Category: Blogs

Are you a value seeker or a bargain hunter?

By on November 2021 in Blogs

In this blog, seasoned freelancer and Passionate PA Debbie Frith (pictured) explores why business owners looking for freelance business support need to focus on more than just hourly rate… price is what you pay, value is what you get.

Whether you sell a product or a service, have you ever been in a situation where you’ve been asked to lower your price? Have you ever been told that you’re too expensive? Or been asked for a discount, to do a deal or to give more for less?

I expect that somewhere along the line you have, and I’ll wager that you were pretty cross about it. I imagine that you were told that your product or service was available elsewhere cheaper too.

When price is a driver, value becomes unimportant

Price is simply defined as the amount of money expected, required or given in payment for something.

Whereas value is the regard that something is held to deserve; the importance, worth or usefulness of something.

Focusing on price is a short-term consideration, delivering short term wins. When you’re looking for a longer term and more stable strategy, then focusing on value is the way forward.

In the words of Warren Buffet, “Price is what you pay, value is what you get”. 

When something is offered at a cheaper price to your own product or service, there’s usually a reason why it costs less, reasons such as:

  • Lower quality and standards
  • New to the market
  • Lack of skills or experience
  • Mass produced
  • Lacks longevity
  • Desperation for customers

Those seeking value in their purchase are more likely to be looking for:

  • Unique strengths
  • A personal connection
  • An excellent overall buying experience
  • Values aligned with their own
  • Quality and consistency
  • Trust in a brand or concept

When being cheaper is more expensive

We’ve all done it though, haven’t we. Bought that cheaper version of a product or service whether it be a buying clothes from Primark or using a casual tradesman that’ll fix that leaky pipe for just £10 cash.

What happens?

The clothes don’t last very long, they’re cheap and cheerful yes, but they’re not likely to be your wardrobe staples that you can rely upon, wear after wear, wash after wash. That leaky pipe, may well be fixed for now, but when it springs a major leak, just before you’re about to go away for the weekend, where’s your £10 tradesman now? Disappeared I expect and what will you have to do? Call out a certified professional, Friday evening at what might seem an extortionate rate – oh how you wished you’d called them out in the first place and got the job done right first time.

So why am I talking about leaky pipes and Primark in the realms of freelance business support?

Let me tell you… If your business is as important to you as mine is to me, then you want to do your absolute best for it. If you’re in the market for some freelance business support to help you progress and develop your business, then you need to find someone who perfectly aligns with your own values and who is a good match for your own personality.

Buying this type of service on price is not advisable, it’s much more important to find and identify the right person with the right skill set (here’s a handy blog that will help you do this).

Invest in that person and you are by default investing in your own business (#winning)

That person charges a price which isn’t plucked out of thin air. It’s a price which is derived from experience and skills (though it’s up to you to do your homework on this), it’s a price derived from that person knowing their value and being prepared to stand by it. Treat others as you would like to be treated yourself – isn’t that a great mantra for life and business!

If you’d like to find your perfect match with a Passionate PA, then the best person to talk to right at the start of your journey is Kate Chastey, our Franchisor, she knows each member of our team very well and is a skilled match maker! After a discovery call with Kate, she’ll put you in touch with the person most aligned with your requirements, always based on experience, skill set and personality – in that way delivering the best value for you.

You can find out more about our team of business support professionals by clicking here!

Further blogs from The Passionate PA: 

Freelancers can help you weather this storm!

By on January 2021 in Blogs

As the reality of coronavirus continues to imprint itself into our lives and into our businesses, working remotely has become intrinsic to working practices in all manner of sectors.

The business landscape has changed. New habits are becoming engrained in our society, and the pandemic has forced many business owners to embrace remote working and flexible working hours. It’s become the new normal for so many SMEs, corporates and ambitious businesses; even with the vaccine in sight, this way of working is likely to continue for the foreseeable future.

But freelancers have been embracing this way of working for years. Freelancers can provide solutions to nearly every hurdle business owners face, whether providing an entire service on a long-term basis, filling in a skills-gap for an interim period or completing one-off projects. Freelancers are professionals, offering on-demand skills and experience that can add a serious edge to most businesses.

While government loans may prevent businesses from going bust during these strange times, those loans will need to be paid back. As a result, now more than ever, businesses need to look at long-term stability and accelerating growth in order to stay ahead of the competition.

Hiring a freelancer can help overcome challenges without the need to employ. They offer the flexibility businesses need in uncertain times, and, by the very nature of the partnership, the long-term loyalty often lacking in employees.

The Passionate PA offers exactly that; a relationship-led partnership that helps ambitious business leaders and entrepreneurs drive change, build momentum and generate results. Often a commercial sounding board forour clients, The Passionate PA finds solutions, challenges clients to think differently and ensures the highest quality service in all aspects of business delivery.

