AssistPro™ featured in Canvas Rebel Magazine. Read the article online here:
Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Jenna Spencer. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Jenna, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you recount a story of an unexpected problem you’ve faced along the way?
I wouldn’t say it has been a perfectly smooth road, but the bumps are what kept me going. Facing challenges is a huge part of being an entrepreneur and growing a business, and these challenges move us forward. The biggest challenges I have faced were always around people. I hired someone whose vision was not aligned with mine, and ultimately learned that in this life, people come for a reason, a season, or a lifetime. I had to dismember my leadership team and reassemble a new one which was very hard for me. It was then, I decided to hire people who are smarter than I am. I learned how to lead people with different skill sets, and use their knowledge to embrace my vision. We all shared the same vision, and together we could use our different areas of expertise to make that vision a reality. And little did I know at the time, those challenges centered around people are what my whole company is based on today. We focus on taking the time to match the right assistant with the right client.
Jenna, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
My kids were little and I was working all the time. Something had to change. I was no longer willing to compromise family time for my job. Being raised by a Mary Kay Senior Sales Director, I had an entrepreneurial spirit and knew there was an opportunity out there. Finding the right fit for me was key. I responded to a Craigslist ad and became the assistant to two EOS Implementers™. During a “Visionary Conversation” with my clients just 6 months later, the idea of AssistPro™ was created. With their mentorship, guidance, and promotion, I was able to pay forward the amazing work-life balance I found to others within my network. Today, AssistPro provides top-notch operational and administrative support to hundreds of business coaches and consultants.
AssistPro is a boutique virtual executive assistant agency. We specialize in supporting business coaches and entrepreneurs in both their personal and professional lives. We do everything that an in-person executive assistant could do, we just happen to not be in the office. We are known for 3 things: Right-Fit Assistant™, a Tailored Approach, and Delegation Mastery™. The Right Fit Assistant is our proprietary matching process which assures a great relational fit for both the client and the assistant. We use a Tailored Approach to integrate our assistants into their client’s business, processes, systems, and tools. And Delegation Mastery is a four-step process that teaches clients how to delegate from a higher level. We want clients to delegate responsibilities rather than tasks. If you delegate a task, you then have to go back and keep delegating that same task, but if you delegate a responsibility, all of the tasks that fall underneath delegating that responsibility are now taken care of by someone else. This is how you elevate and increase your compacity. I am most proud of our matching because we know how to bring great people together.
How do you keep your team’s morale high?
Put the right people in the right seats. Your team is the foundation of your business, so take your time and invest in your people. When you have built your team, trust them. Be confident that you have hired people with unique skillsets to grow your business. As far as managing your team, I’ll stick with the Golden Rule. Treat others how you would like to be treated. It’s as simple as that. Value your people, tell them often how grateful you are to have them on your team. Never rob someone of a compliment. Communication is so important. When issues arise, (because we all know they will) work together towards resolution. Don’t get caught in the weeds. Focus on a solution. And most importantly learn something from the issue. Anything! If you don’t find something to learn, you’ll be facing that same issue again in the future.
Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?
Do what you say you’re going to do. Be who you are. Have integrity. Word travels fast. When people are happy with your service, they will naturally want to tell others. I love this question so much because, as business owners, we are all trying to grow our clientele. We are always searching for new ways to market our business-which is wonderful. But in the end, good character-honesty, loyalty, and dependability-is where it’s at. Run your business on these fundamentals and your clientele will grow.