Enjoy this week’s guest post by Meghan McClendon!
Are you working longer hours than you want? Are you spending too much time on tasks that somebody else can take care of? Are you forgetting to respond to emails or overbooking yourself? If you answered yes to any of these questions it may be time to think about hiring a virtual assistant.
As an entrepreneur, you are probably overwhelmed and don’t know how to take some of the stress off yourself. Many entrepreneurs think they can do everything themselves and then become overwhelmed. A virtual assistant can help improve the productivity of businesses by helping to handle and manage tasks. Hiring a virtual assistant helps free up time for you to focus on things that are important in your life and business.
What is a virtual assistant?
A virtual assistant is somebody who provides different services to businesses or entrepreneurs remotely. Virtual assistants handle many day-to-day tasks for companies including emails, booking appointments, and managing schedules. Benefits of hiring a virtual assistant have become more common as technology makes it easier than ever to create strong working relationships remotely.
What can a virtual assistant do?
A virtual assistant can help you with many aspects of your business and the tasks can evolve over time. First, you need to decide where you need help and how a virtual assistant can be valuable. If you are unsure about what you need, it may be beneficial to spend a week and make note of everything you do and then decide what can be outsourced.
Virtual assistants can help with any of the following tasks and much more:
- data entry
- calendar management
- email management
- bookkeeping
- social media management
Many of my clients had me start with one or two tasks, and I have taken on more tasks as I learn their business needs.
Why hire a virtual assistant?
Now that you know what a virtual assistant can do, you may still be asking, “Why do I need to hire a virtual assistant when I can do it all?”. Delegating specific tasks helps in preventing burnout and gives you more time to focus on the important aspects of your business.
There are no overhead costs for a virtual assistant. When hiring a virtual assistant, you do not need to cover insurance, technology or office space.
You only pay for the hours they are actually working. When you hire a virtual assistant, you pay for the time they are actually working. If a virtual assistant takes 30 minutes to organize your emails, you only pay for 30 minutes of work. This means that the work is getting done for less money.
Virtual assistant roles are designed for business growth. Start out by hiring a virtual assistant for a smaller amount of hours, and, as you grow and get more comfortable, you can increase the hours. A good virtual assistant should be able to adapt and grow with your business needs.
Hiring a virtual assistant will give you the opportunity to learn how to delegate. Many entrepreneurs do not know how to use a virtual assistant effectively and find themselves performing some of their admin work themselves. I have had many clients who knew they needed an assistant but didn’t know what to delegate and what to keep doing themselves. Many virtual assistants can help support you in delegating and managing. Since their job is working with a variety of clients, they may have ideas for you.
A virtual assistant can keep you organized and on track. Virtual assistants tend to come with experience in many tasks as they usually support multiple businesses. This gives them an insight into how businesses are do something that is already working.
Finding the right virtual assistant can be one of the best business decisions an entrepreneur can make. From handling your phone calls to managing your social media accounts, they can free up your time to focus on more important business aspects. So, are you ready to hire a virtual assistant?
Meghan McClendon is the owner of MeghanFrancisVA.com. After being a personal assistant she decided it was time to take control and have the opportunity to grow her own business while also helping others grow theirs. She uses her past experience in marketing and customer service to help her clients in many aspects of their business. When she is not working, she is traveling the world. You can inquire about services at meghanfrancisva.com/contact.
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