Abaminds Entrepreneurs

Karen J. O’Brien has over 20 years of administrative experience. She and her husband run The KanDo Organization, which is a group of 3 companies: KanDo Virtual Administration Services, KanDo Mobile Notary Service and KanDo Taxes and Bookkeeping.

Below she tell us what it is like to run a 3-company organisation.

- The KanDo Organization is formed by 3 companies. Does this division make the business administration easier? If so, how?

Actually, the 3 companies are distinctly different. My husband is the enrolled agent who operates KanDo Taxes and Bookkeeping. I operate both KanDo Virtual Administrative Services and KanDo Mobile Notary.

There is some overlap in the admin and notary businesses in that I’m a freelance legal assistant and so get referrals to that business from contacts made while performing notary services. Otherwise, they are separate for marketing and accounting purposes.

So the answer to the question is, no, the administration is not easier.

- How does the current economic crisis affect your business? Is any of the KanDo companies more affected than the others?

Since our businesses are needs based, I haven’t seen any real effect from the current economic climate. True, the notary signing business has been slower because people seem to be waiting til the dust settles before refinancing their homes, etc., but overall, the workflow and income levels have remained consistent.

- At KanDo Virtual Administrative Services, you offer time-saving solutions. How do you manage your own time in order to take care of your clients’ demands?

I try to keep my office hours between 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. CST. I usually don’t have a problem with clients contacting me outside those hours. What I do for my time depends upon the urgency of the projects I’m working on. For instance, right now I’m editing a book for one client, and ghostwriting a book for another. My internal clock makes me more creative in the early morning (5:00-7:00 a.m.) and depending on the day, again later in the evening (7:00-10:00 p.m.). So I get what I call the busy work (bookkeeping, data entry, transcription) done during normal hours and the creative when my juices are flowing.

I can work these hours because it’s only my husband, three dogs, the cat and four parrots. No kids who require attention, transportation, etc. I know that’s not the norm for others who work from home or freelance.

- Apart from clients, which are the companies you typically do business with?

I participate in several networking groups, both online and offline, where I meet and network with people both in my field and others. I try to work with local companies to benefit us both, and have received and given referrals.

I share an office space with my husband and another, unrelated accountant (for when I need to meet face-to-face with a client), and interact with the people in that office building. I also work with a temporary service, and have made profitable contacts through them.

- How is your business impacted by seasonal events?

Typically, around the end of the year, both the notary signing and admin businesses slow down. In the summer, both pick up. Around the first of the year, people start contacting me to “get organized” for the coming year. (Why they don’t think about that in October or November, I haven’t figured out yet, except that they are only concentrating on the holidays.) I do get more calls for notary on Powers of Attorney, Wills, and Living Wills during the holidays, probably because families are together more then.

- Where do you find your clients?

A majority of my administrative clients come from word-of-mouth or my business card left somewhere. Those cards are my BEST advertisement, and I leave them on the table when we eat out, any bulletin boards I see other cards left on, and any other place I think I can. I always give at least two or three to anyone I work with, asking them to pass one along. I get a lot of calls for notary from both the yellow pages and the internet.

Classified ads have not been productive for me. I have advertised in little local “throw away” magazines and other print media, and not received a good return, so I don’t do that anymore.

I am considering postcards and writing newsletters, both online and off, and blogging. However, I haven’t taken the time to get those started yet. Those would be directed to current clients, which would hopefully increase the number of referrals—my favorite source. I have a LinkedIn page, but don’t really work it like I should.

From one Karen (the interviewer) to the other (the interviewee): many thanks for your answers!

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