In this podcast, Alexis Schomer discusses how she co-founded Your Startup Operations with Jenna after they met at a women's entrepreneurship event and bonded over their shared love of motorcycles.
Their business provides virtual assistant services with a focus on creating comprehensive SOPs for small businesses, particularly in the home services, entertainment, and financial sectors. They also offer influencer marketing services that specialize in product trade collaborations, differentiating themselves through their hands-on approach to training, quality assurance, and building direct relationships between brands and creators.
How Alexis and Jenna Met
- Connected at a women's entrepreneurship dinner event called "Empower Her" hosted by mutual friend Melissa
- Instant connection due to similar personalities and interests
- Both entrepreneurs with separate businesses initially (Alexis ran a marketing agency, Jenna had an ops agency)
- Bonded over shared interests including motorcycle riding in LA
- Maintained friendship for several years before business partnership
Business Evolution
- Met again while judging a startup competition at CSUN
- Alexis wanted to transition into operations; Jenna was looking for an ops manager
- Alexis began shadowing Jenna, eventually taking over completely during Jenna's pregnancy
- Doubled revenue in her first year, leading to formal partnership
- Despite outside advice, both felt the partnership was the right move
YSO Services
- Virtual Assistant (VA) Services:
- Administrative and operational support for small businesses
- Focus on process development and SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures)
- VA management, training, and quality assurance
- Client niches include home services businesses, entertainment industry, and financial services
- Influencer/UGC Management:
- Product trade collaborations for direct-to-consumer brands
- Alternative to traditional influencer agencies
- Direct relationship building between brands and creators
- Specializes in finding influencers willing to create content for free products
Unique Value Proposition
- Business built almost entirely through referrals and word-of-mouth
- Creation of comprehensive SOPs as part of VA services
- Evolution of SOP approach: from documents with screenshots to task management systems
- Three-month onboarding process for new VA relationships
- US-based founders with entrepreneurial experience
- Consider themselves partners to small businesses, not just service providers
- Building community with clients
Business Growth Plans
- 2025 designated as "year of growth"
- Plans to develop more intentional "power partner" relationships
- Looking to increase PR and marketing efforts
- Exploring VA services for marketing agencies
- Testing AI tools while training team to use AI for efficiency
Contact Information
- Website: yourstartupoperations.com
- Can also connect with Alexis on LinkedIn
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