My wife being put on strict bedrest turned out to be the pivotal experience of my both my professional and personal life.
I handed all of the day-to-day operations over to my OFS and held my breath.
For the next three weeks, I was completely preoccupied with caring for my wife and two toddlers. I barely thought about work. In fact I probably clocked one hour of work, TOTAL.
At the end of those three weeks, my wife went into early labor and delivered a beautiful, healthy baby girl without further complications. We were beyond grateful that the baby arrived safely. But I still couldn’t return to work in full capacity.
My wife struggled through post-natal recovery. Any energy she had went to meet the demands of our newborn.
I continued to man the household duties and keep our two oldest alive and in check. (Which, by the way, is exhausting work!)
Over the next two months, I worked about one hour per week.
Which means that over three months, I’d worked on my business for a rough total of nine hours. That’s it.
When my wife finally recovered and I came back to work in "full capacity", I was prepared for the worst. I had a lot of faith in the VAs I’d worked so hard to train. But at the same time, I was expecting a real mess. I just hoped there was something left to salvage...
Then when I began to analyze the damage caused by my absence, I almost went into shock.
The business hadn’t imploded without me.
The workers I’d hired and trained so well had kept it fully functional.
In fact, not only was it functional, it was profitable and it had grown. I was floored. I couldn’t believe how much I’d underestimated these guys! Up to that point, I’d had no idea what my VAs were capable of.
-----
Quick, clarifying side note: This was not a ‘miraculous hire-and-hand-off’ ordeal.
Prior to my hiatus, I’d put lots of work into this business. When I left, it was fully functional and semi-automated. My two OFS had been working for me for 18+ months and I’d trained them well. They knew the ins and outs of my business and its automated processes (because I’d spent time teaching them).
When I stopped working, they were set up to keep the business alive. But my expectations were pretty low.
Their hard work and dedication during those three months blew me out of the water.
-----
I just couldn’t believe it. I was living beyond Tim Ferriss’ 4-hour workweek -- I was living the one-hour workweek. My business was thriving. And it all happened because I had no choice but to let my VAs step up and reveal their true potential.
Masterclass Tip 6a: Your OFS are smart.
They’re not robots.
They want to do a great job.
Let them.
Train them on the work they’re doing and then ask for their advice. Let them create new solutions.
That was my outsourcing wake up call. I realized entrepreneurialism boils down to this: there’s always work to be done in a business - it’s just a matter of who’s doing the work.
So this is the question I want you to ask yourself: who’s doing the work in your business? Is it you or someone else? And if it’s still ‘you,’ are you willing to take a chance and let go?
Masterclass Tip 6b - Train your OFS on all parts of your business.
Traditional wisdom says to give one person only the knowledge they need to do one thing and nothing else. That way they can’t steal your idea.
The Philippines is different. They don’t want to steal your idea. They want to learn and contribute.
Teach them everything you can.
Help them understand the business.
Then, let them use their brains.
Don’t pigeon hole them into just doing menial tasks.
They’re thinkers.
They’re doers.
Help them be this way.
Think on it,
John
PS - OFS = Online Filipino Specialist
-----
Our mailing address is:
OnlineJobs.ph 770 E Main St Ste 250 Lehi, UT 84043-2293 USA unsubscribe
|
