delegate, PA Services Blog · Pink-Spaghetti

Here is why you should outsource to a virtual assistant…

16 October 2018 by Vicky

Do you deserve a bit more time and money? We believe you do.

We believe every small business owner needs and deserves a great Virtual Assistant. Why? Because a great VA will save you time and make you money. Bear with us on this one…

So let’s just say you have a task you have to do each month. It takes you 5 hours. Quite honestly you hate doing it, you don’t really have the skill set for it and you procrastinate over it each month.

It’s always sat on your to do list making you feel slightly uncomfortable, guilty and let’s face it a little bit resentful that it won’t just vanish from your list FOREVER.
You have one in mind, don’t you?

If you hand this task over to a VA with the right skill set it’s likely they can do this task in a fraction of the time… or they could even automate it for you.

The task can be outsourced to a virtual assistant in 3 hours each month, saving you 5 hours. Or it could be automated as a one-off project and now your task only takes 30 min each month!

Now you have 4.5 hours free, 5 if you just outsource the 30 min each month. 5 hours to focus on your business and what you are great at doing; to look after a new profitable client; get out networking; spend time on marketing, sales, strategy or simply spending time with family or friends. What about that hobby you’ve let slide or that new service or product you’ve been wanting to launch?

Now just think about all the processes you have in your small business. Taking up time and energy. Keeping you away from productive, money making tasks. Repetitive but necessary processes that a VA could look after, schedule or automate for you. Whether its admin, social media or email marketing. Those tasks that are taking you hours each month could take a VA a lot less and your time is then… well that’s up to you what you do with it!

We’ve proven this time and time again with happy clients and we would love to show you how we could do the same for your business.

Want to know more? Just drop us a message and we can arrange a call. Simply email help@pink-spaghetti.co.uk and we will put you in touch with your closest Pink Spaghetti PA to get your tasks sorted.

Written by Laura Cooper, Franchise for Pink Spaghetti Newbury & Swindon since September 2014.

What’s in it for Me?

19 September 2016 by Vicky

Pink Spaghetti offer support to businesses in many ways. While many people appreciate the help, there is often the question of “What’s in it for me?” and how does your service really impact our lives? Let me tell you about one case, and the tangible difference our help made. small_Bundles,

A client was due to attend a trade show on her own, and called Pink Spaghetti to see if we could help her on the day. Of course we said yes! The initial brief was for someone to be on the stand and to speak to people if she was unable to; a standing position if you will.

The service that Pink Spaghetti offered was support before, after and during the event in the end. Prior to the day we sourced and prepared giveaway items, taking the pressure off the client meaning she could concentrate on her preparation; no last minute panicking about things she hadn’t had time to do. On the day, Pink Spaghetti arrived early to help prepare the stand, and rush out to get last minute supplies. After taking some time to understand the key offerings of the business, and how they were different, we represented the business during the show.

Our practical, supportive approach provided the client with an “Oasis of Calm” from the off. Getting to know the business meant we could really engage with attendees, sell the business and explore possible relationships and collaborations; for Pink Spaghetti it was not just a case of collecting business cards.

The overall result of hiring Pink Spaghetti was that our client was able to capitalise on all the potential business opportunities. Where she was unable to talk directly to someone, Pink Spaghetti jumped in and made the connection. More connections equal more opportunities and equal increased profit; it’s as simple as that.

The moral of the story is that you, as a small business owner, don’t have to go it alone. In fact, it’s often better if you don’t. We are out there, understanding the pressures that go hand in hand with owning a business, and are more than capable of supporting you through it. Make sure you don’t miss those opportunities in your business!

Are you about to start the School Holiday Juggle?

11 July 2016 by Vicky

This month our blog has been written by the co-founder of Pink Spaghetti, Vicky Matthews, who has two children, Holly and Tom.

The thought of the long school holidays can fill working parents with dread. For myself it is very much a period of juggling, however if you plan ahead it can be a lovely time to step back a bit and enjoy precious time with your children.

My children are aged eleven and seven so I know just how challenging it is to balance business and children during school holidays. There is no ‘right’ way; you must find what works best for you. Over the years I have tried most options and this summer my kids will spend two days a week at different holiday clubs, which they love, however we have had to try lots of different ones to get to this point!

