How Hustling Only Makes You Tired, Not Rich

A good evening to you 🙋

Please read below an excerpt of an article by Janne Robinson(Writer and Blogger). 

I attempted to paraphrase the article but decided to use the original content  as it captures essentially how a Virtual Assistant can help your business. I will put up a link to the original article which I believe you would love to read as there are a lot of lessons for entrepreneurs and small business owners.

Read and Learn! 

You Cannot Afford To Not Have An Assistant.

I jumped on a call with a lawyer 6 months ago and when I asked him how his day was he replied, “To be honest, I just started my own practice recently and today I spent 2 hours trying to teach myself how to use this invoicing service. It was frustrating.”

“Lets say for a moment you make $500 USD an hour. My assistant costs me $27 dollars an hour. She could set up your invoicing system in less than an hour, and then it would take her 5 minutes to send an invoice for you. While she does that you could have worked with clients for two hours and made $1000 USD. You would make over $975 USD today by hiring somebody to help you do the things you could teach yourself how to do, but don’t need to do.

The first week I hired my assistant to help me with my emails and work, I went on a day trip to a surf break in California and surfed for 3 hours and took a nap.

She gave me back 10 hours of my life in that week, and the week after, and my invoice at the end of the month was $337 CAD.

Of course You Can Teach Yourself, Just Hire Somebody.

An artist and friend of mine one said, “Janne, there are mine fields that you will hit as an entrepreneur. And you can either walk across and get blown up or you can hire somebody who knows how to walk across and not get blown up.”

I know so many people who try to teach themselves how to build their own websites.

It takes them eons (weeks or months), and they get discouraged and procrastinate.

My first basic template website cost me $100 USD and it was done in 48 hours.

Hiring people to do the things you suck at, or don’t know how to do is a strength, not a weakness.

Stop teaching yourself how to do everything—use your time, energy and creativity to do the things you love and are strong at.

Source Continue reading here

This basically emphasizes the benefits of outsourcing some aspects of your business. It may seem like an unnecessary expense but it helps build your business and gives it a defined structure. 

You can call me for further enquiries on +2349072703020 or send an email to aabenquiries@gmail.com. I would love to hear/read from you and also add value to your business. 

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Rising Star 🌟 🌟

A very good afternoon to all of you 😊😊

Another Saturday, Another Rising Star!

One thing I have learned from the Uplevel Book (fantastic book I must add)  is restlessness is not always a bad thing, it is usually a sign that you should take that extra step, make a change or do something differently.

This is exactly what I experienced today. I was ready to post on our Rising star for today but I felt a stirring in me. I decided to hold off on publishing the post. I continued reading up stuff online while still very restless in my spirit till i stumbled upon this very long but interesting and educative article. I am enthralled by this because I can relate with the transition from paid employment to running a business and i can assure you that this will further encourage someone out there who thinks his/her passion cannot become a profitable business.

For me, my passion was helping people get things done, personal and official. Your phone is acting up? I will be there to fix it. You need a document typed/proofread?, I was a super girl to the rescue. You need information on anything/anyone?, I was a walking encyclopedia.  I remember confiding in a friend 8 years ago,telling him about my dream of becoming a Personal Assistant, he thought I was crazy but here I am today, a Virtual Personal and Executive Assistant. It took me a while to get here and I am glad I took the step. Others have done it, you can do better. There will be difficulty along the way but in my opinion ,no success story is valid without challenges and bad breaks.

"Working from your comfort zone produces good results, working outside of your comfort zone produces great results"-Anon

Do read with an open mind and learn a lesson or two 💕💕



HOW I STARTED MY CATERING BUSINESS  – OGHOR PROMISE

My name is Promise Oghor, I’m from Delta state. I studied Mathematics/ Economics at the University of Benin and graduated in 2001. By the grace of God, I’m the CEO/Chef at Boundless PICK Ltd. We offer professional catering services for all outdoor/indoor events and occasions of all sizes and shapes.

STARTING A CATERING BUSINESS…

After my graduation, I got a job with a bank and was posted to Awka, in 2005. I worked till November 2010 when I resigned as a cash officer. I resigned because my wife and I worked in the same bank. One of us had to resign so I chose to leave because I’m the more skilled person, I like to work with my hands. It would be easier for me to start up something…

WHY WAS IT A PROBLEM WORKING IN THE SAME BANK WITH YOUR WIFE?

