What's holding you back in Business?

Every now and then, a potential client arranges a call with us, they spend a lot longer than their allotted 15 minutes talking about their business, usually about an hour. It's clear they aren't coping, they've reached the stage they needed to delegate in order to grow and have gone so far past it they can't see a way back.

Despite the length of time the call takes, we listen. I understand how overwhelming it can feel, I've been there. I ran my own business for 10 years and made the same fatal mistake of thinking I could do it all alone. I expect all the VA's that work for L.T. VA Services to listen because our primary goal is to help.

At some point during the call, we've listened long enough we've started to form an idea in our head of what we can do to support this business and we share our ideas. The client is usually nodding along enthusiastically, you can literally see the relief draining from their face. We come up with an idea, some solutions that should help ease their stress and help them to breathe again and because we offer a free trial, there's no initial worry about money.

Yet despite that, the client gets off the call and you don't hear from them again. In a few months' time, however, they come back, apologising for not responding and requesting another call. Of course, we say, and we go through the same process. Nothing has changed, if anything, they are now even more stressed out than they were before, no money or very little coming into the business, and even more desperate than they were before.

Yet again, we put a plan in place, and yet again, we hear nothing after the call. The conclusion? The fear of letting go and actually taking that next step to implement the changes that are needed.

Despite knowing full well that things aren't going to improve, these particular business owners find themselves in what I like to call, the money-time continuum. They have hit such a low point they really don't want to part with even the smallest amount of money because what if the business needs it? The irony is, that money is being spent on the business, in fact, it's a huge investment because what you are going to get back in return is time. Time to put yourself where your business needs you. If you're swamped by emails, phone calls, and admin work, how on earth are you going to be able to concentrate on applying for funding, making sales calls, networking, or prospecting?

So, how do you get over this hurdle? Well, firstly it's important to get it straight in your head that paying for someone, whether that's on an ad-hoc, part-time or full-time basis will give you back the time you needed to concentrate on the aspects of your business that needs you most, the aspects that are actually going to bring you in money, because let's face it, filing paperwork certainly isn't. Take a look at our pyramid to success and understand more, how taking the plunge will lead to the outcome you want.

Ask yourself, if you don't take the next step, what's going to change? The beauty of working with a VA in the initial stages of development is there is nothing you can't throw at them. Rather than trying to take on a person that is experienced in only one field, leaving you with no choice but to have to take on someone else much sooner than expected, a VA can be the HR, invoicing, admin, social media, researching person that you need. In one person. Imagine how much that will save you in the long run?

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