Am I ready to hire a Virtual Assistant?
Most small business owners would agree that they certainly need help in their business, not only to get through the day to day stuff but also so they can scale and grow.
Investing in virtual assistance will ensure your business can run more smoothly and super efficiently. Fact!
But we know a lot of business owners struggle with when to make the decision to start outsourcing. It’s a big step, and one that you don’t want to rush into with haste.
So we’ve put together our 7 key signs that you’re ready to seek help and hire a virtual assistant.
#1. A lot of the important ‘behind the scenes’ stuff is just not getting done.
When you need to carry out your core business activities, you tend to neglect those other areas of your business, like social media, bookkeeping, newsletters, website, etc.
#2. Not having enough hours in the day to get through your to-do list.
We often start the day with a to-do list and usually underestimate the time it will take to get through that list. The mistake many business owners make is not assigning timings to these tasks to help keep them on track. They end up feeling like they’ve accomplished very little in their day.
#3. Spending too much time on those tasks that you know someone else can do much faster.
How much time have you spent on tutorials and in online business groups, trying to find out how to do something that someone else can do in a fraction of the time that it takes you? Why try and learn new skills that just aren’t in your skill set?
#4. Struggling to meet deadlines because you feel you need to do it all.
When you multitask to try to get a lot of things done at once, you effectively end up doing a poor job of everything.
#5. Knowing that your health is suffering as you stress over your workload.
It’s so important to look after yourself and take time out for exercise and to relax. Yet we are continually putting work first.
#6. You’re turning work away and often missing opportunities.
If you could only have someone else do those things that aren’t your core business. Then you can, of course, take on more valuable work and spend time looking for great opportunities.
#7. You feel like you’re losing that all-important work/life balance.
Spending many evenings and weekends away from your family and friends because you seem to be forever trying to play catch up.
So is any of this sounding really familiar?
Yup! Thought so.
Of course, it’s one thing to have acknowledged that you need help in your business, but it’s quite another to know that you’re ready to delegate and outsource to a virtual assistant.
One of the most important considerations, is to know that you’re happy to relinquish the control of many of those things that slow you down. You need to be prepared to hand over those jobs you don’t have time for, don’t have the skill required and definitely don’t have the inclination to learn.
When you know it’s time to grow your business, then getting help is simply the next step you need to take. It’s impossible to be a jack of all trades and feel like you’re winning at the same time.
You’ll know that you have specific tasks that you can delegate, those ones you have been putting off and trying to pretend that they don’t matter. You will be more than happy to pass on those tasks!
Another important consideration is to ensure that you have a budget for regular help. The best way to achieve this is to build this into your pricing and also to ensure that money is always allocated in your expenses for regular support.
The last thing to do is your research. Talk to other business owners who have used a NZ virtual assistant in their businesses. Find out about their experiences and recommendations.
Many virtual assistants that offer cheap rates tend to be based overseas. You would need to weigh that up with having a NZ virtual assistant that has local business knowledge, relevant skills, understands colloquialisms, good command of the English language, and is more proactive driven.
Getting help is easy, and there are plenty of talented virtual assistants with a variety of skills that will suit your needs. You may need help in one area or many; but know that when you choose to outsource, it’s the best time investment that you can make to ensure the smooth running of your business.
Ready to start your search?
A great place to start your search is New Zealand’s very own VA Directory! And whilst you’re over there don’t forget to check out our VA Matchmaking Service where we make it even easier to shortlist suitable and available local virtual assistants.
A bit about the Author
Debbie Mills Robertson from Task Diva is a creative online business support manager who specialises in supporting solopreneurs and small business owners to free up their time so they can focus on growing their business.