by Nicole Graham | Being in Business, Business & Remote Assistance
I cannot stress enough how legal contracts are vital. When you start your business, it is easy to kick start a working relationship with a client without having a contract in place. As much as it might be tempting to seal the deal with a handshake, it gives you no legal protection should the need arise. While most people’s intentions are good, as are yours on delivering the services (or products) you promised, sometimes life can get in the way, and things can go wrong.
In business, contracts are important because they outline expectations for both parties and protect both parties if those expectations aren’t met. While specific business needs vary, below are three common legal contracts you should draw up for your business.
1. Service Agreement / Terms of Service
This contract covers everything including what services you are providing, rates and payment terms, copyright and confidentiality, what extras you charge for, GDPR assurance, indemnification and contract termination.
2. Website Policies
These contracts covers your website cookie policy, terms of use/service and a privacy policy. Your lawyer may also recommend clauses that specifically relates to your industry.
3. Data Processing (updated to include this contract)
This specifically relates to the GDPR compliance and giving consent to process personal data. This is relevant if you’re collecting data from countries in the EU, and you are sharing this information with your team (internal or virtual).
If a client asks us for examples of contracts, or templates of contracts, we are unable to provide them because 1) we are not lawyers, and 2) we don’t know the nuisances of your industry. While we work with clients who do have contracts, we cannot use these to create a template depository. This would be unethical and be breaching our clients trust in us.
We always recommend that you engage a lawyer to review your needs and create the contracts based on those. If you’re a client, we can introduce you to a couple for you to consider. If you are not in a position to hire a lawyer, you could start with using a template services, such as Zegal, and then hire a lawyer to review and tweak based on your needs.
Whether you’re a client or not, if you’re in Hong Kong and need a referral to a lawyer, please do not hesitate to reach out to us. We’d be delighted to introduce you to a couple of lawyers who work with micro-businesses and solopreneurs.
Discover how remote assistance can free up your time and help your business thrive. Book a free call to explore your options!
by Nicole Graham | Being in Business, Business & Remote Assistance
There comes a time when a business owner, especially one working for themselves and by themselves, will need some administrative and/or marketing support.
I’ve spoken to people who have stressed about the expense and have hired someone on a full time basis because they didn’t feel that they had any options. I’ve also spoken to others that perserve with doing it all themselves because they are not ready to hire someone on a full time basis, and would feel the stress of the expense too much.
The next thought is often, hiring someone on a part-time basis but there are still a number of costs to consider such as space, desk, computer, insurances etc.
From my experience, most business owners (particularly in Hong Kong and Singapore) don’t know about the option of hiring a virtual assistant who can work on a part time basis, and who can be flexible with their working hours.
We work with a number of coaches and management consultants, and to give you an idea about what it would cost them to NOT hire a virtual assistant, I’ve put together the table below:
Before we list what you should consider when hiring someone on a part-time basis (whether an employee or a virtual assistant), let’s look at the costs of NOT hiring someone.
[table id=1 /]
The table above demonstrates what it is costing an Executive Coach to do 10 hours of work that they could delegate, versus a Client Manager at Bauhinia Solutions.
With the time you save, you can spend those hours actually working with clients (earning additional money), meeting prospective clients, marketing your business or spending more quality time with your family and friends. Besides the time, you are also saving your business 16,500 HKD (or 14,192 CYN or 2,847 SGD or 4,104 USD per month).
So, when do you hire a Virtual Assistant?
- if you’re forgetting to do specific work because you’re too busy trying to deliver your work
- if you’re working weekends and late into the evenings to ‘catch up’ on paperwork
- if you’re double booking yourself because you’re not managing your diary effectively
- if you’re declining paid work opportunities because you need time to complete your back-office work
- if you’re procrastinating on tasks because you’re not good at them, or don’t like doing them
- if you’re taking a long time doing specific tasks because they don’t light you up, or you’re trying to learn how to do them
- if you’re doing a lot of tasks manually, especially when it’s the same tasks each month and you feel that they could be automated
- if you’re not getting your invoices out on time, or your invoices are not getting paid and you’re not sending reminders
- if you’re collecting your petty cash receipts and bills in a shoebox, drawer on your desk, a mug, or any other container
- if you’re putting off projects because you don’t have the space in your day to get them started
Besides, the cost, not hiring the support you need, can be holding you back from earning more income, growing your business, and creating the lifestyle you’d like to lead.
