How to Grow and Scale Your Design Business with a VA
Summary
TLDRIn this webinar, Jason interviews Danae, the owner of a virtual assistant (VA) firm specializing in interior design support. Danae explains how her team of experienced VAs assists with tasks like 3D rendering, drafting, and administrative work, allowing designers to scale their businesses. She discusses the benefits of VAs, including cost-effectiveness, efficiency, and the ability to handle overflow work. The conversation also addresses common misconceptions about VAs, emphasizing the importance of clear communication and professionalism. Danae shares her firm's approach to matching designers with the right VAs based on their specific needs and preferences, ensuring a seamless and productive collaboration.
Takeaways
- 😀 The webinar discusses leveraging Virtual Assistants (VAs) to enhance design businesses, focusing on interior design.
- 📞 The guest speaker, Danae, joins via phone due to technical issues and introduces her role as a lead VA for designers.
- 🛠️ Services offered by Danae's VA firm include 3D renders, drafting, sourcing, and administrative tasks, tailored to interior designers' needs.
- 💼 VAs on Danae's team have several years of experience in interior design and are matched based on the designer's specific requirements and platforms.
- 💵 Pricing for services is transparent, with admin tasks at $40/hour and design work like 3D renders at $65/hour, on an as-needed basis without minimums.
- 🔄 VAs can assist with a variety of tasks including bookkeeping, marketing, and online business management, helping designers streamline operations.
- 🌱 Working with VAs allows designers to take on more clients, thereby increasing revenue and business growth.
- 🔗 Designers typically work with the same VA for long-term relationships, ensuring consistency and familiarity with their business.
- 🗓️ VAs are available across various U.S. time zones, and the matching process considers the designer's preferred working hours.
- 💼 The VA firm's success is built on trust and communication, aiming to alleviate designers' workload and allow them to focus on core business activities.
Q & A
What is the primary service offered by the virtual assistants (VAs) for interior designers?
-The primary services offered by the VAs include 3D renders, drafting, sourcing, and admin work. These are the most popular services that help interior designers with their day-to-day tasks.
How does the VA firm match designers with virtual assistants?
-The VA firm matches designers with virtual assistants based on the specific needs of the designer, the platforms and programs they use, and the expertise required. They also consider time zones and communication styles to ensure a good fit.
What is the cost structure for the services provided by the VA firm?
-The cost structure is based on flat hourly rates. Admin services are charged at $40 an hour, while 3D renders, CAD drafting, and other design-related services are at $65 an hour.
Are there any minimum time commitments or contracts required when hiring a VA from this firm?
-No, there are no minimum time commitments or contracts. The service is provided on an as-needed basis, allowing for flexibility.
How does the VA firm ensure that virtual assistants are up-to-date with the latest technology and software?
-The VAs are matched based on their expertise with specific programs, and they are responsible for keeping up with updates and changes in their respective fields. The firm ensures they are knowledgeable about the latest technology.
What happens if a VA needs to take time off or is unavailable?
-If a VA needs to take time off, they communicate this with the client and the firm. The firm then ensures a smooth transition by either having the VA train a temporary replacement or by providing another VA who is already up to speed on the client's needs.
How long does it typically take for a designer to get acclimated to working with a new VA?
-The acclimation process is very quick, often following a 15-20 minute introductory call. The VAs are experienced and are able to start working effectively with the designer almost immediately.
Can designers work with the same VA on an ongoing basis even though the service is as-needed?
-Yes, designers can work with the same VA on an ongoing basis. The firm matches VAs with designers for long-term business relationships, allowing for continuity and familiarity.
What are some misconceptions about VAs that the firm aims to dispel?
-Some misconceptions include VAs not taking their jobs seriously or being non-communicative. The firm's VAs are professional, proactive communicators who treat their work as a career, not a side gig.
How does the firm handle sensitive information such as social media logins or backend office access?
-The firm has security measures in place, including encrypted communication and legal contracts that protect sensitive information. They prioritize security and have not experienced any breaches since their establishment in 2009.
