From Overwhelm to Success: Revealing the Secrets to Streamlining Business Operations with Diane Lam

In this episode, we dive into the importance of streamlining operations for increased productivity and success. If you're a woman entrepreneur looking to take your business to the next level, this conversation is a must-watch. Discover how to focus on priorities, hire the right support, and leverage technology to create more efficient systems. Diane shares her expertise and practical guidance, empowering you to take control of your operations and strategically grow your business. Let's unlock the key to business growth together!

Go to Show Notes here.

Here’s the transcript:

00:00:01
            

Welcome to another episode of Straight Talk About Sales, and I am so excited for today's guest, Diane Lam, who is an operations strategist, and I cannot wait for you all to hear from her. Welcome, Diane. Hi. Hi. It's so wonderful to be here.        

00:00:18
            

Thank you. Thank you for having me. I'm actually really excited to have this chat with you. Yay. So Diane and I met through a networking group that we're in, and we immediately hit it off.        

00:00:31
            

We vibe on so many different things, as you will hear. But I'm really excited about today's conversation because I really think it's going to help a lot of business owners, especially those who are working to get to beyond. And so grab your pens, grab your notebooks, and let's go. So, Diane, I really wanted to start with asking you, tell us a little bit about your journey. What has led you to the amazing work that you're doing now today?        

00:01:00
            

I mean, that's such a big question. There's a lot of twists and turns along the way. I think there have been a lot of different variations, different iterations, if you will, of my business, but it's all been kind of centered around the same stuff. I've always worked in operations. My entire corporate career has been on the operational side, like, well, how do we do that side of things, right?        

00:01:23
            

So it kind of made sense as far as making sense goes when you start your entrepreneurship journey. For me to really start a business around what I knew how to do. And from there, it really quickly evolved to becoming an operations agency where we worked with a lot of large clients, people who were making really good money, who were in the multi six figures, who were really knocking on the door of seven figures and beyond. And we would come in like the special Ops, and we would build everything for them when it came to their operational infrastructure. And that was really fun.        

00:01:58
            

Right? We solved a lot of really big puzzles. It was kind of like a game where you're like, oh, man, there's so many moving pieces. But how can we put it together to really support them as they grow, as they're trying to scale? And to a certain extent, I will say that it was fun.        

00:02:17
            

It was amazing. I'm very good at it. My team was amazing at it. I love my clients. But in the same vein, I wasn't really that excited or engaged by it just because it started to feel like these clients are going to scale with or without me.        

00:02:34
            

Right. I'm so thankful. They really respected me. They appreciated my approach, and they wanted to do it with me. But whether or not it was me was irrelevant, right.        

00:02:44
            

Versus I would start to have conversations with some people who were just following me for a really long time, who were not quite there yet, who were still trying to grow their businesses and within a conversation, I could be like, okay, you don't even need all this tech you're talking about. Here are the two pieces of tech that you need. Here's how I would set them up. Forget all this other nonsense. Like, you have your funnel right here, and they'll just be like, oh, my God.        

00:03:06
            

I've been researching that for six months, trying to figure out how I was going to do this funnel thing that my coach gave me. And I got so much more satisfaction from that, where it's like, yes, I'm really helping you. I'm really making a difference. And as I progressed more in my business, I felt more and more pulled to that side of things where I'm like, wow, I really am helping someone. I'm really changing the trajectory of their business.        

00:03:32
            

And when I go back to them or I hear back from them, they're like, oh, my God, everything has shifted for me. And I was like, wow, I'm making a huge difference. And, yeah, I'm making a difference with my larger clients, but it's not something that is, like, giving me as much satisfaction. So I'm a rip the Band Aid off kind of girl. So I'm like, you know what?        

00:03:49
            

I'm going all in on this other business. I'm going to go all in for the people who are still coming up the growth journey, who really need the, well, how do I do this? That operational side support so that they can actually grow, so they can actually become a big client for someone else. And so that's kind of where this last year has led to, like, okay, well, we got to shift everything then. We have not been talking to this person.        