It is the bank policy that a couple cannot be in the same bank to mitigate fraud, though we were in different departments. For malicious people, it would be very easy, and even tempting, to rob/defraud the bank. So you understand how that could be a problem. I left the banking job in 2010 and opened my catering business.

WHY CATERING? WHAT MOTIVATED YOU TO GO INTO THE CATERING BUSINESS?

I love cooking. I just love it. It is one passion I have. That was why it was easy for me to decide on becoming a caterer.  Cooking is something I do for fun. Even when I was with the bank or in school, I used to invite my friends over to my house and I would cook for them. That was even how I wooed some girls back then (laughs). It’s a part of me. I cooked my own food while I was in school because it was cheaper, richer and more delicious. I would tell my mom sometimes to leave the kitchen and I would cook for the house. It’s a passion.

HOW I STARTED MY CATERING BUSINESS 

When I left the bank, like every Nigerian, I had so many things in my mind I wanted to do. One of the first options I had at the time was MLM (Multi-Level Marketing) but it was not sustainable. Let’s tell ourselves the truth a lot of things are not sustainable in Nigeria, and I talked to myself and said I cannot be helping somebody else make money. A lot of people would say it’s a plan B but that was not a plan B for me because over time, you get jaded – you get fed up when the money is not coming. When your down-liners don’t perform, what do you do?

Again, I love fashion. There were so many things I would love to do if I knew how to sew. I went to a lot of fashion designers here and told them I wanted to learn. They were like: you? Learn? I said, ”yes, I want to learn. Forget about my appearance and style and everything, I want to learn how to sew” You know the problem with most Nigerians is we are too proud to do a lot of things. My salary at the bank then was good but I was willing to set aside everything and learn. That was my mindset at the time. Problem was, none of them wanted to teach me.

There had to be something I could do without spending an insane amount of money and that was why I started a catering business. My passion for cooking just made it easier and more fun. Catering funds itself. You want me to cook for you, you give me money and I cook. I didn’t need millions to start. My wife was shy at first (laughs) because she felt I should start big. However, I believe in little beginnings. She has been very supportive since she saw the prospect in food business.

HOW DIFFICULT WAS IT AT FIRST AND WHAT WERE SOME CHALLENGES YOU FACED?

The first job I got was from a friend of mine. He was skeptical at first but I said, “Give me a try…try me.” So he gave me the job and I executed it perfectly. I cooked rice. He gave ukwa (bread fruit) and bitterleaf soup to someone else because he was afraid I couldn’t do it. Funny enough, when people ate the rice and asked who cooked it, he said I was the one who did everything (laughs) because it was amazing. I started telling people gradually, child dedication, birthdays, and that was how my business kicked off.

I lost a lot of jobs because of experience and uncertain market factors. I experimented a lot. For instance, I did a job once and the bag of rice I bought didn’t turn out nice. So I lost that job. There were lots of challenges but I was never daunted. I kept moving.

THERE ARE LOTS OF CATERING BUSINESSES AROUND. WHAT SETS YOUR APART FROM THE REST?

One of the things I work on, which we don’t do often in Nigeria is this: everybody cooks, some people cook better than I do, frankly. What a lot of caterers lack is timeliness and service. Those are the key areas I work on seriously.

Timeliness in the sense that my clients don’t get to the venue before me. It never happens. I don’t like it when people call me on the phone to know where I am. If you tell me 12, I want to be there 11. I never disappoint my clients because of time.

Service in the sense that we don’t rush. We don’t serve people food with dirty or oily plates and say people are rushing. We don’t rush. We must take our time and clean the plates. Even if heaven is falling on top of earth, we serve people with dignity. We dignify service. You are not serving dogs. But in Nigeria, most people don’t care. They eat anything and say it doesn’t matter. It matters a lot to me. When I get to a venue, I dictate the pace of my service. I tell my clients these things. I take time to explain to them and they are happier after the events.

