Questioning whether virtual assistance sounds like a fit for your small business? Here are five of the biggest benefits of using their services.
More Time to Do What You Love
Running a business can seem like an endless parade of pesky emails, phone calls, meetings, and appointments. These can quickly begin eating into your free time, leaving you with less time to handle the important stuff. Brittany Hardy, owner of Empty Desk Solutions elaborates:
“Sometimes we know our plate is completely full, yet we cannot wrap our heads around managing an in-house team member. Virtual assistants are the perfect solution to many of the day to day business tasks that would otherwise require a part-time or full-time employee.”
Rely on an Expert
As the virtual assistant industry grows, so too does the breadth of skills available to call upon. VA’s often have years of experience under their belts in areas such as marketing, copywriting, social media, human resources, and even bookkeeping. Claire Costa, a Vancouver-based Virtual Assistant explains the benefits:
“For small business owners, taking care of certain aspects of your business can mean making mistakes, simply because it’s not your area of expertise. These mistakes can lead to so much extra work, so hiring a virtual assistant is as much an investment in your business, as it is your own free time.”
Less Hassle
As your business grows, you’ll likely need help. Unfortunately, you may not be ready to hire a full-time administrative employee. Establish how much you can afford to pay to get important admin tasks done, then find a virtual assistant to work within those boundaries. You don’t have to worry about the tax implications, benefits, or get locked into long-term contract agreements.
“Your virtual assistant will only charge for work done,” Claire explains. “You don’t need to worry about tracking hours, covering source deductions, and all the other challenges a full-time member of staff brings. It’s the perfect middle ground for a small business owner.”
A Personal Business Relationship
“People are literally putting their business in my hands, and that’s a huge responsibility.” – Debbie Roche.
It’s natural at the beginning for a virtual assistant to concentrate on simple tasks like data entry, email management, or making travel arrangements, but as the relationship grows, you’ll learn to rely on them more and more. With time and trust, you can ask your virtual assistant to take on more aspects of your professional life, becoming your own administrative rock start, and leaving you more time for…
Strategic Thinking
Through the growing pains of a small business, you’ve probably become accustomed to taking a “do everything yourself” approach to management. If you’re pulling 100-hour work weeks, it doesn’t really leave much time for big-picture thoughts about direction and strategy. Delegating tasks to a virtual assistant means more headspace to devise new projects, big decisions or creative ways to grow your business.