00:04:15
            

They have found me somehow. But we really have to shift the messaging, really put our values out there, really change all of our offers, change what we sell, how we sell it, all of those things. And as I'm sure, changing everything down, especially the things that you sell in your business, is not easy. It is not at all. And it's slightly terrifying.        

00:04:39
            

Yes, I think we've made it past the terrifying stage, and now we're just like, okay, well, we just got to go for it stage at some point. You just gotta do it. But we've been there. We're there in similar ways; it's like we've been changing offers. Audience yeah.        

00:04:56
            

And it's those moments of do we do it or do we just retreat? And I'm like, no, I'm with you. Rip the Band Aid off. Let's go. Let's make it happen.        

00:05:05
            

I'm all in or either I'm going swimming or I'm staying on shore, right? Exactly. So I'm going all in or I'm not going at all. This is the adventure, right? This is part of entrepreneurship, and I'm very thankful and excited to be on this journey.        

00:05:21
            

So let's see what happens. That's my new motto. Let's just see what happens. Oh, my goodness. Yes, but your expertise is so key.        

00:05:28
            

So share with me. Let's talk about women business owners or female founded businesses, depending on how you say it, that get to 250,000, because we know those numbers are not nearly as high as we would like them to be. So tell me a little bit about what those numbers look like. But then again, why is it so important to you to help more business owners hit that major milestone? Yeah, I mean, if we're talking about like, okay, from a profitability, a revenue perspective, this is actually not that much.        

00:06:08
            

250 is not that much. Right. Because you're thinking about like 50% right off the top, needs to go to taxes, expenses, your operating costs, all of those things. So you're really playing with 125 if you're really prudent and watching your cash flow. So the 250 number for me isn't necessarily about, oh, this is where you're making a lot of money, where you're really building wealth and stuff like that.        

00:06:33
            

It's more of a place where it's a milestone that we constantly see put in front of us. I know that that was the information that was being put in front of me, right? Like, it was being dangled in front of me through a lot of the different programs, masterminds, coaches that were marketing to me, where it's like, oh, if you've hit 100K, well, obviously you're ready for the next jump, and that's 250. Here's how I'm going to help you do it. And so for me, I was like, okay, well, that's the next revenue milestone.        

00:07:01
            

And so that's what I chased for a really long time, and that's what I put my energy in building and growing my business towards. But on another level as well, I think about like, okay, so this is a milestone that we have put in front of us, but not a lot of actual women owned businesses make it to that level. And I didn't realize what a small community that was until I was going back through some of my old notes, old documents and papers I'd gotten from like, oh, I'm going to go to the SBA. They're going to help me set up my business. It's going to be amazing once I launch.        

00:07:33
            

Right. And one of the figures they have down there was like, oh, yeah, it's about 12% of women owned businesses make it to 100K. Only about 6% make it to 250K. I'm like, that is crazy. That is so low.        

00:07:53
            

Considering more than 50% of businesses I believe are in the US. Small businesses are owned by women. How is that possible? Right? That is a very kind of sobering statistic to have in my face.        

00:08:07
            

And I'm like, oh my God, we need more women to be represented in that pool. Because when we look at the numbers for men, it's almost given that a man is going to make 100K. It's almost given that they're going to be in that 250 plus category. I don't recall the numbers right off the top of my head, but I think the men that make it to 100K are, like, over 50%. Yeah, I don't remember the numbers either, but they're definitely higher.        

00:08:35
            

That's practically guaranteed, right? Versus for women, where it's like, whoa, we need more representation on that side. And I think giving women the hows, how do you actually do this? How do you actually operate a business? How do you implement that strategy?        

