The Sounding Board

Are you really ready to hire a professional to take over some of your business tasks? Are you sure? Really, REALLY sure?

Aside from the time, thought, and research it takes to find the right fit for you & your business, YOU have to be ready to ‘let go’ of some of those tasks that have you bogged down & over-extended. Seriously, are you ready to turn those tasks over to someone else? You might think you are, but the professional you hire might feel differently.

Ask yourself these questions:

1. Am I willing to turn this task over to someone else and not think about it until its completed?
2. Can I give clear instructions for the end result I want & trust the professional I have hired to find the best way to accomplish that end result?
3. Am I comfortable not having control over how the end result is achieved?

If you can’t answer ‘yes’ to all three of these questions, you might not be as ready as you think to bring in professional help. Sure, there will be some tasks/projects you really do need to have input on before, during, and/or after. However, when you come to a project that doesn’t require alot of input from you, are you going to be ready to walk away and let the pros handle it to the best of their ability? If you don’t trust them to handle it, this might be a sign that either you haven’t found your ideal match, or you really aren’t ready to turn things over to a professional.

Envision yourself in any business situation you’re thinking about turning over to someone else. Imagine turning it over to them. How will it feel? What will you be able to do while they work on your project? It is something that you would enjoy more than the project you’re turning over? Will you be able to stay out from under their feet while they’re working on it? Do you have enough information on the situation to verbalize what end result you’re looking for?

Think about it. Envision it. Be honest with yourself. It takes guts to entrust your business (even just a small portion of it) to someone else. Make sure you’re ready, both financially and mentally, BEFORE  you decide on a specific professional. It can make all the difference in your relationship with that professional.

This entry was posted on Saturday, August 11th, 2007 at 9:03 am and is filed under General Business, Virtual Assistance. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.