We were lucky to catch up with Cindy Souverain recently and have shared our conversation below.

Cindy, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?

As long as I can remember, one of my core values has always been helping people. If there was an opportunity to help someone, I would. My first job out of college was an in-home social worker providing developmental resources to underserved children. This allowed me to meet all kinds of people from diverse backgrounds. It brought me joy to see the life changing impact I was able to deliver. As I participated in networking events, I learned a lot of people were employees and business owners. They shared how they one day wanted to have their own freedom by leaving their jobs and solely working for themselves. I got a glimpse of what it looks like to start a business by talking to people. They would share how challenging it was to juggle all the parts of a business. Big companies have departments for finance, operations management and marketing. They have managers for these departments which include teams of sometimes hundreds of people. But when it comes to starting a business, it may just be the owner executing all these roles. They are responsible for maintaining budgets and bookkeeping. If they provide physical products they have to work on fulfillment and distribution. All while marketing their business to attract new clients. Having to wear multiple hats to run a business ,means a lot of sacrifices when it comes to time for family, self- care and the high risk of burnout. The most popular complaint was all the time administrative work took up. I decided then that my business, Clever Assist, would offer virtual assistant services to the busy boss. I would provide administrative services such as email and calendar management, invoice and contract tracking, event and travel planning. I thrive in serving on the backend. I am organized and very detailed. I execute my services with trust, professionalism and empathy. I want my clients to surrender the mundane tasks to me. I want to give them back their time to focus on themselves, family and other goals for their business.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

My name is Cindy Souverain, owner of Clever Assist. As long as I can remember, one of my core values has always been helping people. If there was an opportunity to help someone, I would. My first job out of college was an in-home social worker providing developmental resources to underserved children. This allowed me to meet all kinds of people from diverse backgrounds. It brought me joy to see the life changing impact I was able to deliver. As I participated in networking events, I learned a lot of people were employees and business owners. They shared how they one day wanted to have their own freedom by leaving their jobs and solely working for themselves. I got a glimpse of what it looks like to start a business by talking to people. They would share how challenging it was to juggle all the parts of a business. Big companies have departments for finance, operations management and marketing. They have managers for these departments which include teams of sometimes hundreds of people. But when it comes to starting a business, it may just be the owner executing all these roles. They are responsible for maintaining budgets and bookkeeping. If they provide physical products they have to work on fulfillment and distribution. All while marketing their business to attract new clients. Having to wear multiple hats to run a business, means a lot of sacrifices when it comes to time for family, self- care and the high risk of burnout. The most popular complaint was all the time administrative work took up. I decided then that my business, Clever Assist, would offer virtual assistant services to the busy boss. I would provide administrative services such as email and calendar management, invoice and contract tracking, event and travel planning. I thrive in serving on the backend. I am organized and very detailed. I execute my services with trust, professionalism and empathy. I want my clients to surrender the mundane tasks to me. I want to give them back their time to focus on themselves, family and other goals for their business. I am not just a virtual assistant. I am your cheerleader. I am rooting for you to crush your goals and reach limitless success. I want my clients to know that I see them, I hear them. I don’t only see them as business owners but real human beings. I will offer my best to support my clients in other areas outside of business because I know all parts of a person must be tended to in order to have an excellent quality of life.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

Early in my business, I did not make the client sign a contract or make a payment before delivering a service. I did this because I personally knew this person and I trusted that they would pay me for the service. Without watermarking my work, I sent the final deliverable to the business owner. The business owner raved about my work and was very satisfied. When I brought up the payment several times, they would tell me they would send it soon or give me an excuse. It was clear I wasn’t going to be paid. I took it extremely personally for a while because again, I know this person. I’ve learned to treat everyone as a client and not by any other role that they may play in my life. When it comes to business, no one is a sibling, friend or coworker. Everyone will be identified as a client and will be treated as such. It doesn’t matter who you are working with, always have clients understand and sign a contract. Always ask for a payment whether it’s a deposit or a full payment. You are to be taken seriously and you deserve to be treated with respect.

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

The most effective strategy has been simply talking to strangers about my business. Any and every opportunity I get, I share my business. Most of the strangers I meet are business owners and I always get comments like “ I could really use you.” and they ask for a business card. You may think digital business cards are the new trend but physical business cards are still valuable.i As someone who still has a 9-5, I no longer introduce myself as the title of my employment. I always introduce myself as a business owner. This helps build confidence and trust with potential clients.

Contact Info:

• Website: thecleverassist.com