Outlines
🖥️ Introduction to Virtual Assistants in Design Business
The webinar introduces the concept of using virtual assistants (VAs) to enhance a design business. The guest, a lead virtual assistant, joins via phone due to technical difficulties. The discussion aims to explore the process of working with VAs, their costs, benefits, and the types of assistance they provide. The guest's firm specializes in assisting interior designers, offering services like 3D rendering, drafting, sourcing, and administrative tasks. The VAs are experienced and well-versed in interior design, often matching with clients based on the platforms and programs they use. The guest emphasizes the personalized matching process to ensure quality assistance tailored to the client's needs.
💼 Services and Pricing of Virtual Assistants
The conversation delves into the specific services provided by the VA firm, including bookkeeping, marketing, and online business management, all offered at an hourly rate. Administrative support is priced at $40 per hour, while design work such as 3D rendering and CAD drafting is at $65 per hour. The service model is flexible, with no minimum time commitments or long-term contracts, allowing clients to engage VAs as needed. The guest also addresses how VAs can help designers grow their businesses by taking on tasks that allow designers to focus on client acquisition and business expansion.
🔄 Continuity and Coverage for VA Services
The discussion highlights the continuity of VA services, where designers typically work with the same VA for long-term relationships, ensuring consistency and familiarity. In cases where a VA needs time off, there are internal communication protocols to ensure a smooth handover to a replacement VA, minimizing disruption. Clients can also opt for backup VAs to ensure coverage during peak times or emergencies. The guest assures that communication is key, and any issues are promptly addressed to maintain service quality.
🛠️ Training and Technological Proficiency of Virtual Assistants
The guest explains that VAs are well-trained and kept up-to-date with the latest software and technologies relevant to the design industry. They are matched with clients based on their expertise in specific programs like 2020, Chief Architect, SketchUp, and AutoCAD. The VAs are proactive in their communication and are expected to clarify expectations and turnaround times with their clients. The guest emphasizes that any issues with VA performance are rare due to the careful matching process and the high standards of the VA team.
🔒 Security and Efficiency of Virtual Assistant Services
The final paragraph addresses misconceptions about VAs, emphasizing the professionalism and communication skills of the guest's team. VAs are not just side gig workers but are dedicated professionals. The guest discusses security measures for sensitive information, such as social media logins and backend office access, highlighting the importance of encryption and legal contracts to protect against breaches. The webinar concludes with contact information for the guest, inviting participants to reach out for more information or assistance.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Virtual Assistants (VAs)
💡Interior Design
💡3D Renders
💡Drafting
💡Sourcing
💡Administrative Support
💡Cost and Pricing
💡Service Customization
💡Business Growth
💡Communication
💡Security Measures
Highlights
Introduction to the webinar on using Virtual Assistants (VAs) to enhance design businesses.
Discussion on the process and benefits of working with VAs in the design industry.
Explanation of the services offered by the VA firm specializing in interior design assistance.
Details on the most popular services such as 3D renders, drafting, sourcing, and admin support.
Process of matching clients with VAs based on specific needs and platforms they use.
Insight into the VA team's background, with many having interior design education and experience.
Cost structure of the services, with rates for admin and design work provided.
Flexibility of the service with no minimum time commitments and as-needed basis contracts.
Additional services offered, including bookkeeping, marketing, and online business management.
How VAs help designers grow their businesses by taking on more clients and offering new services.
Continuity of service, with designers typically working with the same VA for long-term relationships.
Proactive communication from VAs to ensure smooth project handling and client satisfaction.
Handling of time-off for VAs and ensuring continuity by either temporary replacements or backups.
Importance of staying updated with the latest design technology and software by the VAs.
Process for designers to change VAs if needed and ensuring a good fit for their specific requirements.
Feedback from designers on the benefits of working with VAs, such as reduced workload and business growth.
Discussion on the acclimation period for designers working with new VAs and ensuring a quick start.
Flexibility in communication methods, allowing designers to use their preferred platforms.
Addressing misconceptions about VAs, emphasizing the professionalism and communication skills of the team.
Handling of sensitive information and security measures in place to protect client data.
