entrepreneur | Write Now Editing

How to Spot a Bad Virtual Assistant

July 24, 2017 by Karin Beery Leave a Comment

It’s been a busy summer, and it’s only getting busier. With that in mind, I decided to call in reinforcements. Unfortunately, they haven’t quite worked out as I’d hoped. For starters, my editorial assistant doesn’t edit as much as she sits there.

Then there’s my transcriptionist. I had hoped for help typing out documents and notes. Instead, he’s incredibly needy and not at all helpful.

I went a step further and hired an office manager to keep those two in line, but … well …

There’s no doubt in my mind that I should have had job descriptions in place before I hired this bunch of yahoos. Now I’m stuck with them. If you’re in the market for a good virtual assistant, make sure you’re specific about what you need and expect, otherwise you might end up in a mess like me.

Now get out there and enjoy your summer!

Entrepreneur Interview: Rebecca Camarena

July 3, 2017 by Karin Beery Leave a Comment

Are you an expert in your field? Have you ever thought about writing a book to share your expertise? If you have, and you’re not a professional writer, then you probably need someone like Rebecca Camarena. More than just an editor, she helps people with every step of the book writing/publishing process. Here’s how she does it.

Tell us about your business. Please include what you do, when you started your own business, and why.
I’m a book coach and editor. I have been working with authors for the last ten years guiding them through all the steps of self-publishing (writing, editing, publishing and marketing). I started my business doing book publicity and then gradually moved into editing and book coaching. It was hard to see authors being taken advantage of by many unscrupulous places and people. I’m a hands-on person providing one-on-one attention to all my clients. I always provide honest feedback and work until the client is satisfied. It’s a satisfying experience when they hold that book in their hands.

What has been your biggest struggle in launching your business/career?
I think the biggest struggle has been mindset. I always worked for someone else in Corporate America and was told what to do. Now, that I’m the boss it’s up to me to figure out what I want, what direction I want to go in, and how to get there. There is no one else to rely on. It’s all on me. But it comes with satisfaction knowing that the end result is helping authors publish their books. The single drawback about working in a company of one is that there is no one else at the Christmas party.

How are you overcoming that obstacle?
Each day I welcome new challenges and continue to raise expectations for myself. I am constantly learning and reaching out to those who have more expertise than I do. By holding myself to higher expectations, I can help my clients with more of their needs.

What’s surprised you the most about working for yourself?
I’m really surprised at how eager I am to learn, grown, and challenge myself. I have always been a self-starter, but if anyone had told me how much fun it would be working for me, I would have tried it years ago.

What’s your favorite part of this kind of work?
My passion is writing and editing. My degree is in English Literature. I love how the words flow on a page. I’m fascinated by how twenty-six letters of the English alphabet can make so many stories. While it can be a struggle sometimes to get the words to flow on the page, when they do come together it’s like fitting together the pieces of a puzzle.

Is there any one event/moment that helped you move from starting your own business to making a living with your own business?
I’m a service-based business, and the pivotal part of my business was getting clients. Rather than constantly be on the search for new clients, I decided to offer more services. Up to this point, I had been strictly focusing on helping people market books, so I added in editing, ghostwriting, and publishing. This allow me to work with authors at any stage of the book process. The longer they work with me, the more trust is built between us. Often times, they will refer others to me and come back with their second and third books.

If you could give a new freelance workers/entrepreneurs one piece of advice, what would it be?
Educate yourself on all aspects of your business, including financial, sales, content marketing, and social media. Have annual, quarterly, monthly, and weekly goals in place. Find experts in your field to emulate or hire as a coach. Network with people, build relationships, and provide value to your customers. Focus on your strengths and hire out your weaknesses.

If you could do one thing differently in your career, what would it be?
I wouldn’t judge myself so harshly. I realize I push myself too much to be better, to know more, but sometimes I just need to take a step back and look at how far I have come in being a book coach and at how many authors I have helped. I need to savor the successes.

What’s your favorite kind of work? Why?
I enjoy editing. Writers tend to be overly protective of their words, but as an editor, I can objectively advise and suggest improvements.

What does your work space/office look like?
My work space is a room in my house. It is a blank canvas with white walls and white curtains to bring in as much natural light as possible. I don’t like colors on the walls as it makes the room feel smaller. Since writing is entirely personal, I prefer to add my own touches through pictures and writer objects that make the space feel comforting and allow for creativity.

What does your workday look like?
Sometimes it seems that I work around the clock. I take advantage of any time I can get. If I have to step away during the day, I’m back at the computer at night. I use time blocks for hours, and at least one day a week I devote the entire day to writing. There is a certain amount of detail to everything I do, so it’s difficult to spend thirty minutes on any one thing. Client calls are in the morning or evening. I’m very flexible and understand that sometimes authors have a job and can’t be available during the day. Friday is mostly for administrative work.