00:08:51
            

How do you build the tech to support the lifestyle instead of just burning yourself out at the same time? That's what I want to give women and give them access to, because it is crazy to me that such a small portion of women owned businesses make it to that level. And it's really important to me that we try and double that number within our lifetime. It is possible, and I want to be one of the tools and the resources that help more women get there. Absolutely.        

00:09:22
            

I know when I read that number, I was like, this has to be wrong, this study, right? I don't know who did it, but it has to be wrong. And you just see the numbers, and I think also because well, I can speak for me, a lot of the people that I surround myself with are also women owned businesses. And I'm like, these women are brilliant, and they're doing such amazing things in the world. And why is it so hard to hit these milestones?        

00:09:52
            

And like you said, when you're running a business, these numbers aren't, like, astronomical because there's so many expenses associated with it, but it is just overwhelming. So I'm with you. I'm definitely 100%, like, let's help more women hit these milestones and beyond because it's also going to have such a massive ripple effect when you start thinking legacy, when you start thinking next generations, when you start thinking about the broader impact. It's well worth it to be on that mission. So I'm just so excited about what it is that you're doing and why you're doing it.        

00:10:28
            

Yes. And I think the whole community improves when more women make more money. Right. There was a study for a little while ago that came out that's like, yeah, women generally invest more in the community when women have more money. So I was like, yeah, our entire communities thrive.        

00:10:46
            

Women give more money to charity, things like that. We all improve when more women make more money. And I was like, okay, how are we going to do this? How are we going to get more money into the hands of women entrepreneurs? Absolutely.        

00:10:59
            

I love it. Well, let's dive in a little bit more into what it is that you do, because you kind of glossed over. It a little bit. But you are amazing because you help women business owners with tech, automation, hiring. I was like, oh, my gosh, Diane.        

00:11:20
            

Is now one of my new BFFs. Because it is just amazing the work that you're doing. So tell us a little bit about the work, especially around systems automation, team, right? Because I see those even in my work with sales. That's a big part where people just don't do it.        

00:11:38
            

And what are some of the mistakes that they're making on their journey to 250 and beyond? I think the first big one is that people don't realize what their operations really are. Like, well, I have to market, I have to post on Instagram, I have to get a VA because I'm busy, I need to start building my team. And I think that we don't realize like, oh, the way that you operate, all of these are foundational, they're all foundational to your business. How you do the work that you do in the way that you want to do it, to get the results that you want, are all of the operations in your business.        

00:12:14
            

Right? So that touches every part from the marketing to the sales to the client management, the client experience, how you deliver the work. So all of that is really encompassing and I don't think people realize, especially business owners who are still in that growth stage. I feel like a lot of information is really fed to them siloed where it's like, oh, you need to hire a VA. Oh, when you get to that 250 number, just outsource sales or just like hire an OBM that'll take care of it actually.        

00:12:42
            

Well, yes, you can hire the person, but if you don't have a process, it's really hard to actually get them to produce and be productive for you. If you don't have the right tech to really keep you organized, it's really hard to be successful with whoever you hire, whether it is like your first VA or it's like, wow, I'm hiring a consultant to come in and overhaul my business. If I don't know where anything is, they're certainly not going to know. We have nothing documented. I don't know how I do this.        

00:13:15
            

I'm like, you do know how you do this. And I will even say you don't really need SOPs but you need to know what the result is that you're creating. Right. That's really the tie to your business. Because then you'll see like, oh, this isn't working, or this is working.        

00:13:30
            

And so for me, the biggest mistake that people say is like, oh, well, it's all siloed. It's all just these little pieces. It's like the hiring, I just got to hire the right people and it will get taken care of. But at the end of the day, you are in the leadership seat and all of these pieces are tied together other and it all revolves around you. I don't want to make this seem self centered, but you are the center of your entire business.        

00:13:54
            

You are the center of your entire life. So everything revolves around you. What do you want to do? Yes, how do you want it to work? What is the result that you want this to produce?        

