I have been running StartupNation now for a year and a half without an assistant. The transition was a little jarring. You get spoiled having an assistant.

 

My favorite part of having one was the travel planning. I would come in to work in the morning knowing that I had to travel in the afternoon, would notice a folder on my desk with my name typed on it, open it up, see the boarding pass, hotel information, driver information, see a list of very important logistical phone numbers that would be important during the trip, have an itinerary with times, GoogleMaps, special notes about travel time, etc.

 

Basically, it was an incredible luxury and destressed the mayhem that traveling often represents. But gone is the assistant and back in my lap is the planning of all of my own travel. I've gotten used to it, of course, as if I was never coddled at all by an assistant. But sometimes I look back at "the good old days."

 

I started this post because I'd like to learn what ONE THING--the FIRST THING--you'd ask an assistant to do. Schedule travel? Write thank-you's? Get people on the line? Pick up Fido from doggie daycare?

 

Let's have it!

#1- why is she/he gone?

 

#2- are you crazy.....get another......hurry up!

 

I could not do what I do best.....my business..... if I had to do all the mundane stuff mine does.

kim,

 

i do recall getting a call from your assistant recently - making sure your schedule was organized while you were away from the office. JEALOUS. maybe it's time for me to get a Virtual Assistant...

 

Rich,

Great question!  I had to sit and think about it for a few minutes.  It's been a couple of years since I've had an assistant that was just mine.

 

Man, it would be great to sit down and discuss my goals, target dates, the main players involved in those and then creating a way for the assistant to help me communicate regularly with those people that would maximize my time.  I would start at the high-level so the assistant would understand the overall goals and needs of the company and myself.  THEN, I would start dealing with the more tactical stuff, (i.e., filing) and progressively delegate a lot of that kind of stuff and how to best get those things done so it's no longer a concern.

 

I know I'm talking about more of an Executive Assistant.  But, hey, Rich, does a Startup ologist deserve any less?