We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Leah Alfonsin a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Leah, thanks for joining us today. Risk taking is something we’re really interested in and we’d love to hear the story of a risk you’ve taken.

Starting my current business was a big risk for me. At the time, I was working for a company that I loved and supported me in my personal and professional growth. Over 12 years, I built relationships with co-workers and got to meet a lot of really great people that are still in my life today. But something was missing. I knew I was comfortable where I was and the only way I was going to continue to grow as a person was to build something of my own. I am grateful to have a husband and family that supported my decision to take some time off from my job of 12 years and start fresh. I took a year sabbatical to focus on building my own business. To be honest, I had no idea what I was doing, all I knew was that I wanted more freedom in my life to spend with my young kids and travel when I wanted and not spend holidays stressing over deadlines. I had heard from my sister about this thing called, a virtual assistant. I started by taking a course and learning the ins and outs of the online world. It was fascinating and challenged me in new ways. I got my first client from Linkedin and continued to say yes to every opportunity that came my way. I quickly built my business by learning what I liked and didn’t like, what I was good at and where I could delegate and what kind of people I enjoyed working with. Although I wasn’t making the same kind of money I was making in my previous job, I chose to not go back after my year was up. I focused on new ways to scale my business by adding a new certification and reaching new higher end clients. Today, I have 5 clients and they are all so different. I enjoy learning about new businesses and how I can support them in growing and developing their teams. Over time I used my skills of people development and business strategy to offer new solutions to my clients. I continue to pivot as the business needs. I still have some growing to do and niching down to find my true north star.

Leah, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My name is Leah and I am an entrepreneur, runner, avid coffee drinker and mom of two little girls. I am a certified online business manager and I help entrepreneurs simplify and systemize their business operations and grow and develop their teams so they can live a life they love. I started off as a virtual assistant as a side hustle to earn some extra money and see if it could be something to replace my 9-5 job. I offer business strategy calls, 90-day implementation plans, project management, system setups and hiring and onboarding for business owners. I work with brick and mortar stores such as boutique retailers and online businesses such as coaches and event planners. My role is to work side by side the business owner and help keep them focused on their priorities that will bring them their biggest ROI. I help audit their backend systems to create efficiency so that business owners aren’t spending so much time on the administrative tasks. I will look at their teams and see what can be delegated, who they need to hire, and who may need to be let go. The one problem I hear often is that businesses can not keep quality employees/contractors or can not seem to find the right people to hire. I will help create job descriptions, applications and vet candidates that will fit their businesses. The next step is to create a onboarding for new hires that will “wow” them month over month. People want to grow and want to feel invested in. By creating this plan for business owners it takes the guess work out of their training process and allows them to apply a simple and efficient plan that will have a big impact on their business.

What sets me apart from others is that I have 12 years of people development and business strategy experience. I know what it is like to hustle and grind to build a business. I know how to coach and develop others to meet their goals through feedback and communication. If my client isn’t winning then I am not winning. My core values are fun, integrity, and compassion. I believe in having fun and being personable. I like to build relationships with my clients and get to know them not only a business level but a personal level too. I want to know your birthday, favorite drink etc.

How do you keep your team’s morale high?

People want to know that you are invested in them and that you understand them. Get to know how your people work, communicate and like to feel acknowledged. Not everyone likes gifts, some people like to be acknowledged in front of others and some just need a short note to say “thank you”. Be specific with your team when you acknowledge them. Share what it is they are doing well and the impact is has had on the business, other teams, you as the business owner etc.

Get in the habit of using radical candor and share with your team in the moment. Feedback is so important and should be given daily. Your team should always know where they stand and there should never be a surprise. If a team is not performing up to your expectations, ask yourself why and what do they need? More training? Feedback? Refresher course?

Create consistency among the team and do the same for each person. If you are giving one person feedback, make sure you are giving it to everyone. If team morale is low, take a moment to meet with everyone and ask questions. Get to the root of the issue and ask your team what do they want to see. Get them involved and let them offer their opinions. This helps them feel invested in and that they are able to contribute to the business.

Where do you think you get most of your clients from?

For me, it is social media, which is funny because I am not the biggest fan of social media. I am constantly in FB groups and reaching out through IG. It is all about building a relationship. No one wants someone sliding in to their DMs to say “hey, I can help you do XYZ” when they have never “met” the person before. I like to take my time and understand each client I would like to potentially work with. I see who they have on their team, what they are doing in their business, have they posted a new service recently or an issue they are experiencing. I take notes and then after commenting and liking a few things I send a DM. I share what I have observed and what I could potentially offer them to help grow their business. It doesn’t always come back with a YES, but I do book more discovery calls this way which is where I can focus on selling my services.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.leahalfonsin.com
• Instagram: leah.alfonsin.biz
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lmelvin2
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/leah-alfonsin-1360b

Image Credits
https://www.instagram.com/photo__kc/ Photo_KC -> TAYLOR DOUGLAS