Contact information provided for those interested in learning more about the VA services.
Transcripts
foreign
to our webinar of the month uh today
we're going to be talking about how to
use VA to up your uh design business and
we are joined here by the name of a lead
virtual assistants and um we have her by
phone because we had some technical
difficulties on the video side so we we
are happy to have you here how are you
doing uh today tonight I am doing great
Jason thank you so much I'm so happy to
hear or be here and um I apologize for
any technical difficulties here if I
happen to pop hop on I will hop on here
but otherwise yeah things are going well
thank you it happens technology you know
that that's just the world we live in
today
absolutely yeah I had wanted to have you
here today because this is one of the
topics that a lot of our designers and
uh in a design realm that I'm in and
then that we deal with on the client
side that they ask about is
um how to work with va's and what what
that that whole process is like and what
the cost is and what the benefits and
you know and all it is and so that's one
of the reasons I wanted to have you here
today because you actually run a VA firm
that specifically deals with designers
interior designers and the realm so if
you could just tell us a little bit
about how your business operates
with interior designers
um they let me know basically what kind
of help they need we offer a you know a
wide variety of services but the most
popular services are 3D renders drafting
sourcing admin
we do a lot of that stuff for our
clients so basically they call me they
ask me or they let me know what they're
needing and then I match them with
somebody on my team who can help them so
everybody on my team is located across
the United States they all have several
years of virtual assistant experience
specific to Interior Design so I am even
going as far as matching based on
platforms programs clients come to me
and you know they're already using
specific platforms or programs whether
it's on the creative side or the admin
side we're matching based on that as
well so they know that they're working
with a very good quality experienced
virtual design assistant who has all the
knowledge in the interior design
industry and is willing to help them
with anything that they need help with
which a lot of times is you know helping
them grow and scale their businesses
along the way so a lot of the people
that work on my team I know I always get
this question is where do you find these
people or how do they you know come
about a lot of them are actual people
who went to school to become interior
designers and somewhere along the line
decided that the client to designer
relationship just wasn't for them and
they really find joy in working designer
to designer services so they prefer
um basically just assisting other
interior designers
okay and so one of the questions that
I'm usually asked is what is the cost so
what typically for the services that you
offer what what are like the cost ranges
and and is there like contracts is there
like a minimum time that uh they need
absolutely
yep sure so the contract is on an as
needed basis no minimums so we do flat
hourly rates based on the service
um so to give you an idea if you need
admin Services backend office help
that's going to be forty dollars an hour
if you need 3D renders CAD drafting
sourcing any type of real design work
that's at 65 an hour and those are just
our most popular Services of course if
anyone needs something in addition to
that or has a question about anything
else you know I'm happy to give those
prices as well
okay and then in terms of what are I
know you had mentioned about the 3D
rendering and the drawing help what are
some other services that designers
usually use your va's for
sure besides what I mentioned already
um some people are using the va's for
bookkeeping
um I do have some bookkeepers on the
team who are very specific to Interior
Design I know a lot of interior
designers have some difficulty finding
those
um we do offer some uh marketing you
know website social media
um
trying to think of what else oh um
online business management is becoming
more popular I will have designers come
to me who really have no idea where they
need help or maybe they have an idea but
they need help streamlining processes
getting organized building templates so
they're not constantly Reinventing the
wheel every time they get a new client
online business management services are
at the 65 an hour as well and that
person comes in and just helps them
streamline all their processes gets
things in place and then also looks at
other areas where they may need help and
then would help facilitate hiring
additional virtual assistant design
assistance if they need so basically
everybody on my team kind of niches down
into the areas of the industry that they
excel in and that they enjoy so if you
hire someone to do construction
documents in AutoCAD that's not going to
be the same person who's going to do all
of your you know invoicing and proposal
in Ivy or whatever you know software
you're using for that okay one of the
things that we had on here is is how to
help your business grow with Pas how
have you seen designers grow with the
va's that they work with uh from you
a lot of times I mean the number one way
it helps is that
that take things off of the plate of the
interior designer so the interior
designer will have way more time to grow
and scale
um and work with additional clients so
