Episode 4

Special Guest, Carrie

Wilkerson

www.TimeFreedomBusiness.com

About Melissa

• Wife & mother to 2 active kids and one crazy dog

• Loves to watch her kids play sports and is their #1 cheerleader

• Successful product creator & JV partner

• Runs 5 different membership programs

• Blogger & podcaster

About Carrie • Published author

• Popular speaker• Business Consultant• Devoted wife &

mother of 4 kids• Learn more about

Carrie at www.CarrieWilkerson.com

“How do you manage to travel to live events while

also managing your business and being a rock

star mom to 4 kids?”

• Perception is HUGE – I was usually never gone more than once per month

• My husband was always home with the kids and I was never gone for more than a few days

• Now my mastermind group comes to me

• We DID have an au pair for a while but mostly because I needed a 2nd driver

• At the time I was running 3 businesses and all 4 kids were home, plus my oldest has special needs

• But I found that it was difficult…it was easier to just rearrange my schedule & do the driving myself

• I love to cook! It’s like therapy for me

• I need a hobby that totally pulls me away from all electronics & all business…I need total immersion!

• I don’t think there’s any such thing as balance…it’s really just what works for you

“I absolutely love that…”

Balancing is tough & it changes over the years based on your family’s

needs

“Even my business has changed as my kids have

gotten older…”

“I know you do a lot of outsourcing but what kinds of tasks do you outsource?”

• I have 2 transcriptionists who I love

• I outsource my graphics, even though I have a degree in desktop publishing & know those software

• And my assistant handles customer service for me…she’s my front line & screens things

“It is just faster and easier and cheaper time-wise to

have someone else dothese things for me.”

• I also have a web tech team to help with site backups, security, HTML…

• I don’t have a huge team…it’s not a big infrastructure

• I use outsourcers so I’m never held hostage in a situation or can’t get something done

“What’s your opinion about having a virtual team vs having physical offices &

staff?”

• I don’t like to manage people & I think outsourcers who aren’t on salary or retainer make more efficient service providers

• I also think it depends on your style…I don’t want to pay for office space & I want to be home with my family

• For me, it’s an ideal situation

“Do you set hours for yourself so you can work

undisturbed?”

• Once a week I block off my obligations on my calendar, starting with mandatory tasks first

• Then I block off family obligations on the calendar

• When the kids are home, I have my ‘Power Hour” where I close the door after giving them their own tasks to work on

• I never make the Power Hour longer than 1 or 1 ½ hours

• Know what works for your family and adjust the time as needed

“Do you work a certain number of hours each day

or does it vary?”

• It really depends on if I’m traveling & what the kids’ schedules are like

• I generally don’t like to take calls or do work in the car while my kids are there…I want to be present & focused on them

• If I want the kids to respect my work time at home, then I respect my free time with them

“I totally agree with that! I have the most amazing conversations with my daughter in the car.”

“When you’re working, how do you stay focused &

productive for such a short period of time?”

• I turn off ALL my notifications…email, social media, phone ringers…

• My Power Hours are uninterrupted – no coffee breaks or bathroom breaks – just working on my goals

• Do that 4 times a week & you’ll surprise yourself!

“Do you set a timer for your Power Hour?”

Yes, I use a kitchen timer so I can hear the ticking…the sense of urgency helps me

focus & be productive

“Do you use any other tools?”

• I just use Gmail Calendar

• I don’t use any other system where you have to log in separately

• I have business & personal activities on there & my assistant has access to it…she can see what time slots are open

• I also use Time Trade for my coaching clients or interview calls

• They have access to only certain parts of my calendar

• It prevents us from going back & forth or having problems with time zones

“Going back to outsourcing…

how did you find your firstservice providers?”

• Word of mouth has always been best for me

• You can find people on Guru, Ebay or Elance but I prefer to ask people in similar industries for their recommendations

• That’s how I found my assistant & transcriptionists

“When you bring on a new service provider, how long does it take to get them

acclimated to your business?”

• I don’t do traditional hiring so my outsourcers aren’t ingrained in my business

• They are hired to do a job and then they’re done

• I don’t have to do any training…I just say what I need and the job gets done

• HOWEVER…I’ve had my assistant for about 6 years & she helped me build a lot of the business

• Replacing her would be very difficult but now she’s making checklists for repetitive tasks & we have operating procedures

• For instance, we have steps outlined for how to set up interviews, webinars or teleclasses

I think people are afraid to outsource because they

think it takes a lot of training & it’s too

overwhelming.

“Do you have any last tips?”

• Don’t wait too long to get help

• Don’t over-obligate yourself with people on salaries

• Don’t just hire someone because they’re a friend or because you know they need a job

• Use tools or software to automate some of your tasks

Want to Learn More About Building a Business that Supports Your Need for

Freedom?

Go to Melissa’s Website at:www.TimeFreedomBusiness.com