"Be productive with the time you have" with Melissa Gamarra

Photo credit: Purple Moss Photography

Melissa Gamarra is a Certified Online Business Manager and Amazon Best Selling Author of the book, Transform Your Online Business into a Flourishing Enterprise. She helps female entrepreneurs scale their businesses by implementing standard operating procedures, streamlining systems and processes, project management, and business growth strategy. Melissa is also a wife and mother of two who started her business in hopes of helping others and providing a better life for her family. Outside of business Melissa enjoys cooking and physical fitness in addition to spending time with family and friends.

Can you tell our readers about your background?

If you asked my parents, they would say I hopped around a lot. I often jumped from job to job just trying to find the right fit. I originally thought I would be an OBGYN (I always had a passion for helping women), I started college with this in mind and soon found myself hating the field. Then I thought I would try accounting. I changed my college studies and soon after found a job working for a business lender. While working for this business lender I was responsible for managing hundreds of 3rd party contractors all over the USA. Little did I know that this was something I truly enjoyed and had a knack for!

What inspired you to start your business?

While working for this lender I got pregnant with my daughter. After realizing how impossible it would be to work 50+ hours a week, pay for daycare and keep up with my other responsibilities I started my own business. Being a business owner was something I had always wanted but never thought it would be possible for me. It just seemed unattainable, “you have no clue how to run a business, what would people possibly pay you for?” I would think to myself. But on a random Saturday while in my 3rd trimester of pregnancy I got this overwhelming urge to take the leap, so I did.

Where is your business based?

I am currently in Salt Lake City, UT in the USA. I work from my home in the suburbs and enjoy every bit of it!

How did you start your business? What were the first steps you took?

The very first step I took was figuring out what skills I had that could be a freelance service. I looked online for “freelance bookkeeping” because I knew that was something all businesses NEED. This led me down the rabbit hole of VA’s or Virtual Assistants. I found a woman named Abbey Ashley and paid the $1,000 to enroll in her course on how to start a VA business. After that, I registered my LLC with the Secretary of State to make it “official” so that I would be sure to follow through on my new endeavor.

What has been the most effective way of raising awareness for your business?

I grew my business through cold messaging on LinkedIn. This was a great opportunity for me to cut through the social media noise and let my ideal client know what I do. I also searched Facebook Groups for people asking about services that I provided. I would spend an hour a day reaching out to people and simply filling out “applications” for VA work.

What have been your biggest challenges and how did you overcome them?

One of my biggest challenges was learning how to properly set boundaries and say no to clients that aren’t a fit for me. I spent a lot of time and energy working with people who simply weren’t my style and I often found myself feeling resentful. That was until I started standing firm with regards to my working hours, my rates, and many other personal boundaries.

Another significant challenge was (surprisingly) my age. There were many times where people would outright question me on our discovery calls about my age and would say things like, “how can you possibly help me, you're so young”. For those of you wondering I am currently 26 and have been in business since I was 23. This just added fuel to my fire and made me want to succeed even more just to prove that I could do anything I set my mind to. This is still an ever-present challenge but over the years I have grown to care less about what others think of me and choose not to let their mental blocks phase me. That’s their problem, not mine!

How do you stay focused?

A tool I use to help me stay on track and focused on my goals is Asana. This is a task management tool that I use to time block my entire day and help me stay ahead of any upcoming deadlines. I often block out my day 24 hours prior so that I know exactly what needs to get done and don’t waste time getting my day started. Not only does this tell me exactly what to do it gives me that great sense of satisfaction once I complete each task and cross it off my list. It’s a great tool to keep me focused, on task, and wildly productive.

How do you differentiate your business from the competition?

I think everyone brings their own flair to the table. For me, it’s my personality. I’m not your typical hyper-organized number lover who is quiet and keeps to themselves. I have a large personality that some people love and some people hate, and that’s okay! This helps me make sure I work with only people who enjoy my style and differentiates me from most other Online Business Managers.

What has been your most effective marketing strategy to grow your business?

The most effective marketing strategy for me, in the beginning, was Direct Messaging on LinkedIn. Currently, my marketing model includes paid advertising, word of mouth, and a Facebook Group. Both of these models are effective but for someone just starting out, LinkedIn is a great way to build up momentum for super low (or no) cost.

What's your best piece of advice for aspiring and new entrepreneurs?

Be productive with the time you have! I am a big fan of time blocking to help me be productive and blocking in time to work on your business will help you stay focused rather than scrolling Facebook aimlessly looking for opportunities.

What's your favorite app, blog, and book? Why?

App: Asana by far, helps me stay organized, on task, and ahead of the curve when it comes to potential problems or deadlines.

Blog: Skinny Taste, because I love cooking healthy flavorful food!

Book: The Gratitude Diaries, this book changed my life and helped me pull myself out of comparison and “not good enough” mode through gratitude for my current situation.

What's your favorite business tool or resource? Why?

Google and Youtube are huge tools for my business which might seem overly simplistic but it is so important to me to figure things out. When I don’t have the answer to a question or problem these tools are great resources for figuring out how to overcome that issue. Most of the problems and thoughts we experience every day have been experienced before. Using search engines to help me figure out how those problems have been solved in the past is a huge part of how I built a successful company. If you don’t know how to do it, Google it!

Who is your business role model? Why?

Brene Brown is my role model because of the type of leader she is, her level of self-awareness, and her ability to help others achieve greatness. My favorite book of hers is Dare to Lead which really solidified my admiration of her and helped shape my leadership skills in the process.

How do you balance work and life?

A big part of work/life balance for me is having solid boundaries that I commit to honoring. I have specific working hours and don’t work weekends or on vacations. These are laid out in my contract and because I set ground rules upfront I rarely have to remind clients that my family time is off-limits for work. One of the most important pieces of having boundaries is committing to them yourself. It’s easy for me to set the ground rules upfront but if a client asks me to work on a Sunday and I continually oblige then not only does that tell the client I am not someone of my word but it also that they don’t have to respect my boundaries.

What’s your favorite way to decompress?

I really enjoy a nice bath with a book. It’s pretty much the only “me time” I get and it’s always super relaxing!

What do you have planned for the next six months?

My primary focus for my business over the next six months is growing my Facebook Group and filling my newly launched Group Program.

How can our readers connect with you?

You can join the Powerhouse Women’s Circle Facebook Group HERE, or check out my website at https://www.melissagamarramanagement.com and if you are interested in reading my best-selling book you can get it on Amazon HERE.