00:14:06
            

How involved do you want to be? Those are all questions that tie into the systems, that tie into the tech, that tie into the automations, that tie into the team members that you hire. And then ultimately, you got to be able to lead. So you got to know a little something. It's really hard to I don't know anything about this, but I'm going to try and lead this whole army there, right?        

00:14:27
            

Oh, my gosh, let's pause, because that was one of the things that really stood out for me in the work that you're doing, because there's a lot going on with operations and tech and systems and processes and blah, blah, blah. Right. But you also are very clear and inclusive of you have to have leadership skills. And that was one of the things I even wrote down, like, oh, my gosh, we got to highlight this. Right?        

00:14:55
            

Because I see it in my we come in and in the past, we've come in and supported teams in doing sales. And to your point, they're like, I don't know, I just do these things and we need these documents. We need to know something, right. We just don't go out and just start selling something random. Right.        

00:15:14
            

And it's not there. But one of the things, especially in our work now, when we're coming in and helping people transform basically their existing team to be able to support them in sales, one of the biggest challenges is leadership, right? Funny story. I wrote a blog post years ago about hiding in a broom closet, because that's how I feel sometimes business owners will do, is they have team and people are kind of doing their thing. But we sweep issues under the rug.        

00:15:47
            

We don't have the difficult conversations. We don't always prepare our team members for success. And literally, there are some of us that will completely check out, go crawl into bed and pull the covers over their head or go hide in the broom closet and just leave the team kind of floundering. Right? I have witnessed this before.        

00:16:10
            

So tell me, how do you help business owners really embrace and develop those leadership skills amongst everything else that you're teaching them? Yeah, I think a lot of it is like, well, give them what they need. Give them what they want, but also feed them what they need. So let's get a little nutrition in there because I've seen that exact scenario a million times where a business owner would just hire. They're like, oh, well, the more money I spend on the consultant or the more money I spend on the coach or the trainer or whatever, the less responsibility I therefore have.        

00:16:45
            

Right. It's kind of maybe a little bit of the mindset I've been there, too, where I'm like, all right. Oh, no, I got that recently. That's what we hired you for. And I'm like, well, I can't make all the decisions in the business, right?        

00:16:58
            

Yeah. So there's things like that where like, okay, so there is a certain level of like, okay, some responsibility is on the consultant, but ultimately you are the only expert in your business, right? I don't know what you sell. I don't know what the nuance is. I don't know what the difference between your service or product and the other person's service and product is.        

00:17:18
            

And a lot of times that can be a very nuanced difference. So those are things that like, hey, you have to tell us and you have to actually lead us to, well, how do you want the sales process to go? How do you want this marketing to convey who you are? These are things that I cannot answer for you. I mean, I could, but you might not like the answer.        

00:17:38
            

And so those are things where you do need to show an element of leadership or if you're not getting the result that you want, you got to say something. We cannot read your mind, right? Where that's also been something that a lot of people who my programs come in, I'm like, oh, I don't know what to say. Is it really that bad? Well, it's like you have the choice of who supports you in your business, big or small, whatever the investment is, and so you can ask for whatever you need.        

00:18:09
            

And so people are very shocked by that. They're like, well, they have a process or they do their thing or they came really highly recommended, so I assumed that they were going to know. And I'm like, no, they don't know your business, they don't know your process. They don't know how you want to show up. And those are all things that no one, literally no one, unless you've already worked with a team member or VA or a right hand person for a really long time, is going to be able to tell anyone else.        

00:18:41
            

So you really have to show up in that way. And if you're not getting what you need, you also have to lead and make the decision to cut it off or to reprimand. It's not like anyone's getting in trouble, but to course correct so that you do get what you want. You can hire all the resourcing you want. You can hire the most high end consultants, and they can all go off running in different directions because they're all really great at what they do.        

