We were lucky to catch up with Ashley Carlson recently and have shared our conversation below.

Ashley, appreciate you joining us today. One of the things we most admire about small businesses is their ability to diverge from the corporate/industry standard. Is there something that you or your brand do that differs from the industry standard? We’d love to hear about it as well as any stories you might have that illustrate how or why this difference matters.

As fractional/super-part-time admin support professionals for small business owners, entrepreneurs, and busy executives, we don’t just get the tasks done. Our team is passionate about building strong foundations for our client’s businesses, to sustain the growth they are striving for! We work based on the belief that one day, our clients will need to hire a full-time admin/operations support person and we want them set up for success for that day.

So one of the most important things we do is build a robust Admin Handbook custom to their business. As we work and get the job done, we also document processes in SOPs, write best practices, build template libraries, build checklists, etc. This resource is invaluable so that the full-time role that fills our shoes down the road now has a manual to set them up for success!

As we go through this process, we usually also uncover gaps in processes, areas for automation, etc. Just another reason that this is our secret sauce for our clients!

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

As I look back on my career, I realize that I have always been drawn to and excelled in this type of work. Whether a receptionist, Catering Sales Manager, Travel Agent, or Executive Assistant, I love providing a feel-good client experience, problem-solving, and establishing processes!

Do you have any insights you can share related to maintaining high team morale?

Communication is at the top of the list. You can’t fix what you don’t know about. And without understanding my team and their needs, I can’t offer the best available to our clients. We also treat our team members like our clients. We give them gifts at special milestones, celebrate their successes with individual clients among the team, and give them opportunities to work independently to get things done. At the same time, we have the full support of the entire team behind each person if they need something.

Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?

We focus on the client experience. Our big goal is to give each client a unique experience that is tailored to their business needs. This gives us a chance to grow with our clients and continue to provide them with the best possible solutions available.

What I learn about the client in the discovery and onboarding phase, I can share with their assigned assistant and the process continues. The client’s executive assistant will listen for details in meetings and watch their calendars for special dates. This gives us a chance to celebrate with them while also reminding them to rest and enjoy these activities.

Giving the best to our clients makes them want to refer their friends and that is a win-win for us.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.elevatevbsolutions.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elevatevbsolutions/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elevatevaservices
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashleymcarlson/

Image Credits
Mandy Liz Photography