#BWSMAGAZINE
DO IT THE SMART WAY Sarra Bejaoui is the co-founder and managing director of SmartPA; providers of outsourced admin, business support and training services to businesses across the world. An innovating, motivating and nurturing leader who has grown her vision of transforming the way admin support is valued into the global business that is SmartPA
My top 5 tips for success are:
Sarra has grown from humble beginnings to a female business figurehead who is focussed on supporting her team, fostering talent and driving performance. Believing that you are a product of your decisions, not your circumstances, Sarra’s ambition saw no limits from a young age.
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“Running a business is such a pleasure and a privilege, but it is hard work. When you sign up to start a company be prepared for the longest hours and the biggest challenges you’ve ever faced. That said, the rewards and the joy make it more than worth it. My drive to run my own business really came from my younger years. I come from a fairly humble background and have always been determined that I wanted to live a different lifestyle and better myself along the way. The experiences of my childhood were filled with happiness and joy, but living week to week was certainly tough and it is often these earlier times that I draw on to remind me why I do what I do and to maintain my motivation and my drive.”
To be aware of your own knowledge gaps and embrace those who can fill them. Your culture and values need to be at the core of everything you do. Be prepared. Anything can affect your business and these big changes can happen overnight. Whether it is a natural disaster or the Coronavirus, you need to have contingencies and a crisis management plan on paper. Adopt a growth mindset. Be willing to learn new things, embrace new ideas and understand new viewpoints. Be the best version of yourself. Always make sure to take time to relax, switch off & recharge.
Likewise with your supply chain, make sure you have the right brands with the right values in alignment; in the early days you can’t necessarily afford to employ the people you need so outsourcing or using suppliers can be an incredibly cost-effective way to supplement your knowledge and skills for less of a financial commitment.”
“For my own business, I was actually the first SmartPA. My vision was to create a PA service focussed not on what we did, but how we did it; to change the way the PA sector was perceived, experienced and valued. Now we have grown to have nearly 300 PAs in 15 different countries supporting over 2500 clients with both day to day admin and support tasks and consultancy, training and other outsourced services.” SmartPA are the leading experts on outsourcing, PAs and business support and have supported over 2500 businesses world-wide. With rapid growth over recent years, their mission stays the same – to disrupt and transform the way the world does business by creating an inspired community that values high performance, a positive impact and personal wellbeing. Made up of an internal Edinburgh-based team, and a tribe of over 250 SmartPAs across the globe, Sarra has led the way in establishing cohesive values that represent our collective purpose and the joint mission to transform the value of admin support across the world.
To future proof the business and make sure that the people of SmartPA always have their finger on the pulse, their innovation plans are to grow their training academy with a range of courses that will become accredited and industry standard. SmartPA are currently going through the process of having their training accredited by the SQA and SCQF – with future plans to develop a marketplace where these courses will be hosted and can be used by all, rather than just for prospective team members. “Our purpose is to disrupt the industry and create a new norm of women in leadership; we already have 6 female heads of departments in the business. We aim to inspire and empower, remaining a people-centric organisation and pushing to eradicate the phrase “just a PA” by showcasing exactly how valuable assistant and administrative services are to business growth and success” SmartPA are leading the trend and setting new standards in an ever-growing industry. As businesses continue to look for cost saving methods and are keen to adopt modern but ethical trends, the need for a SmartPA in every business becomes growingly apparent.
“Our people are at the centre of everything that we do and one of our core drivers is to empower individuals to become the best version of themselves and achieve whatever success looks like to them. As a business leader, you do not need to be the smartest person in the room. The trick to good leadership is recognising the skills that you don’t have and finding the right person who can fill that space. You can’t be everything for everyone, so it is important to surround yourself with experts who share in your vision and commitment to a shared purpose
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