The name is Operation QOL. If you don’t know what QOL stands for, you’re missing something—namely, Quality of Life.
“One of biggest reasons I went into operations is because quality of life is really important,” says Sonia Narvaez, who started Operation QOL in March 2021. “In dealing with entrepreneurs, my first job is to take the operations part of their business off their plate so they can do what they do best. Operations is my bee’s knees!” She laughs about digging up that old expression. “Taking ownership is really my way to contributing to my betterment of the world. If I can help businesses so they concentrate on what they do best and improve their quality of life, I can help them do better things for the world.”
Operation QOL came into focus during the pandemic as Sonia looked to improve her own QOL. “It’s not the work,” she says, “it’s the work we do. Often we are rewarded not for what we do but for how long we sit there.”
Sonia combined her background in public health with her skill set in operations to develop her first virtual assistant company, Socially Passionate Consulting. She saw a common need among many of her clients, prompting her to create a laser-focused business solutions system: Operation QOL.
Sonia has seen firsthand that it’s not healthy or good business practice to try to do everything yourself, so she’s passing that lesson on.
“The pandemic has opened the eyes of business owners that it’s not manageable or sustainable to wear all the hats. I love working with owners who have a lot of different ideas or goals.”
And she is living what she preaches. Sonia has her own support system in place so she can concentrate on her area of expertise. The key part of her skill set? Knowing how to listen. That is especially important for small businesses without a large staff.
“I act as a sounding board,” she says. “I love working with these visionary people and then looking at what they are good at. It can be a reality check to have me on board. We work on what their strengths are and how to get the most out of them.”
It is so much about giving these people space and moving the business forward. A lot of times businesses have no space to create because they are wearing all these hats. People are afraid to leave the space because they are so overworked.
Does that sound familiar? It may be hard to find employees right now, but Operation QOL helps get the most out of the employees you do have. Not to mention, getting the most out of you.
Sonia is a Hudson Valley native. She grew up in Kerhonkson and attended Rondout Valley schools. She attended college at SUNY Stony Brook with a degree in public health and later received her masters at the University of Illinois-Chicago. She has lived in the Midwest and Brooklyn, but she is glad to finally be back in the area. Sonia is also happy to have found Gardiner Association of Businesses. Even though she resides in Kingston, she feels GAB is worth the travel and the connection.
“Several other Chamber of Commerce groups put me off. I am an introvert and I didn’t like the crazy dog-eat-dog energy of trying to get business from each other. I can network in a peaceful way. This seemed a calmer energy without all the chaos. As an introvert I really appreciated that. I need to have an intimate or very well structured group, and GAB was just right.”
Article by:
Matthew Silverman
Author of Out of a Dog’s Mouth
https://www.outofadogsmouth.com/