Maximising Your Thought Leadership Series: Identifying the 10 Key Administrative Functions for Business Coaches
Jacqui James - Small Business Solutions Architect
Online Business Manager | Virtual Assistance | Office Management | Digital Marketing | Workflows | Website & Tech
Like any part of your business, the administrative function is what I consider the most vital. It’s the rules, strategy, layout, goals, and vision. Yet, funnily enough, business coaches don’t pay enough attention to it. It’s seen as the not-pretty side of business. It’s the stuff you need to know, but you don’t.?
To coin Professor Julius Sumner Miller’s phrase, ‘Why is it so?’ After working in administration and amassing over 65,000 hours of experience. I can tell you it’s not customer-facing, that’s why! It’s the back room without windows; it’s the dark and dingy filing cabinets that occupy our thoughts when those who don’t love it think of it. In truth, it’s where all the work happens, where the wheels turn; it’s the secret sauce of how a business functions.
One would think that business owners would place much more emphasis on their business administration, but they often don’t. This could be partly due to the business coach’s focus on providing the relevant information, guidance, and strategy to support their clients; that is where their IP sits. But only focussing on this business area means the administration falls way short
That’s when our clients come to JMJ; it’s when they reach breaking point because they can’t grow their business until they get the back of the house in order. But it’s not their thing; they don’t really know what they need or how to implement things. What tools should they invest in? Below are some scenarios in which clients come to us.
Scenario 1
Some clients come to us overwhelmed and burnt out from trying to do everything in their business. Their limited abilities have impacted how they run it, and to reach their goals, they have to find the most appropriate help.
Scenario 2
Sometimes, clients struggle to find consistent VA help. They may have worked with several over the years but found it hard to retain a VA with the needed knowledge and skills. This, in part, can be due to the business’s lack of processes and procedures.
Scenario 3
Clients don’t always know what they want. They have a goal to reach a certain point but struggle to implement the smaller goals. This can be due to the fact that some of the smaller goals are just not in their skill set. They contact me for help looking for options so they can move forward.
Scenario 4
One of the more common scenarios we see is when clients simply don’t want to undertake the admin functions of their business because they prefer to work on client-facing activities.
You don’t have to wait to reach these points to get the help you need, but sometimes?you do. Sometimes, you need to get so low that there is no way but up. For over 35 years, I’ve been working with industry leaders and helping them build great administrative functions for their businesses. Now, since 2011, I’ve been doing the same for thought leaders globally.?
You can break your office admin into 10 key administrative functions; each function will have many steps to build into the processes. While the key functions remain the same, the level of detail makes the administrative process unique to your business.?
10 Key Administrative Functions for Business Coaches
If you already have a VA or team of VAs working on your business, make sure they are focused on the 10 key administrative functions. If they need help building out the details, we’re available. If you don’t have a team, we can provide a complete done-for-you service, and you can reach out here to book a chat.
Adopting these strategies can significantly enhance the efficiency and professionalism of your coaching business, allowing you to devote more time and energy to your client’s growth and development.