maybe on their own they can only handle
a certain number of clients but once
they hire a virtual assistant to help
them they can handle a lot more clients
and then that way that increases their
revenue because you know what they're
paying their VA their their uh
up charging and charging their you know
their client for that too so the
client's paying for the VA plus the
designer is making whatever the
difference is that they're charging the
their client so that's one of the number
one ways we've seen that we've also seen
people grow their businesses by offering
additional services that they may not
offer so for example 3D renders we have
some clients that have not done 3D
renders they don't offer that service
but they're seeing a need from their
clients to have that so they start
offering that as a service now they hire
a VA to help do all their renders and
then again they you know turn around and
invoice the client for that and make
money off of that as well that makes
sense and then from the designers that
you work with do they usually work with
the same VA so if they were to take time
off so if it's on as needed as you had
talked about so if they needed them for
a month and then they may take a much
left off or take some time off if they
were to come back would they have the
same VA or would they have somebody else
almost always they will have the same VA
so we do kind of match for long-term
business relationships even though it is
an as needed service a lot of my clients
really get to know the VA and the VA
gets to know them how they like things
you know every designer runs their
business a little bit differently they
might have different turnaround times
um you know they just have different
things communication Styles different
things in place so once I match them
with
um a VA on my team they will typically
stick with that VA as they need them
ongoing so like you said they're more
than welcome to take a month off two
months off whatever it is and then they
are welcome to reach right back out to
that person when they need them again
okay and then now what happens on the
opposite end if the VA needs to take
time off uh is there internal
communication that helps to uh alleviate
the time to ramp up to see what the VA
was handling for the designer so there's
no drop-off time there yes absolutely so
if uh VA has to take time off they would
let myself and their client know and we
would get somebody else in place that VA
could help you know make sure they're up
to speed
um you know if it is a middle of a
project which is rare you know they
would make sure that they had everything
they needed so that the new VA could
could take over and then I also have
some clients who will
um just from the get-go they run with
their regular VA that they like to work
with ongoing but then they have a backup
so they themselves know in a pinch they
can just reach out to the backup even to
help do you know a project or whatever
maybe sometimes my clients get super
busy and they need more than one person
to help with you know whatever it may be
um and so then that way they they have
those couple of people to go to in a
pinch if
you know things come up and
and they need help right away then they
know they have that option but they can
always reach out to me at any time too
um and communication is huge
um that's the number one thing with our
va's is the communication is there all
my clients always know what's going on I
never want them to have a question on
their invoice
um it's extremely rare there are
questions on invoice because of the
communication between the va's and the
clients but if there is any I'm I'm
accessible I'm easy to work with I want
to know about it I will take care of it
so that's awesome and then now how about
on the training side because I know with
a lot of the programs you know
especially on the rendering side they're
forever changing 2020 a Chief Architect
or whatever they always have updates are
the va's keeping up on what's happening
in the technology world
yes they are so that is why I do match
based on program because if somebody is
using 2020 I match them with some you
know a VA that's using 2020 and keeping
up on that and that is where their
expertise lies they they work in 2020
all day every day and Chief Architect is
another popular one
um SketchUp AutoCAD uh there's a you
know a variety of platforms out there
but yes they are keeping up on those all
the time
okay and then if there's any issues and
then a designer needs to change what
does that process usually look like
right
um basically they would just reach out
to me and let me know that for whatever
reason their VA is not working out and
then I would match them with somebody
else I do like to know you know the
reasoning it is rare I've been matching
people since 2009
so I'm typically really good
um occasionally though it does come up
and usually it might be either
availability issue or or a timing issue
which time zone issue which I try to
match People based on time zones if that
is going to be
um you know a saying I know again every
designer runs their business a little
bit differently and some designers are
more particular on the times of days
days of the week that maybe their
assistant is available so those types of
things we try to work out right away so
when I'm matching we don't run into
issues but if there is ever an issue
down the road the designer just needs to
come to me and let me know what it is so
then that way I make sure that I get
