We recently connected with Melanie Ammerman and have shared our conversation below.

Melanie, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Owning a business isn’t always glamorous and so most business owners we’ve connected with have shared that on tough days they sometimes wonder what it would have been like to have just had a regular job instead of all the responsibility of running a business. Have you ever felt that way?

I am very happy being a business owner. I have had brief (very brief) instances where I’ve questioned that – is the load and uncertainty worth the freedom and fulfillment it provides? Those instances were so brief because my automatic intuitive reaction is always a resounding “yes.” The questioning comes in mostly when there is a move we need to make, but I’m not sure what the right move is that will help the business continue to thrive and support all the people within it. That thought also has come in when there is a difficult situation that needs to be addressed that is also surrounded by uncertainty as you are affecting people’s lives a lot of time. Both scenarios weigh heavily because while we do have to put the business first a lot of times to protect it and all that’s within it, we, as business owners, do still have hearts for how our business decisions affect other people. It’s really great to have a business partner that’s a counterpart for making the tough calls, and at our company, we always say “everything is figureoutable.” So, we have the attitude that we will solve the problem in the best way that we can that makes the most sense across the board. We have found that even if a decision that was made wasn’t the best one, we are able to pivot and correct at that point. We don’t have the mindset of giving up and we will always make the changes that’ll set us on the better path forward.

Melanie, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I started my career doing various jobs, including some administrative work. When my business partner and I decided to start a company, the idea was that it would be a side gig for us each to make some extra money at the time. We quickly realized there was a strong need for our services in the small business community and as the business grew, I grew with it and really loved the strategic thinking, creative freedom, and leadership opportunities it provided me. We say that we are accidental entrepreneurs because it feels like that with out we started, but I do think there was intention and intuition that guided us along this path. Our clients are typically small- to medium-sized business owners and entrepreneurs that need the extra hands as they grow to support with the necessary daily back-office and social media tasks so they can focus on the work they love doing and/or growing their business more. Our team of remote talent comes in to take some of the stress load off our clients and free up their time, and to help propel their business to the next level because they have more support to get more done, but aren’t breaking the bank for it. I’m most proud that our company advocates and supports people living the lives they want – this is both for our virtual team and our clients. My business partner and I really value freedom and doing what we can to lead fulling lives, and we get so much joy helping others get the same out of life. We really love the entrepreneur space because it brings so much good, creativity, and innovation to the world, and we really focus on the humanity of it all with the broader picture of someone’s full life we are supporting.

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

I have two main pieces of advice for managing a team and maintaining high morale. One is to make sure to set them up for success as much as possible up front. Making sure people are in the roles that fit them well, they are well-suited for the company culture, and they have the training and support to help them excel in their job. This can be very tough at times because there is a learning curve for each person and sometimes changes need to be made after relationships are built. But, if everyone is set up for success in these ways, the company can thrive because everyone is feeling their best and can offer their expertise to the business. The second piece is to consistently remember to celebrate wins. It’s easy to get caught up on what needs to be fixed or what went wrong, but keeping morale up requires there to be more positive feedback given. So, I would say noticing and appreciating even the little things goes a long way. Team members then feel seen and gratitude for what they’re putting forward.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

The main story of resilience for our business comes from 2020 when COVID first hit. With lockdowns and cashflow slowing down, we lost almost 70% of our business in two months. My business partner and I had to make really fast tough decisions and have some really hard conversations with our team members. Thankfully, most of our team members understood and were willing to do what it took until we got back on our feet as a business. We offered some drastic strategies for sales externally and we just worked really hard to find the business still out there. Eventually, we got our footing back and we learned we were able to make good, albeit hard, decisions to keep the company alive when needed.

Contact Info:

• Website: vavavirtual.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vavavirtual/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vavavirtualassistants
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melanieammerman/ AND https://www.linkedin.com/company/va-va-virtual-assistants/
• Twitter: twitter.com/vavavirtual
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/vavavirtual