This blog post has been authored by Stand Out Online Member Tineke Rensen, Powerful Business Academy
When you are a female entrepreneur creating a team, hiring team members is only the beginning of the process. If you want to build a strong team, you need to train them. Research shows that training gives your employees the information they need to be able to perform at the required level of skill and knowledge.
In other words, training bridges the gap between how they (your team members) perform, and how you (the leader) expect them to perform. After all, you are still in charge. How they work and their quality of work should meet the standards that you set for your business. And it’s up to you to implement this.
If you’re new to this and have only just hired your virtual assistants, here are a few tips on how you can train them.
SOP’s are a must
It doesn’t matter if you have one team member or a hundred, standard operating procedures are essential for female entrepreneurs. SOP’s help you and your team avoid mistakes, especially when they are just starting out. With these step-by-step instructions, your team members will be able to carry out their tasks correctly at any given time. And you will not have to supervise them or instruct them every time as well. With SOP’s, your work process becomes efficient and on target.
If you don’t have SOP’s for your business yet, I’ve written a quick guide to create them in this blog post.
Start with easy tasks
When working with your team, don’t just hand over the reins and assume that they will do a perfect job right away. On the contrary, you must take on the attitude that it is likely that they will make mistakes. This is why you have to guide them every step of the way.
You also have to keep in mind that they will not be able to do the job exactly how you would do it. They are not you after all, and you can only guide them to do the best work that they can. So you have to manage your expectations, too. Give them simple tasks in the beginning so that you can find out how they work and how much direction they need. As they learn and improve, they will need less overseeing and you can gradually give them more complex tasks.
Establish open communication
This is critical, especially when you’re collaborating with team members who work remotely. As a business coach for female entrepreneurs, I can’t tell you enough how miscommunication delays and derails tasks. You must be able to reach them, and they must be able to reach you. If they have questions about any of their assignments, they should be able to ask. On the other hand, if you have any concerns about their output, you must be able to let them know as well. Being able to communicate freely and honestly will prevent any misunderstanding. It will also foster a constructive exchange of ideas and feedback.
A good way to promote this is by setting regular meetings where you can update one another on the progress of tasks. In these meetings, you can also hold brainstorming sessions or other dynamic dialogues that can help improve the way the team works.
Have systems in place
When you’re working with a team across different time zones, it is important to have systems in place to ensure order and productivity. Here are a few you should consider:
- Use a tool for delegation and teamwork. Your team will need a project management tool that can keep track of all the work that is being done simultaneously. Apps such as Slack, Trello, and Bloo work well for this. These tools facilitate teamwork by organizing files, assignments, deadlines, and records other activity within projects. These also make it easier to create tasks and assign them to the relevant team members. They give everyone a general overview of where each member is at on their task.
- Work in the cloud. Keeping documents and other files in the cloud makes them accessible to all members at any time. This saves everyone the trouble of sending or asking for certain files, which can easily cause delay in the workflow. It also creates a layer of safeguard for your documents, ensuring that no document gets lost or destroyed. Working on the cloud generates both a database and a backup of all work, without all the extra steps.
Summing it up
I know that as a female entrepreneur, all this sounds like more hard work. And you’re right. Training your VA and your team members requires time and commitment. But you have to remember that your team serves as the foundation of your business. You need to nourish them, especially in the beginning. But like any good investment, the returns will be worth it. If you train your team right, you will eventually free up more of your time to focus on scaling and growing your business.
As a business coach for female entrepreneurs, I’ve helped many clients build strong teams so they can do the work they are good ad and let the team handle the rest. You can schedule a quick 15-minute call with me to see if I can help you build and train yours.
Learn More
If you’re a female entrepreneur looking for extra knowledge and expertise, look for a good business coach for women for female entrepreneurs because there are many out there who never even had their own business. This advice could make or break your business.
How do you know if someone is a good business coach for women?
Check out this article about the 20 questions you should ask a business coach for female entrepreneurs.
My name is Tineke Rensen and I am a business coach for women. If you want to work with me one-on-one to build your one-woman gig to a proper business and double your income within a year, without spending a dime, click here now to schedule a quick 15-minute call with me and get started.
About the author:
Tineke Rensen of Powerful Business Academy has been in business for 31 years. She built an international Outdoor and Survival business from scratch and sold it after 22 years.
Tineke was also a national whitewater kayaking champion.
She now is one of the most all-round business accelerators and mentors you can find. She helps businesswomen to “Scale & Grow, Make More Impact And Work Less.” There are very few topics she cannot help you with in your business. Many people find this hard to believe, but hey, how much do you think you know about scaling businesses if you live it day and night for 31 years?
Tineke created the system “A Women’s Blueprint To Business Success.” She is a multi-awarded serial entrepreneur and is the author of the book “Maximum Business Growth For Women.”