We continue our “Meet the Team” series to give you a peek behind the curtain; to see who is making the magic happen at AdminAssist, what makes them qualified, and most importantly, what makes them different!
This week we chat to Lourita Stofberg who is the founder of AdminAssist and takes charge of the Finances and various aspects of our business strategy. She resides just outside of Pretoria on a farm with her hubby and three beautiful children aged 10, 5 and 3. Lourita has travelled extensively and can take you on wild adventures with her storytelling abilities!
Where did you get the idea for AdminAssist?
In 2011, my husband and I were sitting on the shores of a beautiful lake in Rwanda and we said, ‘wouldn’t it be nice to be able to work from anywhere in the world?’ So, I did my research and groundwork and saw a gap in the market and in March 2012 I started AdminAssist – South Africa’s first virtual admin agency.
What would you do differently if you could start all over again?
I believe there is value in all the turns that life’s road takes us on, good or bad, so I don’t have any regrets. But, being able to evaluate your work thoroughly is a sign of being a mature business owner.
If I had to start over, I would charge higher prices from the beginning. I think I undervalued our offering at that time and didn’t believe people would pay for what we hoped would be the best virtual assistant services South Africa has to offer.
Tell us about your career background.
Amongst others, I’ve worked in child care, property, performing arts and finances. I have a wide field of interest and I view it as a strength because it makes me easier to relate to, helps me form stronger relationships and helps me learn quickly.
What would you say is your strength/s?
I’m a Maximizer
Excellence, not average, is my measure. I like to take something strong and transform it into something superb. I don’t want so to spend my life bemoaning what I lack. I’d rather focus on my strong points – it’s more demanding, but it’s also more fun and more productive.
I’m Strategic
I can look through the clutter and find the best route. I carefully consider the whole picture and then generate the most effective set of actions to take. I’ve learned there is great wisdom in reviewing all the potential problems and outcomes of a scenario.
Describe the coolest project you have had as a Virtual Assistant.
A data-capturing project spanning two continents (Europe and Africa) and six cities. We had to develop some interesting methods of communication, including training videos, manuals and project management software to get everyone on the same page and the project completed successfully.
If you had to eat one thing for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Spaghetti Bolognese 🙂
If you woke up with 2,000 unread emails and could only answer 300 of them how would you choose which ones to answer?
I would choose based on the sender. Mail from clients would be answered first then those from my team and then the rest.
Happy Birthday Lourita (It was yesterday)! You lead the way for women, make things seem so effortless and your heart is so gracious, may the years ahead be stupendously filled with blessings!
