Thinking of hiring a Virtual Assistant (VA)?
If you are able to do things now on your own, why would you even consider looking for and hiring a VA? Many business owners are perplexed about whether or not they should hire a virtual assistant to do administrative and marketing work for them.
There are many reasons for this. Firstly, their business is their baby. They won't just give pertinent details of it or core parts of the business for someone else to handle. And this "someone else" is usually an offshore employee who they have never met in person, an agency hired for them, or they just found on LinkedIn. How do they even make a background check that's reliable? What if they hire the wrong person?
Secondly, these business owners think they can handle everything themselves. Well, they're still alive and kicking up to now, doing hundreds of tasks for their company. They know that they are the best person to do this because they know their business by heart. It's hard for them to outsource and let someone take the reins.
Thirdly, if they're being smart about their expenses, they could just use automated tools for email management, task organization, calendar scheduling, etc. They'll set it up in one session and let the technology gods help them.
The next reason is related to the aforementioned. They don't want to spend extra. When they hire a VA, they'd be paying an extra person to handle tasks that they used to do before or to delegate to someone who's already part of the company.
And lastly, they simply aren't willing to sit down and look for the perfect candidate. They'll give lots of excuses on why they don't have the time to search for a virtual assistant that will suit their needs.
Alright, let us address these reasons one by one with the clear intention of convincing you why a VA will be great to scale up your business.
Firstly, your business baby can only grow if learn how to delegate and outsource. You need to recognize that you are human and while you may have the necessary skills to grow your business, you simply don't have the time if you are handling administrative tasks as well. And of course, your casual mood swings will also affect if you will be able to finish repetitive tasks. Having a VA will help keep you accountable and on track with everything that is on your to-do list. There are also tools that can protect your privacy. You don't have to send your actual password to the VA, you will just give them access to your account through apps like LastPass where they are sent links and the app will automatically fill in the details without revealing it to the VA.
Secondly, even if you are the smartest person in the room, you still don't know everything. Having another person to work with and for you will open your mind to a different perspective. A VA can give suggestions you otherwise won't be able to think of on your own. A VA will have his or her own expertise that he or she studied in university or online whereas you don't have the time to get a certification anymore or to study again. You also have your own strengths and weaknesses. The general rule of thumb is to delegate our outsource your weakness to someone whose strong suit is that. This is the only way you can produce the best possible output for a particular project.
Thirdly, yes there are automated tools you can use. But all of these are still based on a system and values that a human inputted. A robot does not have the power to think by itself if it wasn't programmed to think that way in the first place. A human understands another human and is able to think of solutions that are innovative and revolutionary, that go against the grain, and would challenge you. A human also has emotions that can help in decision-making for your business.
Fourth, yes, you'll be able to save money if you choose to use digital tools instead of hiring a VA. By looking at it this way, you really won't be enticed to get a VA. But if say, you compare having a VA who can write, do graphic design, buy digital ad space, and take care of admin work versus hiring one writer, one graphic designer, one media buyer, and one secretary—then you can see how much money you'll be saving by only hiring one person versus outsourcing or hiring four people with four entirely different tasks.
And then for the last point, well, the simple clap. back to that is a question. Do you want your business to grow or to stay where it is? If your answer is the first option, then you should commit at least an hour or two a day until you find the right person for the job. This person will help you grow your business online while you connect with new clients, maintain relationships with old clients, etc.
It's still entirely up to you if you will hire a VA or not. The hesitation is understandable especially since it will cost money on your part and it's a relatively new industry. Whether you decide to hire one or you want to continue on your own, we're recommending another worthy investment: ergonomic furniture.
You can give your virtual assistant the budget to purchase a standing desk or you can buy yourself one so that both of you will be efficient at work. You can stay more focused and alert. You are also taking care of your health, protecting yourself from the dangers of sitting for too long at your desk job. And did we mention how convenient the work experience will be when you start to go ergonomic? The pieces of furniture can be tailored fit to your needs and preferences so that work becomes convenient, comfortable, healthy, and motivating.
