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Forget Using A Virtual Assistant: Do This Instead

When people are considering outsourcing tasks to a Virtual Assistant, we often advise them to make a list of the jobs they do each day, week, month and so on. By writing everything down and seeing all their tasks laid out, they can start to build up a good picture of where they are spending the most time, and which things make the most sense to hand over to a VA. If you undertake this important exercise, you’ll find you come up with a long list of things that make you think: 'Yep, those c...

5 Great Reasons To Love Using A Virtual Assistant

Do you have a Virtual Assistant? No? Well, grab a drink and get comfy, as I’m about to hit you with a thought-provoking statement I heard recently that might make you question the way you’re managing your business:  "If you don't have an assistant, you ARE one". Let’s leave that to sink in for a hot minute… How does reading that line feel? I can bet that unless you got into business to be an assistant, the answer is ‘err… not great!’  I would love to hear your r...

8 Tragic Mistakes You're Making When Using A Virtual Assistant

If you’ve taken the plunge and hired a Virtual Assistant, great, outsourcing happens to be one of the best investments you can make to grow your business! But before you get too comfortable, you need to understand that merely hiring a virtual assistant isn't a silver bullet that will magically make all your problems go away…   After years of experience serving clients, we can definitively say that there is a right way to use a VA in your business, as well as a number of faux p...

Email inbox nightmare solved - Are you making this mistake?

I have read a lot about inbox management and keeping on top of emails. Inbox management is probably the number one frustration we see when we meet with new clients. It is crazy the number of emails we all get each day and it can be hugely stressful just trying to keep on top of them. Do you know the number one mistake people make when attempting to manage their inbox? Setting up a complex folder structure!!! And by complex, I mean more than five folders and very complex is subfolders upo...

The Benefits Of Outsourcing - Case Study #1

If you've ever considered outsourcing to a VA, you might have tried to reconcile why you would pay a higher p/hour rate than that of an employee (either part-time or full-time). Well, here’s a little case study that can help put the benefits into perspective. It's about one of our clients who has been with us for coming up 5 years and here's why...They are a business coaching company (2 coaches who own the business)They previously had a full-time admin/office person paying around $40k per annu...

Tech Tip - Canned Responses in Gmail

If you find yourself typing the same email on a regular basis, you should be using canned responses. Canned responses are essentially an email template you set up in Gmail, so you can send the same email without spending all that time writing them! Follow the steps below to turn on canned responses, and be whizzing through your emails in no time! 1. Click on the Settings icon in the top right hand corner of Gmail.  2. Click on 'Settings'. 3. Click on 'Labs'. 4. Under 'Se...

Savvy Workshop Series

Want to upskill? Enhance your talents and bring yourself, your business, or your workplace to the forefront of technology, branding, talent, and expertise?With so many requests for more, we're excited to be offering another series of workshops!Our workshops are jam-packed with content that will give you the tools to improve and inspire yourself and your business. Our incredible presenters come equipped with the industry skills to show you how to flourish in your des...

[VIDEO] We won! Best Professional Services Business

We won! Best Professional Services Business at the Hutt Valley Chamber of Commerce & Industry - 2017 Wellington Region Business Excellence Awards.We won because of my exceptional and hard working team - this is absolutely because of them. My team is why I love coming to work each day. It is because of them that we're the leading virtual assistant company in New Zealand and going from strength to strength. The talent that we have on the team is remarkable. 2017 has been an incredible year for us!...

Savvy Workshop Series

We are holding 12 Savvy Workshops in January 2018 at our very own Savvy Spaces.Get up-to-date with business tools while you learn how to use them efficiently and effectively for business. All 12 Courses Are On Sale NOW On GrabOne For $49 (full price $179)Courses included are:Tools & Productivity – How to Work Smarter on Your ComputerHow To Use Canva For Designing Social Media GraphicsHow To Use Facebook & Instagram Effectively To Promote Your B...

How to avoid the pitfalls of hiring a virtual assistant

Virtual Assistants. If you haven’t already noticed, they’re becoming a ‘thing’. Still don’t know what they do, or how they might be able to help your business? I can guarantee that the benefits far outweigh the pitfalls as long as you are savvy about how you go about hiring one.  So - Would a Virtual Assistant work for you? (Short answer. Yes!) Longer answer: This depends solely on you. If you have trouble delegating or letting go, it might take some getting used to, because deleg...

15 Entrepreneurs Share What They Think New Zealand Businesses Need To Do Better

New Zealand is a little country making a huge difference in business around the world. According to the 2016 World Bank Doing Business survey, we're the second easiest country in the world (behind Singapore) to do business in AND the easiest place in the world to start a business.But are we getting it right? I asked 15 of New Zealand's entrepreneurs this question:What do you think New Zealand businesses need to do better?  They need to recognise the value of engaging with professi...

15 Entrepreneurs Share What They Do Differently

When I thought about launching Strictly Savvy back in 2012, I had heard a thousand reasons not to start my own business - it's too risky, it'll be too much hard work, it's more secure to be employed, and business partners are a bad idea.Strictly Savvy was born anyway because I truly believed that I would be successful and that it was what I did differently as a business owner that would lead to this success. Being successful is not that far-fetched if you can learn from what other successful bus...

