Scaling My Company: My Roadmap to Business Growth and Personal Freedom
IN A HURRY? HERE’S THE BOTTOM LINE
The journey of scaling my business from a one-woman show to a complex team of dedicated service providers didn’t happen overnight. I started by delegating just a few tasks to two virtual assistants, and later established account leads for every client. This led to Senior Virtual Assistant promotions, which allows me to work almost entirely “on” my business - not “in” my business.
I’ve also recently onboarded an Executive Assistant so I can dedicate more attention to big-picture projects. This evolving business structure ensures that both clients and the business are well-tended, giving me the work-life balance I’ve always wanted.
GOT A MINUTE? HERE ARE THE DETAILS TO CONSIDER
At Melissa Swink & Co., we have the privilege of working behind the scenes for dozens of clients, each of whom is doing big things in their respective industries. It’s inspiring to see the growth that’s been possible for these business owners, thanks to our team taking over essential tasks and allowing them the space to expand.
Speaking of growth, Melissa Swink & Co. is also on the rise! Since 2020, our sales and profits have doubled every year. This exponential growth is largely thanks to my powerhouse team.
But building this team and scaling my business didn’t happen overnight. It took several years to get to where we are, today, so let’s take a step back in time! Here are the phases of scaling that we have evolved through:
2012-2018
I launched my virtual assisting company in 2012 and handled 95% of the work by myself for the first six years. I was the face of the company and handled nearly all client tasks, with the exception of a few outsourced marketing tasks.
Summer 2018
I started to feel drained and burned out in my business, and realized I couldn’t take on any more clients or grow the business without help. It was time to get some backup support and capacity relief, so I could increase my client base without having to increase my own output. I brought on my first two team members to help take over some of my client work.
2019-2020
After having such a positive experience with my first two team members, I continued to slowly add more virtual assistants to my team. When hiring, I wasn’t just looking for clones of myself - I wanted to find people with diverse skill sets and points of view. My clients are better served with a deeper bench of talent, since they can rely on us for more of their business tasks without having to hire multiple service providers. However, during these years, I was still the main point of contact and project manager for clients. This required a lot of time and energy… and meetings!
2021
In 2021, as we continued to grow, I needed to step out of direct client relationship management and free up more of my time to work ON the business. That’s when I began placing even more trust in my talented team. I established a Lead Virtual Assistant (an account manager) for every client. These team members took over for me where client work was concerned, serving as the client’s first point of contact on all requests and handling most client meetings, which gave me more time to focus on big-picture projects.
2022
After seeing the success of the Lead Virtual Assistant role, I took this idea one step further and promoted two exceptional Lead Virtual Assistants to Senior Virtual Assistants. These women provide high-level project management, team mentoring, and client relationship management. When questions arise from the clients or internal team members, or backup support is needed, these Senior Virtual Assistants step in. This finally removed me from direct management of each client account.
Summer 2023
I recently took another big step in building my team by hiring an Executive Assistant to support me and our Senior VAs. She’s the only team member who doesn’t complete client work and just provides internal support. The goal is to remove some of the “busy work” from my plate, such as email inbox management and internal communications. With her support, I will also be able to move the business forward with “big picture” projects that are on the horizon.
What’s Next?
We haven’t stopped growing, yet! I plan to add roles for sales and sourcing talent, as we’re continuously in conversations with potential clients who need help getting things done in their businesses, and with potential service providers who can fill those needs.
Where Does That Leave Me?
You may be wondering… “Melissa, what is YOUR role in the business?”
Since I now spend very little time working “in” my business and almost all of my time is devoted to working “on” the business, I’m finally functioning as a true CEO. I oversee my team through my Senior Virtual Assistants and spend time building strategic relationships outside the company. I also have the space to work on business development projects, speak at events, and lead workshops.
Because our clients are served so well through the team’s efforts, I can also unplug during vacations without coming back to a mountain of work. Since we have points of contact and backups on every account, my team keeps things moving forward, even in my absence. As my daughter gets older and busier, I savor the extra time I get with her. I don’t have to work when she’s home from school, and I take off Fridays in the summer.
If you feel like you could use some relief in your business, and would like to start functioning as a true CEO, I invite you to schedule a complimentary, no-obligation consultation! If you’re a current client of Melissa Swink & Co., please feel free to reach out to me via email if you’d like to review the tasks and projects you’re sending our way and discover additional ways we can support you as you grow your business and experience more personal freedom.