SOME PEOPLE BELIEVE THE WOMAN SHOULD BE THE COOK. DO YOU AGREE? AND HOW DO YOU BALANCE YOUR ROLES AS A HUSBAND, FATHER AND CATERER?

The idea that a woman’s place is in the kitchen is just the mentality of our fathers, the world has evolved very much. If you watch food channels, most of the cooks are men. If you go to big restaurants, men are chefs. You’ll only see a few women. Even before I traveled, I used to cook to for my wife. Why can’t I cook for my wife? Till tomorrow, sometimes I make lunch, package it and send to my wife in her office. It spices up our marriage like nothing I’ve ever seen. We are too rigid as a people in Nigeria. A lot of people hold on to some outdated tradition and that is why we find it difficult to move forward. Till today, my mom still asks me: I hope you cook for your wife? She knows I do it willingly. Those things make marriage very interesting. I’m very proud of what I do and I do it with so much zest. I don’t care who is looking at me.

On balancing the home front, my jobs gives me enough time to spend with my family. Sometimes I have hectic weekends but other times, I have enough time. So it’s not a problem. I enjoy it. I have an understanding with my wife and she’s beginning to appreciate it. She assists when she has the time to do so and we have a great time together. It has been wonderful having a supportive wife and I appreciate her for it. We understand each other. I don’t see cooking for her as anything. Even while we were still dating, I used to cook for her. It’s just fun.

LOOKING BACK FROM WHERE YOU STARTED, HOW MUCH HAVE YOU GROWN?

My growth has been steady. I’m not rushing a lot of things. I went for a culinary course in South Africa and returned last year. I’m yet to decide which aspect of catering I want to settle on – the food part or the pastry part. I love pastry. In school, I had beautiful times in my pastry classes. I like the smell of baked food coming out of the oven. But one of the problems I have is that baking equipment are very expensive. My idea of a kitchen is way beyond what we are used to in Nigeria. It’s difficult introducing the concept I would like in Nigeria. But my growth so far has been steady and God has been faithful.

WHAT ARE THE HABITS YOU HAVE THAT PROPEL YOU TO SUCCESS?

I see myself as someone who does not know anything. I love to learn more. Nobody knows it all. You can only try but someone knows better than you do. I like to learn from people. I’m very teachable when it comes to things like that.

I’m very passionate about cooking. Without passion, you can’t succeed at anything. A lot of eateries have closed down because there was no passion. People think of catering as very lucrative so everyone runs into catering – mechanic, battery charger, everybody. In the end they close down. Catering is very lucrative, but you need passion to sustain your drive. It’s not about the money, it’s about the passion. It’s not that Nigerians don’t start businesses. It’s that most of them have no passion and want to make millions the next day. It doesn’t work like that. There’s a process.

WHAT ATTITUDE OR MENTALITY SHOULD ANYONE WHO WISHES TO START A SUCCESSFUL CATERING BUSINESS HAVE?

The person must have a can-do spirit
The person must have passion. Money will come but passion is first. Food markets itself. The primary, most important thing is passion.
Fear God. You need to trust God that he can make you succeed. I have the God factor in everything I do.
Don’t be too proud. Humility is very important
Always be willing to learn new things. I’m always on the internet looking for new recipes that I can tweak to suit Nigeria taste and style of cooking.
Don’t be afraid to try new things. The beginning might be scary but continue to give it your best shot.

CONSIDERING THE ECONOMIC CLIMATE OF THE COUNTRY, IS THIS A GOOD TIME TO START A BUSINESS IN NIGERIA?

There is no better time to start a business in Nigeria than now. Nigeria will be better but everyone has to be at their best. Most countries that are doing well are based on skilled labor and SMEs (small and medium enterprises). White collar jobs alone don’t make a country rich. When majority of the populace is gainfully empowered to do their own business, the country prospers.

Nobody wants to start small and be patient. We all want to ”arrive” at the same time. If you traveled oversea you will see a lot of Nigerians doing menial jobs they would never do back at home even if they are paid more than what they earn overseas, because of pride. Nigerians need to be up and doing. Shun pride and get yourself busy. Lagos is taking shape now because you see new business sprouting up at every nooks and crannies and that is the way for our country to go.