00:19:05
            

But you got to rein it in and make sure that it is working within the bounds of what you're trying to accomplish, what you want your business to look like. So it's like someone hired you and they're like, okay, we want you to support our sales process, but you sell in a totally different way, right? And you're just off and running and they're not saying anything the whole time. Well then they're not getting the end result. Or on the flip side of the coin where they're like, well, I just expect you to sell everything and I don't want to be involved and just kind of leaving you to your own devices.        

00:19:39
            

Well then the brand, the business, you might not get the right leads, you might not get the right people, you might close the deal, but they might not be ideal customers. Things like that. Those are all disconnects that require your leadership to sort through and finesse as you develop. I can probably go on and on about this all day, but it is literally one of those things where I see it over and over and over again. I think that a lot of people have it in their mind that like, oh, once I start making more money, I'm just going to give it to an expert, or they have as a goal that they're going to outsource it to someone else.        

00:20:15
            

And in that outsourcing kind of abdicates responsibility. And I'm like, no, responsibility never goes away. Never. Responsibility will always be yours. And the longer you wait, the more that the stakes just get higher, right?        

00:20:31
            

So that transition of power, that transition of knowledge, just becomes a little bit more challenging. Because now it's like, oh, well, when I'm making $100,000 and I just need someone to help me out with marketing, okay, we're willing to try a few things. But when I'm making $500,000 and I've never had anyone help me with my marketing, I'm less willing to try a few things. So good. Yes.        

00:20:53
            

And you're also less willing to let go of all the things that you've been holding on to.        

00:21:02
            

One thing I wanted to say, and then I have another question for you, is I think it's important to your point around leadership that we always think about our ability to communicate our big vision. Because like you said, we can hire all these people, but if they're not all moving the ball, if you will, towards the goal line that we want it to go, then it can be exceptionally frustrating. And I think sometimes we think, and I know this is a big one for me, that if I said it one time that it's done right, and that everything that I thought I communicated was actually communicated and received in the way that I thought it should be. And I think sometimes it can be challenging because we're busy, but we also have to take the time and check in and reassure and build in those processes or whatever around communication to make sure that this is what I said. Did I really communicate that in a way that my team member could receive it and understand it and then is able to take the ball and run with it?        

00:22:09
            

And then also understanding that in many cases there's also sometimes a process that people have to go through to really embrace and accept the autonomy that you've given to them once you've gotten there as a leader, because sometimes we're the problem and we're the bottleneck, but other times, it's just a process of supporting our team members. So I think that's also really important to just put out there. Yeah, I think that that is so vital because, honestly, it's something I'm going through right now. As we've made a lot of changes, we've definitely switched out a number of the roles in the team. We're definitely trying to find kind of, what is that sweet spot now?        

00:22:45
            

What roles do we really need in this kind of new iteration, this next iteration of the business? And that's one of those things where it's like, I'm very used to I've been working with the same team for what, maybe over two years now. And so as we kind of start to change things up, we're like, oh, wait, I think things that I say on the fly, but it's not landing because we're doing something totally different. We're not in our same process. We're not delivering the same product.        

00:23:12
            

We're not delivering the same service anymore. Now I have a different vision for how I want to launch, what I want that sales cycle to look like. And I'm most like, Well, I'm just like, I do it the same way. I'm like. I'm just telling you on the fly during our meetings, we have the chance to discuss and I thought I said.        

00:23:25
            

All of the things I thought I did. But there's also a lot of background that I'm thinking about in the bigger scheme of this business, in the bigger scheme of where we're going that I have not conveyed. And that's where we're like, okay, we need to work on our process flow now that we're going through another kind of iteration of the business, now that things are not status quo, right? Things are shifting. Like, okay, so the program is a little different than it was before.        

00:23:53
            

I'm like, oh, I have a new idea for this thing. Let's just go for it and see what happens. They're like, okay, we've never done this. It takes a little bit of time for it to filter all down, especially when you have a lot of team members, especially when you have some team members who have subcontractors or who are agencies, things like that. That takes a little bit of time.        

