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Finding a Stakeholder?

by petrosianii, Window Shopper

  • Created: January 22, 2011, 7:42 pm
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9 comments

This is more of a comment than a question. As our multimedia firm has grown over the past 2 years, I have hired ICAs to do various tasks. What I have found is that is really is true, 'Good help is hard to find.' I am really tired of interviewing potential candidates, finding what looks like a good one, hiring h/er, only to find out in a few months (or weeks) that the person is not stakeholder material, doesn't pay attention to detail, isn't interested in knowing how a small business works or sustains itself, etc. It's very frustrating, even more, it's tiresome. I've also found that most people just don't know how to follow directions - even when you write it down and give specific, detailed instructions.

 

These experiences have led me to want to just go back to being a fully sole proprietor, and 'do it all myself' again. Of course, we all know the pitfalls to this, not the least of which is: sole proprietorships aren't usually scalable. Plus, I don't want to do it all myself anymore. The admin stuff takes so much time that it doesn't leave me with much time to focus on bringing in new business, setting the marketing plan, the technical stuff, i.e., all the stuff I wouldn't trust a contractor to do anyway.

 

I've heard that one solution is to find a co-founder (stakeholder). And not my wife. (She's trying to get her own small biz off the ground as well - and we have such diff. styles that, it wouldn't work anyway).

 

So, I guess my question in all this is: Is finding another stakeholder the way to go? If so, how do I go about it? If not, what else can you suggest?

Tags: Discuss Popular Topics, Self Employed & Home Based Business
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CharlotteW | Former Moderator | 8/13/2009 - 3:55 pm

Thanks so much for your comments and questions. I'm sure other business owners find themselves asking the same questions. Hopefully your thread will be the beginning of a great discussion. Thanks!

petrosianii | Window Shopper | 8/13/2009 - 6:19 pm

Thanks for the reply, Charlotte. I will remember to geotag my posts in the future.

petrosianii | Window Shopper | 8/22/2009 - 2:49 pm

Well, I think it is slowly becoming clear what we need to do to address the question of finding a stakeholder. What I've found is that a Virtual Assistant (VA) is really along the lines of what we need. Vass are like personal assistants, only online. They do admin work, usu. of a Web-based nature (e.g., manage email lists, correspondence, social media sites updating, etc.) Some even do writing, data entry and other clerical/administrative functions. This is perfect for us. Many Vass are offshore, so they are very affordable, and their monthly retainers can be negotiated, as well as hours you need them for. We are finding that Vass are very flexible, eager, enthusiastic to work for US businesses. And they are usually also small biz owners, so they understand the stakeholder mentality, even if they aren't stakeholders themselves.

NicoleD | Former Moderator | 9/8/2009 - 3:33 pm

Hi petrosianii - Thanks for the update! I'm happy to hear that you found a workable solution to your stakeholder problem. Your last post was several weeks ago - how has the Virtual Assistant been working out for you?

petrosianii | Window Shopper | 9/8/2009 - 9:28 pm

Hi, NicoleD, Well, I haven't yet hired a VA. Still researching it and looking at it. Haven't totally made the plunge yet. There are a few issues that we have to work out, before we outsource. For example, we have to look at privacy and security issues like passwords to blogs and usernames and deciding how much or how little access we need/want to give an outside agency. I will certainly let you know how it turns out if we do decide to hire one.

petrosianii | Window Shopper | 9/26/2009 - 3:41 pm

Well, Nicole, I'll tell you. I decided not to go the VA route because, well, I just didn't have the best feeling about it in the end. Plus, much of our business relies on needing people who have a command of the English language and many VAs are offshore. So, what I did is hire a partner who has worked with me for a while and who is an excellent PR Manager. She is someone I trust very much and already knows how our business runs and demonstrated stakeholder mentality from the get go by investing a significant amount of her own resources into the business to help take us to the next level. The downside: She's not cheap. But in the final analysis, I would rather have someone who's more expensive but delivers tanglible value and whom I trust, than someone less expensive whom I cannot trust and have doubts about. So far, it's working out well. We're still solvent and all systems go.

NicoleD | Former Moderator | 10/5/2009 - 5:07 pm

Thanks for the update - glad to hear that things are working out under the PR manager!

paulms | Contributor | 11/23/2009 - 3:31 am

To the original poster. Where did you search for your VA? I'm wondering if they brought up the idea of a monthly retainer or you did as I've always paid by the hour.
Professional Web Site: http://www.workathometruth.com

petrosianii | Window Shopper | 11/23/2009 - 10:08 am

@Tom We looked online. I found a company called TimeSavers, offshore, based out of India. I now speak regularly to one of the VA managers there. They appear to have an excellent service. But I decided not to go with them for various reasons. What we did instead: I hired an American, a sole proprietor out of SC. I pay her a monthly retainer, plus a commission on any sales generated.