2274 - Empowering Entrepreneurs with Tailored Virtual Assistant Services from CEO Concierge's Jana Franklin

0:04Well, hey, Thoughtful Leader. Welcome to the Thoughtful Entrepreneur. On this show, I interview purpose-driven founders, experts, and change makers who are making a real impact in the world. Want to be a guest? Simple. Go to upmyinfluence.com and click podcast. I'd love to promote your story to our audience of over 100 ,000 and across over 2 ,300 daily episodes and counting. Want to get booked on other great shows like this? Simple. Go to podverified.com and get your free guest authority score. Thousands of hosts are looking for high quality guests and Podverified connects you the right way. Now let's dive into today's episode.

0:58With us right now, it's Jana Franklin. Jana, you are the founder and CEO of CEO Concierge, found on the web at ceoconcierge.com. You are also a longtime franchisee in St. Louis of a bunch of fantastic Sams and Jimmy John's locations. So you've been in this game for a while. Jana, it's great to have you. Thank you so much. It's great to be here. I really appreciate it. Before we get going, share, I don't know if there's anything that you've been watching, enjoying. I don't know if you have any hobbies or games or, you know, just like things that you've been into lately. What are you geeking out on lately?

1:36It's so bad. I'm geeking out on rom-com novels. Rom-com novels? Rom-com novels. For someone who has not read or, I mean, obviously everyone has seen an infinite number of rom-com movies. Right. Tell me about the experience of a novel. And for someone who's never read a rom-com novel, I'm hoping you can give us a few accessible, very popular, really enjoyable books. Yeah, for sure. So really for me, I've been married 26 years. So maybe that's part of the allure. I don't know. We're coming up on 30 this September or so. Okay, there you go. So, you know, I loved, I always loved rom-com movies like Harry Met Sally, you know, you got male, all those good ones, right?

2:29I don't think they really do them as much as they used to. I don't think that genre is out there as much. So I have really found a slew of women authors that are just, they're just hilarious. And there's always a spin to them. But what I like is right so they take a character at the beginning and it's always like I let the I let the one go but there's also mystery in there um there's like something happened and so they're they're coming together to figure out how to find the you know person that's stealing their lawn animals or I don't know something and so and there's always a twist and it's always funny they always make the characters really funny and and but they're outlandish too like the situations are so outlandish and you know and then it's talking about towns like bliss illinois right and it's supposed to be like the wedding capital of the world and so it just so they do a character and then you meet another character in the book so then that's the next book and it's just it's just something I sit and I just I laugh I giggle and um just kind of lose myself in the book and kind of summer tv is not the best and so and I can go down a rabbit hole watching uh streaming something a series and so I'm trying not to do that right now yeah yeah yeah um Janet uh two two two books that you'd recommend?

4:01So, gosh, now you're asking me and I don't have them in front of me, right? It's like I'm learning Spanish right now. I'm coming up on day 200 and when somebody says, okay, say something in Spanish, I'm like, uh, uh. Exactly, right? Can you give me a matching quiz and I can show you that I can do that? That's awesome. I need, I have to. Crazy Witch Asians. Yeah, Crazy Witch, anything by him is hilarious. uh kevin wong is that author pippa grant is another author i love she does she has a ton of books and lucy score like you can't go wrong with those authors and and so and just like my sister and i kind of go back and forth like hey have you found this person have you found this and then we just take off and just read like the whole all everything that author's done so right now I'm in a series with Pippa Grant and it's like seven, it's seven books.

4:57And the other thing is it's very key. Kindle unlimited. So like, right. So I'm reading two to three books a day. Yeah. I love my Kindle and the Kindle unlimited. You know, I use all the other devices. I've got an iPad, you know, blah, blah, blah. Yeah. Kindle for reading. And then I installed, I'll have to, I'll have to think of it. I have a, a speed reading font that bold is also good for people with ADHD. I'll see if I can find the name of that font. But I found it's really helpful for my wife and I who both have a little ADHD. And then as well, like my just my reading and comprehension is significantly higher.

5:37But while we're talking, I'll find that font. We got to talk about what you do, because that's why we gathered here today. Thank you. So please do tell me about CEO Concierge. so I started CEO concierge with another entrepreneur two about two years ago and it came out of it came out of COVID really right all these things that came out of COVID right here we are on zoom so um when COVID happened I really needed to be in my stores because people weren't working we were considered in the Jimmy Johns and essential business so I needed to be in my stores Right. And so everything administrative, everything that I hated doing that good at or anything, I brought in virtual assistants from the Philippines to run those business, run those sides of my business for me.

