More Dirt & Behind the Scenes – Another SIDEWAYS Tough Question Tuesday
We’ve done it in reverse and sideways, but today let’s bend to the other side for Tough Question Tuesday.I’ve known Mila Sidman for a couple of years, but started working closely with her about a year and a half ago. We’ve started with our All Private Label Content projects and were the original creators of the Moms Talk Network, which now has a great new owner (Yea Kelly!).
Anyway, Mila is one of the most motivated and sharpest marketing mamas that I know. She’s also a ”great writer” (as quoted by world-class copywriter Michel Fortin) and I am always in awe of her ability to manage all our writers at All Custom Content.
In short, Mila ROCKS and I’m thankful every day to have such an easy going…yet motivated business partner. That may sound like an oxymoron, but if you think about it, really it’s not. We both want to accomplish a lot, work hard to do it...but now family, sanity and health come first.
If you’d like to get inside the mind of this awesome business partner of mine, join us for Sideways Question Tuesday:
Ask her about working with me, any dirty little secrets she has on me, how she manages our team so well or even grab a few writing tips from her.
Just a few simple rules. - I know I have to be a party pooper sometimes, sorry! ;-)
Keep your questions short, sweet and to the point. Mila is a very busy lady, not to mention she is on the other side of the world, so keep your questions simple and precise so as not to keep her up too late!
Post your questions today (Tuesday) only. Mila will be around later today to answer your questions, so ask your questions and come back later to see what gleam of light she can shed for you.
Have fun!
13 Comments:
Mila,
I'd like to know how you respond to slow moving team members.
:)
Mila,
It seems that as each person gets more work to do, the hardest thing to do is turn down work or raise your rates to your current clients. Was this ever something you went through? What kind of writing do you prefer and why?
What were some of the thoughts going through your mind as you 1st thought about entering a partnership with Alice?
Alice, you're making me blush here! ;-)
Kelly, I'm firm and will usually set a deadline and then touch base about a day or two before the project is due... just to make sure everything's on track.
If they meet deadlines but are just a little slow moving then I give them less work since I know what I can expect from them.
Hi taz555,
I've gone through that quite a few times. I always think that once you have too much work then that means it's time to expand.
That's just the way I think so rather than turn down work, I just get help. I never take on work I don't feel I'll complete on time or that is outside of my abilities.
I think it's important not to overbook yourself... it won't do you any good in the long term.
I don't base my rates on the amount of work I'm getting though. I set my prices from the start and raise them accordingly to fit my business and the market.
I prefer copywriting because of the whole psychology behind it.
Great question Aurelia!
Well I was pretty happy to be working with her of course! But to be honest, it all happened so quickly I didn't have a lot of time to think.
I remember being very aware that I wanted to do a great job. It was also pretty cool to be working side by side with her since she was one of my first mentors online.
Ok, I'll be the one to ask it since no one else has...what is one of Alice's dirty little secrets? ;)
Hi Mila
When writers don't submit finished work on time, or fail to meet specs/deadlines, I get REALLY annoyed. And deal with them the wrong way. What's your style? What tips do you have for working around this limitation which seems built in to 'work from home' type helpers?
Thanks, Mila
All success
Dr.Mani
Money.Power.Wisdom
Roughly, how many hours do you work each day?
what is one of Alice's dirty little secrets? ;)
Hmmm... I was wondering who would ask that!
I'm not sure if it's a secret as such but when we talk about business stuff we're both very to the point and business like.
In other words we don't sweeten things or use fluffy language, we say what we need to say and both understand when it's time for business.
I think that's very important because when you work with someone even if you're friends you have to realize that business is business.
Alice has a great sense of humor and is a little bit even "quirky funny" in my opinion but when it comes down to business she has another very sharp and focused side.
I'm the same way which is probably why we work well together.
That's her secret... she's tough and very direct. To me those are important qualities for any entrepreneur.
Sorry no more dirt! She's actually very sweet i'm afraid ;-)
Hi Dr. Mani,
I know EXACTLY how you feel. I think this is just part of the job and what I tend not to take it personally... in a sense, it's terrible to say but I almost expect that it will happen.
It's so unfortunate but you're right this seems to be a limitation when it comes to home workers (not always of course, but definitely a lot).
What I do is:
Never respond in an emotional way. If someone really annoys me I'll wait a little while before responding.
Once I respond I state the facts and what I need. I'm clear on deadlines and so on.
I apply the same rules I do to my husband - he's always late for example, so if we have to be somewhere at 5 I'll say we have to be there at 4:15.
I do the same with workers.... I often make the deadline much earlier but don't tell them, this way if they're late I still have time to do something about it.
You know what. I've worked with contractors a long time and the thing I find works best is that if you're fair, honest and respectful people (on the whole) tend to do a good job.
If someone is going really well, I reward that. I tell them I appreciate them, give them regular increases (within reason of course)...
More than money even, people want to feel appreciated. They also want to feel they're part of something.
I cover both of those bases from the beginning and the rest sort of takes care of itself.
But if someone isn't a good fit I'm also very quick to spot it and fix the problem before it spirals out of control.
Then there are the people who are really good at what they do but tend to be late all the time. I allow a little flexibility for that and gently remind them often.
But no matter how good someone is, if they're not meeting deadlines eventually I will let them go. It's just not worth the stress to me.
And I've learned one unfortunate truth in life... everyone is replaceable.
When I work with my clients or anything I do, I work on that basis and I think most contractors would be smart to apply that same mentality.
No matter how good we are, we can always be replaced. I think some people don’t get that! ;-)
Hi Nell,
I work about 4 to 5 hours a day. I tend to take Friday's or Monday's off and then do some work early Saturday if I have a deadline. Although lately I haven't worked weekends.
On the whole I don't think I work more than 20 hours a week. Although, I have to say I worked about 70 plus at the beginning. It was very stressful.
I lost my balance - I barely saw my husband, didn't spend a lot of time with the kids and got to the point where I didn't do anything for myself... it was all work, work, work.
I know Alice can relate. I learned my lesson fast and started prioritizing.
I now go to the gym or run regularly. I take a day (or half a day) where that's just my time - I meet friends for coffee or read a good book, whatever I want to do. And my kids don't even see me working most of the time.
If you don't reward yourself for the little things it's soooo much harder to keep plugging away.
People always expect that I work more because of all the things I have going on but with a good system in place - good people to help, a routine, focused work time - the actual time I spend working is very little.
There are exceptions and times where I may need to double those hours but that's by choice really. Also there's extra time spent studying, planning and learning but I don't count that - it's fun! :-)
Anyways, I've written a book here to your short question but I wanted to provide a little insight into my days.
Because I've come so close to letting business overtake my life, I'm very passionate now about showing people that there is a smarter way to work and that you can actually work less and make more.
Thanks, Mila, valuable advice there - both in dealing with contractors and spouses who are habitually late ;-)
All success
Dr.Mani
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