them a better fit
a second time around
okay and so with all of this time and
all of these years what have you heard
from designers that they that has most
benefited him from working with you and
the va's what what have you heard from
the designers that you've been working
with
right A lot of them that I work with
have just said it's just such a weight
off of their shoulders that they have
someone else that they can trust to kind
of Outsource and offload some work
um they just feel like they can kind of
breathe get organized and and go out
there and get more clients or be able to
take on everyone who's coming to them
because I get a lot of calls from a lot
of clients who say I've got X number of
clients that are kind of waiting and I
don't want to make these people wait
this long or I'm worried that if I make
them wait too long on a waiting list
they'll go elsewhere
um you know or I am ready to hire
somebody so that I can take on more so a
lot of it is just the growth part of it
um sometimes they just
maybe their business is where it's at
but they're just working way too much
and they would like to reclaim their
evenings or their weekends and it's just
been so nice to be able to Outsource
some work for that as well uh but yeah a
lot of it is just the admin admin
drafting sourcing and renders that's
some of the I mean the top requests we
get that people just need help with
one of the other questions that we had
here is so from a designer standpoint
since you actually have a lot of
designers that are working with you what
have you seen in terms of how long it
takes for them to actually get
acclimated to the designer that they're
working with like is that usually a few
hours a few days a few weeks how long is
that process
right that process is extremely quick
because all the va's on my team are so
experienced they've been doing this for
a really long time so what they do is
they'll have a phone call with interior
designer and I do that anyway
um initially they will always have a
phone call just to make sure the
designer is comfortable with who I match
them with as well
um you know so that they can talk to
them and make sure this is a good fit
and then yeah it's usually an extremely
short period of time after that you know
15-20 minute call designers are already
going to be sending work
um to their assistant to do so I mean I
it is so quick and easy and that's
another reason why designers love it is
because there's not a long turnaround
you know kind of turnaround time to get
up or set up time to get up and going
it's pretty immediate
I also tell everyone that works through
us is the communication is however the
designers are most comfortable
communicating we don't have a special
portal that they have to log into or
anything like that which the designers
love because a lot of them may already
have things in place where they're
communicating with Asana or slack or
whatever it may be that's how they'll
communicate with their assistant if
that's how they like it so I'm not
um you know forcing them into another
portal or or making them do more work
just to work with somebody that's
supposed to help alleviate that we try
to make everything as easy and simple as
possible for
for the designers that was actually you
you actually answered one of the other
questions I I had from one of the one of
the designers is there a certain type of
program that you use like like you just
mentioned usually it's on the designer
but they ask do they have to use slack
or Asana or any of those type programs
right nope it is
they already have something
designer doesn't have anything in place
but they want to set something up then
the assistant and them will just set up
whatever that is but yeah I do not have
a a special portal that I make all of
the clients and the design assistants go
through I want the communication between
the assistant and the designer to be as
open as possible and I want them to work
together as they would a normal team
member and so that's why and like I said
a lot of clients that come to me already
have things in place and they don't like
the idea of having another
you know portal or something like that
to have to go through
to work with someone
that makes sense we don't want to make
it more cumbersome yes
yes that makes sense and and then with
the hours are they usually on the hours
of the designer or is it hours on East
Coast time Pacific Time what are usually
the hours that the va's work
sure so um again all the va's are
scattered across the United States so if
I have to match based on hours I will
match that
um way based on how the designers work
so for example if I have a designer on
the East Coast
she doesn't maybe want to work with an
assistant on the west coast because it's
a three-hour time difference and the
designer is going to be up and going at
least three hours possibly you know
before the assistant is available so I
do when the designers when I talk to
them I do ask if that makes a difference
what we also do is if they're not in the
exact time zone the assistant will still
work
that that the time zone of the hours
that the designer needs them to if that
makes sense so
um that's not ever been an issue because
they usually tell me up front like okay
I'm on the East Coast I I prefer not to
work with somebody on the west coast it
usually the West Coast designers you
know love working with East Coast
assistants because they're already up
for three hours this will work the
opposite way
um but yeah so that's one of the things
