Why a virtual assistant is a must-have for small business success
The role of a small business owner is varied and everything you do is important to the development and growth of your business.
You’re the Director and the entire workforce of your company - controlling and overseeing all operations, plus actioning the day to day tasks. But there are only so many hours in a day and when you’re doing everything by yourself, there’s a limit to what you can achieve on your own.
This is why the support of a Virtual Assistant (VA) is highly beneficial and vital for busy small business owners. By taking on simple time-consuming tasks, a VA can help you make better use of your time, allowing you to freely focus on your business's mission, vision and growth.
Read on for five important ways in which a VA can help you reclaim your time, and contribute to the success of your business.
What is a Virtual Assistant?
Virtual Assistants are the same as Admin, Personal, or Executive Assistants - the only difference is that VAs deliver their services remotely.
Generally, Virtual Assistants are self-employed and can work flexible hours, part-time or full-time to support you in your business. With a diverse range of skills and expertise including administrative, creative and technical – VAs can easily accommodate your specific requirements.
The administrative function ranges from simple, routine tasks supporting day to day business operations to executive support, assisting with high-level tasks and business strategies.
Some examples of routine tasks include managing contacts, maintaining databases, invoicing and expenses, data entry, customer and supplier liaison, document formatting, diary management and email management - to name but a few.
5 Key Benefits of Hiring a Virtual Assistant
Investing in a Virtual Assistant can generate huge returns and help to grow your business because:
1) You Gain More Time
If you could save even one hour a day, how valuable would that be for you?
Managing your time can be challenging. Ideally, you should be spending more time on tasks that make you money rather than doing low value mundane tasks. Although essential to your operations, mundane tasks don’t directly make money, take up a lot of time and can be done by someone else.
Transferring tasks to a VA, adds hours to your day which you can re-invest in higher-level strategies, revenue-generating projects and new opportunities that add value and aid growth.
2) You’re Less Stressed
All work and no play can be draining and is counterproductive to you and your business.
Even just one hour of down time with family and friends, and for your own leisure can provide immeasurable returns in terms of your health and well-being. Leaving you to feel rejuvenated and less stressed when you are working and leading to better long-term productivity and life balance.
Additionally, you gain peace of mind knowing that you have a dedicated and reliable VA to ensure your business operates smoothly and productively.
3) You Become More Efficient and Productive
How often do you wonder, "is this the best use of my time"?
Virtual Assistants are experts at helping organise your time. With continuous regular reviews of your requirements and diary, a VA can identify problems and improve how your time is being spent.
By proactively co-ordinating meetings, as well as planning and setting time for your projects and tasks, they help keep everything in order so you stay ahead, avoid overwhelm and maximise your productivity.
4) You Save Money
When it comes to hiring freelance support versus hiring an in-house employee, Virtual Assistants offer considerable cost-savings.
Their self-employed status means you don't have the additional costs and processes that come with hiring a permanent employee. There is no holiday pay or sick pay, and you don’t need to contribute to National Insurance payments or pensions. Plus there are no payroll processing or employer/employee regulations to worry about.
Also, as the services are being delivered remotely, you don’t have to worry about the costs for office space or equipment.
5) It’s Convenient and Flexible
Virtual Assistants are an easier and more flexible option because:
Services are tailored to your specific needs.
You get support only when you need – on-going, ad-hoc or one-off.
You only pay for the time spent on the task with no additional costs.
Get Back Control with a Virtual Assistant
When you're distracted and overwhelmed by time-consuming tasks that stop you from achieving your business goals, consider freeing up your time by delegating those tasks to a Virtual Assistant.
Request a Consultation today and find out more about how my Virtual Assistant services can help you.