Sueene Ostiana Enterprises | Curacao’s Virtual Assistant

Virtual Assistant: the start of it all
Sueene tells us that she noticed a lack of support for minority based entrepreneurs which is why she was inspired to start her Virtual Assistance (VA) business. Her role entails assisting small business owners and coaches who are looking to eliminate time-consuming tasks so they can focus on their core goals.

It all started when several of her friends in the creative industry came to her for advice on system procedures. They would always joke how they need a Sue in their lives to help them manage their businesses. Sueene worked for her partner Vio at Vio Sambo Films for many years and her friends saw that she knew what worked and what didn’t work. Looking back though, Sueene says it didn’t happen as easily as it sounds.

When her partner first started his business, he was really focused on his craft and he wasn’t really fond of the other business-related tasks such as meetings, sending invoices or creating agreement proposals. So in 2013, Sueene decided to put her organizational skills to use to start helping her partner re-organize his business.

At that point, there was no plan or structure. Sueene wanted to re-organize everything and start planning things out. She wanted to create contracts, invoice templates and accounting systems—you name it, she was on it! Sueene taught herself many skills such as legal details to make contracts, how to do sales, conduct meetings and so much more.

I made it part of my routine to study new topics every week—business topics, programs and business practices.” says Sueene. #BoldTip: making time every week to learn about new topics of interest is key to success! 

After helping her partner, Vio for 8 years, Sueene decided to take her experience and qualifications further and help other small business owners with their business needs. “That’s really when my role as a virtual assistant started, I love what I do. I love seeing my clients achieve. Being a VA is basically my why, my purpose, and it makes me get out of bed in the morning.” says Sueene.

Her mission as a VA is to take away all the tasks that are time consuming for the small business owners. It gives Sueene the ability to serve others, helping clients solve problems and making their lives just a little less stressful. “I ease the workload of managing their business so that they can be the true visionaries that they are. It gives me the greatest satisfaction knowing that my clients feel more motivated and less overwhelmed.”

Since Sueene seems to be a master organizer, we’ve asked her to share a few tips for the brand new business owner who is feeling overwhelmed. We know that some business owners have felt like this at one point in their lives so we’re here to tell you–it’s ok!

Here are some #ProTips from Sueene:
First of all, I would like to tell the brand new business owner who’s feeling overwhelmed that you should create standard operating procedures (SOPs) for your business. They’re very simple. They take a bit of time when you first create them, but basically, SOPs are things that you do every day in your business. It’s very important to document the steps you do in your business while completing certain tasks. It’s not only good for you, but it comes in handy the moment you need to outsource or hire a VA. It saves training time if you already have the steps documented.

If you are feeling overwhelmed, you need to delegate, delegate, delegate! Sueene knows that this is hard for many people, but it’s the most efficient way to get majority of the work done for your business. As business owners, we have countless responsibilities and many different roles to play, so taking on more than you realistically can handle is what will make you feel overwhelmed. Delegate your mundane tasks or those that you’re not great at. There’s no shame there —nobody’s good at everything! Then you can free up more time so you can focus on what truly matters. If you try to do everything yourself, things might fall through the cracks which can leave you feeling more overwhelmed and stressed. 

We were curious- is Sueene the first person in Curacao to offer VA services?
Sueene tells us that she is not sure if she is the first VA on the island, but one thing is certain is that the term “Virtual Assistant” and “Virtual Business Manager” weren’t being used on the island when she first started out in these roles.

A common myth she’d like to debunk about Virtual Assistance
You can’t do everything yourself and neither should you! Hiring a VA is super beneficial for your business because it helps you focus on doing what you want to do- which is grow your business. A VA is not as costly as hiring a full-time employee, so you’ll save money on overhead and labour costs, and you’ll have more free time to focus on what is actually important. Sueene understands that it’s difficult to trust a VA as you need to provide them with confidential information, which  is why she provides her clients with a confidentiality clause in their agreement so that they can be put at ease. The confidentiality clause in the contract holds her accountable, and she makes it a point to never discuss her clients’ business with others as she wants to ensure that the trust is always there.

One last myth is that people say you need to work with someone in person, with them physically being present because many people feel that if the person is not physically there, it’s not worth it. This is not the case, and especially right now with the pandemic, working virtually is something that everyone is being encouraged to do.

If you work with Sueene, you will meet weekly via Zoom, a phone call or conference call or whatever works best for you, she is super flexible, and it will feel the same as having a physical assistant. Sueene works her time around her client’s needs.

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