There are so many businesses to do. People must feed, people must wear clothes, people must live in houses, people must drink water, people must wash their cars, etc. Learn a particular skill and get yourself engaged. The economic situation right now is favorable for people with skills and not white-collar jobs.

There are opportunities lying everywhere in Nigeria. That is why you see foreigners come and invest here because business opportunities are plenty. When you use the power of numbers, you’ll be amazed at how much you’ll make. Instead of owning a place which would need a lot of capital to start and making 2k from one person, own a small restaurant and make 200 from 10 people. Your chances increase geometrically.

FINALLY, PLEASE TELL US HOW TO START A LUCRATIVE CATERING BUSINESS IN NIGERIA AND SOME TIPS THAT INCREASE CHANCES OF SUCCESS

You must have passion. Don’t go into it because you think it’s the easiest way out.

Get materials. Get on the internet and read. Some people might not teach you because of the attitude of Nigerians. Some people might come to learn from you and after learning they just zoom off when they are supposed to work with you for a while and offer value. You see the same person replicating your recipe and you can’t sue them.

Buy cooking utensils you can afford and rent those you cannot. Put back your profit from every job you do into your business till you must have gotten all the equipment you need to execute your jobs.

Start small, look for family and friends and start with them. Don’t accept a job for 300 people when you haven’t catered for 20 people unless you want to contract it out to another caterer.

Always try to create more value. Look for things you can add, extras. It creates value for people and you’ll get more businesses from there.

There is one thing that works for me. Appreciate people. Pay your workers well. If you want the best out of people, treat them well. In Nigeria we use people and we don’t appreciate them. Learn to appreciate people, both your customers and people who work for you. I pay people based on what they do for me. I look forward to the time I start paying per hour. It would make people work hard and earn their pay. Also, keep a cheerful disposition. Smile. Be cheerful.

Always keep your word and don’t settle for less. If a customer orders 50 plates of food, I don’t make 49 because only 49 people showed up. I make 50 because that is what the customer paid me for. Don’t cut corners just to make more profits. We do a lot of things here because we think customers don’t have their rights. Customers have rights.

Accept only what you can handle. If I have a job and another job comes, I tell the second person: I have a job. I don’t accept two jobs at the same time and in the end, disappoint the 2 of them. Let your word be your bond. You’ll go much farther. If you can handle only 5, don’t start with 10. Food business is largely marketed by referrals.

Always be time conscious.

Allow yourself to grow. While you bring in workers, don’t relax like a boss. If you are not a part of your business, your business will collapse. Till today, I still cook my foods. Even if I have a large number of workers, I will still get very much involved with the cooking process to make sure things are done the right way.

                                      Promise Oghor

Promise can be contacted via email
promoforlife@gmail.com.

Source
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Your Virtual Assistant as a Customer Service Representative

What is Customer Service 

Simply put, Customer Service is the assistance or service provided by an organization to people who buy or use its products and services. It is service offered before, during and after purchase of a product or service rendered.

Every business offers a form of Customer Service ,what makes a brand or business stand out is the quality of service rendered to a customer.

Customer Service plays an important role plays an important role in an organization’s ability to generate income and revenue. The good quality of your service results in an increase in customer satisfaction, thereby propelling an increase in customer patronage. Several studies have proved that the cost of business lost as a result of poor Customer Service is usually greater than the cost incurred in establishing an excellent Customer Service structure.

Importance of Customer Service 

Customer Service helps your customers have an easy and enjoyable experience. It is critical to the success of your business. It is often said that it is cheaper to keep an existing customer than to find new ones. Some even estimate that acquiring new customers cost 6-7X more. Prioritizing customer support helps you retain and attract quality customers.

Customer Support can make or break your reputation. Customers are quick to share their negative experiences online . A seriously ticked off customer in the online sphere can write a lengthy rant online, post comment on blogs or forums offering negative reviews. Any one who does a research on the concerned business will see the reviews as what is posted online anywhere never goes away. The internet never forgets!

This will not help any business especially a start up or growing business that is still trying to gain grounds in the market. The product or service you offer is only as good as the service you back them with. It is important to support channels from day one, usually from the point of enquiry.

Customer Service is critical to competing effectively. Customers hardly ever choose based on prices but based on service rendered. Customer support is a major driver of customer experience. It aids in creating winning experiences that helps organizations stand out from competition.