Most of the time it is a balancing act and there will be times when you have to change your plans at the last minute because something urgent comes in. However on the whole if you can try to keep things simple and not over commit you can get a good balance over the holidays. Trying to perform both roles simultaneously does not often work and I have tried working on a laptop while my kids were nearby doing what kids do and it just doesn’t work, so dedicate your full attention to one thing or the other where possible (however I know this is not always possible and I am often guilty of just quickly checking my emails when I should be doing something else!).

Here are my top tips on juggling over the school holidays:
1. Weeks (if possible) before the holidays begin start to plan out your weeks. I get a large sheet of paper and map out each day and schedule in set times for the business and the kids. When deciding which days to work I look at the rest of my team’s holidays and any regular business commitments that I have. I then look at what events are on for the children that we would like to go to and diarise these. At the end of this process I have an idea of which days I will be working and which days therefore I will need some help with the children.
2. Use a mix of paid for childcare and favours/child swaps etc. Childcare can be expensive and my children are not always keen on going to a holiday club. I have a fantastic network of friends and family who can help. Friends may have my children one day and I have theirs another. My parents and in laws are great too and are always happy to have the children.
3. On the days that I am with the children I will get up early before the children (I am lucky my children will wake up at 9.30am in the holidays) and can do 4 hours work before we start the day. I can then pick up any other bits in the evening. However if I have had a good start to the day I always feel more in control!
4. Use technology wisely. Although I think it is better to dedicate your time to either the children or the business there are times when you do need to keep in touch. My iphone is my saviour and it allows me to access my emails and any of my documents. We save all of our documents on Dropbox and I can see these on my phone too. This means I can respond to an urgent enquiry without being at my desk.
When I’m feeling stressed at the thought of how I will cope I try to remind myself why I set up my business – to have more freedom and the flexibility to spend time with my family.

Inspirational Businesswomen in celebration of Be A Millionaire Day 2016

15 May 2016 by Vicky

Friday 20th May 2016 is National ‘Be A Millionaire Day’. At Pink Spaghetti we have several inspirational businesswomen as customers who may well belong to this exclusive club. Millionaires or not though, we think all of our clients are 1 in a million and we thought we would share with you some of their successes.

One of our Pink Spaghetti Franchisees, Laura from Newbury, has the privilege of working with a very special lady who has turned a small venture into a thriving business. Romilla Arber runs Honesty Group in West Berkshire, started just two years ago. Honesty Group has gone from strength to strength in a short space of time and provides a benchmark for all women thinking of making that leap and starting their own company. We spent some time with her recently to understand how she has made it such a success:

Pink Spaghetti Q&A

1. What prompted you to start your business and how/where/when did it start?
I wanted to start a business venture in the food sector that could make a reasonable profit whilst retaining its integrity towards staff, customers and suppliers. I started it in 2014 at the Honesty Cookery School.

2. How many people do you now employ?
We now employ 30 staff across the group.

3. What has made your business so successful? Could you give us 5 tips?
My 5 key tips are working hard to hire and retain the right staff, making good customer service a priority, training and developing staff, charging competitively, having a strong and clear vision.

4. How do you juggle the work/life balance?
This is very important to me. I try to work only 4 days a week and stop at 5pm every day.

5. Do you have anyone in particular who has inspired you in business?
My husband had a very successful business so he is definitely my source of inspiration.

We also wanted to find out from Laura what makes Romilla so special and how she is a source of inspiration to her.

Romilla has rapidly grown not only a business with multiple aspects to it but also a brand in which people trust. Across all areas of the business there is a common theme of honesty and quality. Managing all of the different areas of the business must take some serious juggling and for most people running just one of those areas well would be a huge achievement yet somehow Romilla manages to ensure an exceptionally high standard across the board. The fact there is a clear vision and passion behind the Honesty brand is very evident and people buy into it. When Romilla told me it all started in 2014 I was genuinely shocked as there is such a strong ethos and brand behind it that can sometimes take companies years and years to build and nurture. It just goes to show if you have the passion and drive to put in the hard work you can achieve your vision. I am extremely honoured to work for Romilla and her drive and enthusiasm inspires me every day.

Romilla’s company, ‘Honesty Group’ features a Cookery School, Pub, Restaurant, Accommodation, Bakery, Coffee Shops and Catering Company. Romilla is also a published author of two cookery books and founder of the Food Education Trust. For more details visit www.honestygroup.co.uk.

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