When the Boss Gets Sick: Part 2

Yesterday I talked about how I use auto responders and auto reply emails to notify clients and potential clients that I am out of the office.  This is a great way to notify people that I am out, but not so great if a client has an emergency that they need taken care of.  This is where a back-up plan comes into play.  I have two back-ups that are still in theory/idea form, because I have not needed to utilize them.  One is a virtual assistant and the other is a relationship with other freelancers that do the same thing I do.

For the most part, freelancers get along with each other and some in similar fields work together and help each other out when needed.  Some send overflow work to each other and others step in when someone is sick or unable to facilitate their client’s needs.  While we are technically competitors, in my own my mind, we are not.  In my field in particular, I feel that each designer has a particular design aesthetic that shows in their portfolio and body of work.  Design is often subjective.  What appeals and looks great to someone, may look dreadful to someone else.  There is a reason why my client’s choose me and a reason why others choose someone else.  For that reason, I do not see my fellow freelance graphic designers as direct competition.  Plus, I also believe that what is for me, is for me and what is for them, is for them.

I respect them and their work and when I work with other freelancers on their client’s projects, I am careful to try not to appear like a separate entity if I have direct contact with the end client.  Recently, I played a back-up role for a freelancer (really, she is an agency) that needed to take a leave of absence for a new bundle of joy on a couple of projects.  She had a team of back-ups that stepped in to keep her business running smoothly, clients happy and work flowing while she was out.  It was kind of awe-inspiring for me to see how the relationships she had developed and fostered turned into something that was kind of beautiful.  All of us lending a hand to help someone like ourselves, a small business owner that needed to take time off.  I hope that if I had a similar need, the relationships I have developed would do the same.

My other back-up idea is more for communication and admin purposes: a virtual assistant.  All of my client files are stored in “the cloud.”  My theory is that if a client had an emergency and needed to have a file sent, something looked up, information, etc., that could not wait until I was back at work, a virtual assistant could help to facilitate those needs.  My theory is that they could use one of the (many) email addresses I have set up and I could include this address as a point of contact for emergencies in the auto responder email.  Because my files are in the cloud, I could give them access to look up information or send files to clients.

Thankfully, I have not had to put any of these theoretical plans into action, but it does make me feel good to know that there is a plan in case I need it.

Do you have any plans in place for running your business when you cannot physically do so?