What’s your go-to snack when you need one?
I’m so involved in my work that I don’t snack. I make it a point not to bring food into my work space. There’s just too much of a possibility for things to fall on the computer or get the keys greasy.

Is there anything else you’d like to add?
Nothing is impossible. The word itself says, “I’m possible.” No matter your dream, find a way to make it come true. We live in an age where ambition and technology can truly make things happen. Embrace it!

Thank you so much for appearing on my blog – have a blessed day!

Skip Solitary Entrepreneurship – Find Your People

June 26, 2017 by Karin Beery Leave a Comment

In 2007, I attended my first writers conference. At the American Christian Writers Conference in Grand Rapids, conference coordinator Reg Forder introduced himself and explained that everyone in the room – all of us strangers – had two things in common: no one could walk past a bookstore or office supply store without going inside.

As everyone in the room nodded, I knew I’d found kindred spirits.

There’s just something about a group of people who can (and do) talk about characters as if they were real people, who celebrate the Oxford comma, and who spend an entire meal discussing books and movies with the same passion that some people might discuss current events. Like-minded people – especially those who work in the same industry – understand each other’s struggles and successes. Your family and friends will never understand your passion quite like a room full of strangers. Your network of writers becomes an invaluable support system.

I’ve been attending conferences for the past decade. I’ve met several amazing people, and have developed some lasting friendships, but this year I experienced something I’ve never experienced before. This year I found my people.

It happened at PENCON 2017 in Atlanta, Georgia. After various writing conferences (for fiction, non-fiction, and the press), PENCON was my first editor’s conference. While writing and editing are closely related, there’s a fine line separating them. Subtle differences that require specific training and practice. They’re first cousins in the same artistic family tree.

As much as I love writers (I’m a writer myself), something about the editors touched a hidden, unknown place in my heart. Instead of introducing myself to strangers, it felt like meeting up with old friends. Some how we managed to inspire instant trust, form immediate bonds, and develop our own unique family. More than mere kindred spirits, I’d finally found my people.

Why am I sharing this?

Because your people are out there.

If you haven’t found them yet, keep looking. It may take a few tries (it took me two critique groups and more than a dozen writing conferences of various sizes). You don’t have to read or write the same things. You don’t have to be the same age. You don’t even have to be extroverted! Just be yourself. Be honest with each other. Open yourself up. Eventually you’ll find the people who speak to your heart, and those people will become irreplaceable in your professional and personal lives.

Go. Find your people.

Good Listeners are Good Entrepreneurs

June 12, 2017 by Karin Beery Leave a Comment

Dealing with conflict is never easy. In fact, some people dread it so much that they’ll do anything to avoid it. A noble endeavor, but not always feasible (or the best option). As a freelance professional and entrepreneur, you can’t avoid conflict – often you’re the only person available to fix the situation!

When it comes time to dealing with a complaint, concern, or any type of issue (be it with a customer or employee), the most important thing to remember is to listen. Why?

To get the full story…You may have heard rumors and you may think you know what’s going on, but chances are good that your interpretation of the situation is off. This is especially true if you’ve heard any gossip about the situation (which I recommend you ignore). You want to make sure you know exactly what happened, and you want to make sure you know how your customer or employee interpreted it.
To show that you care…I once went to a job interview where the supervisor picked his fingernails and stared out the windows. I would answer his questions with extra information, then he’d ask me for the information I’d just given him. It was the first time I’d left an interview and not wanted a call back – if he didn’t care enough to listen through an interview, what kind of boss would he have been? Unfortunately people often handle conflict the same way. Don’t. Prove that you care – make eye contact, take notes, and stay engaged.
To improve relations…Conflict doesn’t always have to end badly. Often times it can lead to improved customer and employee relations, as well as improved customer service, because you’re willing to acknowledge your weaknesses and (hopefully!) correct them as needed.

And now I’m going to give you the most important tip I can offer – I’m going to tell you how to listen. It seems simple enough, but there’s one key component that you need to remember. Before I give you the key, consider this scenario:

A customer contacts you with a complaint. Before you talk with that customer, you decide how to fix the situation. You know which solution you want to offer and how you want to implement it. While you’re talking with your customer, you’re thinking about when to present your solution and how he’ll receive it.

Do you see the problem? You’re not really listening. Sure, you’re having a conversation, but your mind is wandering. You haven’t given that customer the attention he deserves and is looking for. It’s time to pull out your listening key – mindfulness. What I mean by that is this:

Be mentally present. Don’t think. Don’t strategize. Just listen.