00:24:12
            

And sometimes you're like, well, before, when we did this one thing, it was super easy, but actually, now it's like, well, you don't know that we now need this tool. We need this tool now that our production calendar for marketing needs to be shifted this way, and there's all of these moving pieces that, oh, I'm just not aware because I'm not in that part of the business. And so that's where it's like, I'm really looking to my team to give it back to me. Like, all right, guys, push me on this. Don't just let me dictate what we're going to do, because sometimes I think we forget that on the team side, there might be constraints and some things that are just maybe not feasible in the timeline that we're envisioning.        

00:24:50
            

I'm like, oh, that only takes like, two steps, right? They're like, Actually, it's like twelve, right? Okay, I did it once myself. Let me just see it. I'm like, okay.        

00:25:06
            

That is so true. One of the challenges I'm also seeing, Diane, and I'm sure you've seen it as well, is when a business owner finally decides that, okay, I need help, right? Whether no matter where. And like you mentioned, the further along the path you are, it's typically that much harder for you to let things go. But one thing that I often hear is just how overwhelmed, how overwhelming it is.        

00:25:34
            

Because if you haven't done this in the beginning, now you're in the middle of a whole lot of things. And now in many instances, you feel like you're going to have a backtrack to take all this extract all this stuff out of your head to the others, right? And so what are some strategies or tips that you have for business owners to really manage the overwhelm so that they don't sabotage themselves? I think getting really clear on like, well, what are the things that you actually want to accomplish? And don't pick 20 things.        

00:26:08
            

What are the three things? I think in a quarter, three big projects are probably like, you're really maxing out even with the maximum resources, right? Because you still need people to maintain. They can't just put away all the work that they're doing, all the recurring work to focus on these new things that you want to launch. I think the rule of thumb for me and what I advise clients are if you can pick in a quarter, just the three projects, focus in on those three and really make sure that you're actually closing the loop.        

00:26:38
            

On them instead of starting like, okay, well, I started those three projects, and the next quarter I'm going to start another three projects, and then the quarter after that, I'm going to start in another three project. And then you're like, okay, well, nothing was finished. So that's one of the things. It's where focus in on top three and make sure that you're closing the loop on them. Because I see that that is just kind of a thing where I'm like, sometimes I think that there's some business owners who are just like, just don't get to the finish line.        

00:26:58
            

They're like, I delegate it and it went into the ether, right? So that's kind of where it's like, okay, if we have focus, then we can make sure that we're actually closing the loop. And it is less overwhelming when you're like, I know that everything is going to get done, or we put all the ideas. We put all of the projects into the parking lot, but these are the balls that we need to move forward first and foremost. Right?        

00:27:20
            

And then on the other side of things, it's like, okay, well, do you have the right resourcing to actually get this done? Right. A lot of times you're like, well, I'm going to work on three projects by myself every quarter. Okay, that is very challenging. You can do it, but know that it is really challenging.        

00:27:36
            

If you also have to be marketing, if you also have to be the salesperson, if you also have to be the launch strategist, you also have to deliver. You also have to manage the client experience. That can be really heavy, right? So at that point where I'm really looking at like, okay, well, what support do I need? Because either I'm not getting the results I want from the work that I'm doing either, or I'm really just spending a lot of time in this area because I don't know how to do it, or I'm learning how to do it on the fly.        

00:28:06
            

So those are kind of the two places that I'm really looking to like, let's get lift immediately. Let's get stuff off of your plate so that you have more bandwidth to actually be strategic, to actually grow and progress within your business. So, like, looking at that team resourcing piece, and then on the other side of things, the third place I'm really looking at is like, okay, let's look at your tech in your organization. Right? Can you automate and streamline some things?        

