Alexis Schomer on How Their UGC Management Company and VA Service is Second To None

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 MetConnected at a women's entrepreneurship dinner event called "Empower Her" hosted by mutual friend MelissaInstant connection due to similar personalities and interestsBoth entrepreneurs with separate businesses initially (Alexis ran a marketing agency, Jenna had an ops agency)Bonded over shared interests including motorcycle riding in LAMaintained friendship for several years before business partnershipBusiness EvolutionMet again while judging a startup competition at CSUNAlexis wanted to transition into operations; Jenna was looking for an ops managerAlexis began shadowing Jenna, eventually taking over completely during Jenna's pregnancyDoubled revenue in her first year, leading to formal partnershipDespite outside advice, both felt the partnership was the right moveYSO ServicesVirtual Assistant (VA) Services:Administrative and operational support for small businessesFocus on process development and SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures)VA management, training, and quality assuranceClient niches include home services businesses, entertainment industry, and financial servicesInfluencer/UGC Management:Product trade collaborations for direct-to-consumer brandsAlternative to traditional influencer agenciesDirect relationship building between brands and creatorsSpecializes in finding influencers willing to create content for free productsUnique Value PropositionBusiness built almost entirely through referrals and word-of-mouthCreation of comprehensive SOPs as part of VA servicesEvolution of SOP approach: from documents with screenshots to task management systemsThree-month onboarding process for new VA relationshipsUS-based founders with entrepreneurial experienceConsider themselves partners to small businesses, not just service providersBuilding community with clientsBusiness Growth Plans2025 designated as "year of growth"Plans to develop more intentional "power partner" relationshipsLooking to increase PR and marketing effortsExploring VA services for marketing agenciesTesting AI tools while training team to use AI for efficiencyContact InformationWebsite: yourstartupoperations.comCan also connect with Alexis on LinkedIn