Debra B.’s Post

Building the right team can play a big part in your business’s growth, but that’s not always easy. Using freelancers, who fill the skills and knowledge gaps that you don’t have yourself, can help you make the first steps in this direction. It’s also vital to have the right external experts in place, such as an accountant and financial adviser, who understand your business and help you achieve your goals. To read more about why building the right team within your business is crucial for growth, click the links in the comments below. #financialplanning #business #team #growth

There's loads of advice on how to grow your business, but what if you just want to stabilise it? When you're a one-person business, the idea of taking on employees, hiring subcontractors, or scaling up can seem out of reach when you're still trapped in the feast and famine cycle. You might want to do all that stuff in the future, but right now, the challenge is just getting some kind of consistency. Consistency in enquiries. Consistency in sales. Consistency in quality of clients. Consistency in getting paid. And consistency in what you earn. That's where I come in. I help freelancers and one-person businesses get consistency and stability. Because that's important. Even if you have no plans to build a team (I don't), it's still nice to have a business that gives you the lifestyle you want (and very little stress). So if your business isn't quite where you want it to be, grab a copy of my book (or drop me a message). https://lnkd.in/e8vXevh8

Surround yourself with stars: why building the right team is critical to growth Building the right team can play a big part in your business’s growth, but that’s not always easy. Using freelancers, who fill the skills and knowledge gaps that you don’t have yourself, can help you make the first steps in this direction. It’s also vital to have the right external experts in place, such as an accountant and financial adviser, who understand your business and help you achieve your goals. https://buff.ly/48V8Fe2 #financialplanning #financialadviser #businessgoals

BLOG: Surround yourself with stars: why building the right team is critical to growth ⭐ Building the right team can play a big part in your business’s growth, but that’s not always easy. ⭐ Using freelancers, who fill the skills and knowledge gaps that you don’t have yourself, can help you make the first steps in this direction. ⭐ It’s also vital to have the right external experts in place, such as an accountant and financial adviser, who understand your business and help you achieve your goals. To read more head to our blog: https://lnkd.in/diGAAB-u #Blog #BuisnessOwners #BusinessGrowth

Building the right team can play a big part in your business’s growth, but that’s not always easy. Using freelancers, who fill the skills and knowledge gaps that you don’t have yourself, can help you make the first steps in this direction. It’s also vital to have the right external experts in place, such as an accountant and financial adviser, who understand your business and help you achieve your goals. 🌟Here’s why you should surround yourself with stars, and why building the right team is critical for growth: https://lnkd.in/eDcyY8Jy #financialplanning #financialplanners #york #yorkbusiness #yorkshire #yorkshirebusiness #businessowner

One thing I do that makes my business feel good is to have a team around me. If you have been following me you will have heard me go on about how important it is to have the right team supporting you. Now it may surprise you to know that my team is not just made up of people who work with me day in and day out, but I count myself very lucky to have several people on the sidelines whom I can approach for their expertise. I work it this way because I do not always need their expertise but I know I can utilise their zones of genius as required. Whether you have a team supporting you day to day, or fabulous freelancers supporting you on an ad-hoc basis, it is always really important to ensure that you communicate and listen to them. If you are using freelancers, don't just send them that late-night email and throw a load of work at them with tight deadlines. Take a little time to give them advanced warning that there is some work coming in, and check that they can fit it in around their existing workload. That way if something comes up urgently you won't feel so guilty about asking if they can squeeze it in, because it is the exception rather than the norm. For your regular team making sure that everyone knows what is going on, what their deadlines are, and how they need to achieve them, is really important. Don't be afraid to listen to their thoughts, more often than not they will have had experiences of working with other businesses and will bring ideas to the table which you may not have thought of. Let me know in the comments, how you communicate with your team. Do you find it works or is it something you need to work on? #militaryspouses #veteranownedbusiness #outsource #veterans

Oh I just need to close as many clients as possible and l'll have a good business." This is what freelancers think when they see such wins on social media. l've been there, done that. Got on tons of sales meetings, closed too many clients in a month, hit a decent revenue - but drained myself out trying to keep it altogether. It didn't work. Because of two things: 1 - Not qualifying my clients 2 - Lack of systems to offer services. That's exactly why you should focus on: 1 - Conducting discovery meetings (qualify prior to sales meeting) 2 - Working ONLY with qualified clients (so you can systemise and scale your business). Think about it: If you only work with qualified clients, you: 1 - will have a high success rate 2 - will have a high client retention rate 3 - can charge more. Here are some qualifying questions for a discovery meeting: 1 - Why did you choose ME? 2 - Why is this important to you NOW? 3 - What is your goal through xyz? 4 - Have you tried anything previously to achieve this goal? How did that go? 5 - How would you expect me to help you out? 6 - What does "success" in working with me look like for you? Ask any questions in comments. Hope this helps.