Looking for smarter ways to manage your business? Let’s discuss how our support can keep things running smoothly. Schedule a free discovery call!
by Nicole Graham | Being in Business, Business & Remote Assistance
When thinking about your business in terms of your corporate identity or logo, have you given much thought to colour or specific tones? Ideally the colours should reflect the type of business you operate. The colour or colours chosen are the personality of your business and must be clearly identifiable in all forms of media whether online or print.
Colours, like flowers, carry their own meanings and although when we choose our colours we may not consciously consider these, it is interesting to know the meanings behind them.
- Black – power, elegance, mystery
- White – innocence, purity, perfection
- Purple – luxury, extravagance, creativity
- Green – growth, harmony, freshness
- Blue – stability, trust, intelligence
- Yellow – happiness, energy, joy
- Red – desire, strength, love
- Pink – feminine, soft, innocence
- Orange – success, enthusiasm, determination
A resources for everything you need to know about colours, their meanings and the many colour combinations is Canva’s colour design wiki.
Selecting the colours you wish to represent your business can be difficult as you want to be confident that you are conveying the right impression. The use of too many colours could result in a busy or unbalanced look. Limit the colour palette you wish to work with to maintain the style and the personality of your business.
Knowing your potential customers as well will, or at the very least, should affect the final colours you choose. If you opt for a rich splash of pink on every page, know that this will not inspire men to shop at your store or use your services. Strong colours or contrasts may prove to be less popular with the older generation however will draw a much younger audience who are inspired by new trends.
Another issue that many websites seem to overlook is the actual text and background colour of the site. Many colours when used together can impair readability and this can be daunting for your visitors.
Note: There is no need to stress over your colour choice unnecessarily. Often the above mentioned information is taken into account on a more subconscious level and is already reflected in your chosen set of colours. Once you’re ready, the next step is to discuss your business colours with a graphic designer who has branding experience. They will be able to ensure your colours work well together and represent you, and your business.
Running a business doesn’t have to mean doing it all yourself. Let’s talk about how we can support you remotely. Click here to schedule a free consultation!
by Nicole Graham | Being in Business, Business & Remote Assistance
As Bauhinia has evolved, so has the team and one misunderstanding people have is that a Virtual Assistant (VA) is a ‘one size fits all’ solution. Speaking from experience, this is not the case. Let’s face it, none of us are all-knowing, and have endless free time in our days.
In the early days VAs were offering home-based secretarial services and as the Internet evolved, so did the skills of the Virtual Assistant. Today the term is used to describe people who utilise online tools to work virtually and through the broadening of the VA’s skills, different types of Virtual Assistants were born.
There are no official “types” however many people in the industry would generally agree the following are common:
1. Administrative / Generalist – This is one of more common types of VA’s and where the term Virtual Assistant originated. These VA’s would manage your administrative and secretarial duties such as organising appointments, managing your diary, handle emails, organise travel, format documents, create PowerPoint presentations, update your expenses, send invoices, etc.
This is the foundation of Bauhinia and where the business started. This is still a core service today.
2. Digital Marketing / Social Media – Digital Marketing is broad and therefore some VA’s narrow in on Social Media only. Within these roles, some VA’s will write their content and implement your strategies, while others will assist with your strategy and implement, leaving the content creation to you. Tasks can include content research, finding quotes, creating images, finding engaging questions, sending newsletters, managing Google adwords, monitoring statistics, etc.
We do a bit of everything as clients have different needs, however if a client is promoting a personal brand, we recommend that they create their own content to ensure it is authentic to who they are.
3. Technical / WordPress – These Virtual Assistants are good at all the technical stuff such as setting up emails, fixing technical errors, creating backups of your website, etc. With all the online tools available today, some technical VA’s work only with WordPress, and others know their way around online marketing systems and shopping carts. These include SimplyCast, Infusionsoft, Ontraport, 1ShoppingCart, Shopify, LeadPages, OptimizePress, etc. For those focussed on WordPress, they would be able to assist with monthly maintenance and updating pages. You may find that some generalist VAs can assist with WordPress.