6:27So I could be where I like to be in the stores, working with my team. And so in talking to a group of entrepreneur women, we were like, we were talking about what we were doing. And most of us had brought VAs on during COVID and really trained them and really focused on niche. Like, hey, mine is doing, I have one that does strictly recruiting, right? I have one that does strictly bookkeeping. I have one that does strictly social media. I have one that does strictly HR. So for me, it was like just a breath of fresh air to know that that stuff was happening. And I could be where I was good at, like focusing on training and leading my teams in store.

7:08And so this other person was doing the exact same thing in her business in Las Vegas. So we're like, we need to launch this for, so we're female focused, male friendly is what we like to say, but we really spend a huge part of our, we're almost like, I hate, I don't want to call us headhunters, but we go out and specifically look for that right VA. We're really about personality fit and we're really about skillset. And so for us, it's like, like I would say to you, Josh, I would have you test in a personality And I would say, oh, Josh's autonomy is off the chart and he likes to be with people, but he doesn't take or leave them or, and his lack of detail is definitely a strong suit.

7:49So I go and find someone that's going to compliment you for the personality, but also the skillset. And so that is what we really focus on. And then the training, we do a ton of training. We really, that's a concierge. Like if you think of a concierge in a hotel, it's like, they're there to serve you, right? and what you asked for, I think of the Ritz model. The what model? And the Ritz-Carlton model with their customer service and concierge service. Do you know anything about that? Oh, I'm not familiar. Okay. So there's this whole thing about, and I'll have to find the book for you, but there's a whole book about how Ritz-Carlton has built their customer service and you never say no.

8:34it's almost like the Nordstrom's effect too in the olden days and so like if you were to call down Josh and say I just split my pants and I need a new pair of pants in a size 32 waist and I can't leave my room the Ritz would go get it for you right and they would take care of you so for us it's the same kind of attitude is like our our our clients call us and they're like I I need my VA to learn how to build a website. And we're like, no problem. And we help train that VA on how to build a website. And then they go and build the website. So they are constantly being able to upskill and show their clients that they don't have the weeds.

9:18Like they can go and do what they need to be doing and driving their business versus worrying about hiring someone to build a website, hiring someone to market the website, all that. Like it's, it's putting the, that task out of sight, out of mind. I just got back from a 17 day vacation with my family. I have a, I have an incoming freshman in college. So it was our last hurrah. And I could not have done that if it wasn't for my VA's helping me run my business. Right. And, and so for me, it's, it's, it's that level of control because most of us have a control issue. and most of us, you talked about ADHD earlier, right?

10:02Most entrepreneurs have a serious case of ADHD. And so it's finding someone that can keep up with that squirrel, like, you know, running from one priority to another and changing their mind every day. That's, oh, you know what? I know that yesterday, this was your priority, but today, this is your priority. And, and so for me, it's all about having that almost backbone, that foundation for someone to like be behind that CEO, that entrepreneur and be a catch-all of things that are falling through the cracks and helping them stay focused and letting them do what they're doing well and letting the VA do what they do well.

10:44And that's where we have really come into play and making sure that the teams are matched well and that the training is there. We do a ton of upskilling for our clients and for our VAs. I've had several clients get on QuickBooks training. You know, they use QuickBooks, but they don't know how to use QuickBooks, kind of things like that. So for us, it's been a huge thing. And for me, it has changed me how I do business in my other businesses, right? It has allowed me to get very focused on the things that are going to drive my growth and my sales and my profitability versus having to be in the weeds.

11:27And that to me is the biggest thing. It's interesting. And I think many of us as founder CEOs, we get caught in that trap of we're just doing stuff. If we were to catalog everything that we do in a day and then ask the question, well, could I outsource this? I think there are a lot of things that we might say, well, yeah, but it would, I guess in theory, but it would take far too long to get someone up to speed at this level. Well, we're in a new era now that I wonder if a lot of those things could be re-examined. And I was having a talk with one of our employees yesterday, just about expectations for leveraging all of the greatest and best tools.

12:15And for us within our organization, it's mandatory. You must be AI literate and not just literate, but fluent. And we will provide all of the resources that you need, but that's kind of the expectation. It's ridiculous to provide a subpar experience for our customers when my team member could use AI, speed up delivery, be able to provide more support and more value for our clients because they are able to access all of the resources that are available to them. And so can you share just a little bit about, you know, kind of today's VAs, if you hire well, and I want to talk about the personality thing, because I thought that was quite insightful later.