  If you’ve ever lost a client, you know how terrible it feels. Something like hitting a roadblock on a highway.🛑   It’s a tough pill to swallow. But the good part is that we’re not alone in this. It happens to the best of us.   Let’s look at the positive side of this that can keep you focused and resilient:   1. Spend time trying to understand why your client relationship ended so abruptly.   Perhaps it was due to budget constraints. Or mismatched expectations. Try to figure it out and use your insight to acquire your next client.   2. Don’t rely too heavily on one client. Then, you won’t feel his exit so much. Try acquiring a diverse set of clients to ensure a steady workflow.   3. Invest in your skills. The more skills you have to offer, the better equipped you will be to work on a variety of projects.   4. Learn to bounce back after every setback. Take each failure as an opportunity for growth. 🌱   It’s common for freelancers to lose clients at some point. How you bounce back sets you apart from the rest.   If you’ve had such an experience, share it in the comments below.   #FreelanceLife #ProductivityTips #CareerGrowth #ProfessionalDevelopment #Resilience

I’m sad and annoyed in equal measure! A dangerous combination! I seem to be hearing and reading more reports of business owners being let down by what I’ll politely call “waffle-merchants”. You know the type – they promise the world, they have experience in exactly your area of business, they’re fantastic at what they do. Oh and you’d better snap them up quickly as they’re in huge demand! In reality, it’s a series of fake promises, inflated experience, poor quality work, ghosting…the list goes on. There are some fantastic freelancers out there who provide real value to under pressure businesses, but there are a handful that just don’t deliver. They talk the talk, but there’s no walking the walk. Not only does it totally waste the client’s precious time and money, jading their experience of hiring externally but it completely overshadows the benefits that honest, hardworking freelancers can provide. Delegating to the right person is such a powerful addition to your business. One of the main drivers when I set up NH Virtual, was to be of value to my clients. To provide an experienced, honest and wholly transparent service. To work in an ethical and professional manner, with integrity. ❌ I don’t promise I can do something when I know I can’t. ✅ I’ll tell you and point you in the direction of someone who can help. ❌ I won’t stretch a 10 minute task out into 3 hours just so I can charge you more. ✅ I’ll give you an estimate and keep you up to date with progress. ❌ I don’t pad out my experience to fit what you’re looking for. ✅ I have client testimonials that demonstrate the skills I have. ❌ I don’t go off-grid, I make sure I have regular, productive catch ups with clients. ✅ You may end up fed up with seeing my face, my name and hearing my voice! No snake oil sales, no BS. Just honesty. If you’re tired of fake promises and need some support in your business, from someone you can trust, feel free to reach out and let’s chat. I’d love to show you how using the “right” freelancer can be one of your best business decisions yet! #ethical #integrity #executivesupport #northeastbusiness

As a professional dedicated to delivering high-quality work on tight deadlines, it’s incredibly disheartening when clients don’t honour their commitments, especially regarding timely payments. No matter how urgently some clients need work done, and despite agreeing to terms and requests, the payment delays can be frustrating and demoralizing. It impacts the workflow, trust, and relationships built over time. Here’s what I've learned from these experiences: 1. Clear Contracts: Ensure every project begins with a clear, detailed contract outlining payment terms, deadlines, and consequences for delays. Regular 2. Communication: Maintain open lines of communication to address any concerns or delays promptly. 3. Partial Payments: To mitigate the risk, consider requesting partial payments upfront for new clients. 4. Professionalism: Always maintain professionalism and seek amicable solutions, but don’t hesitate to assert your rights when necessary. To all fellow freelancers and business owners, how do you handle delayed payments and ensure smooth transactions with your clients?