Due to the type of clients we currently have, we are strong on WordPress with over 5 years experience creating WordPress sites. We understand what a number of the online tools can do, however haven’t had the opportunity to work with many of them.
4. Graphics / Graphic Designer – There are different levels to this type of VA – one who can create lovely images for social media and presentations, and one who has more branding depth. They use software that is specifically for design purposes. Some Graphics Designers can create simple flyers and brochures, and generally follow your existing style guide. The more experienced designers understand brand concepts and they will generally help clients to create a visual representation of themselves through colour and imagery.
For any sort of branding work, we refer clients onto a Graphic Design team who would be able to better assist, however if a client needs social media images, small advertisements or simple flyers, we have a designer on the team.
5. Product Launch – These VA’s work more with online businesses who launch products or programs throughout the year. They understand the sales funnels and all the steps to a successful launch.
Due to the type of clients we currently have, we’ve not been involved in the start and finish of a launch. We’ve supported clients in different aspects throughout their launch but not managed the process.
Our goal is to provide our clients with an ‘all-round service’ while utilising the team’s strengths, therefore we have part-time Virtual Assistants who support our Client Managers and specialise in specific areas.
Discover how remote assistance can free up your time and help your business thrive. Book a free call to explore your options!
by Bauhinia Solutions | Being in Business, Business & Remote Assistance
I recently read an article about a virtual office-outsourcing nightmare. It was well worth the read, and it made me think.
I understand that although I have been working from a virtual office for all 15-plus years of my professional life, still, for much of the world – virtual often equates to fictional. At the same time – I am very much real. The entire Bauhinia Solutions team is very much real, but with new methods of working, we must adopt new expectations and methodologies, particularly when it comes to communication and data-sharing.
Hiring a virtual assistant can be a nightmare if you aren’t quite accustomed to how things will work and most certainly, if you hire a random off the internet, living in a far away land, from a culture with which you do not identify, and whose native language is not your own. Pitfalls (or challenges) such as cross-cultural communication breakdowns, different standards of excellence, as well as differences in working hours or public holidays should be expected. For some people, and for some tasks, this can be perfectly acceptable, but for most professionals who wish to be represented in a professional and expert manner, a far off assistant like one might find in India or the Philippines might not fit the bill, unless you are, of course in India or the Philippines.
Going local, but still virtual, can insure you are better grounded in your relationship with your VA on all fronts. I like this quote from the writer,
“At some point it dawned on me that I’d stumbled upon the fatal flaw inherent in any virtual-assistant relationship. To be truly useful, an assistant needs to understand everything about your life and work. An assistant is a confidant. But it’s impossible to develop a deep, trusting relationship with a guy you know only by email – a guy who communicates with you in canned professional-ese, who must be monitored by security cameras to make sure he doesn’t rob you.”
I can’t put it better myself. This is a relationship. It requires time to develop, and should be nurtured. While remote, and perhaps even more so because of it, there is an intimacy that grows when you find The One.
But the article also highlighted some flaws in task deployment that are worth mentioning.
Case 1:
“I gave him his first task. I needed a flight from San Francisco to Minneapolis. I gave him my dates. I wanted times and prices. …But after sending him my request, I heard nothing. After 40 minutes, I sent him a follow-up to make sure he’d received the task. About 40 minutes after that, he responded: “Yes I have received your email and I have started working on it.”
Huh. This task should have taken him about 10 minutes; why was he just getting started after a nearly an hour and a half? Around noon – about three hours (and $30) after I’d assigned the task – Mr F finally sent me an email to say he was done. Now I saw why he’d taken so long: Instead of looking for the best two or three flights that conformed to my calendar, he’d created a spreadsheet listing all the details of 10 flights.”
Can you spot the series of flaws here?
First, the task was insufficient in delegation detail for a new client-VA relationship. It would have been better to say, “Please find flight options for Point A to Point B, on XXX dates. This is a top-level inquiry for times and prices only. Please use no more than 30 minutes on this task.” While that may sound excessive, in a new relationship, your VA is trying desperately to impress you and deliver excellent work. Not communicating an expectation of detail and time usage is simply a misunderstanding that stems from two parties having different goals from the task.