13:08But if you could share maybe just a little bit about, you know, even if there's a founder CEO, they're like, I don't know, I mean, I kind of do some searching on Google and I got goofed around with ChatGPT, but I don't see what all the hubbub is about. There are very ambitious team members, potential team members that are quite competent and could potentially change your life. 100%. I mean, you're hitting it on the head, really, right? Because, I mean, think of all the, I mean, you just said it, think of all the stuff that's coming at us, right? Whether it's AI, whether it's, whether it is new technology.

13:54I mean, new technology is happening all the time and you, you, you can't keep up with it. It's, you could go down that rabbit hole of always constantly training yourself and it's changing the next day. And so I think it's very important to embrace this, to embrace those, the AI and the technology changes with your staff, with your VA, with whoever. For me, I am, I am, I like to say I'm tech savvy. Like I can do all of it. I spend a lot of time in chat. I build GPTs in chat. A friend has taught me how to do it. Now I've taught my, my one VA for training and now they're, and now they're building on it.

14:38Right. And so, but I don't have the patience to learn it. And that is, I think of what, because I, I want to be doing something else. I don't want to, I spend 10 minutes on it. And if I don't understand it, I'm like, I'm out. Right. So what it takes is finding those people to help train you and help teach you. I had a friend that sat down with me for an hour and taught me how to build a GPT. I recorded it. Best thing ever. Now I'm using it right to train my VAs, to train my friends, to train, train my kids, you know, stuff like that. So I think it's very important to always be learning, but also understand where your barriers are.

15:21I know my barrier is I'm going to lose my, my patients very fast on technology, very fast. And so my VAs had to be very tech savvy and very patient when it comes to that. I switched POS systems in our Jimmy John's last year in October, and we tested it in one store before we did it. And then we switched in the other store. My VA watched 120 videos. So I didn't have to, right? She is the go-to for everyone in my store on tech issues with the POS because she knows how to do it. Yeah, Jen. And I'm so sorry. I'm just looking at the time. We have about two minutes left. And so I appreciate all of your experience.

16:03And for those who have hired VAs in the past, You're open right now. Maybe you found this episode because you're researching the topic and that's what we're talking about here. Right. And by the way, I really do like the fact that you match based upon personality. I think that's so critical. There are really, really type A founders and employers out there. Like someone needs to know that they can match properly both, you know, on the obviously on the client side for you or the, you know, the employer, but the VA, like, you know, if you're putting the wrong person in there, like that's, that's just going to be really the soft relationship dynamic stuff is going to be really frustrating for the client ultimately.

16:54Like, like if they don't have someone that's ready to kind of meet that level of like, hey, there's, you know, kind of the culture here. Just so you know. Yeah, I which, by the way, I would not do well in. Well, the fact you recognize that, though, is half the battle. Yes, right, right, right. So give, I guess, share next steps for someone who is, you know, potentially looking to have a conversation to see where they might staff out. The best way is just to contact us through our website, ceoconcierge.com. It gets to me. I do all, and I do all the client conversations. And I also do all the final interviews with her VA because I try and come at it from the point of the client.

17:35So I, you know, cause that's where I sit, right? That's me. I'm the entrepreneur too. I'm running businesses. I get it. So CEO concierge the best way, but I'm also at Jana, J-A-N-A at ceoconcierge.com as well. And of course, all the socials, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Facebook, and Alignable, which is one of those ones that is coming up, right? Pretty fast. But yeah, it's just the personality is to me is a huge thing, is a huge portion of the problem. It doesn't matter if that person's sitting next to you in an office or whether they're virtual. You still have to get along. You still have to be able to mesh.

18:15And if you can't mesh, it's not going to survive. And it does. And so, I mean, I use this with my managers and my Jimmy John's. I use this for everything for not hiring like we use other. It's a big portion of it, though. Right. It has. I have to be able to support you. If you came, Josh, over as a visionary, you're going to need someone that's going to be able to keep up with you, but also is going to have to be detailed, right? And so that is the key. And it's also important. And I say this, and I do a weekly superheroes and trusted VA sidekicks is what I call it. to me, it also is like, if your right-hand person is also dealing with the VA, they need to be doing the personality test because, you know, they are also reporting.

19:06So we have, you know, we have people that are running, you know, I have clients that are three founders, right? We personality test all three founders, their VA matches all three of them. I mean, it just has to, because, you know, if one founder isn't working and the other two are, there's still going to be frustration. No doubt about it. Jana Franklin, your website, ceoconcierge.com. When you go to the website, you'll see all the contact information. You'll click on the button that says, get your virtual assistant today. And again, I would imagine the onboarding sequence is probably something that might be not only helpful for finding the right match, but probably insightful.

19:50So Janice, great conversation. Thank you so much for joining us and enjoy your next read as well. Thank you. Thank you.

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