As business owners ourselves, we know what it takes to run and operate a business meaning we do not fit the archetypal view of a personal or virtual assistant. Rather than managing diaries, accounts or filtering calls, a Passionate PA can assist with anything from streamlining business processes, copywriting and project management right through to driving growth through effective marketing strategies. We are masters of implementation and if it’s on your business to do list, we will help you tackle it.

While effective communication and business management is vital when working with any freelancer, The Passionate PA brings a second business brain to key decision makers and directors who might not always have the senior support they need, or solopreneurs who have no one else in their business to help them think strategically about their vision, their goals and more importantly, how to make them a reality.

Finding the right freelancer can take time so be sure to ask trusted business networks for recommendations or read reviews and testimonials. It might be necessary to work with a freelancer on a trial basis at first, or at the very least have an introductory meeting, just to ensure you will work well together based on personalities. However, once you know and trust a freelancer who delivers a service in line with your brand and ethos, it’s a relationship that can last for years!

Freelance services will be intrinsic to business growth as we tentatively emerge from our lockdown bubbles. It’s a really viable option for those business owners who want to develop at pace with flexible, loyal, commercially minded support but no employment contracts.

Founded by Dorset businesswoman Sarah Howells in 2007, and franchised in 2016 by Director, Kate Chastey, The Passionate PA has worked with leading brands such as Virgin Media and the Institute of Directors. It now supports a wide range of entrepreneurial professional services companies as well as agencies in the recruitment, digital marketing, financial services, IT and creative industries to name but a few.

To find out more about how a freelance PA can help you emerge from this storm stronger than ever before, contact us today.

You can find out more about our skilled team here!

Further blogs from The Passionate PA: 

Our 7 Point Plan helping clients through crisis

By on April 2020 in Blogs

Coronavirus has affected every business in our country. There’s no sugar-coating it, for some it has been utterly dire and for some it has been an unprecedented opportunity.

Here at The Passionate PA, we work with entrepreneurs; fast-paced, growing businesses that are always looking ahead. Our experience has been that Covid-19 literally stopped most of them in their tracks… at the very least for a few days whilst they got over the shock, worked out how to get a workforce to be productive from home and managed the risks associated with the pandemic.  

But now, for most of our clients, it’s business as un-usual.

Working so closely with these business leaders, we see their challenges and feel their pain. The benefit of knowing their businesses so well, is that it gives us a unique and valuable perspective, and a beautiful opportunity to really show how much we care and help them survive the crisis.

In the early weeks of the pandemic, each of our team worked really closely with their clients to ensure they not only survived this crisis, but planned to come out stronger and more focused than ever before.

The Passionate PA Team – Self-employed freelance PAs working with business leaders.

In this blog, our franchisor, Kate Chastey (centre), shares our 7 Point Plan for helping clients through this crisis.

Evaluation

We help each of our clients perform a SWOT analysis of their business. Done formally, or informally, we make sure we are helping our clients see their strengths at this time, and the weaknesses that need to be addressed. 

We’re also helping our clients understand the business threats from this situation – it has to be said, its mostly cashflow no matter what size the business is! And, of course, the opportunities – within every crisis there are opportunities, sometimes it’s just hard to see them when the panic sets in. We help our clients step back and evaluate. 

Planning

Once a SWOT is done, we help our clients prepare a structured plan to ensure they (and the whole business) can cope with the levels of change required. We help our clients focus on the desired outcomes and prepare accordingly.

Innovation & Diversification

No matter what the business or what the challenge, there is always innovation to be introduced somewhere. We help our clients release their shackles and see opportunities for innovation and diversification whether it be in service or product offerings, routes to market, target audiences or even marketing messages.

Efficiency

We are masters of efficiency; from managing productivity, motivation and communication to streamlining business processes and customer service. We happily share our knowledge and experience to increase efficiency for the greater good of the business and its people.  

Implementation

We aren’t just thinkers and planners – oh no! A huge part of the partnerships we have with our clients is rolling up our sleeves and getting stuck in. We help our clients prioritise and action, and we take responsibility where needed to relieve our clients of workload. 

Consistency

The key to all success is consistency and so our clients rely on us to provide a level of service that never falters. With one eye on today’s ‘To Dos’ and one on the path ahead, we help our clients consistently perform their roles and responsibilities, ensuring their business survives today and can thrive as we all move forward. 

Kindness

It makes the world go around. Simple. 

In our relationships, there is always time for kindness, compassion and understanding. Overwhelm happens to us all, no matter how senior or how experienced. It happens at different times and with different triggers and one of the best parts about being an entrepreneur’s Passionate PA is the trust and loyalty we share. 

Our clients can always rely on us to be the listening ear, the kick up the butt or the provider of gin… whichever is the most appropriate at any one time 😉

We are Passionate PAs – with our clients every step of the way. 

If you are looking for a fresh perspective to get you and your business through this really difficult time, please contact Kate on 03 3000 20 200.

Further blogs from The Passionate PA: