Enterprenuer
Amber Gray is the founder of Trusty Oak. This Austin-based virtual assistant company provides administrative and marketing support for authors, entrepreneurs, and creative teams.
Trusty Oak is a flexible, reliable, and affordable option for marketing and administrative staffing.
This has been achieved by a people-first approach to recruiting and a scalable growth strategy.
Trusty Oak was named Freelancer Hiring Platform for the Year in 2021.
Amber was also honored as Austin Business Woman Of The Year.
Amber worked for five years in a digital agency that was rapidly expanding in Austin, Texas, before founding Trusty Oak.
She was responsible for four years of hiring and leading virtual and local teams while also working closely with CEOs and bestselling authors to help them build their online brand.
Amber was the VP of Operations and helped lead the company’s rise to #15 on Austin Business Journal’s Fast50 List for 2014.
Amber is a female founder and leader who has established a unique culture in a non-traditional workforce.
Amber has empowered women from different backgrounds and energized them to challenge the norms of traditionally male leadership roles in technology, business, and leadership.
Trusty Oak offers a platform for marketing and admin professionals looking to work as independent freelancers.
However, they have a support network of other talented and resourceful remote workers.
What is the story of Trusty Oak?
I was frustrated at my job in a digital marketing agency.
I wanted to do something new and earn more money.
I began looking for a job that required me to use my project management skills more but was unsuccessful.
After not getting interviews for a few months, it became clear that I was not going to get the job I wanted.
The idea of creating my own business came to me, and I was able to see the possibilities.
Periscope showed me a video from another VA founder sharing the news that they were looking for virtual assistants.
I began to look at his company and applied.
Although it was a part-time contractor job, the pay rate was less than I was currently making.
They also said I was not qualified, but it still intrigued me.
In the shower, I experienced a lightbulb moment the next day.
What if I started a virtual assistant company? Then, I got to work on it!
How do you stay productive?
My morning routine includes reading my Bible, praying, reading The Morning Brew, and going for a walk with my dog.
My weekly adjustment is on Tuesdays. Wednesdays and Fridays, I run in my local area (I am training for a half-marathon).
After showering, I eat breakfast and check my email. Then, it’s time to jump into the day.
Time-blocking is something I love. I create time blocks for each minute of my workday on Sundays.
Although it may seem excessive, it helps me stay focused and decreases my decision fatigue.
Align is a program I use to track my progress and keep track of my priorities and those of the company for the week, day, and quarter.
How do you bring ideas to life?
Most of my ideas can only be realized if others are involved.
I tend to dream big and create ideas that are too difficult for me to handle on my own.
This is why I need a reliable team to help me succeed.
I’ve been working on my delegation skills and my process for hiring, vetting, training, and promoting talented people to help me realize my dreams.
What’s your favorite trend?
We all know the benefits and challenges of working remotely after 2020. Since 2015, I’ve been working remotely full-time and part-time from 2010.
The pandemic did not have the same effect on me. Now that we are all on the same page, I see a much greater acceptance and adoption of virtual assistants.
This is exciting for me as it has allowed our business to grow, and more people realize the immense value virtual assistants can bring to the workplace.
What habits make you productive?
Time-blocking was mentioned before, which I know helps me be more productive.
But the one habit I cannot live with now is to make a daily plan for my personal and company goals.
My coach holds me accountable. Each quarter, he walks my team and me through a day of deep digging to discover what I want and what it will take for me to get there.
I write down my priorities and goals, then break them into tasks with deadlines.
This routine helps me stay focused and productive in the months that follow.
What’s your advice for the Noob?
Continue to search for your true purpose and the unique ways to make a difference in the world.
When you discover your goal, you can live a fulfilled life by giving everything you have every day.
What is one thing we can all agree on?
I will be vulnerable here and share something I have struggled with for many years.
It’s possible to be both gay and a Christian.
My faith is essential to my success as an entrepreneur and fulfilling my purpose in this short life.
And I am gay. It was hard for me to believe it was possible to be both.
But after years of soul-searching and reading the Bible alone, I finally found my truth.
What do you recommend as an entrepreneur?
Delegate! Don’t try to do everything yourself. Your vision should be shared with your team.
Trust others. You can trust others to do your dream.
What’s your rich strategy?
I could afford a coach and have regretted not hiring one sooner.
Without an outside perspective, someone to push me and hold me accountable, I couldn’t get far.
A coach is a crucial factor in business growth. This includes both revenue growth and the growth of my team.
His coaching has helped me to set and achieve my goals and to be able to keep my eyes on the result before strategizing how to get there.
How do you overcome Failure?
My services and expertise were not valued enough when I started my business.
Although I believe in excellence, I will go to great lengths to ensure that our clients and team have the best possible experience.
However, this cost has been more than I anticipated when I initially set my prices.
Although I was afraid of losing clients if I raised my expenses, I noticed an increase in the quality of our clients.
This failure was overcome by working with a fractional accountant who helped me understand my investments back into the business.
He also showed me that my net income was far lower than it could have been if my rates were increased even by 15%. It was helpful to have a professional who could forecast my future, which gave me the confidence to just go for it.
Can you share a business idea?
I love discovering hacks to improve productivity, communication, and a team connection.
I began exploring the built-in Google Workspace tools and found a great use for Google Sites.
It was initially intended to be used as a way for us to document our processes and policies.
However, it can only be accessed if we have an email address on our domain.
To help our team, we continued to create training materials, including videos and templates.
We now have an “intranet” we call the Treehouse.
It is helpful for both new hires and existing team members looking for tools and information to help them succeed.
What’s your recent best buy?
I bought a year’s subscription for Loom.com. It is a screen-recording and video editing app.
I use video to communicate with my team and follow up on leads.
Clients also appreciate the personalized videos.
The personalized videos get positive feedback, and people are more likely to engage with them than written messages.
Communication is more effective when we can communicate with two senses simultaneously.
What are your favorite Softwares or Apps?
Loom is my favorite tool to get more done.
It is so easy to use, and I can have less synchronous meetings.
However, it still retains a personal touch.
Which book would you recommend?
Stephen M.R., The Speed of Trust Covey. This book offers actionable advice on building trust in your business and personal relationships.
The book was the inspiration for my company’s name (Trusty Oak), and it helped me define my core values.
The book’s premise is that trust increases speed and decreases cost.
What’s your favorite quote?
Go alone if you want to move fast. “If you want to travel far, go alone.”
African proverb
TL;DR by Amber Gray
- First, discover your purpose and then live a purposeful life each day.
- The secret sauce is delegation! My ability to delegate has an immediate impact on the growth of my business.
- I can do more with my time if I am intentional about time-blocking and goal-setting.
