You’ve probably mastered knowing your customer avatar, but have you taken the time to really figure out who your ideal teammate is?
Imagine, this is somebody you’re going to spend 2 to 10 hours a day, depending on the season of life you're in with this person. You’ll perhaps engage with them more than you do your partner or your children sometimes.
And yet, people make these decisions on who they're going to hire based off of a 30-minute interview.
Why an Executive Assistant Should Be Your First Hire
As entrepreneurs, an executive assistant often is the last hire that we make. We'll hire some tech support or an SEO person to make sure that our words are converting properly on Google. But we won't hire someone to look out for us.
Be humble enough to admit that you can’t do it alone. You are worthy of the same support you so freely give to everyone else. Therefore, you need to understand that the executive assistant role should be the first hire anybody makes.
Hiring an assistant frees up your time, your mental capacity, and your bandwidth so you can focus on the things which are the revenue-drivers in your business. They’re going to take care of your email, your calendar, and your time. They're going to help keep projects on the rails and crack the whip every once in a while when you're not doing what you're supposed to.
More often than not, an executive assistant is going to be pushing people to the solutions they need – and it doesn't even have to involve you.
Preparing Yourself for an Executive Assistant – Financially
Building a team is an investment, not a cost. It should never be a cost. It is an investment because it will give you a return several times. But you have to be ready for it financially.
Ideally, have at least three months salary put back or three months contract expenses put back so you're not stressing about paying for the person while you're onboarding them.
If you look at it as an investment, instead of an expense, it won’t have to feel like a hard swallow where you’re choking it down every month. Look at it through that lens, otherwise it's always going to be a battle.
Ultimately, it’s essential you invest your money, time, and energy finding the person you’re going to be working with. If you want to learn more about hiring your ideal teammate, check out 041: Your Ideal Teammate with Trivinia Barber