00:28:31
            

Because there are things that we can just automate. You don't have to touch again, because maybe you just don't know that there's a plugin that works between zoom and vimeo, and you don't got to download anything. So there are things like that that we're really looking to streamline or even just like, why are you even thinking that you want to do that? You want to launch on TikTok, and that's been on your list for a while, but if it hasn't happened yet, is it really a priority right now when you're barely able to post the twice a week on Facebook?        

00:29:05
            

Yeah. So making sure that these parts of the business are clear and easy to manage and that we're really getting lift sooner rather than later. And that lift will build upon itself as you're able to grow and fill in the resource gaps, you're able to just like, fine. I was struggling with all the free versions of these softwares, and now that I paid a little something, I can use the integrations and the automation capabilities. Right?        

00:29:30
            

So that's where we're really like, okay, you don't have to do it right away, but you'll get to that. If you create some lift for yourself right now, create some focus in what you're doing. I love it. What advice would you have? Because I can just imagine there are people listening right now that are like, okay, I hear you, Diane.        

00:29:48
            

And I still just have a little bit of trepidation know, taking that leap, if you will, into hiring the support that I need, especially if they've had a not so great experience in the past. What would you say to her? There's so many things I would say to her. I'd say the first thing I would say is, though, it's like, okay, well, what do you really need help with? What is the role that's going to really save you, like, 10 hours a week right now?        

00:30:18
            

So that really starts with knowing what your workload is and what you're doing with your day. So the first thing I do with literally every single client I work with is a time inventory. We do an activity inventory over the course of a week or two. We're like, okay, map it out. It doesn't have to be perfect, but try the best that you can to really map out all of your resources to map out, like, what are you doing today?        

00:30:41
            

You spend an hour and a half making a reel. Okay, well, now we know, right, versus you're like, oh, yeah, I was doing admin work and it's like, okay, your admin work is you posting on stories and making reels, and it's very challenging for you. So I would very much consider that you might want to have some instagram or some marketing support in some way, some content creation support in some way, if that's how much time you're really spending creating those resources. Right? So that's where I'm really looking at, like, let's see what the full scope of work is and design a role around the things that you're just like, this is taking way too much of my time.        

00:31:18
            

I'm not getting the results that I really want. The quality isn't there. And getting that off your plate first and foremost. Because when you know, hey, this is the work that this person is going to do, a you increase the chances of you finding a good fit. And you're sure, right?        

00:31:35
            

There's a certain level of certainty that you're actually going to be able to transition work that's going to make a difference to you instead of like, I wonder, I really hope this person that I hire is able to support me and makes my life easier. Let's put some data around it. Let's get really clear and make sure that it is actually going to happen. And it really starts there. And I think that when people start to see what they're doing and how much time they're spending on it, it makes it real, it makes it a little more concrete, and it makes it a little easier to be.        

00:32:05
            

Like, oh, okay. I am spending quite a lot of time writing my own emails or prepping for sales calls, or I'm just doing everything manually on the back end, trying to deliver this course. And fingers crossed. I checked all the boxes and I got all the right people into the course that they were supposed to get into. Right, but how long is that sustainable?        

00:32:28
            

Right? That's not sustainable. It's not a way to live. So one of the things that you do is help with all of this. So share with us a little bit about how you do that and then tell us how we can stay connected because girl, we need you.        

00:32:46
            

And then of course your resource that you have for us. Yeah, of course. So I work with a lot of business owners in a workshop model, right? So my framework is built around your systems, your tech, your automations, your team and your leadership. So I run a lot of workshops and coming soon to a lot of DIY courses on how to build the right systems, on how to actually pick your tech stack and how to build any automation you want, how to hire those right team members.        

00:33:12
            

So those are all in the works. So there's an avenue for people to just actually absorb knowledge that is really focused and let me just tell you what to do here's how it's supposed to work, guys. That is one avenue that I really support people and then the other avenue is like, well, a lot of this stuff, I like the accessibility and giving people the option of learning on their own. But a lot of your operations, I won't even say a lot, a lot is an understatement. All of your operations are really custom to you and your business, your goals and the things that you want to achieve.        

