You are really proud of the small business you’ve built — as you should be! However, your business is at a point now that you need to delegate your workload in order to stay afloat. Hiring a virtual assistant can be intimidating if you are not sure what services a VA provides. First, it is important to understand the roles of each party. You have built your business, now your responsibility is to continue to grow your business. A VA’s role is to act as a support system for you. VA’s take on all the petty administrative work, so you have time to focus on more important things. In other words, there comes a time in your small business when you could carry out all the administrative tasks, but you have to take a step back and realize that there is a better way to spend your time.
Build Trust With VA
Finding virtual administrative support is easy, but finding the right VA to suit your company may take time. Make sure you build trust with your VA. Next, make sure you put your VA to work in a way that really takes your mind off things. For example, paying bills is a time consuming task. Hire a VA to do it, and all you’ll have to do is scan them to him/her and then sign the bills at the end. In between, a VA can set up an online payment system, prepare payments that you can also view from your computer, and will notify you how much money to deposit into the account. Done.
Endless Tasks
Other tasks virtual assistants can do for you include invoicing clients, publishing newsletters, planning events, preparing PowerPoint presentations, spearheading your social media outlets, implementing a marketing plan, and writing press releases. One task that seems small, but is a huge lifesaver, is receiving your mail. Since you travel a lot representing your business, you probably return home to a stack of mail, which is 80% junk, but requires you to sort through it for the important correspondences. Forward your mail to a post office box in the same town as your VA and have them review your mail and fax or email you the urgent items. He/she can also respond for you to routine items and forward important–but not urgent–mail to your office.
Or Maybe It’s Time For a Vacation!
You haven’t been on vacation is years because you’ve been dedicated to starting your business. Now with a VA, you can finally go to Welk timeshares to lounge near the ocean for the a few days to relax and rejuvenate. If you want to completely unplug, but you don’t want to miss important messages, this is where your VA comes in. He/she can download your emails and notify important senders that you’re out of the office and can contact you with any urgent emails. Let a VA be your filter. Chances are, your VA can do any job that needs to be done, so you can spend more time on big idea tasks.
