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Failure is part of the journey

May 17, 2022 | Business, Getting Started with an EA, Mental Health, Productivity

You have to be willing to screw up. 

Whether you are a virtual assistant or an executive, a business owner or entrepreneur, the fastest road to success is being willing to bounce over failures. Not “bounce” like . . . Forget about them . . . or discount them . . . or say three positive affirmations in the mirror to yourself to make yourself feel better about them. 

No, not any of that. But rather, can you stand in the heat of knowing that failure is all part of the process of growth and expansion and success? Can you include it as part of the journey? Can you bounce back quickly and carry-on with your mission?

What finally had me put in my notice at corporate America after seven good foundational years at IBM (very grateful for those years in my late 20s and early 30s) was a paragraph in a book. The book was Cash Flow Quadrant by Robert Kiosaki. In Chapter 16. Page 232. He said this:

“Whenever I meet people who are afraid to ’try’ something new, in most cases the reason lies in their fear of being disappointed. They are afraid they might make a mistake or get rejected. If you are prepared to embark on your journey to find your own financial fast track, I would like to offer you the same words of advice and encouragement my rich dad offered me when I was learning something new:

“Be prepared to be disappointed.”

“He meant this in a positive sense, not a negative sense. His reasoning was that if you’re prepared for disappointment, have a chance of turning a disappointment into an asset. Most people turn disappointment into a liability – a long-term one. And you know it’s long-term when you hear a person say, ‘I’ll never do that again.’ Or: ‘I should’ve known I would fail.’”

So once I got that disappointment was going to be part of the journey and I settled with myself that I could handle that, I ventured out to be an entrepreneur. And I’m still taking my licks to this day. Every issue, every problem, every breakdown, every failure is simply illuminating what needs to be re-worked, re-jiggered, tweaked, thrown out, reconsidered. 

What I have accomplished is simply not getting as twisted up about it all. I don’t have to lament about it as long. I don’t make myself wrong, no flogging of myself. It’s simply part of the journey.

So stop beating yourself up and keep moving forward. Next time something like that problem arises again, you will be bigger, better, brighter and bolder in the face in it. 

~Gina Cotner

“I’ve missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. Twenty-six times I’ve been trusted to take the game-winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.” ~Michael Jordan

Finding Balance

Apr 21, 2022 | Business, Delegation, Mental Health, Productivity, Uncategorized

Our clients let us know on a regular basis just how organized their lives are, and how much stress has been removed from their daily existence because they have Rockstar Executive Assistant. We never get tired of hearing about it!

Having a right-hand person in your corner is fantastic, but there are also simple things you should do beyond delegating to ensure you have a balanced and fulfilling life.

This article outlines several things you can do right away to help relieve stress when you aren’t working, like truly shutting down when you’re home and setting firm boundaries.

What are some things you do to bring joy into your life and reduce stress that can come from your career?

Read more at ClevelandClinic.org

 

 

 

Hooked On Delegation

Mar 25, 2022 | About Athena, Business, Delegation, Getting Started with an EA, Productivity, Remote Work, Uncategorized

For the first few years of owning and operating this business I didn’t have an assistant. I was running a firm centered around the great benefits of having an Executive Assistant, but I had never had an Executive Assistant myself. It wasn’t really a problem, because I knew how to be a great Executive Assistant and I knew how to train others to be great in that role. However, the tailor had no clothes; the cobbler had no shoes.

A few years into the business, we had enough money that we could afford for me to utilize the services of one of our executive assistants. “After all,” I said to myself, “you could have one at wholesale pricing!” In the beginning it felt a little bit like stealing from the company, like I was taking office equipment back to my home to use it for myself.

I started slowly, delegating a little here and a little there. Soon I was hooked.

Now that I was no longer just the receiver of what others were delegating, and I was now the delegator, I got all new perspectives on the world of delegation! I understood the hesitance and the reticence of delegating. Should I? Shouldn’t I? Should I pay for somebody else to do this, or just do it myself? Should I take the time to explain this to my assistant? Will my assistant be able to figure this out? Will she hate doing this?

Over time, I began to delegate more and more, from all different areas of my life, and particularly from the key areas that I most recommended to the Executives we work with:

1. Things that you dislike doing
2. Things that are not in your zone of genius, not one of your superpowers
3. Things that, while they may be fun and enjoyable to do, are not the highest or best use of you
4. Things that you know in reality are going to take more than the 10-minutes you think it’s going to take

Here are some things that I’ve delegated to my EA that fall into those categories.

• Researching and ordering gifts for clients and staff
• Sending cards, emails, or gifts (birthdays, condolences, new baby, anniversary)
• Updates to the website
• Booking an airline ticket
• Going to Amazon to buy those “one or two” things
• Social media posts
• Invoicing clients and running credit cards
• Parts of onboarding a client
• Parts of onboarding a new contractor
• Researching vacation elements (hotel, airline, excursions, rental cars, where will you be able to play pickleball while you are there?)
• Ordering flowers for mom; Easter baskets for grandkids
• Getting off of company mailing lists

I often say to myself, “Don’t go there Gina; delegate it.”

That means don’t go to Amazon to buy one or two things, because before I know it, I’ll be there shopping around for something else that I just thought of, and something else. It’s better to have my EA shop for me, and then send me two or three options of what to choose from. Similarly with shopping for airline tickets. She does the research, then texts me “Gina would you like this option or that option?”. Then I pick and don’t get mired in “shopping around”.