we always ask or you know want to know
is you know do you have a preference on
the hours and some designers quite
honestly will let me know okay my most
productive time is early in the morning
I need somebody available or in the
morning or my most productive hours or
are after hours maybe evening I don't
mind if my assistant's going to be
working evenings so we try to match
based on that as well okay okay this is
a question here from one of the
designers that are on live what are some
misconceptions that you've heard about
va's that is not true for the va's that
you usually deliver
sure yeah so some misconceptions about
va's that I've heard
um are that they
don't take their jobs seriously and are
just kind of
non-communicative I guess I would say
um and and it's some unfortunately there
are out there in the world some va's
where it is a little bit more difficult
to work with
the va's on my team are not like that I
had said earlier communication is huge
they're proactive
I I mean everyone must be proactive I
don't want anything falling through the
cracks they they're going to be reaching
out to the designer if they see
something if they need something
um unfortunately the misconception with
some va's out there is you hand them an
assignment and then you don't hear from
them for two weeks and then you have to
follow up and say hey what's going on
that won't happen with the people on my
team
um they want to know you know when is
expected turnaround time when would you
like this done even if it's admin tasks
um right up front they'll ask you know
how do you like this stuff done is this
you're going to send me a weekly task
list and I get it done by Friday are you
sending me a daily task list and I'm
getting it done by the end of the day I
mean that communication is so clear and
up front
um everyone on my team this is their
profession this is their career this is
what they do for a living they're not
just side gig va's and I think that's
where a misconception is with va's out
there
in other Industries okay and this is
another question from one of the
designers that are on how do you handle
if an assignment is handed to a VA and
they do not know how to complete it
how's that handled
sure
um number one that would be extremely
rare just because of how we match them
in the beginning as far as
you know if it has to if you're needing
somebody to do full-on construction docs
in a certain program that it would be
rare they would get an assignment they
wouldn't know how to complete but let's
say in the rare instance they do that
assistant would immediately let the
designer and myself know so if I need to
get somebody else on that I would get
somebody else on that but again that
that would be rare just because of how
we
match people in the beginning so those
things don't you know we we try to avoid
those things
okay and here's another question from
one of the designers that are on what
are some security measures that are in
place for sensitive information like for
instance social media and did I'm just
adding this on because they didn't have
in particular what the sensitive
information is but say for instance if
there's like social media logins or if
they have logins to the back end of
their office how is that handled if
there's a breach of any kind or what
what are some security measures that you
have in place
sure so as far as security measures
um obviously if there's any encrypted
things that the designers are are
needing to have encrypted or whatever we
do that
um but our Contracting and the legal
team has been done a great job as at
making sure obviously those things are
well thought out and written out so that
those things don't happen again I've
been doing this since 2009 we've never
once had a security breach or or any
issues like that my background's in the
financial industry so with compliance
and all of that I brought that into my
work with interior design and we just
make sure that
I guess that we don't have those I mean
our you know my business is Word of
Mouth
um these design assistants get that work
through me
um they most all of them are long-term
members of the team and I guess as far
as you know we don't would never want to
do anything that would tarnish our name
or or the profession okay that's that's
awesome that's awesome and I that is all
of the questions that we had live and
that that's actually all of them that I
had it's if anybody that's here live or
that's watching on the recording if they
want to get in contact with you to find
out more information how do they do so
sure so there's a couple different ways
they could go to my website at Elite
designassistance.com
and from there there's a contact form
they could fill out that goes directly
to me
um there is a scheduling link that they
could schedule an appointment the
scheduling link on my website does go to
my assistant Brandis and she takes those
calls if somebody specifically wants to
talk to me since I was on this webinar
I'm happy to talk to anyone who is who
is on live or watching the recording
personally
they can shoot me an email at Danae at
elitedesignassistance.com and I will
email them my personal calendar link
okay we appreciate your time here Danae
and that will be the webinar for this
month next month we're going to be
talking about how to sneak
sustainability into your next project
so we hope to have you all here next
month on the webinar of the month and uh
we hope you all have a great day thank
you Jason
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