Duda Jadrijevic is a coach, mentor and serial entrepreneur who has created a 6 figure business, Teacup Ltd, that she built from her experiences in being homeless. She now runs the business as their CEO, as well as a successful coaching business. So how does she do it all? Duda has a secret weapon. Read more on how she was able to grow her business quickly with the help of a virtual assistant:
What were you struggling with in your business that led you to begin working with a virtual assistant?
As a business owner I struggled with time-consuming tasks that could be managed by someone else, in particular an admin task as I needed to focus on building my business.
Ironically, I was running a Private PA service for entrepreneurs as my first business and when I realized that most of it can be done online and by someone else, such as searching for airfares, online shopping, de-cluttering of inboxes etc, I employed my first VA assistant. I in return gained more time to focus on getting the new client. This is how I grew my VA business from a one man band to a 4 staff company back in London, UK.
Tell us a little bit about what you have delegated and how you work together?
Most of the tasks delegated to my VA’s were something I wasn’t very good at or I disliked working on. For example, building sales funnels, formatting documents, pulling and converting reports, chasing payments and invoicing for clients were some of the tasks that weren’t greatly motivating for me as an inspiring entrepreneur.
The way I worked with all of my VA’s depended on what my business needed. I allocated them according to their strengths and what they enjoyed working on the most so that the entire team stays motivated.
We had an internal inbox, which was managed by my first assistant, tasks were allocated to each member of VA staff daily and were marked as completed. This helped us to cut the back and forth emailing. We also had an internal database where we had strict rules about tagging, how to add contacts or projects and who was in charge of what.
We had very clear briefings on all that has been needed. I found it so useful. Questions from the VA’s side were always very welcomed as the last thing I wanted is to micro-manage or send a substantial amount of work back to them.
How has working with a virtual assistant supported your business, and you personally?
With regards to my business, without my VA’s I wouldn’t have been able to focus on my business development plus they helped me re-focus on my third business that has had a huge online success already so I not only run this business with them in the background but they also support me as a Buddhist Coach and therefore I have become a serial entrepreneur. I love the fact that I walked the talk even by running a VA company that used their own VA to start another line of business. This speaks volume about the need for a VA if one is a serious entrepreneur.
Personally, I finally found time to travel the world, so I had the privilege to earn 6 figures traveling the world as a digital nomad, whilst employing VAs and providing good salaries. This was also hugely important to me as an employer.
What differences have you noticed in your business since you began working with a virtual assistant?
Enormous business success, more time for my private downtime, less hectic and most importantly my brain had more space to work on the more important creative business strategies than the small nitty-gritty stuff.
What advice would you give to other entrepreneurs seeking virtual assistants?
Briefing and being honest about where you are on your journey as an entrepreneur is the key to any VA to fully support you. Since entrepreneurs don’t have time, many tend to give half instructions that lead to frustration and miss-communication.
Letting the VA know what the purpose of a, sometimes, hideous task is will keep them motivated to deliver to the highest standard.
Want to learn more about Duda and her business? Visit her website!
Looking to hire your own virtual assistant? Start here!
Duda Jadrijevic is a Buddhist Transformational Coach in Business and Relationships, a speaker, writer and a serial entrepreneur inspiring many with her journey but also with her hands on work. Learn more about Duda by visiting her website, or by following her on Facebook and YouTube.
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That’s a fascinating experience, Duda Jadrijevic. I admire her a lot! I Will surely follow her on facebook to get her updates.