If you know you are ready to take your business to the next level, then you know you need some support to get you there. Being a solopreneur doesn’t mean you have to do everything on your own. Are you thinking about outsourcing some work or getting business support, but perhaps something is holding you back from hiring a Virtual Assistant?
Below I have included 5 of the main reasons people are reluctant about outsourcing to a VA. Do you have a reason or are you ready to hire?
Reason 1 – I don’t make enough money
Let’s do a little maths…
Say you earn £45 an hour. You spend 10 hours a week working on non-revenue generating tasks such as email management, scheduling social media or updating customer records. That’s £450 a week you’re not making money.
Let’s say a Virtual Assistant costs £25 an hour. You employ a VA to do those non-revenue generating tasks. It costs £250 a week.
£450 – £250 = £200 profit a week. And that’s just a minimum, depending on how you use that freed up time. For example, you could set up a course that runs alongside your hourly rate.
There’s the old saying. You’ve got to spend to accumulate. Make a good investment to outsource and you will see returns.
Is this a reason why you haven’t delegated some of your business tasks?
Reason 2 – I don’t have the time to teach someone else
A Virtual Assistant wants to help you save time so certainly putting added pressure on you is not their aim!
VAs are self-starters and highly proficient in the areas they specialise in. So for example, I am a wiz at email management, can update WordPress websites and can set up email subscription lists. So if you need help in any of those areas, I would just need to know what you wanted doing and I’d just get on and do it!
If you do need a Virtual Assistant to help you with something more specialised or you have a particular system for doing something that would require the VA to have more training, you can prepare in advance. Even if you’re not at the stage of outsourcing.
Next time you complete a process, on a piece of paper write down every step. Then create a simple checklist or flowchart of that SOP (standard operating procedure). Or make a Loom recording of you performing a certain task that a VA could easily replicate.
Is this why you have been reluctant to outsource?
Reason 3 – I don’t know what a VA can do to help me
Try something for me.
Take a piece of paper and write down all the tasks you do every day. Highlight the ones only you can do in one colour. Highlight the things that maybe someone else can do in another colour. Then finally highlight all the ones that someone else can definitely do in another colour. All of those tasks can be fulfilled by a VA.
Over the course of a working day, ask yourself before you start any task – is this a productive use of my time? Will it bring you more sales or offer a better service to your clients? Would the time you spent doing that task be better spent doing something else? For those tasks which are not the most productive use of your time, outsource them to a VA.
Take a step back and review your business in the big picture. What is the core of your business, where do you want it to be in 5 years time? Then think about what you do every day. Are you effectively working on the core business, spending enough time on revenue-generating activities and are you working towards your future goals? If you aren’t then you can hire a Virtual Assistant to do those tasks that are sidetracking you.
Do you have a clearer idea about what tasks you could delegate to a VA?
Reason 4 – I don’t need to employ someone full time
And that is the beauty of using a Virtual Assistant. Because unlike an employee which you are typically employing full time or part-time, a VA offers flexible working hours.
You may have periods when you are busier than normal. For example when launching a new product or a new course. You may need just the odd hour support when you need to catch up on things or have fallen behind in your admin.
You can pay for ad hoc hours, block buy hours per month which guarantees the Virtual Assistant will be available for you or have a VA work on a one-off project.
You only pay a VA for those hours or projects they complete.
Was the this reason you haven’t started with a Virtual Assistant yet?
Reason 5 – I don’t know how to work with someone remotely
VAs are naturally organised and have a good working knowledge of tools that aid productivity, simplicity and automation. They will make the onboarding process and ongoing working relationship straightforward and easy.
Typically a VA will need certain access from you and login details can be securely shared through software such as Lastpass. So there’s no worry about how a Virtual Assistant can get access and no fear about sharing password details.
There are some amazing product management tools available that will allow you to collaborate with your VA. You can add what you need doing and a Virtual Assistant will be able to keep you updated about what they are working on and if they have any questions. A tool such as Trello or Asana is perfect for this task.
More than ever online communication is so important in pretty much everyone’s work & personal lives. From Zoom to Whatsapp, to Slack there are so many tools that facilitate keeping in touch with someone. Which makes remote working so easy!
You can download the full list of my recommended tools here.
If you’re still not sure about hiring a Virtual Assistant or would like to know more about how to outsource to a Virtual Assistant I would recommend you download my free guide: “How to effectively outsource hassle free”.