~ Gina Cotner, CEO 

******

 

Looking for an engaging guest for your next podcast? Gina enjoys being a podcast guest and discussing items such as:  

  • Effective Delegation
  • How to turn over entire segments of your business process to someone else (so that you have more time off!)
  • How to have the balance in your life that you want

Click here to learn more about having Athena CEO Gina Cotner on your podcast or inviting her to present at your next virtual meeting, workshop or event.

 

 

 

 

 

 

When a Team Member Leaves the Nest

Mar 3, 2022 | About Athena, Business, Getting Started with an EA, Productivity, Remote Work, Uncategorized

If you’ve listened to any of the podcasts where I’m interviewed about our company and the VA industry at large, you’ve likely heard me answer the question, “So, how did Athena come to be?” And then I tell the tale. In the tale you learn that the first two people on payroll once we were officially incorporated were Dorian and Alison.

A couple years ago, Dorian was hired away by a client of ours and now the same ending has happened for Alison. In our client Master Service Agreement there is a Conversion Clause, which explains how a client can hire their contract EA as a full-time employee of their own company if they like (and if the EA would like). This has happened four times so far.

As I share here about Alison, you will learn new facets about our firm and the way we work. Meanwhile I couldn’t acknowledge and appreciate her enough!

Over the last almost-six years, Alison has served over 10 clients. They have included an attorney, a sales manager, a business coach, a website and brand designer, a CPA firm, a financial advisor, a couple of CEOs of small companies, a couple of executive directors of non-profits, and some others that I’m sure I can’t recall.

Sometimes prospective clients come to us simply looking for a Virtual Assistant (VA). They are shopping the VA industry. Some business owners come to us specifically because they have heard about the caliber of our services, and they are now in search of that (usually after another VA hasn’t worked out for them). Often times an executive comes to us because they have been interacting with one of our EAs who works for someone they do business with. They see this other professional and how they have an executive assistant making their business really hum. So, they come to us and say, “I need one of those!”

Finally, other people come to us and say, “I love what Alison provides for Matthew. Could she come work for me also?” They want that exact person. We usually have to say no, and then they say, “Do you have someone like her?” And why yes, we do!

And . . . that is our business for the last nearly-six years . . . finding another Alison and another Alison.

I’m proud of what people get to accomplish in their personal life and in other areas of life that are important to them while they are a part of our team. We know that if people are thriving in their personal life, then they will be a much stronger support for a swamped and successful executive.

Some fun facts about Ali’s life in her time with us:

• She continued to be a successful photographer while working with us. Over the years she raised her rates and started taking only the specific jobs she wanted. She started making more money for less work.

• Her son just turned 8. He was 2 when she started with us! So hard to believe! She was thrilled to be able to afford private school for him ever since pre-kindergarten.

• She separated from her son’s father and went on to create a really great co-parenting relationship with him. They are inspiring co-parents.

• She bought her first ever “brand new” car.

• She took nicer and longer vacations and went to a lot of great concerts.

Ali told me recently, “G, what I got was to be able to live a comfortable lifestyle on a single income.”

Needless to say I’ve been honored and privileged to have Ali on this team and to be someone whose performance as an EA was so strong that it was a large contribution to building the size and reputation of our firm.

 

 

 

 

Gina Joins the Authentically Successful Podcast

Feb 25, 2022 | About Athena, Business, Delegation, Podcast Appearance, Productivity, Remote Work, Uncategorized

Gina was recently featured on the Authentically Successful Podcast, joining Leadership coach and podcast host, Carol Schultz, to talk about her journey through various entrepreneurial ventures to arrive at Athena Executive Services. 

Gina and Carol speak about the barriers when growing a business, as well as the differences between what Athena offers and what inexpensive VAs are offering overseas.

Listen here: Follow Link

 

 

 

 

Alone Time is Quality Time

Jan 13, 2022 | About Athena, Accountability, Business, Mental Health, Productivity, Remote Work, Uncategorized

I need to be alone sometimes. I’m not mad. I’m not upset. It’s just one way that I refuel and rejuvenate. Once an only-child, always an only-child. And I think when you’re a Gen X only-child, that somehow makes you even more independent and seeking some alone time. Every afternoon like a good Gen X latchkey kid I had a couple of hours after school to myself. Sometimes I went to a friend’s house or there was soccer practice, but those couple of hours with Happy Days, Scooby Doo and Brady Bunch were fabulous! Never mind the graham crackers and orange juice snack I made myself.

I often came home to a list that mom had made in the morning before she went to work, of things I needed to do after school. Mostly likely defrost protein and other prep work for dinner. Then there were my general chores: bring in the mail, walk the dog, etc. But the name of the game was to do all that as fast as possible, so I could chill out in front of our 13” portable black and white TV that I moved all over the house.

This is a long way of saying, alone time can be very rejuvenating. I’m heading down to my place in Pismo Beach, CA next week by myself for a week. (Thank you awesome life partner John for having that be ok for you and your life.) I know other CEOs who rent a local AirBnB for a day or two just to hole-up and have quiet time in a different environment to think about, ponder and work on the future of their company.

There’s a lot less to think about and coordinate when it’s just you. That means more brain power can go to other areas of life that need your attention, creativity and focus. I encourage you to give it a try!