Launching your company? Consider Getting a Virtual Assistant!

The endless work facing startups requires you to wear too many hats.

On top of being the CEO, you’re also the marketing manager, bookkeeper, administrative assistant, software engineer and salesperson.

Eventually, as the business continues to scale, you can no longer carry the backbreaking tasks by yourself. You got to find some extra hands for these other job titles.

And the best way to do it is by hiring a virtual assistant!

They’re there to support all the whirlwind office work you should fess up to. So, you could get back to the work that really matters.

Check out this article for your virtual assistant information needs; how they drive business value, the benefits and how to hire one.

What is a Virtual Assistant?

To put it simply, a virtual assistant is an assistant who’s a freelancer or independent contractor that provides services remotely.

Basically, the designation handles administrative tasks such as email management and appointment scheduling that help with office management.

However, their competence also allows them to work on other business-related responsibilities in marketing, finance and sales.

Do I Need a Virtual Assistant? And How a Virtual Assistant Can Help Grow Your Business?

In this information age, the obvious answer to whether you need a VA is a big YES!

If you are new to the term “virtual assistant”, on the surface it may sound intimidating, complicated and counterproductive. How can you trust someone you only see on the computer screen, right? And isn’t it way more expensive?

However, when you are building a business empire in the digital space, going traditional is unlikely the better option.

These are the SIGNS that you NEED a virtual assistant:

Constant Burnout

If you feel like, you no longer have a work-life balance because you’re spending 7 days a week in the office. This is a clear signal that you should be getting yourself a virtual assistant.Let your VA handle the simple tasks of marking the calendar and answering emails. Get back to setting your own hours and working on the important stuff.

Turning Down Work

Your dream client finally reached out to you, asking for your service and availability. Yet, no matter how much you want to squeeze your schedule, you really don’t have the time to accommodate the said customer.

Thus, that opportunity quickly evaporated as fast as it came knocking on your door. You missed out on the chance to expand your business and fill your bank account.Alas, you could have avoided all these, if you had a reliable virtual assistant to provide the support you so clearly need.

Lack of Skills

It’s quite far-fetched to say, that you’re an expert in all the aspects of running a company. From social media promotion and software engineering to bookkeeping— let’s face it, some of these things you know nothing about.
You can learn it, but do you even have the time to, much less risk your business on the verge of scaling to run into unfamiliar territory?
You need the help of an expert. With a virtual assistant, you can attract talents from different fields in finance, marketing and project management.

Importance of Virtual Assistant

In reality, this modern alternative is more practical than the option of hiring workers in an office, especially if you start a business.Why?

By hiring a virtual assistant, you get rid of the following financial woes:

• - the extra energy costs (fuel for transporting staff, water and electricity consumption)
• - the extra rent: you don't need to rent a big office to house your employee.
• - the extra office materials: you don't need to invest in new materials for the workers and deal with the surplus in financial charges such as canteen and various allowances.
• - the extra benefits: due to the nature of a virtual assistant being a contractual worker, a company does not need to pay for benefits (paid time off, health insurance, retirement benefit) and other taxes, in the same manner as an in-house employee.

In a nutshell, working with a virtual assistant for small business owners is a lot cheaper than full-time employees while being more productive. They work at well-defined times for well-defined tasks, which promotes motivation, and efficiency.Moreover, using a virtual assistant means tapping into the most skilled workers all over the world which promotes speedy business development.

What a Virtual Assistant Can Do for You

The things that a virtual assistant brings to the work table seem endless. Depending on what you need, they can do just about anything.

At times, they may perform a very specific task for the owner in a short while. They might even play a key role in the team for a longer project.

The beauty of hiring a VA entails the different duties paired with the flexible working arrangement.

Of course, that’s just one of the many things. Here’s a rundown of some of the virtual assistant specialities:

Assistant Bookkeeper

A virtual assistant who is responsible for recording the day-to-day financial transactions of a firm. They fill in the role the same as your traditional in-house bookkeeper, managing invoices, paying clients, adjusting record errors, and reconciling company and bank accounts.

Virtual Receptionist

A virtual assistant who addresses customer needs and provides operational support. They do a myriad of administrative tasks such as answering calls, replying to emails, and setting appointments.

• Social Media Assistant
  Don’t mistake this role for a social media strategist, this virtual assistant works on basic social media duties like scheduling posts, scanning trends, calculating social media stats, and answering social inquiries.

  • Digital Marketing Assistant
  Content is king, but MARKETING is the queen that runs the household.This virtual assistant supports the marketing functions of your marketing department.
  They are tasked to conduct marketing campaigns and research, update and analyze marketing analytics, and even organize promotional events.

How To Hire a Virtual Assistant?

Stop wasting your valuable time, working on things that do not directly contribute to the growth of your business.
Go take the first step and hire a virtual assistant to delegate tasks properly.
And if you are wondering, how you can go about such an important process—read on and get schooled.

Documentation

To kickstart your goal of finding the right VA, you need to map out every task and course pertaining to your business objective. Documentation ensures a smooth pace in the hiring process.You can create a training or a procedure, that virtual assistants can use as a guideline.

Job Description

You have to be clear and concise about what you want and need.
Put effort into the job description; detailing the requirements, duties, responsibilities, and skills on how to best perform a specific task.
Once you’ve outlined the specifications, you can now post them on a freelance service marketplace or on the company’s website.

Review and Conduct Interview

After posting on various popular virtual assistant pages, you need to start filtering these applications.
Word of advice, to remove low-effort applicants, it would be helpful to incorporate questions into your job post. This would ensure a quicker way of finding the perfect candidates for the interview.
When you do the interview, it’s highly pivotal to ask the right questions pertaining to the actual job to better assess their ability to accomplish it, successfully.

Virtual Assistant Tips for Entrepreneurs

As it is a question of working remotely, the tasks to be entrusted to a virtual assistant are the tasks that can be carried out to this extent.

These include time-consuming tasks in administration, communication, marketing, IT, and finance such as reviewing invoices, collecting e-mail addresses, updating a client portfolio, and writing blog posts.Often, VAs are entrusted with one-off tasks that can be completed within a specific timeframe.

Working Forward…

It’s not the load that breaks you down. It’s the way you carry it.So, stay on top of all the things impacting your business, and work smart with a VIRTUAL ASSISTANT.