Supercharge effectiveness in your Start-up with a Virtual EA!

As if there aren't enough challenges in setting up a business, it's well documented that working excessive hours over time will make you less effective and multi-tasking or "task-switching"- as it should be more accurately referred to, rather than allowing you to cover more ground and spin more plates, has the opposite effect; it takes 20 minutes plus to regain focus after an interruption. Effectiveness can be the Start-up's hidden challenge!

Add to this that when our bodies release cortisol due to "stress" (another daily staple of the start-up), it take our bodies 40 minutes to recover - more lost "effectiveness".

In the start-up environment there are some real challenges to working effectively, so removing the distractions and allowing clear time and focus on mission critical - Vision, People and Process - should be a priority.

If you look to address this with People you either go for experience at a salary cost or inexperience and enthusiasm at a time cost (yours). This is where a Virtual EA can bring different options to the table creating that extra time, removing distraction and bringing a high skill level and business acumen at a budget-able cost. They will also help you sharpen up Process.

With limited resources whether that's people, time or cash a Virtual EA can provide that extra dimension to the business process by providing an outlet for anything other than the truly IMPORTANT tasks, particularly with today's bevy of productivity tools - Office 365, Dropbox, Skype and a host of others.

What's more the Virtual EA will be able to understand yours and the business' priorities and be able to support these and be able to represent the brand and values both internally and externally.

So if you think a Virtual EA might work for you, here are 4 things to think about;

1. Letting go of the mundane, repetitive, day to day tasks- realising that not everything needs your direct attention, your VEA will pick this up, allowing you to use your time more efficiently,

2. Shed the micro-managing - once tasks and deadlines have been set/agreed be comfortable not having constant updates, as this just eats into time,

3. Take time to explain the business values and objectives - this allows your VEA to represent you and your business and anticipate your needs,

4. Willing to build a trust based working relationship quickly - VEA or not this is key to having an effective assistant who has your back!

If you think this can work for you, perhaps you can get an "effectiveness" boost to your start-up.

#virtualEA #superchargeyourstartup