Caroline Rash With CRVAS

Intro: [00:00:04] Broadcasting live from the Business RadioX Studios in Atlanta, Georgia, it’s time for high velocity radio

Lee Kantor: [00:00:13] Lee Kantor hear another episode of High Velocity Radio, and this is going to be a good one today on the show we have Caroline Rash with CRVAS. Welcome, Caroline.

Caroline Rash: [00:00:23] Hey, how are you doing today?

Lee Kantor: [00:00:24] I am doing great. I’m so excited to learn about your business. Tell us about service. How you serving, folks?

Caroline Rash: [00:00:30] Yeah, absolutely. So my husband started this company a little over five years ago and I joined him, and it’s just kind of snowballed ever since he started just doing like virtual assisting for people all across the world. I think he had clients in Europe and in the United States. And then I joined in and we just started growing our team, and now our company largely does what I kind of I like to joke with like consultants. Plus, like we consult with businesses, we see what they need and then we implement what they need. So we kind of make a plan and implement it and just help businesses who are at sort of a turning point and just need help to move forward.

Lee Kantor: [00:01:10] So now this kind of business, there’s a lot of competition, I would imagine, for folks all over the world that are competing for your team for these kind of projects. How did your husband get that escape velocity to even just get the building business going at first?

Caroline Rash: [00:01:27] Yeah, absolutely. We really emphasize relationships, and I think that’s just kind of been our key is we’re very personal and typically when we get a client, it’s because we’ve had some really good conversations right off the bat. And it’s just a lot different than some companies who kind of do a slightly more scattershot approach just to find anybody that they can, you know, like we really try to get to know people and get to know the pain points in their business and build those relationships. And I feel like that’s kind of what makes us stand out.

Lee Kantor: [00:01:58] Now what are some of the activities that clients hire you to help them with?

Caroline Rash: [00:02:04] Well, we do, you know, smaller tasks for sure, like email management and scheduling and that kind of more assistant type tasks. And we pride ourselves on how we do that, for sure. But we also do larger scale things. If you need your business to run more efficiently, if you need to figure out a program that’s going to help your business run better or just systems and operations that kind of like larger scale tasks we offer as well.

Lee Kantor: [00:02:32] And then you mentioned that you get to know your clients, can you talk about what that initial conversation or that discovery period where you’re trying to kind of see where you can fit in and help? What does that conversation look like at the beginning?

Caroline Rash: [00:02:46] Well, it really is just asking a lot of questions right off the bat. We really need to understand you and your business and what you need before we’re going to even make any kind of pitch to work with you because we want to make sure we’re the right people for you. So that’s kind of the key is just getting to know you and any kind of issues you might be having before we even try to jump in and help you.

Lee Kantor: [00:03:12] Now, for some of your clients, is this the first time they’ve worked with someone virtually in this manner? Or is this somebody that or your clients, typically people who have had a lot of these people come and go in their career?

Caroline Rash: [00:03:25] It kind of depends. We have some clients that are really small businesses who are just now branching out into getting outside help with their business. So it is very new for them and we have to, you know, kind of be like, OK, well, this is how we do a Zoom meeting kind of kind of conversations. But we also have larger scale clients who are very tech savvy and tech oriented where it’s just another Tuesday for them. And we they hand us a spreadsheet they’ve already built. They want us to implement it, that kind of thing. So it just kind of depends on the scale of the client.

Lee Kantor: [00:04:00] Now, do you have any advice for folks that are hiring a virtual assistant, maybe for the first time? Or just what is a good process to work together? Well, what would be like if you were going to draw up your ideal client? What would you kind of say? These are the do’s and don’ts on how to work with us?

Caroline Rash: [00:04:18] I would say, excuse me, I would say communication as far as regular meetings. One of the things we really recommend with our clients is especially if you’re in a growth phase is having what we call stand ups. So like every day or once or twice a week, having just like a quick 10 minute meeting to touch base because you’re not seeing each other in person at the office like it used to be in the past. So setting up those regular like Google Meet or Zoom meetings or anything like that, we definitely recommend that. And we also just really recommend not making assumptions. You know, a client might make an assumption that we’re doing something, and if we’re not communicating well, we might not be. We might just need to make sure that we’re all on the same page about what the next steps are and what needs to happen. So communication and not making assumptions are the two biggest things I recommend.

Lee Kantor: [00:05:17] Now, how do you kind of help the client and the person doing the work really get crystal clear on what is the deliverable and what is the outcome they desire? Because a lot of times people think like, Oh yeah, I want this to happen, and then the person hears that, but they’re not exactly sure what that means. And then, you know, it’s it’s that kind of miscommunication, I guess you were referring to. But how do you help them kind of get clear on what they each mean in a safe way that they all feel comfortable doing that?