Customers are also willing to pay more for a better customer experience. It makes your customers love you and this is turn increases you profit as a result of increased sales. This is a smart business technique!

Why your business needs a Virtual Assistant as a Customer Service Representative 

Customer satisfaction has long been the Holy Grail for anyone in business. Social media now brings a whole new significance to customer satisfaction. Rants and raves reach friends, friends of friends and friends of friends of friends! It is word of mouth of steroids! To further help every business tap into this ever evolving business stimulator, you can employ a Virtual Assistant as a Customer Service representative.

This system encourages the adoption of conventional methods of Customer Service with the progressive use of social media by an experienced service provider to attend to your businesses Customer Service needs.

The cost of running your Customer Service System is reduced as the Virtual Assistant works with his/her own work materials, run operations from their own office space. There is little or no training required as services are handled by professionals. Trainings they take on do not in anyway interfere with your business expenses.

The cost of recruitment and remuneration is also  reduced to the barest minimum as Virtual Assistants usually have different service packages to meet the clients needs and budget. The service packages have been carefully designed to ensure that it is less than the minimum amount an experienced and professional Customer Service representative will consider as satisfactory remuneration.

They help improve efficiency in business and sales, bringing on years of experience and expertise on board.  The client is also able to focus on other aspects of the business and take on new business opportunities.

Businesses often run unconventional hours, i.e. public holidays, weekends, 24hour services. Virtual Assistants are usually available to take on this challenge to help the clients run their business while they go to rest, trusting us to deliver exceptional Customer Service at any time of the day.

It is important that you ensure the Virtual Assistant has the requisite customer service experience or training. You can conduct a telephone interview and ask pertinent questions. Another option is by reviewing the LinkedIn profile of the intended Virtual Assistant. Lastly, you may ask for referrals from family,  friends and colleagues who have worked with Virtual Assistants.

Conclusion

According to Jerry Gregoire “The customer experience is the next competitive battle ground”. With the throng of start ups and businesses being established daily, it is expedient that to all businesses endeavor to make awesome service a secret weapon to staying ahead in the game.

Doug Warner  also said “in the world of internet Customer Service, it is important to remember your competitor is only a mouse click away”.  Use our online Customer service to extend your voice, solidify your brand and gain evangelists for your business.

Rising Star 🌟 🌟

Hello guys,

The weekend is here again!

I am excited to feature another rising star who is making waves in the fast growing events management industry. The surge in the Nigerian Events Management industry has unveiled many expert events planners and managers. Standing out in this sea of known and unknowns to make yourself a known brand is understandably very tasking. So it is no mean feat to be an events manager who gets booked for events back to back and who is also fast becoming a force to reckon with in the industry. Without further ado, allow me to introduce our Rising Star the CEO of June5ive Events. I am tempted to launch into an exaltation on how amazing she is as an Events Planner and Manager but I will allow the pictures below speak for themselves. 

    Welcome greeting from one of the ushers at an event

                                   

                                                Garden Decor

Breathtaking Decor

                       Annual Bankers Conference

Another Corporate Event

                      Treats and Finger food.. Yummy!!!

         
                         40th Birthday Party Drinks Bar

Treats

                        Winter Wonderland Wedding

                          Cross Cultural Love 💟💟
     

                               A King and His Queen
             

                           BBN Wonderland Bride
                               

Excited Bride and Groom on the dancefloor

                              Swagnificient Couples

 A Royal bride

             
                                         Creative

       Little Bride making her grand entrance

       
                                  Squad Goals😎😎

Fun! Fun!! Fun!!! 

 Dignitaries at June5ive planned/coordinated events

                     
                 Thank you for a job well done!!!

A grateful bride hugging the CEO, June5ive Events

CEO June5ive Events with vendors at an event

   CEO, June5ive Events ushering in the couple

    Always at your side and service.. 

ItunuOluwa R. Olugbodi,  CEO June5ive Events

Wow! Can't get enough of those pictures. To view more pictures, head over to Instagram @june5ive_events 

For enquiries and bookings, 📞+2347033241493 or send an 📧 to june5iveevents@gmail.com.

Have a wonderful weekend!!!