Remember, you might not yet have the full story. You need to make sure you understand the situation before you respond. That means giving your customers or employees your full attention, not just them time to discuss the situation. When you listen (instead of simply responding) you’re not only showing people that you care, you’re also showing that you’re willing to learn and improve yourself as a person and company. Who wouldn’t want to business with someone like that?

Did you find this information helpful? Sign up now to receive more business writing and entrepreneurial tips right in your inbox! And don’t forget to connect with me on Facebook!

Entrepreneur Interview: Karie Price

June 5, 2017 by Karin Beery Leave a Comment

Marketing. Branding. Messaging. You may not want to worry about it, but if you want your business to succeed (and who doesn’t?) then you need to give it some time and attention. One way to do that – talk with a branding coach like Karie Price, today’s interviewee! With 20 years of experience, she knows what she’s talking about, and she’s passionate about helping other women brand and expand their businesses.

Hi Karie, and welcome! For starters, please tell us about your business: what you do, when you started your own business, and why.
Thank you so much for the opportunity to share with you and your readers! I’m Karie Price, and I’m a Brand Messaging Coach helping ambitious women business owners find and own the words to stand out, be heard, and Make Your Message ROAR™. That means having a message that is Relatable, One-of-a-kind, Actionable, and Reliable.

I started this version of my business in the fall of 2016, but I had my first full service branding agency 15 years ago. Back then, we didn’t have social media (can you even IMAGINE what that’s like?) and together with my husband (who is a graphic designer) we did all of the brand development. I have background as a business analyst, so I know how to quickly learn about a business, asking the questions that probe deeper than the surface answers. That allowed me to develop a process to learn what we needed to know to position our clients uniquely in the market. Back then, we even developed the concept of a small group workshop. We were told by one of our advisors that it was a great idea, but we were ahead of our time.

Fast forward 14 years when I was ready to go back into business for myself full time. With social media, it’s even easier for a small business to get started and market themselves, but that also means there is a lot of competition. Competition is not a bad thing (it means there is a market for what you do), but it does mean that it’s even more imperative that you find a way to stand out in the market. Having a one-of-a-kind message is one of the most strategic ways to do that.

I knew I wanted to help more small business owners, especially women, build the foundations for successful businesses that survive and thrive in the market. I also know it can cost tens of thousands of dollars to have an agency develop that for you, so I set out to help female business owners find and own their words – to leverage the process I’ve been using for years with my done-for-you clients – so they could have the benefits of a well-defined brand message that truly sets them apart.

What has been your biggest struggle in launching your business?
My biggest struggle is probably impatience and wanting everything now. Having owned multiple businesses over the years, I know that it takes time, perseverance, and focused marketing to really establish yourself. There are so many things I “want” to do in and for my business, but everything takes longer than I think it should.

How are you overcoming it?
I had to really focus on the “right” activities – the revenue-generating activities – and let some things just be “good enough” until I could spend more time on them. I’m a recovering perfectionist and want all my ducks in a row, but not all of those things can be done at the same time. Also, by focusing on the revenue-generating activities and serving clients, I can invest in getting support and outsourcing tasks that free me up for the most important work in my business.

What’s surprised you the most about working for yourself?
That I’m the hardest boss I’ve ever worked for! It’s a balancing act as a business owner to want to work hard and not burn out. It’s part of the reason why I left my day job – to minimize stress, have more time for family, friends, and myself – but I fell into the trap of working round the clock for a while. It got to the point where my husband stopped asking me “ARE you working tonight/this weekend?” and started asking me “WHAT are you working on tonight/this weekend?”. Don’t get me wrong, it’s hard work building a business, but it needs to be sustainable and enjoyable, especially in those early years when you’re not necessarily making the money you want and you know you’re investing in the future. Now I schedule no-work nights during the week (Tuesday and Friday) and at least one full weekend day with no work.

What’s your favorite part of this kind of work?
Being able to truly help my clients on their paths to success. It’s so rewarding to see the results my clients get, celebrating with them with every new client they attract, seeing how excited they are to put themselves out there because marketing is so much easier. I’m able to make a difference in their businesses in their lives, and that feels amazing. I think we all want to find a way to leave a mark on the world, and I’m so thankful to be able to do it this way – doing something I really love.

Is there any one event/moment that helped you move from starting your own business to making a living with your own business?
Definitely leveraging my process into a small group format. Working with clients one-on-one is a lot of fun, but taking a small group of business owners through the process together is what allows me to scale my time and grow my income without burnout. A lot of work goes into organizing and creating the content to do that, of course, but it’s a process I’ve been successfully using for a long time now, so it was time to package it up into a program.

