Karen Morgan, a Licensed Texas Professional Engineer (Inactive), is a busy and highly-motivated solopreneur, owner of DOTomation Consulting and founder of the AEC Proposal Institute.

DOTomation Consulting is a fast-growing company specializing in helping Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) firms win TxDOT contracts. Karen has developed innovative techniques for assisting her clients, and offers coaching, strategic planning, market positioning, and RFQ / RFP preparation. 

The AEC Proposal Institute is Karen’s other passion, which she uses to strengthen the proposal-writing skills of professionals in the AEC arena. Karen offers on-demand training, live webinars, and tutorials (all with CEU credits) to fill the gaps in AEC professionals’ knowledge by teaching methodical strategies for proposal writing.  

Challenges

As the owner of a rapidly-growing business and founder of a training institute, Karen was looking for ways to grow her business affordably and sustainably. As of August 2018, Karen was still doing the majority of the administrative tasks for her businesses on her own, managing a full client load at the same time and working hard to achieve her goals. 

Related: Are Virtual Assistants More Affordable Than Traditional Employees?

Karen had tried to outsource to administrative assistants in the past, but was disappointed with a lack of follow-through. Like many entrepreneurs, Karen had worked hard to build her business, and wanted to fully trust any assistant she hired before she felt comfortable delegating important tasks. 

Without an assistant, Karen was performing a variety of repeatable administrative tasks on her own. As a founder and business owner, Karen’s time is highly valuable, and she recognized that it shouldn’t be spent on tasks such as data retrieval and data entry. 

Solutions

In 2018, Karen chose Trusty Oak for her administrative assistance needs. Through our Delegation Action Plan process, Karen was matched with the ideal virtual assistant for her business needs: Nicole Sarro. Nicole’s specialties include calendar and inbox management, administrative process improvement, and project management. Nicole has been working with Trusty Oak since April of 2018 and has consistently proven her ability to think outside the box and implement efficiency-boosting processes. 

The Right Tools

Working collaboratively with Trusty Oak founder and CEO, Amber Gray, Nicole immediately got to work revamping Karen’s internal administrative processes. In particular, Nicole attacked a central piece of the DOTomation service offering that was eating up a significant amount of Karen’s time. Nicole identified better software and automation tools to streamline the processes related to DOTomation’s free email notification service, freeing up Karen’s time to focus on revenue-generation activities.

More Efficient Internal Processes

Nicole took a proactive approach to bettering DOTomation’s internal processes, and continues to suggest, research, and implement time-saving administrative workflows for Karen. Having a reliable, forward-thinking assistant in Karen’s corner has made all the difference. In Karen’s words, “I really appreciate the team support from you guys. I mean, having other people help me come up with a solution is not something I’m used to, as a sole-entrepreneur company. So, thank you.”

A Team to Rely On 

Karen’s business requires fast turnaround times and quick responses. In an effort to make sure nothing falls through the cracks, Nicole has leveraged the team environment at Trusty Oak to provide consistent coverage for Karen’s needs. When Nicole is away from her desk (often on stage pursuing her other passions, acting and singing), she delegates to other virtual assistants on the Trusty Oak team to make sure Karen always has assistance. This environment is one of the most unique Trusty Oak perks: solopreneurs have access to an entire team of qualified professionals, while lonely freelancers can enjoy a virtual “office” and a whole slew of helpful co-workers. 

Impact 

Nicole’s assistance with DOTomation’s internal processes made a swift impact. Within six months, delegating simple administrative tasks has had a direct impact on DOTomation’s bottom line by allowing Karen to focus her energy and time on proposals and revenue-generating tasks. 

Since having Nicole take over a majority of my administrative work, we’ve been able to easily create a new baseline of handling 9 proposals per quarter compared to our previous baseline of 6 per quarter. This is literally the only change in our internal processes. And we’re seeing even better client outcomes than we’ve seen in the past 12 months. I’m blown away by the effect of simply removing the admin work from my plate. WOW.

Nicole’s done an AMAZING job. 

And the fact that there’s a team at TO (Sarah, Destinie, Meredith & Camey) to support me/her on the processes y’all have helped us craft takes a huge weight off my shoulders.

Thanks to you, Nicole, and all the TO folks who have supported DOTomation! Keep up the great work.

-Karen Morgan, PE (Inactive), Owner of DOTomation and Founder of the AEC Proposal Institute 

The future at DOTomation and the AEC Proposal Institute is bright, and we’re proud to be part of it! Karen now has a team she knows she can rely on, and her work as a entrepreneur isn’t so burdensome anymore. 

Are you ready to get some administrative work off your plate? 

Emily Fisk

Emily Fisk began her career in marketing after graduating from Boise State University with her B.A. in English, Rhetoric and Composition. Emily started freelancing as a writer and found Trusty Oak in 2016. Emily spent three years as a virtual assistant, helping clients build their digital marketing efforts, while taking on more responsibility as an account manager and marketing manager as Trusty Oak grew. In 2019, Emily took on the role of Marketing Director, and in 2020, she began serving as Trusty Oak's Vice President of Operations. Emily’s passion for clear communication, vibrant teamwork, and helping others find meaningful careers has made her a key part of Trusty Oak’s growth. She gets a kick out bringing Trusty Oak’s story alive and watching clients succeed. Under her leadership, the Trusty Oak marketing team has accomplished large-scale projects and numerous successful campaigns, undertaken new brand identity initiatives and launched innovative content. When she’s not working, Emily loves digging into a good book, cooking a delicious meal, and getting outside with her two daughters and husband. She lives in beautiful Boise, Idaho and is a founding member of a (totally cool, not at all nerdy) writing group.

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