My dream involves me waking up each day without an alarm clock, working only 3 days a week. I want to be the rich auntie who is always traveling and loves spoiling her nieces and nephews. This dream is still a work in progress as I’ve not yet met my financial goal. But I can see the light at the end of the tunnel.
I’m the CEO of Yes, I Can Help You, an operations management and virtual staffing company. We help busy business owners work less and vacation more by building high-performing teams. Our services include strategic planning and done-for-you hiring. We also provide operations management support on either a short-term or long-term basis. We work mostly with online service providers and creatives who are in the growth stage.
I’m also the founder of Building Her Dream, a platform that empowers introverted women entrepreneurs across the world to find their voice. Our mission is to share their inspirational stories as they travel on their entrepreneurial journeys in pursuit of the dream life.
Lastly, I’m an author of a book called Yes, I Can Help You: Transform Your Business With Proper Planning, Processes, and People. This book is for the entrepreneur who is tired of working long, stressful hours in their company and desire more freedom and flexibility. It’s available for purchase on my website.
When your workload is pushing you close to maximum capacity, that is a good sign. I say “close to” because if you wait until you are at full capacity time and energy-wise, it’s far too late. Hiring and training a new team member can be time-consuming and so you’ll need the space to be able to do it effectively.
Well, I got tired of being laid off from other companies. After the fourth time, I decided that I needed a change. I wanted more freedom and flexibility in my life. And most importantly, I wanted to only do the work that brings me the most joy. My business gives me all of this and more. I love what I do!
Visibility has been my biggest challenge. I am most comfortable in the background but as the CEO of my company, I’m forced up front. I’m not sure if I have overcome this challenge yet. But I do know that I am improving every day. Lately, I’ve been receiving multiple DMs from people who say that they have been inspired by me.
Like I just mentioned, not being as visible as I should be is an issue. I also get drained pretty quickly when working with people so I have to carefully guard my calendar and not schedule a lot of meetings. On the other hand, I think my ability to talk less and listen more is my superpower as an introvert.
Marketing is definitely one of my weakest areas. In my first years in business, I mostly survived on receiving referrals. I’m thankful to have great customers who like sharing my name. I’m currently getting better with my content marketing and am attracting a decent amount of clients via Facebook and LinkedIn.
I tried to attend a few networking events and found it to be a waste of time. My anxiety is too high in large groups. I prefer to do more one-on-one networking and enjoy meeting people for coffee chats. It’s a more time-consuming way to network, but I am able to build deeper relationships this way.
The fact that I am still in business after 5 years is already a win for me. But I will truly feel successful once I have my dream life.
My advice is that there is no one “right way” to do things. There are a lot of different ways to be successful in business. You just have to find what works best for you.
Website: http://www.YesICanHelpYou.com
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/shaylaburtin
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/shaylaburtin