160: Ric Thompson - Done For You Solutions

# Episode 160 **Summary:** This week features a leaner, meaner Less Doing Podcast—no links, no special announcements, just a dynamite interview with Ric Thompson of [Done For You Solutions](http://doneforyousolutions.com/)—a game-changer of an organization within the virtual assistant space. **Special Announcements:** ## EO Vancouver On June 18th, join Ari at the Fairmont Waterfront Hotel in b-e-a-utiful Vancouver, B.C. as he takes the microphone for _EO Vancouver_. Enjoy this unique opportunity to watch Ari candidly discuss life as an Author, Speaker, Teacher and – most importantly – Achievement Architect. ## [EO Victoria](https://m.facebook.com/EOVictoriaChapter) Join Ari at one of the Entrepreneur Organization’s high-impact learning events in Victoria, B.C. Like EO Vancouver, this will undoubtedly be a unique opportunity to watch Ari candidly discuss life as an Author, Speaker, Teacher and – most importantly – Achievement Architect. ## [Fuel the Fire](http://www.ippa.net/content/index.php?view=details&id=6%3A2015+IPPA+Business+Excellence+Conference&option=com_eventlist&Itemid=54) Come watch Ari light-up the Drake Hotel in Chicago on Wednesday, August 5th as he delivers a rousing keynote speech for IPPA Business Excellence Conference: _Fuel the Fire_. This will be a great opportunity to watch Ari translate the lessons of Less Doing into terms business leaders can take to the bank. **Time Stamped Show Notes:** - 01:21 – Introduction of Ric Thompson, the founder of [Done For You Solutions](http://doneforyousolutions.com/) - 02:02 – Ric defines Done For You Solutions as a _team_ of VA’s rather than an individual VA - 03:10 – Ric has always surrounded himself with an excellent team, people always (jokingly) asked about hiring his team—an idea is born! - 03:35 – More frequently than not, Ric’s team is hired to do web development because “that’s the stuff no one wants to do or learn” - 04:01 – They’re also asked to do a lot of admin work—why?—because admin work is a time suck - 04:20 – Content for your business _needs _to come from a professional writer - 05:19 – If you’re an expert on something, outsource _everything _else - 06:08 – Ric’s team follows the distributed model (his team is all over the world) and leverages modern technology - 07:19 – The key to defeating outsourcing objections according to Ric?—clear communication - 08:17 – Delegation is not something you can just wake up and do—like anything else, it’s a skill that needs development - 08:20 – [Stephen Covey](https://www.stephencovey.com/) – The 5 Levels of Delegation - 08:45 – Most people want to start at level 4 or 5 of delegation - 08:57 – Delegation is a relationship - 10:48 – Steve’s Top 3 Tech Tools for successful outsourcing - 10:51 – Skype - 11:06 – Basecamp and Trello - 12:09 – DropBox - 12:30 – Entrepreneurs and small business owners want to get stuff DONE, but they tend to skip thinking things through - 13:30 – Ric is always focused on sales and hiring because he has outsourced all of his other tasks - 14:22 – Ric’s _Top 3 Tips to be More Effective_ - 14:28 – Own the proper mindset - 15:32 – You are NOT your business—to your business, time is a scalable resource but YOU are limited to 24 hours in a day - 15:52 – Keep dialing in your effective communication skills - 16:21 – [DoneForYouSolutions.com](http://doneforyousolutions.com/) **7 Key Points:** 1. Effective communication is 100% critical to the success of any outsourcing effort. 2. Surround yourself with a quality team and a quality business will quickly emerge. 3. Leverage modern technology to make your life easier. 4. Delegation is a skill that requires an investment of time and effort to master. 5. Never forget that you are NOT your business. 6. Content for your business needs to come from a professional writer. 7. If you are an expert at something, outsource everything else so you can focus on what you