Second, a virtual assistant, unless you have pre-agreed working hours or are hiring them full time, are also managing other clients. Sending through a request and waiting for immediate action is unrealistic. Mark tasks with realistic urgency, due dates and/or times, and gain a commitment of completion from your VA. Following the request above should have been, “The flight is in X weeks, so I would like to select a flight as soon as possible. Can you please come back to me with options no later than tomorrow at 3pm.”
Case 2:
“The weekend was coming up, and I didn’t need Mr F on Monday morning. I told him to be ready to work on Tuesday. But on Tuesday I heard nothing. Not on Wednesday either. The whole week passed.”
Unless you set the expectation (make an appointment) for your VA to contact you at a certain time, they are waiting for you to delegate tasks to them. Again, a VA will be working with a number of clients and is very rarely just sitting around chasing people for work. The best VAs are in high demand and are usually scheduling tasks days in advance. Remember, your VA is virtual and part-time. It is the client’s job to let the VA know when, what, and how. It all comes back to communication and expectations.
Finally, hiring a VA is not only an oddly intimate relationship, you need to know what you really want out of it so that you find the right partner. Do you want someone to run mundane or routine tasks from your work week? If so, you need to be willing to set up formal SOPs and guidelines so that you can insure consistency throughout the work, particularly when it comes to tasks such as diary management and invoicing. Keep in mind, you are often also on the hook for the cost/time of education and training on your systems. Alternatively, are you looking for an expert VA that can take your business to the next level – do the things you can’t or don’t want to? This is a completely different type of service and requires a VA with a totally different (and existing) skillset.
At Bauhinia Solutions, for example, we offer straight admin packages as well as marketing and strategy packages. We have team members that specialize in different types of work, so we work hard to match clients with the right VA, and actually, some clients enjoy a mix – getting a broad range of services through a Client Manager who then manages task breakdown within the team. Our most comprehensive support is kind of like having an administrative assistant, a marketing manager, and on-call IT all rolled up into one.
So, is hiring a VA right for you? Hopefully this article has enlightened you, answered some questions, and will help you avoid common pitfalls going forward. Good luck!
Looking for smarter ways to manage your business? Let’s discuss how our support can keep things running smoothly. Schedule a free discovery call!
by Bauhinia Solutions | Being in Business, Business & Remote Assistance
In Hong Kong we have anywhere between 14-16 public holidays each year, and sometimes they work to make an extra long weekend, and who doesn’t like to take advantage of those to get away. We also have Summer holidays where kids are off school between 6 and 8 weeks. But holidays and business, do the mix? What do you do with your business while you’re off deck, particularly if you are the business?
There are a number of options open to you, including ceasing trade while you’re away:
1. You can basically hang up your ‘Closed… back in 5 days’ sign and desperately hope that the trade that passes you by will wait for your reply when you are open. If you’re taking internet orders, be sure to let your customers know that delivery is going to be delayed until your return, and that customer enquiries will be dealt with at a later date.
Everyone needs a break, but just shutting up shop for a period, unless it’s absolutely necessary, just doesn’t look good, and certainly isn’t good for your business.
2. If you have a trusted friend or relative to care for your business, this is a better option. To keep your business running at seventy or eighty percent in your absence is surely a better alternative than putting business on hold. Be clear and concise with your instructions, and be sure there are clear boundaries about which decisions are theirs to make.
3. Another alternative is to hire a professional to care for your business. If you are being supported by us on a regular basis, we already know your business, and you know that things will be taken care of exactly to your specifications. It is essential, in this case, to have a current, fully updated Standard Operating Procedure outlining any key processes. We often manage our client’s businesses when they go away. Having a professional in place will give you the peace of mind to fully relax and enjoy your break, knowing your business is being well cared for in your absence.
Whichever your choice is, make sure you have an out of office message on your email, providing clear instructions on who to contact, and when you’ll be back online. Happy Holidays!
Running a business doesn’t have to mean doing it all yourself. Let’s talk about how we can support you remotely. Click here to schedule a free consultation!