Caroline Rash: [00:05:51] One hundred percent. I think it’s kind of a therapy thing that I’ve learned in the past in my life, but I try to implement it with my clients as well as kind of repeating back to you what I thought you said. So if you tell me that this is what you’re hoping for, this is what you’re aiming for. I want to repeat that back to you and be like, Hey, so I heard you say that this is what you’re wanting. And so this is how I’m thinking I’m going to bring that about. And I think that’s just like a helpful communication tool because they might go, No, that’s not really what I was hoping for. You know, it kind of opens up the floor to make sure everything is super clear.

Lee Kantor: [00:06:27] Right. That this is what I’ve worked with virtual assistants throughout my career, and this happens more times than I’d like it to happen, but it’s I think that that going back and forth and really being kind of granular at first to understand, OK, this is what I’m trying to accomplish. Kind of the big picture and then how you do this is less important to me as long as I’m getting this result at the end. But then you don’t want a month ago buy and go, Well, where’s my result? And then, you know, this person’s off in left field and they didn’t, you know, come close to what I was trying to get. So it’s a regular check ins, the regular kind of deliverable. So that is something delivered so I can see. Yeah, that’s right. Or that’s not right. And then do you do that as an organization? Is there like because I’m working with a virtual assistant? I would imagine as an organization, I’m hiring you and you’re hiring the assistant, right?

Caroline Rash: [00:07:24] Yeah. So we work in teams. So when we have a client, we kind of assess their needs and we assess who on our team has the the the strongest capability to handle that particular client. We really appreciate our our contractors and their skill sets. And so we say, OK, so-and-so over here would fit really well with this client. And then they they have a team, so they they make sure that they’re all communicating. But I might not necessarily be privy to every detail of what they’re doing, but I have a trusted member on my team who is making sure all of that communication is happening.

Lee Kantor: [00:08:04] And then you’re the person. If there’s an issue, I go to you and then you work with the assistant.

Caroline Rash: [00:08:10] Yes, absolutely.

Lee Kantor: [00:08:11] And then and I would imagine in growing this business is a chicken and the egg thing where you need to have assistance at the ready, but you’ve got to keep them busy. So how do you kind of work from that end of the continuum and in kind of attracting and keeping assistance?

Caroline Rash: [00:08:29] I will tell you that has been for sure one of our biggest challenges. We find ourselves facing the problem of needing more bodies all the time, and it’s a problem. But it’s also great because it means our business is thriving. So it’s something we’re thankful for, but it’s definitely a challenge. So we pretty much right now just have like running, hiring and we have somebody on our team who is great at like the hiring process and interviewing and making sure we always have candidates that are kind of in our back pocket that if we if we take on a really big client, we can make sure we have enough people at the ready for that.

Lee Kantor: [00:09:07] And then I guess your your assistants are your clients and your clients or your clients. Everybody’s a client, but you got to make sure everybody is happy, right? That’s part of the challenges of running a business like this.

Caroline Rash: [00:09:21] Yeah, it is. And that’s kind of it’s definitely a challenge. So we we don’t have those water cooler moments like you would get in a standard office setting. So we have to work really hard on building that culture and building those relationships is extra difficult virtually. So we make sure we have like regular check ins with our people too on our team, not just our clients externally. So that’s definitely a big part of what me and my husband do on any given day.

Lee Kantor: [00:09:56] Now, culture in an organization is something that, whether you are mindful about it or not, is going to happen. What are some of the values and key components of the culture at service?

Caroline Rash: [00:10:08] Well, we really want our team to know that we would not ask them to work more than a standard 40 hour week if they choose to. That’s they actually have to get that time approved because like, we really want to make sure people are being careful with their, you know, their mental health and like their family life. If anybody says, Hey, I’m going to take a day to go do something on, my team texted me was like, Hey, my coffeemaker broke, and I really want to go to this nice store to go get a new one. Can I take the day off tomorrow? I was like, Please, do we all need coffee? Like, we really value that sort of personal time and just sometimes you just need a day. So we try to really offer that to our team and make sure everybody feels rested and ready to go.

Lee Kantor: [00:10:58] Now what’s been the most rewarding part of this adventure? You know, you have an entrepreneur started something from nothing. Now the spouse is involved. Now you have kind of a family business and now you have workers and clients all over the place. What’s been the most rewarding part of the adventure for you?

Caroline Rash: [00:11:16] I think for me, it really has been our team. We have been so blessed with the people on our team. We there are people on our team I cannot imagine doing this with. It’s just the collaboration, the laughter, like the the ability to just relate to each other and work towards a common goal has been just such a gift and we are so thankful for that.