If you could give a new entrepreneurs one piece of advice, what would it be?
Know that owning a business is a marathon and not a sprint. That might sound cliché, but I still fall victim to trying to do too much at once, and it’s exhausting. Because of that, be very strategic with your time. Focus on the right activities. Find people to help you so you can be more efficient. I invest with business and marketing coaches to help me know what to do without reinventing the wheel and have hired a virtual assistant to do the tasks that don’t require ME to be the person to do them. I know that feels daunting at first, but if these investments can pay for themselves in a relatively short time frame, they will help you grow your business more quickly. The 10 hours a month that I use my VA saves me probably 30-40 hours of my time trying to figure those things out. She’s way more efficient at it, and I’m a whole lot less stressed.

If you could do one thing differently in your career, what would it be?
I would have invested in coaches and mentors sooner. It wasn’t until this round of business ownership that I truly understood how beneficial that is. I’m seeing much more success, more quickly, without trying to figure it all out on my own. I wonder what my prior businesses might have been like if I would have done that.

What’s your favorite kind of work? Why?
I truly love to mentor others and help them to be their best selves. I have always been a person who is able to see patterns, processes, and systems to be more efficient. I also am able to see multiple sides of the same situation. This allows me to provide the outside perspective for my clients that they can’t see for themselves. We ALL need that. I get outside perspective from others (my coaches and my husband, who is in the industry) because we’re too close to our own stuff.

What does your work space/office look like?
I’m fortunate to have a dedicated office in my house. For my birthday last year, I invested in a custom built-in that takes up one wall in the room with storage and two desk areas. I use one desk area as my primary workspace, and the other is set up with my webcam and lighting so I can do video calls and livestreams. We’re working on clearing out another room of our house to create a dedicated video studio so I can do even better videos for my own marketing.

What does your work day look like?
I’ve been working a lot over the past couple months to really fine tune my daily schedule. I’m usually up around 6 a.m. to take care of things around the house. I exercise most weekday mornings by walking on my treadmill (while catching up on my favorite show). I’m just starting PiYo which is a pilates/yoga combination to work in as well. Then I shower and get ready for the day.

I’m usually at my desk by 9 a.m. and focus on key prep for the day. It’s not until after I do that, that I check email and Facebook. This has been a big change for me. I used to check Facebook first thing in the morning, before ever getting out of bed, and felt like my day started out of my control. Now I take care of me first, key activity and planning, THEN see what the world wants from me.

I do take a break away from my office for lunch – a full hour – before getting back to it until around 5 p.m. Mondays and Fridays are mostly internal working days – where I’m working on new content, programs, marketing, professional development. Tuesdays I spend more time on social media, because I do a live stream mini training every Tuesday in my Facebook group, so I pop into a few other places to go live while I’m set up, and check in to see who I can help and support. The balance of Tuesday – Thursday are client focused, calls getting to know people, and marketing.

I do work a few evenings a week, and I usually try to keep that to 1-2 hours. Sometimes that’s engaging on social media. Sometimes I stay logged off and just get some focused, uninterrupted time to work. I’ve been trying to minimize work time on the weekends, but usually find myself putting in a few hours.

What’s your go-to snack when you need one?
Baby carrots with guacamole or hummus. Seriously, so yum. I often pair that with sopprasata (a kind of salami). (Ok, now I’m hungry!)

Is there anything else you’d like to add?
Entrepreneurship is not for everyone, and that’s okay, but if you ARE one of those people who wants to work for yourself, create your own business, serve the world with your brilliance, and leave your own legacy, it will be the hardest thing you’ve ever done – and the most rewarding all at the same time. But if you want more than a hobby – if you really want to make money – think like a business owner. (I’m always surprised when I encounter entrepreneurs who tell me they’ve never thought of themselves as a business owner.) Be smart. Invest wisely. Find your unique brilliance. Don’t settle for getting lost in the crowd. Make Your Message ROAR!
—

Karie Price is a Brand Messaging Coach helping ambitious women business owners find and own the words to stand out, be heard, and Make their Message ROAR™. With more than 20 years of experience in branding and business analysis, she guides her clients to uncover and master their Relatable, One-of-a-kind, Actionable, and Reliable message, so that they can boldly and confidently own their place in their market.

Connect with Karie on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/KariePrice

Or join her in The Messaging Den, where established women business owners gather to fiercely support each other in standing out, being heard, and making their message ROAR. http://TheMessagingDen.com

How to Spot a Bad Virtual Assistant

Entrepreneur Interview: Rebecca Camarena

Skip Solitary Entrepreneurship – Find Your People

Good Listeners are Good Entrepreneurs

Entrepreneur Interview: Karie Price

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