00:33:43
            

So I work with a lot of business owners in a workshop model, a group workshop model, and then also in a group membership model where you can have access to all of the training. I will train you live, I will train you through the resource vault that I have. But also people have access to me, my team, people that I bring into these workshops and these memberships for you to have some direct consulting advice. I won't say coaching because it's like this is all about how. So if you have the question, here's how you're going to answer it.        

00:34:11
            

Just go do it.        

00:34:15
            

You want to move into digital products? Okay, here's how you're going to do it. Using the tools that you have, using your own goals, using what you already have in place, and how you're going to create that model, how you're going to put the pieces together, how you're going to deliver it. So that's what I do in my membership program where it's like, all right, the training will get you so far, but we really have to customize it. So bring me your questions.        

00:34:36
            

I guarantee you there's going to be something that's going to get in your way as you're kind of building things, as you're making your first hire, as you're building your first system as you're installing your tech and your automations and as you're just going through the motions of growing your business. Right. I have a lot of clients in my programs who are like, my coach gave me a framework for me to launch. Well, how do I actually deliver this thing that they told me to create as part of the form? She's like, okay, well, you use flow desk and this and this and this.        

00:35:11
            

Here's how you're going to do it. Here are the things that you need to build right now. Here's the format I suggest you do it in. Here's how she said she put it together. Here's what I suggest you trigger, how you trigger the automations.        

00:35:20
            

And here's where I suggest you embed all of the forms, right? So it's really being able to get that really specific and customized advice so that they always know what and how to do it right. So that's what I'm trying to bring to the like, let me just help you. I'm not here to coach you. I'm here to consult with you and tell you the answer yes.        

00:35:41
            

Same. I love it. We don't have time for that. Let me just skip all that and get to the bottom line. Yeah, I love it.        

00:35:49
            

So, Diane, how can we connect with you and what resource do you have for us today? So you can connect with me? I'm primarily on Instagram. That's where you can keep up with me. My travel, my life chats, all those things are on Instagram.        

00:36:05
            

I'm at Dianelam Com, and my free resource, I believe, is a hiring guide. Possibly it is. Now, sometimes I forget, like, what resource did I say I'm going to put on here? Well, I do have a Rates training, like a Virtual Assistant Rates guide. It's six minutes where I walk you through kind of what are the most common rates or what's the ballpark right.        

00:36:30
            

For six of the most common virtual assistant online support roles that you're probably looking for, because I find that's where a lot of people get stuck, where they're like, Can I afford it? Is this going to be wildly expensive? Well, it doesn't have to be, right? And so me and my team, each year, we go through and we kind of poll what we're seeing from people who apply to roles that we're searching for, people who apply for roles, from our candidate, for our clients. What I'm seeing, people advertise the rates are, and so we kind of put together the ballpark so it's not totally out of left field, or you're like, oh, you might even be surprised.        

00:37:07
            

Like, oh, it's a lot less than I thought, right? Oh, wait, I can actually do this. Yay. So that resource is at Dianelam.com VA Rates. It is literally a six minute training where I will just walk you through it, and you also get the Rates Companion Guide so you can kind of reference it as you're going through your first or your next search for your team support.        

00:37:27
            

I love it. So we'll make sure all of that is linked in the show notes. Thank you. Diane, I know you and I could probably talk for another 2 hours, but we won't do that. We'll just bring you back for a part two.        

00:37:40
            

Yes, thank you. Thank you for having me. I had so much fun just having this chat with you and I hope people who are listening to this get some value from it. Absolutely. It was very valuable.        

00:37:50
            

I recommend listening to it a few times because Diane and I both talk fast. Yes, I'm working on that. But when I get excited, it's hard. I know. I'm just saying I get excited.        

00:38:03
            

Well, thank you all. Thank you all for tuning in and we will see you again very soon.