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jordan@bossassistants.com
Jordan Eaton knows why solopreneurs fail to excel.
They tackle too many projects and wait too long to partner with a smart, innovative virtual assistant (VA).
Jordan is the founder of BOSS Assistants. An agency that is making waves in the VA space.
Her strategy gives you two BIG advantages to outpace your competition.
1. She identifies virtual assistants who have a high aptitude for problem-solving.
2. She uses a proprietary system to match you with the ideal VA without wasting your time.
Jordan’s mission is simple.
Empower VAs to give you more time to sell AND make BOSS Assistants the premier virtual assistant agency in North America.
She’s on track to make it happen.
Her former admin experiences in Saas, tech, retail, real estate and construction are a big competitive advantage. This expertise helps Jordan advance solopreneurs from stage 1 to stage 10 in months – not years.
In the first few minutes of this interview I knew I was speaking with a smart, no bs business leader.
Meet Jordan Eaton.
Erik: “Did you see a gap in the marketplace you felt you could address?”
Jordan: “Yes. You have to be especially <careful> when you’re working remotely with clients’ data. You have to be very careful if you’re using a public Wi-Fi. I saw that people wanted a confidential assistant that’s also local to them and working the same business hours.”
Erik: “Best business advice you ever received and why?”
Jordan: "The bottleneck starts at the top of the bottle. Sometimes we get into the habit of thinking that only we can do <the work> or that it just takes too much time to teach someone else to do it. But that's the wrong mindset."
Erik: “Let’s flip the script. Worst business advice you ever received and why?”
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Virtual assistants are innovative problem solvers.
When you collaborate with a VA follow two guidelines.
- Seek their input
- Don’t take them for granted
You never know what they’ll discover.
Take the case study of one time secretary, Bette N. Graham.
Seems Bette was not an A+ typist; yet, she had a high aptitude to solve problems.
Bette’s bosses at the Texas Bank & Trust cared only about Bette’s typing skills. The bosses did NOT engage Bette in strategy chats or product development.
Silly bosses.
Fearful her consistent typing mistakes would push her out to the street, Bette put her mind to work on a strategy tree.
She tapped into her skills as an artist and mixed up a little concoction of white tempera paint.(1)
After several trials and tests with paint and paper Bette added a small brush to the equation.
Can you guess her invention that forever changed the typing industry?
Liquid paper.(2)
A small bottle of white paint that one uses to ‘cover’ up a typo and make the mistake invisible. Bette’s invention saved typists, students and writers tons of paper and time.
It also made her $47 million when Gillette bought the company in 1979.(3)
Your Key Takeaways:
- Include a virtual assistant in your strategy chats. Seek their input and ideas.
- Give a virtual assistant the latitude to try new solutions. Try not to dictate ‘the way.’
- Seek out virtual assistants who have the energy and curiosity to test new tech.
- Maintain bridges. You never know if a virtual assistant today will be a millionaire client in the future.
Here are the tools Melissa McDermott (ace website developer and blogpost designer) and I use to collaborate.
Notion to Write, Share and Brainstorm
It’s flexible, powerful, and getting better by the month. Try it for your blog post drafts, LinkedIn posts, team projects, content pillars and daily TO DO’s.
Beehiiv to Publish Your Newsletter
I’m re-discovering new ways to applaud the folks at Beehiiv.
My early experiences with their tech and user interface were ‘meh.’ Now that I’m leaning on them almost every day I’m more impressed with their layout, tools and dashboards.
Here are a few of the newsletters, freelance writers and podcasts I admire and read.
(*I have no affiliate links or business ties to these folks)
Lauren Ward is a top-tier freelance writer. She covers the personal finance space and is exceptional. Lauren also plays a key role in advising new and seasoned freelance writers.
👉 You can check out Lauren’s sage advice and insight here.
https://www.writewithlauren.com/
Brian O’Connor writes a stellar newsletter on strategy.
👉 Explore Brian’s sharp, helpful content at Outlier Growth:
https://www.outliergrowth.com/
Ben Goodey interviews SEO sages and wizards on his ‘How the Fxck SEO Podcast’
I listen to it for inspiration and SEO strategy.
👉 You can discover Ben and the SEO pros here:
https://seo.thefxck.com/author/ben-goodey/
⚡ here’s more strategy with Jordan Eaton…
Jordan: “I <heard several> people say, “lower your prices.” I find when your only strong suit is pricing it’s a harsh market. I haven’t lowered my prices and I’m not planning on it because I feel we offer a premium service.”
Erik: “You’ve been through several ups and downs, I would imagine, in having started your business. What failure are you most proud of?”
Jordan: “I realized I was taking on too much. I was not giving my assistants the two-week intensive training that I do now. I was trying to bring on too much, too many people, and then it went sideways. So I cut back.”
Erik: “What do you think is the biggest misconception folks have in collaborating with a virtual assistant?”
Jordan: "People think getting an assistant is a hassle and too much work. I don't think that's the case, especially if you go with a company like ours. We're <running> background checks, we're checking credentials <and> we're checking their social media. We're tracking their time.
We're taking on the work of management and you're <sharing> what you need done. You don't have to overcomplicate it. People overcomplicate it."
Erik: “What’s the straw that breaks the camel’s back when folks come to you and say, ‘I’ve had it. I can’t do this anymore. I need somebody on my team?'”
Jordan: “They have much <happening> and they’re growing at a really fast pace. It was fine for the first couple of years, but then all of a sudden everything started coming so fast.
The first thing they <typically> ask for is social media. As a business owner you shouldn’t be sitting there creating a post and commenting on social media. There’s many other things you could be doing that bring in money and <are> worth your time.
Invoicing is a big one. We work with clients that haven’t been paid in six months.
They forgot to send the invoice because it slips through the cracks. You can’t have that happen in a profitable business.”
Erik: “What makes a great VA?”
Jordan: "I don't actually hire on skills because I know skills can be taught. It's more of a personality issue. They have to have a high EQ <and> know the best way to communicate with <a> client. They have to be driven. You really have to be good with time management and be motivated."
Erik: “What advice would you give today to folks that are working 9 to 6 and are thinking, ‘I want to do what Jordan does. I want to start my own business’?”
Jordan: “My advice would be to make sure that you’re in it for the long run. Do not try this if you’re not willing to put in the effort because it’s a long game. You know you’re going to be working long hours.
But the fruits of labor will come. You just have to be that motivated person and <stay> consistent. Put in the work that it takes and then it will pan out for you in the end.”
Who Should I Interview Next?
I’m always on the lookout for dynamic solopreneurs who want to share their story.
Drop me a note at erik@thinkaday.com if you have an ideal interview candidate.
If you are starting your solopreneur biz or ready to improve your current strategy there are two steps you can take.
- Visit erikduncan.com for resources and strategy ideas
- Coordinate a 90-minute strategy session: We can start your biz on the right path or tackle the root cause of problems you want to fix today.
Book a Session with Erik
Note: Coaching sessions are with Erik and offered through Thinkaday, Inc.
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Endnotes
Zameena Mejia, “How Inventing Liquid Paper Got a Secretary Fired And Then Turned Her Into An Exec Worth $25 Million”, CNBC, July 23, 2918, accessed August 28, 2023, https://www.cnbc.com/2018/07/19/inventing-liquid-paper-got-a-secretary-fired-and-then-made-her-rich.html
Ibid.
Ibid.
