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Level 1 Virtual Assistant

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  1. Communication
  2. Reporting Time
  3. Navigating Our YouTube Channel
  4. Basecamp Basics
    2 Lessons
  5. Conclusion and Next Steps
  6. Content Factory Team Member Essentials
  7. Reliability
  8. Navigating Our Google Drive
  9. Cross-Posting Basics

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Participants 56393

  • Muhammad Arslan
  • 03r1785395627
  • 0567449659746
  • 06538167530345
  • 08060710406526
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What does a reliable team look like?

  • You don’t have to chase anyone.
  • There is frequent communication.
  • Team members are doing what they’re supposed to without needing to be micromanaged.
  • Team members are completing tasks with competence.
  • Team members are submitting reports.
  • Absenteeism is low.
  • Clients are happy.

Constant Pains

The biggest problem we face, have ever faced, and will continue to face, is a combination of reliability and competency. It’s the same challenge every company faces when working with young adults since you have to overcome low reliability and low competency– a deadly double compounded by the “Lambos and mansions” mentality and Dunning-Kruger.

These failures hurt us in many ways– we lose the ongoing revenue we would have had and develop a bad (but deserved) reputation for ditching clients.

The primary role of Operations is to ensure reliability

Competency and reliability– we need both. The primary role of Operations is to ensure reliability and should kick in only when necessary– like an emergency brake. The CEO, Dennis, is the last line of defense, so if he has to chase things, then something has gone wrong in multiple phases.

#RACI primarily addresses the reliability component, which is why #DDD and #CID together allow for graceful failure. Look at how FancyHands and Uber have models built on graceful failure. It allows them to scale even with unreliable and incompetent workers. Consider why they still function and how to process + enforcement is key to what we do. At scale, you’ll realize we face a process issue since training up elite internal folks doesn’t scale.

The Most Important Thing

Being reliable, more than anything else is the most desirable quality that any VA should possess. It is even more important than having skills. If you lack skills, you can go through training and gain skills. Reliability is a personality/attitude issue. It is something ingrained in you as a human being. If you’re not reliable yet, you can become one. It is never too late.

How To Be Reliable

Anyone can be reliable. It’s not Mission Impossible. However, it’s a personality issue, so it’s up to you.

If you want to have a great start at Content Factory or any other company, start with the following:

  1. Get access to everything (see Content Factory Team Member Essentials).
  2. Go through the 9 Triangles course after this.
  3. Complete the Academy courses. Read our guides. Follow our guidelines.
  4. Read the Operations Process Guide.
  5. Never click on “Request Access” on any document. Reach out to Operations folks to request access.
  6. Learn to bookmark stuff on your browser so that you can easily go back to them.
  7. Report on time every time. Follow your schedule as stated on the Team Roster.
  8. Follow the rules. For example, if you’re allowed a maximum of 3 hours for every task, don’t go beyond that.
  9. Follow our checklists.
  10. Know where things are (Google Drive, Amazon Photos, YouTube Studio, Basecamp, etc.), and learn how to find stuff. Familiarize yourself with our Team Roster, Asset Tracker, Operations Tracker, Client Tracker, 1,000 Tasks Library, etc.
  11. Reach inbox zero every day. Master inbox management.
  12. Respond to messages quickly. Don’t ignore messages. Practice active listening.
  13. Update clients frequently.
  14. Be mindful of #RACI always. Never message Dennis directly.
  15. Do tasks immediately. Don’t procrastinate. Report an iteration on Basecamp when necessary. Always include links. Never work on tasks that are not assigned to you.
  16. Go through the relevant training before doing a task. It should only take a maximum of two iterations before an output is considered perfect. VAs who require more than two iterations to deliver perfect output cannot stay on the team.
  17. When you say you’re going to do something, do it!
  18. Submit End-of-Day reports daily. Inbox management is not a task that we should include in our EOD.
  19. Never mark your Basecamp tasks as complete if you’re not a manager.
  20. Learn how to use Basecamp. Learn how to create a continuation thread. Never ping Dennis.
  21. Learn how to create and edit web pages on WordPress using Elementor, Thrive, and Cornerstone.
  22. Inform your team lead if you’re going to be absent.
  23. Attend meetings when your presence is required.
  24. Know what we do and what we’re about. Learn digital marketing.
  25. Complete this course.
  26. Be consistent!

Reminder: The Asset Tracker is our single source of truth. All our courses, guides, web pages, etc. are documented there. Learn how to use and update it.

Note: VAs are not allowed to run competing services while working for Content Factory. It’s not that we don’t want them making extra money– but that our experience has been when they go outside our program, they get into trouble being able to deliver solo, instead of as part of our team framework.

Freelancers have no support system– no senior people to escalate/QA for help, no proven framework, and no team to cover all skills necessary. They are also likely to neglect their core job and then aren’t able to deliver.

This does happen often with young adults, who believe social media marketing is deceptively easy.