I was talking to a couple of entrepreneurs the other day, asking them the question: What would you say is the greatest benefit about hiring a virtual assistant? They both unanimously said – freeing up my time so I can grow my business.
I then asked them what their greatest struggle would be in hiring a virtual assistant? “Being able to delegate effectively.”
I’ve also spoken with business coaches in the past, and they say one of the most important things they try to impart to their clients is that they need to delegate more in their business, which can be extremely difficult for some business owners to do.
As business owners, we are responsible – solely – for our business. That creates a perfect storm for having control issues. “No one can do it better than me,” ” No one will take my business as seriously as I will,” and so forth. FACT: It is IMPOSSIBLE to do everything yourself, correctly.
Delegation did not come easy to me; it took me a good couple of years to grasp the importance of it and how it leads to a better work/life balance. We all think we’re superheroes in our business, and I was no exception. If there is one piece of advice that I’ve learned the hard way that I can pass along to the new business owner, it’s to get help and learn to delegate sooner rather than later.
How Do I Delegate?
Now that we’ve driven the delegation point home, the next question is how. Unless you are a website design business, you’ve already delegated the creation of your website to someone else. This is a type of virtual assistance. See? Not as scary as you thought!
Now what else should you delegate? My advice has always been to write a list of EVERYTHING that you do as you go about your week. Take a look at that list and place a checkmark on every single item that you don’t HAVE to do yourself. Now look at that shorter list and decide, in order, what the easiest thing is to delegate to someone else. Now you’re ready to hire a virtual assistant.
Finding the Right VA
There are many different types of virtual assistants who specialize in various tasks. There are website designers, graphic artists, admins, travel consultants, bookkeepers, data entry specialists, transcriptionists, social media strategists and managers, marketers – truth is, you can be assisted virtually with just about every task in your business.
There are also multi-VA companies which I believe is the smartest way to go. Yes, it’s true that I have a multi-VA business and my team is made up of specialists in all of the above areas. And that’s precisely how I know it’s the smartest way to work with VA’s. The reason I recommend a multi-VA company is that you may start with hiring a VA for one task, but once you see how easy it is to work with a VA and the burden is taken off your shoulders, you’ll be looking to turn more and more over to your VA. If you’re working with a multi-VA company, you’ll have all the resources you need right at your fingertips.
In addition, when working with a multi-VA company that is structured properly, backup will be in place and the transition to another VA – whether temporarily or permanently – will be smooth in the event of a vacation, an illness, an unforeseen family matter, etc.
Another reason to hire a VA company vs. an individual VA – does that individual meet the requirements of a 1099 or down the road will it be determined that they are actually your employee? Ouch!
Following are a list of items you should look for in hiring a virtual assistant:
They own their own business – this shows that they are serious about being a virtual assistant and are not just “trying it out to see if they like it”
Are they insured? Again – are they serious about their business? Do they have insurance in place to protect your business?
How long have they been in business? Are they an established business? If not, will they be there for you, or will they decide it’s not for them and you’re stuck starting over; re-hiring, re-training, etc.
Experience
What type of experience do they have performing the task(s) you need?
What was their background before they became a VA? Yes, there are now classes that are forming to teach becoming a VA which can be beneficial in learning technology; however, I firmly believe that experience in the workforce is a key advantage for the right VA.
Benefits to Working with a VA vs. an In-house Employee
In our model, you pay for exactly the time spent on your task, when you need it. You are not paying for bathroom breaks, lunch breaks, personal phone calls, computer games, etc. You don’t pay for benefits, payroll taxes, equipment or equipment maintenance.
So how much is your time worth? Are you working ON your business or IN it?
Nickey Hollenbach Personal Touch Concierge Service, LLC http://www.ptconciergreservice.com info@ptconciergeservice.com
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