Panic-Proof Radio Jess Tyson

Lee LeBreton is a multi-talented creator. As a playwright, actor, and producer in the New York theater scene, finding a flexible job that allows him to pay the bills is paramount. After moving to the city following grad school, he considered the prototypical day-job gig waiting tables, but fortunately, a number of Lee’s friends were already doing some virtual assistant work with a young Don’t Panic Management.

Since joining the team, Lee's found an interesting symbiosis between creative work and virtual assistant life. He writes, produces podcasts, manages social media, and does graphic design for clients—all work that plays directly into his talents as a playwright and theater producer. Plus, Lee is able to apply what he’s learned about marketing writing to his work as a theater producer, promoting performances online. Hear more about how Lee's created harmony across all areas of life in this episode of Panic-Proof Radio.

Key Takeaways

VA work can feed your other interests and vice versa. Lee’s skills as a voiceover artist help him edit podcasts for clients. Social media marketing tips he’s learned from clients empower Lee to promote the artistic work of the nonprofits he partners with.
Finding your remote work groove is part life hacks and part knowing thyself. Yes, learn about the Pomodoro Technique. But also pay attention to your own body and energy levels and let those guide you.
Make the effort to connect on a deeper level with your colleague. Whether you’re the VA or the boss, you’ll feel more invested in the work when you have a stronger understanding of what makes your coworker tick.

Resources From This Episode

Learn more about Lee LeBreton
Follow Lee on Twitter
Follow Lee on Instagram
And learn more about Don’t Panic Management’s Panic Proof Blueprint here.

Freelance science journalist Catherine Price has worked for herself almost her entire career. Since she’s always been a team of one, she never considered the possibility of hiring help.

She was vaguely familiar with the concept of virtual assistants, but she thought they were people who could help with calendar management or booking flights. The things Catherine needed a hand with weren’t logistical, so she assumed she would be doing it all by herself forever.

That is until she met a fellow freelancer on a work trip abroad. A conversation with this compatriot about how she used a VA to help her stay on top of all her work opened Catherine's eyes to the possibility of partnering with a VA. Now, Catherine credits her VA relationship with reducing stress in her life, something she knows a lot about: It's her area of focus in her scientific writing.

Key Takeaways

Virtual assistants can do so much more than just logistical tasks. If you think it’s all calendar and inbox management, think again! Ask the VAs or agencies you interview about their full suite of offerings. It’s probably broader than you think.
Be open to constantly refining your way of working with your VA. Keep the lines of communication open, and enjoy the process of finding new efficiencies together.
Your virtual assistant is a person with thoughts, feelings, and a life outside of work. Be sure to treat them like one!

Resources From This Episode

Learn more about Catherine Price
Learn more about Screen/Life Balance
Join the Fun Squad
Follow Catherine on Twitter
Follow Catherine on Instagram
And learn more about Don’t Panic Management’s Panic-Proof Blueprint here.

Digital futurist, keynote speaker, and multi-hyphenate Brian Fanzo has done a lot of soul-searching over the years. He knows that being brutally honest with yourself is one of the keys to successful entrepreneurship (and successful human-hood, honestly). He has done many of the things we at Don’t Panic Management recommend to those who are thinking about hiring a VA. He’s tracked his time to see where his hours go each week. He’s identified the tasks he dreads doing that could probably be delegated. But Brian has come out on the other side of this work still firm in his conviction that a VA is not the right fit for him right now. Hear why that is on his episode.

Key Takeaways

Self-awareness is the key to a better life—personally and professionally. Be so honest with yourself that you uncover things you wouldn’t want your closest friends, partner, or family to know.
Hiring a VA isn’t really about what the hire gives you back, it’s about what you aren’t forced to give up when you have a second set of hands.
Learn how to block your time in a way that makes sense for you. Morning person? Do your heavy-lifting in the AM. Night owl? Do strategic deep-dives after the rest of the household is asleep. There is no one-size-fits-all model for productivity.

Resources From This Episode

Learn more about Brian Fanzo
Learn more about iSocialFanz
Connect with Brian on LinkedIn
Follow Brian on Twitter
Follow Brian on Instagram
And learn more about Don’t Panic Management’s Panic-Proof Blueprint here.

Louisa Mfum-Mensah found her way to VA work because she was eager to tap into different parts of her brain and expand her productivity and expertise outside of her 9-to-5 job. She's since become one of our expert VAs at Don't Panic Management, and while Louisa’s clients get a lot from working with her, she gets something equally valuable in return. In addition to supporting women entrepreneurs she admires, Louisa says that her VA work has exposed her to new interests.

Being a VA has helped her realize how much she enjoys strategy, operations, and implementation work. It’s even opened up a new career path for her: She recently accepted the role of Director of Executive Operations with the Urban Affairs Coalition, the largest nonprofit organization in Philadelphia.

Hear more about Louisa's journey as a VA, how she remains positive and focused with so much on her plate, and why she's so passionate about serving her VA clients.

Key Takeaways

When a VA is invested in their client’s work, the client’s wins are a VA’s wins, too. An invested VA will go the extra mile to find the best possible solution to any problem.
The best VAs are people who can anticipate what’s coming and help their clients plan accordingly.
When starting with a VA, invest in the relationship-building. It is a personal relationship, and you need to take the time to build that trust, so everything else can fall into place seamlessly.

Resources From This Episode

Connect with Louisa on LinkedIn
Follow Louisa on Twitter
And learn more about Don’t Panic Management’s Panic-Proof Blueprint here.

Author, speaker, entrepreneur, and thought leader Nilofer Merchant is passionate about the benefits that hiring a virtual assistant can provide to solopreneurs. For Nilofer, it’s about more than knowing your flight itinerary is correct and a car will be waiting for you at the airport. It’s bigger than waking up to a tidy inbox with only the emails you want to see. Yes, those are some of the tangible benefits of hiring a virtual assistant, but Nilofer sees even deeper value. Making the decision to bring a VA on board opens you up to a world of new possibilities. “Until you learn to value yourself, you can’t offer your highest value to the world,” she says.

Key Takeaways

Working with a VA allows greater consistency in your work. You set the rules of engagement, and you pass them off to your VA to execute with consistency.
By having a VA help manage communications, Nilofer’s day is now completely within her control. It’s driven by her agenda, rather than the competing priorities of others that appear in her inbox.
Many entrepreneurs enjoy being in service to others, and hiring a VA may seem antithetical to that. But when you hire help, you can then engage with people on a deeper level and offer your highest value to the world.

Resources From This Episode

Visit Nilofer Merchant’s website
Follow Nilofer on Twitter
Follow Nilofer on Instagram
Subscribe to Nilofer’s advice column
And learn more about Don’t Panic Management’s Panic-Proof Blueprint here.

Heather Whaling founded Geben Communication at her dining room table. As she's built the company over the years, she's discovered that a business's needs change as it grows.

Heather shares the story of first seeking the help of a virtual assistant in the early days, and eventually realizing she'd outgrown virtual support and was in need of in-person assistance as her team's physical footprint expanded.

Key Takeaways

What’s right for your business in the beginning won’t always be right as you grow. Don’t be afraid to make necessary changes.
Open communication and trust are essential elements to any professional relationship.
Surrounding yourself with the right people not only allows you to achieve your business goals; it also empowers you to give back to your team and community at large.

Resources From This Episode

Visit the Geben Communication website
Follow Heather on Twitter
And learn more about Don’t Panic Management’s Panic-Proof Blueprint here.