Lee Kantor: [00:11:41] Now you’re able to help your clients kind of gain more time. But you’re also able to help your teammates kind of gain a lifestyle that fits into their world and without leaving the house. What is a good assistant look like for you? What type of qualities are you looking for in an assistant for service?

Caroline Rash: [00:12:02] I think the main qualities are just like being creative and having critical thinking skills, like being able to take a problem and really look at it from all angles and make a solution without kind of having to be babysat throughout the process. It’s like somebody who I can trust to meet challenges head on and handle them is somebody that I would really value having on our team.

Lee Kantor: [00:12:29] So not just the person that’s like, Oh, give me a checklist and I’m going down the checklist. I’m not thinking, I’m just doing these 10 things you told me to do. You’re you want someone that maybe is another level higher of thinking and processing and project managing

Caroline Rash: [00:12:45] A hundred percent whenever somebody from my team says, Hey, I have thought about how we could do this better, I’m thrilled. That’s ideal for us.

Lee Kantor: [00:12:54] Amen to that. I mean, I think we’re all looking for that type of engagement and caring enough to think outside of the ten point checklist.

Caroline Rash: [00:13:04] Certainly, certainly.

Lee Kantor: [00:13:05] And so what’s next for you? What are you? What is kind of your growth plan look like, you know, through the remainder of this year and moving forward?

Caroline Rash: [00:13:15] Well, right now, one of our things is we’re really trying to emphasize our like our current clients, like we want to really make sure that they’re happy and get all systems go on them so that we get into a great rhythm because we’ve been growing really fast. So we want to make sure we’re in a good rhythm with our current clients, but we’re always looking for more. So we have a lot of networking ahead of us and a lot of just connections to be made, and we hope to keep growing at the rate we have been and that would be obviously ideal for us.

Lee Kantor: [00:13:50] Now are your clients like what kind of what is the what do they look like? Are they professional services or are they solopreneurs? Or are they creatives or are they coaches? Like what is? Is there a kind of a typical client or is it it can be anybody?

Caroline Rash: [00:14:06] Really, what I like to say is that it’s anybody who’s sort of at a crossroads. So if you have your own business and you want to grow it, but you’re not really sure what the next steps are or you don’t have time or for you if you have a business idea, but you don’t know how to get it off the ground, work for you. It’s really if you even if you’re just a freelancer and you just need help, it’s just if you are at a crossroads and something has to be done in order for you to meet your personal goals. That’s when we come in.

Lee Kantor: [00:14:35] And then so like if I have an idea for a business and I come to you and say, Hey, you know, I don’t know how to make a website or I don’t know how to make a landing page, or I don’t know how to, you know, put an email campaign like that’s something you can help me with. Or is it is it that kind of tactical or strategic as well of, you know, I’d like to do something in this industry and then you can help me kind of strategize like where to or is it all of the above?

Caroline Rash: [00:15:05] I want to say all of the above, really, it’s it’s if you I don’t know if you have a problem that we personally like, nobody on our team knows how to solve. Specifically, we are going to work our tails off to find somebody who can do that and bring them on. So if there’s like a particular tech program that you’re wanting to implement and none of us have used it before, we will find somebody who who can, you know, like we’re going to, we’re going to meet those needs as best as we can within our team. But I would also say the strategy part is is definitely something that we do. We want to sit down and and talk to you and think, like how? How can we how can we grow this? How can we what are steps we could take today that will start impacting tomorrow for you? So that’s that’s definitely something that we offer as well.

Lee Kantor: [00:15:57] And then as part of the team right now, like if I wanted help with social media or kind of website stuff, you have a team, you know creatively that can execute that. That’s kind of the basic day to day stuff you’re doing.

Caroline Rash: [00:16:12] Yeah, absolutely. I have like when you say that, like social media, I can think of somebody on my team right now who I would set up a meeting with you for at the moment. So it’s we definitely have a great pool of people to pull from, but there’s always going to be challenges. Come up that we’re not certain how to handle and we will make sure that it gets handled regardless.

Lee Kantor: [00:16:33] Good stuff. Well, congratulations on all the success. If somebody wants to learn more, have a more substantive conversation with you or somebody on the team. What’s the website?

Caroline Rash: [00:16:42] It’s W w w dot service and that is spelled CRV as

Lee Kantor: [00:16:47] C r Venus. Caroline, thank you so much for sharing your story today. You’re doing important work and we appreciate you.

Caroline Rash: [00:16:54] Well, thank you so much for your time.

Lee Kantor: [00:16:56] All right, this is Lee Kantor. We’ll sail next time on high velocity radio.