Zirtual, the online service that matches you to an online office ‘virtual assistant’, caused panic and anger as it shut down without warning on Monday. Approximately five hundred members of staff reportedly found out they were unemployed by email. Some assistants had worked with companies and individuals for some time and found direct employment with those they had been assigned to, others left dangling, wondering if they still had a job. However, the panic may be over as it appears to have returned with an explanation, judging by their homepage here https://info.zirtual.com/service-update
The whole fracas did prompt me to consider one of the basic rules when going into business. The Business Entity. I embolden and italicise because it is an important issue. If I could do skywriting or express this in interpretative dance I would, but italics will have to do.
Things go wrong. It does not matter how well your business is run and how diligently you manage every sector of it. Things go wrong. The difference is in the professional approach. When things go wrong do you panic, shut things down without explanation and tear on out of there? Or does your business, as a separate entity, have contingency plans to deal with problems and disasters? If it is something you haven’t thought about, try it as an exercise now.
For example, my proofreading business is a service where multiple things can go wrong. I could get sick and not make a promised deadline. My computer could break down. Aliens could abduct me for scientific probing! Perhaps I don’t have a stock response for alien experimentation, but Sageprose Proofreading has contingency plans for likely, and possible, things that could happen to a proofreading service. I will not panic and ignore an issue, SageProse will handle the current issue.
Yes, your business is your baby, nurtured and treasured as it should be. But it becomes an entity in its own right, often legally so. It is wise, in my humble little opinion, not to respond personally or emotionally to a situation. Your business should have a clear option how to deal with most situations. No doubt you will be adding to this list as time goes by. Have those stock emails ready, understand the legal implications surrounding certain situations and be prepared. It is not you who will be dealing with a tricky situation, it is your business entity that will. Be clear what your business stands for and let it respond in the correct manner. You keep out of it. If you keep this in mind, perhaps your business will stay grounded. Staff and customers won’t be left confused and irate while you are huddled and gibbering behind a filing cabinet somewhere.
The whole fracas did prompt me to consider one of the basic rules when going into business. The Business Entity. I embolden and italicise because it is an important issue. If I could do skywriting or express this in interpretative dance I would, but italics will have to do.
Things go wrong. It does not matter how well your business is run and how diligently you manage every sector of it. Things go wrong. The difference is in the professional approach. When things go wrong do you panic, shut things down without explanation and tear on out of there? Or does your business, as a separate entity, have contingency plans to deal with problems and disasters? If it is something you haven’t thought about, try it as an exercise now.
For example, my proofreading business is a service where multiple things can go wrong. I could get sick and not make a promised deadline. My computer could break down. Aliens could abduct me for scientific probing! Perhaps I don’t have a stock response for alien experimentation, but Sageprose Proofreading has contingency plans for likely, and possible, things that could happen to a proofreading service. I will not panic and ignore an issue, SageProse will handle the current issue.
Yes, your business is your baby, nurtured and treasured as it should be. But it becomes an entity in its own right, often legally so. It is wise, in my humble little opinion, not to respond personally or emotionally to a situation. Your business should have a clear option how to deal with most situations. No doubt you will be adding to this list as time goes by. Have those stock emails ready, understand the legal implications surrounding certain situations and be prepared. It is not you who will be dealing with a tricky situation, it is your business entity that will. Be clear what your business stands for and let it respond in the correct manner. You keep out of it. If you keep this in mind, perhaps your business will stay grounded. Staff and customers won’t be left confused and irate while you are huddled and gibbering behind a filing cabinet somewhere.