15 Entrepreneurs Share How They Decide What To Say Yes To

I was thinking recently about the launch of our Savvy Business Administration Course and the number of 'yes' and 'no' calls I had to make to get the course to its opening day 10 weeks ago. Had I not said 'yes' when this opportunity presented itself, I would have missed out on the valuable connections I have made with external organisations and the course participants, I wouldn't have developed the diverse skills I have learned through delivering an engaging and successful course, and I wouldn't ...

15 Entrepreneurs Share 3 Key Things They Attribute to Their Success

Whilst I am very proud of Strictly Savvy and the immeasurable labour put into creating and maintaining a successful business, it is still a fledgling in the eyes of the business world. I approached some key business owners across the country and asked them what they believe played a hand in their success, in the hopes that we can all continue to learn and become even more successful in our chosen industries.What 3 key things can you attribute to your success? Having a talented team that you can ...

15 Entrepreneurs Share Their Biggest Lessons in Business So Far

Five years ago, I started out in my own business. I knew what I wanted to achieve but struggled with the how. Many lessons are learned, and much wisdom is gained through the actual experience of running and growing a small business. I asked entrepreneurs and business owners from around New Zealand what their biggest lesson in business was so far. Some of their answers are pretty insightful... What has been your biggest lesson in business so far? Attitude and the right mindset is e...

I never understood why people did it, until now

A few years ago, I went to a RISE conference and listened to Anna Stretton speak about ‘RAW’, a programme she created where she took women recently released from prison under her wing.The programme comprised taking the women to a house, away from their hometowns. Once there, the RAW team set about rehabilitating them; getting them reintroduced to society, helping them feel worthy, and building up their self-esteem and confidence. Anna even gave them jobs in a second-hand store that the organ...

15 Entrepreneurs Share Their Advice To Their 22-Year-Old Self

Recently, I celebrated a birthday - not a milestone or a significant age by any means other than I've been around for another 365 days, and have added this past year of insight, connections, and learning curves to my repertoire - that leads me to think about what I would have done with the learnings I've attained over the past few years, had someone suggested these to my 22-year-old self. And so, I've decided to put this question to some talented people I know in business. If you could go back ...

Jo's Keynote Speech on Her Journey

Here's Jo's first keynote speech at the Wellington Business Network lunch on the success of Strictly Savvy and how she got to where she is today....

We implemented a game-changer in our business

Last year my Business Development Manager and I attended a full day workshop in Auckland run by an international business coach. The content was fresh and tech-savvy - just the way we like it. One of the key takeaways was something that we would not realise the full impact of until we later implemented it into our business. It really was a game-changer for us. How much more productive would your team be if they could access the answer to many of questions they had - at the touch of a button...

Free admin support available for local businesses - don't miss out!

If you are a local business and have a wish list of projects and tasks as long as your arm, you're in luck. As leaders in the business of administration, Strictly Savvy has secured the exciting opportunity of providing a Savvy Business Administration Course to job seekers in the Wellington Region. A key element of the course will be undertaking real-life tasks for real-life businesses. It's a win-win - attendees will be able to practice their learnings and businesses will get resources working ...

How to start a simple business - without actually selling anything!

I know it sounds too good to be true, but you can actually create a business without having to sell a single thing. The concept I want to talk about isn't a new one, however in my opinion it is completely under-utilised. I think it could be perfect for someone who wants extra income on the side. A side hustle, if you will. Whether you are working part-time or full-time, supplementing your income could mean buying those shoes you've had your eye on or buying shares on the stock market (dependin...

A little challenge that will make your day, and someone else's

How good does it feel to make someone else feel good? Amazingly good, right? Giving to someone else means that you inadvertently get even more back. I'm not talking about money or tangible things, I'm talking about joy, happiness, and that gooey stuff. We should all give more. I wrote three recommendations on LinkedIn today (without being asked) and it felt great. The recipients were so grateful and now I'm looking for who else I can genuinely recommend publicly. This brings me to a little ...

Are you our next Savvy team member?

You'll be naturally organised and efficient, thrive working under pressure and love to have fun. Your work ethic has seen you be the go-to-person in your previous roles and you love the idea of helping business owners achieve their dreams of greatness. If this sounds like you, send your CV and cover letter telling us why you'd be perfect for our team to [email protected] ...

Through the eyes of a client

I'm truly humbled by the sincere and uninhibited words that one of our fabulous clients, Anna from Plyhome has shared about the Strictly Savvy Squad. If you have ever wondered what it would be like to have us on your team, this sums it up perfectly...' How to Clone Yourself' ...

Part 5 - The keys to unlock savvy communication

Anyone who owns or runs a business anticipates that there will be a certain amount of administration 'stuff' to take care of. However, sometimes the basic mechanics of business management can become overwhelming. Here at Strictly Savvy we have made it our business to help you run your business more efficiently, so if you are drowning in admin or you've forgotten what your actual job is, this five-part blog series might be just the life raft you've been looking for! We've reached the end of this...