21 Reasons Why You Need To Hire A Virtual Assistant
Virtual assistants! They’re the secret support behind every successful small business. The freelance industry is growing like a stick of fairy floss as everyone chases their happy work-life balance. But that the balance can easily become precarious.
We all know that starting, running and growing a small business is tough. Plus us girls have got responsibilities, rent, a mortgage, kids, pets, relationships, and life in general. We want it all, and good for us. It’s certainly possible. But we do need help.
Here’s 21 reasons why it might be time to hire a virtual assistant for your business...
1. You spend way too much time on social media marketing
2. The emails are piling up in your inbox
3. You wish you had someone to bounce ideas off
4. You struggle to make time to blog
5. You spend too long on project research
6. You’d love to have an extra pair of eyes to proof and edit your work
7. Your average working day often spills into the evenings and weekends
8. There’s stuff on your to-do list that needs someone with specific skills
9. You spend more time on admin than tasks that actually grow your business
10. You’re struggling to manage a work-life balance
11. Big business ideas never seem to materialise to anything
12. You waste time on things that don’t bring in an income
13. You need help with market research and analysis in your niche
14. You’d love someone to plan your work trips, schedules and itineraries
15. Your social media platforms and blog posts need branded headers and graphics
16. You know you need systems but aren’t sure where to start
17. You’re missing out on new client opportunities due to lack of time and disorganisation
18. You don’t get to spend as much time with your kids and family as you’d like to
19. You routinely forget to do things
20. You know you need some help but have no idea where to start
21. You try to do everything yourself and it’s bloody exhausting!
Sound familiar? Hell, I've ticked off most of these myself! And if any of the above scenarios sounds uncomfortably familiar and worse, is causing you stress and lost sleep, then the obvious solution is... hire a virtual assistant.
These multi-skilled people can do all the above and more, clear your plate a little and let you focus on the big picture and bringing in some moolah.
Okay, I’m convinced!
Where do I find a virtual assistant?
Social media is your best bet here - pop a post into your own Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or Instagram page and ask your friends and networks. A personal recommendation is always your best bet.
You can also do a search for “virtual assistant” in any of those platforms. Or ask in a Facebook business group.
How does working with a virtual assistant actually work?
Typically, you will hire your VA for a fixed number of hours per week, say 2. It doesn't sound like much but they should be good at billing their time; 2 hours being really focused can be more productive than 5 hours fiddling about.
To make the most of this relationship, you need to know what you need help with. Sit down and list them out. The more organised you are, the better able your VA can do their job.
What should I look for in a virtual assistant?
Hiring someone to work on your business is really a personal choice. You do have to like and trust them primarily!
You should also think about the logistics of working with someone else - location, language, response time, and availability. Do you want to be able to pick up and phone and call your VA without racking up international charges? Or are you happy to dish out tasks that return to you the next day?
Then there's the work they'll be doing and your industry. If you need someone who understands finance, legal terms, or development speak; is a social media guru; or has an eagle eye for a misplaced comma, then say so upfront.
You need to have some flexibility, and also remember that the more specialised the VA, the higher their fee is likely to be.
If you want to grow a business successfully, you need to invest in it, time, money and people.
About the author: Lilani Goonesena is an Australian freelance writer, SEO copywriter and Squarespace web designer based in Vientiane, Laos. She loves boosting freelancers and small businesses with web design, SEO content and digital marketing strategy. She writes an awesome weekly newsletter on digital marketing, social media, blogging, web design and "all that online stuff". Lilani also blogs at the delectable Eat Drink Laos, just for fun.