaker 2:Yeah, for sure. You're right. Because hearing you talk about that, especially with the email, a lot of people, they do cringe when it comes to that, but that's one of the biggest areas where an owner spends a lot of their time. But yeah, you do have to have that level of comfort with someone, and you've got to be able to let them do that to help you. And a lot of times people just are apprehensive about that, but there are different things that you can do.
Speaker 2:I always tell people that if there are certain emails and stuff that you maybe are sensitive that you don't want them to see, obviously you can set up rules to go in a different folder so they never come into the inbox where that EA would see them if it's something personal. So there are things that you can do to help yourself feel more comfortable to be able to help, let somebody in to be able to help you because that is one of the big areas where you do see a lot of time value.
Speaker 1:Mhmm. Yeah. I I think that that comes back to that kind of rapport and getting to know someone and feel comfortable. If all you're ever gonna do is send a couple emails to someone, it is hard to get to know someone, feel a little more comfortable, and trust them. But I think, you know, like I said, you have to work really closely with that person.
Speaker 1:And so, you know, that's really important to being effective. You know, I had a bookkeeping client, reach out. So I I know her in what I say in the real world, I know. And so... And she says, so it would be most efficient for me just to send you my Amazon login.
Speaker 1:The team was like, Hey, we need receipts for all these things. And Amazon is one of those. You could be Amazon could be anything, right? Like it's like, so you're hard to categorize. She said, so it would be most efficient for me just to send you the login.
Speaker 1:I'm just wondering though, there's some things in there that are a little dicey, little adventurous. I was like, you know, what we just look, we just go in, you know, the team's just gonna go in and get what they need. They're professionals. You know, it's like a house cleaner, right? It's like you let someone into your house, they're seeing your stuff.
Speaker 1:They know what's in your bedroom, and you just carry on. You know, it's like it's it's a professional courtesy, if you will. And so, you know, you just gotta be willing just to rip the band aid off because it's like, are you gonna spend seven hours going through every Amazon purchase from last year, or are you just gonna send someone the login and and know that they're just looking past your stuff that they don't care about? It's like the doctor, right? It's like the doctor's seeing everybody naked, he don't care.
Speaker 2:Right, exactly. Yeah, if you don't let someone in, you're going to always be struggling with your time. You're not going to be able to get to where you want to go without help. Most of the time, we we got to have it. Like you mentioned, with support helping clean your home.
Speaker 2:So everything that we do is to help us have more time for ourselves. In order to do that, you gotta have some type of support.
Speaker 1:Yes. So what is one tangible tip that you think someone who's maybe is like, you know, I I think I I need help, but I don't know if this is the... I know I need help. I just don't know what help I need. What is what is your advice for that person?
Speaker 2:It is to... A lot of times what I'll tell people if they just keep keep track of it, I know it sounds mundane, but even with weight loss, and I use it as an example, if you want to make a change there, you have to track what you're eating. Sometimes you have to go as far as track your calories. It's the same when we're wanting to get support from an EA and you don't know what that looks like. So keeping, if you're a pen and paper person, you're old school notebook pad, to at least a week if you can.
Speaker 2:Write down, whenever you start doing something, write that down no matter what it is. If you want to keep something electronically, you can pin whatever you use there, you can do the same. And that'll be helpful for you to come up with a list of things and then you can evaluate that list and see, you know, what are you comfortable releasing initially. And that will be helpful for you to get an idea of some of the areas where you can get support as well. And if you can keep track of your time, I know that's hard, but that's even better, because then it'll also let you know where most of your time is going.
Speaker 2:And so you definitely want to try to release those things, make them a priority if it... Whatever's taking up the most of your time, if you're comfortable with that initially, but it may be something that you wanna do once you get comfortable with the person, but you at least know what that is and what it looks like.
Speaker 1:Absolutely. So maybe someone... Maybe one of our listeners is like, oh my goodness. Yes. This is my answer.
Speaker 1:So where can people connect with you? How can you provide them some support in in moving this forward?
Speaker 2:Sure. I can definitely be reached. Our website is teamdelegate.com. I am also on LinkedIn, Tonya Thomas. What we typically do is we have a conversation and decide, you know, from there whether or not we'd be able to be a fit for one another.
Speaker 2:And then we just kind of move from there. But our agency is all US based executive assistants. And yeah, that's how you can find me and that's who we are.
Speaker 1:Amazing. Amazing. Well, it has been such a pleasure to have you on the show. I think that, you know, learning as a business owner or, you know, even if you are a top, you know, you're a growing manager, you know, however, that in in order to continue to, you know, climb the ladder, career wise, you're... You know, delegation, the ability to effectively delegate is one of the most important skills that that must be mastered.
Speaker 1:There really isn't, you know, any person who thinks they're gonna go at it alone. There's very few things where that is actually possible. So I think that, it's such an important discussion. And and I truly think a lot of times people just don't even know what kind of help is available to them. You know, maybe they're, you know, and some people say like, oh my goodness, I'm on like TikTok and everybody's talking about this.
Speaker 1:Or of course everyone knows. And I think that that's not always the case. People are really busy in what they're doing. They know they need help, but they just don't know how to move it from like, I need help to like somebody added to their business and it being effective because that takes a little bit of time. And so if someone's already super overwhelmed, maybe they're like, I can't take that on right now.
Speaker 1:And so, you know, it's the decision to say, Hey, you know, the time is now and I really want to prioritize this.
Speaker 2:Right. Exactly. And so having that ability to be able to do that, we assign and we also help build the plan, the delegation plan. So everything that's needed to help, you know, a person get going and have that ongoing support.
Speaker 1:Well, Tonya, thank you so much. It has been an absolute pleasure.
Speaker 2:Thank you, TiffanyAnn.
Speaker 1:That's all the time we have for today, but the conversation doesn't stop here. Be sure subscribe to the Service Based Business Society podcast on all of your favorite apps. And if you're hanging out over on YouTube, search for TiffanyAnn Bottcher. Your likes, comments, and shares don't just help the show, they help more entrepreneurs find the real stories and strategies that they need to scale. Until next time, keep pushing, keep building, and I'll catch you in the next episode.
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