Let’s face it, the economy is a mess and we really don’t know how bad this could get. I’m not going to get into speculation and waste time inspiring you to make a change in your business. You’re here because you have the fortitude to make a change already.

We’re going to dive right in and examine the “Art of the Pivot” so you can take actionable steps right away!

What Does it Mean to Pivot

Pivots can be defining moments in your career (and really in your life) if done intentionally. Pivoting in business means that you are realistic, have courage and are a visionary. Pivoting means you understand that although you may have done something one way that produced results for possibly decades; you have the understanding that “times are a changing” and you need to change with it.

But, we need to be intentional with our pivot - and to do that we must do a deep dive into the foundation of our business and identify any potential cracks.

...

Let’s face it, the economy has crashed and we’re likely facing the worst recession any of us have ever lived through.

As of March 2020, the global financial impact from COVID-19 is terrifying. An inordinate amount of people have already been laid off, others are losing their investments and business owners everywhere are fighting to not close their doors for good … all in a matter of a couple of weeks.

NOW is the Time for BOLD ACTION
Whether you were already on a path to Entrepreneurship through a side hustle or you’ve been cranking away at a new business; I’m here to offer some actionable steps to position your brand in a mindful way.

1. Positioning (Branding & Messaging)

To describe what positioning means, I’m going to share a story with you… I’ve been known as the “VA Guy” for a number of years and by that I mean people in my network defer to me on how to streamline one’s business operations by working with...

I was originally going to share this tip with you on the CLONE YOURSELF Podcast (which by the way, if you haven’t taken a list - check it out on Spotify, iTunes or any of your other favorite pod players!)

Anyway, after some thought I decided that this tactical strategy would be best in the form of a blog.

If you’re ready to work with Virtual Assistants to help you prospect, then here is an exact step-by-step process on how to outsource your prospecting to a virtual assistant on LinkedIn!

Now, before we begin - I want to remind you that the best system is what works for you! With that said, take the ideas and concepts here and tweak them to make it your own!

Let’s Begin!

I work with VA’s so that I can focus on my biggest strengths. I work with VA’s to free up my time so that I can increase sales to my business while in fact actually working less so I can go outside and play more.
These days prospecting doesn’t require the skill set that it once did...

Most of us who get into podcasting do not have a background in audio equipment or even editing for that matter. Add to that the fact that the understanding of how sound travels is not anything we’ve been taught or have come across in our careers. More often than not, many of us have gotten into or are getting into podcasting to promote our personal brand. Everything that comes with setting up a podcast (other than strategizing the actual content) is pretty foreign.

 If you can relate to this feeling, then this guide is for you. If you’re already an expert at podcasting and you’re happy with your gear and overall setup, then this could be just some additional information you can take advantage of.

Okay, so now that we know you’re here for the right reasons, let’s go ahead and dive in. You should be happy to know that this guide is structured in such a way that you can easily skim it over to find the section that best fits your needs.

 One last...

I have a lot of weaknesses and I’m not ashamed to admit it. Truth be told, I’d be in trouble if it weren’t for Virtual Assistants. I’ve launched over 8 podcasts (4 of my own), have 2 YouTube Channels, and have written 3 books … this is all in less than 3 years.

I don’t know how to edit audio nor do I know how to edit videos or even do the formatting for a book.

But, Virtual Assistants know how to do all of these tasks…

The Options Are Endless

VA’s can literally do just about anything. These days it’s impossible to have an excuse for why you “can’t” do something. When building your personal brand it’s important to choose a lane and these “lanes” are usually in blogging/vlogging, YouTube, Podcasting, Writing a Book or something along these lines.

I believe that the biggest barrier to people actually taking the step to doing these things is the fear of learning something new. Well, that’s...

I’ve wanted to crack the code on how to work with VA’s since reading the book “4 Hour Work Week” by Tim Ferris. At the time of reading the book I was in my first couple years of working professionally as I had just graduated from Chico State. At the time, I wasn’t making any money at all. I was in sales and I was building my book of business. The last thing I could do was hire a VA.

But, then something happened… I had an epiphany. I realized what the meaning behind the saying “you have to spend money to make money”.

Leap of Faith

The leap of faith is something all entrepreneurs are familiar with. At some point in your career you had to take a leap of faith and usually it happens far more often than just once. Hiring your first employee is a perfect example of taking a leap of faith.

If a new hire doesn’t work out for a small business owner it could sink your business. The time, resources, money AND mental strain of a new hire...

What is a “Lead Magnet” Anyway?

A lead magnet is just a piece of content that you give to your audience for FREE in exchange for their name and email.

Gone are the days that we can simply just put a form on our websites that say “Sign-up for my Newsletter”. No one really wants a newsletter - actually no one really wants another email.

We’re bombarded with messages everywhere we go. We need to do better. We need to give first.

Welcome to The Give First Economy

The give first economy is all about establishing trust and we can do this by giving first.

Rather than just asking for someone’s email with nothing to exchange in return, we need to be offering something of value. Something that is so amazing that our target demographic is floored by the gift they received from you.

I’m Excited, But Where Do I Start?

First, we need to know your Ideal Customer Avatar (ICA). Who is your one perfect customer?

Seriously, what’s their name? (Don’t...

I’m a visual person (and a marketer) and that’s exactly why I LOVE graphic designers!

Unfortunately, graphic design is expensive … and yes, there are great online tools like Canva that can help you build your designs easily. I don’t know about you — but, I don’t want to spend my time creating graphics on Canva or anywhere else. Truthfully, my biggest strengths are in writing, speaking (podcasting), creating videos, building my business… building businesses in general (and brands).

Honestly, I look for weaknesses of mine and you should too! The truth is when hiring VA’s, we need to be hiring for our weaknesses so that our weaknesses become our biggest strength!

Steve Jobs said it best, “It doesn’t make sense to hire smart people and tell them what to do; we hire smart people so they can tell us what to do”. I hire Virtual Assistants to turn my Biggest Weaknesses into my Biggest Strengths!

For...

Recently I was named to the Silicon Valley Business Journal’s 40 Under 40 list (article here). I don’t write this to brag; as a matter of fact, I always try not to come across “braggadocious” … so, if I ever sound like I’m bragging please just STOP ME right there! 

The reason why I’m writing about this is to help you with your personal brand! 

See, the truth is I only received the 40 Under 40 award because I “Cloned” myself. Well, not exactly… I’m calling my new online course Clone Yourself because I work with Virtual Assistants so much and it might as well be the case that I cloned myself. 

Here’s the thing… I'm a pretty simple man. I sell Swag (promotional products) for my own company (in partnership with my family’s office supply company - Value Business Products). I also Chair’d a Young Professionals group in Silicon Valley for a number of years, and have gone through some...

What is a VA?

Well, first off - we should be saying "who" is a VA, not "what"...
By definition, a Virtual Assistant is someone who works with you virtually. Virtual Assistants (VA’s) are not employees. I like to say, think of VA’s as specialists.

I love VA's!
What an amazing time to be alive. Email has us connected like never before - we can work literally anywhere in the world (depending on your actual job function of course). These days no matter what industry you are in, you’re employees can support you virtually. See, here’s the thing - employees can do financing, marketing, customer service, and sales (just to name a few roles) virtually from anywhere in the world.

In a sense, it's just outsourcing any specific task to a freelancer. No matter why you’re looking to extend your team and what roles you’re looking to fill; VA’s can help!

VA's work remotely and you'll surely be able to find a VA that can help you!

Here’s What I...