In business, it’s normal to reach a point where we have to admit that we simply cannot do it all on our own. It takes a lot to run even the smallest business. Amidst the turmoil of servicing clients, networking, accounting, advertising, staying up to date with online trends, etc., we can get bogged down very quickly. We get to a point where we’re no longer producing our best work, where we are no longer able to make mental space for creativity, where we just don’t want to face the next day or even the next client order. It is precisely at this point where we have to seriously consider taking on a bit of help. The decision to hire a virtual assistant may determine the future success of your business, so to help you make the decision, here are a few ways in which a VA can benefit your business:
Consistency
Maybe your focus is producing YouTube videos on a weekly basis, or creating specials for your café menu, or developing game plans for your coaching clients—your time, then, should not be taken up with random (albeit important) tasks like creating graphics for a Facebook ad or putting together your weekly recipe blog post. It is with skill-based, important tasks like these that your average VA should be able to assist you. Let your VA take care of the little things that help your business move from week to week while you work on the bigger picture. It’s easy to say, “No, it’s alright. I can handle it,” but that’s not really how we feel when we’re up to our ears in miscellaneous work, and still haven’t even touched the biggest project on our to-do list. Being inconsistent with the main aspect of you business—the part that your audience really cares about—can affect your ability to grow, so consider having the help of a VA give you the flexibility to be more consistent than you’ve ever been!
Outsourcing Tasks
So, what kind of work can a VA actually do? A good VA can ghostwrite your blog posts, edit them, create graphics for them, and/or post them. They can manage your social media, transcribe your podcasts, design your blog, maintain your website, research keywords, track statistics—all the little nit-picky things that you just don’t have the time or energy for!
Free Up Time to Grow Your Business!
Being an entrepreneur is like being an artist: You have to give yourself the space and time you need to create. When your mind is full of the technical side of your business, it’s hard to do that. It’s hard to write a book of poetry when you’re busy marketing yourself at book fairs. It’s hard to experiment with the latest Facebook advertising updates when you’re stuck calculating your expenses for the last three months. A VA can be the difference between you becoming more profitable or just staying stuck for months at a time in a state of mental arrest.
Perhaps you’ve been stuck on the idea for a while. Maybe you don’t know if you’re ready to hire anyone yet. But, as in all things with business, the best thing to do is give it a try. Just try and see how it goes. Ask your friends if they can make any recommendations to you, or take a look at the VA agencies you’re already aware of. Give yourself the chance to take a breather and expand your potential with just a little help from a capable VA!
