Community Highlights: Meet Joanne Payne of Halo Administrative Services

Today we’d like to introduce you to Joanne Payne

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
The vision for my company came about over 10 years ago, after suddenly losing my husband when he was just the young age of 49. Trying to manage my grief, along with all the activities that come with losing a spouse AND fulfilling my role as a Vice-President in a large, multi-national corporation was completely overwhelming. However, I was extremely fortunate. My friends and neighbors rallied around to provide help and assistance and were a huge source of support. The company I worked for was also amazing, giving me the time, flexibility and resources I needed to attend to personal matters, but understanding that being present at work gave me an opportunity to refocus and be distracted from the burden I was carrying at home. Realizing that not everyone has the background and support structure I had to help them navigate through a devastating loss, I always knew when the opportunity came, I would offer my services and experience to help others in similar situations.

The opportunity came to create Halo Administrative Services, so I set about developing my business plan, soliciting input from trusted and respected friends, ex-colleagues and family members to refine my mission. Leveraging the feedback I received, I expanded my service offering to those not just transitioning through the loss of a loved one, but divorce and aging as well, and officially started marketing my services in July this year.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The first obstacle was getting out of my own way and having confidence in the concept and my ability to actually make a difference in the lives of my clients. Taking the leap of faith and being willing to bet on myself took a lot of courage. It would have been a whole lot easier to stay in a corporate role, with a steady income. As soon as I started networking though, the feedback was incredibly positive, and this really encouraged me to keep moving forward. There are so many people who went out of their way to help me build connections and network. This grace from complete strangers was totally unexpected, made a huge difference and is so appreciated.

Another initial struggle was just setting up as a business. Since providing administrative services to those whose lives are changing as a result of bereavement, divorce or aging is not a common service, I really wanted to prove out the concept before investing too much financially. That meant creating my own website, marketing materials, etc., all activities that were totally new to me. I learned a lot in the process and am proud of what I was able to accomplish, but it wasn’t without some tears of frustration along the way.

As I mention above, the services I provide are not common in the marketplace, so it has been difficult sometimes to explain clearly and succinctly exactly what it is that I do. It’s not like I am a car rental company and can tell people “oh, I’m just like Hertz or Avis”. I describe myself as a personal assistant for my clients, but that too is a hard concept to relate to. I have to quickly peak sufficient interest in my services to get dedicated time to fully explain what I can do and how I can create value for my network and potential clients. It’s getting easier now that I actually have clients, because I can refer in general terms to the services I am providing to them. Those examples greatly help with explaining the breadth and scope of what I can do, but services are fully customizable depending on the client’s needs and wants.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
If you are feeling overwhelmed as a result of the loss of a loved one, divorce or life changes due to aging, Halo Administrative Services has been set up to help you. In these situations, just as in other phases of life, there are experts able to provide advice and guidance (attorneys, financial advisors, accountants, etc.) but there can be a lot of activity preparing and organizing for these services that fall back on the individual themselves. At certain times of life, this can be particularly overwhelming. I want to step in during some of those key times and use my experience to help others get organized and follow through on their responsibilities. The ultimate goal is to get my clients through the worst of times as quickly as possible and set them on the path to a new chapter. I will take over as much of the administration – document management, filings, applications – as I can, or the client wants, to try to reduce their burden and allow them time to focus on the things that will bring them peace and hope, however thin that halo of light might seem at the time.

I also want to be an accountability partner for making sure that my clients have “bucket list” items to plan for and look forward to and play my part in making that happen where I can.

These life transitions are key opportunities to ensure we are creating a legacy we can be proud of. This is a time to ensure wills and trusts are in place and up to date, that family members know where important documents are, what our wishes are and how we want to be remembered. It may also be a good time to start documenting family knowledge that might become lost through the generations. Long before she died, my British grandmother created a book of photographs and family anecdotes that spanned two world wars and beyond. It is truly a family treasure. I welcome the opportunity to help create similarly heartwarming legacies for my clients.

Any big plans?
I am so excited for the future and to see how Halo Administrative Services can grow from its current humble beginnings. It’s incredible to think that perhaps in time it will grow to be a team of more than just me but finding the right team members who will serve clients with an empathetic, highly personal service will be critical. In the meantime, the priority is to reach out to help as many people as possible live the life they deserve.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.haloadministrativeservices.com