As a small business owner or creative entrepreneur, that feeling of not having enough hours in the day to get everything done is far too familiar, right? Let me guess, you're trying to be a business owner, stay creative, engage with your audience, maintain all the tech side, post on social media, manage your inbox and generally keep on top of the never-ending demands of running a business?
Enter, the creative virtual assistant. A virtual assistant, or VA, is the ultimate multi-tasker, but in a productive way rather than in the frazzled approaching burn out style you might be used to. We are professionals in our field who help businesses, working remotely, with creative, technical, marketing, and admin tasks.
Running a business, scaling it, and taking it to the next level is going to require all the support you can get. Hiring a full time employee is a big commitment and one that a lot of small business owners or entrepreneurs generally just aren't in a position to do. As a virtual assistant, I get it.
Virtual assistants can fulfil all of the tasks that an employee can, but it works out a lot more cost efficient as you only pay for the productive time they spend serving your business. That's why VAs are becoming a go-to solution for a lot of small businesses.
There are SO many benefits of hiring a virtual office assistant, but here are my personal top 5 super valuable reasons that hiring a creative virtual assistant will be the best thing you can possibly do for your biz right now!
1. Save Your Pennies
Hiring employees is an expensive investment. And whilst it might be the right move for some businesses, it's not for everyone. You can see that you need help but don't have the resources, funds or workload for a contracted employee. As well as paying wages, If you hire an in-house employee, you will also be responsible for paying taxes, sick pay, holiday leave, medical benefits, and other worker's compensation.
Virtual assistants work as independent freelance contractors, meaning they are responsible for all of those aspects of their own biz and it's not your responsibility in any way. You hire a VA to perform certain tasks and only pay for that time used - whether it's a one off job, a set hourly rate, or a monthly package. Whatever works best for you and your VA, the summary of it is that you will only pay for their time spent working on your tasks. And, to make it even better, you'll be hiring a professional who is skilled in their field and already has the expertise of a trained employee.
As well as being a cost effective resource in comparison to hiring an employee, outsourcing to a VA can help save your pennies as it frees up your time. While you're paying them to work on the tasks you don't have time to do, you're able to focus on your business. Every minute that you spend providing your product or serving your clients is money in your pocket.
2. Maximise Your Productivity
As a busy professional, your most valuable commodity is your time. I bet your average day is spent rushing around checking emails, answering the phone, managing your website and posting on social media, as well as 'running your business' in the background.
Just think how much more productive you would be with someone there to handle those time consuming, repetitive tasks for you? A VA will manage your workload so that your time is being used efficiently and you have the best opportunity possible to maximise your productivity.
By delegating tasks to a Virtual Assistant, you are given the gift of time! You will no longer be alone going through that never-ending to-do list and doing the admin jobs that are necessary, but take up far too much of your time.
3. Streamline Your Processes
Virtual Assistants are generally highly qualified in their field. So, because they're already trained in their specific technical skills, you won't need to spend time training them in what you'd like them to do for you. It is also extremely likely that a Virtual Assistant will offer solutions and suggestions for you to be able to streamline your working processes. Making it easier for both you as the business owner, and for the Virtual Assistant working with you.
Having streamlined processes and systems is super important when running a biz, and this is something a VA can guide you through. Whether you already processes in place or not, a Virtual Assistant will definitely have suggestions to make your overall business operations more streamlined, ensuring efficient processes across the whole of your biz.
Virtual Assistants work with many entrepreneurs and growing businesses, meaning that they will come into your business model with a wealth of ideas and experience to guide you as you grow.
4. Reduce Your Stress
The ongoing pressure of running a business and thinking of everything on your own can lead to a highly stressful situation. Freeing up your time by outsourcing to a virtual assistant means that you can refocus on the things that matter most to you, such as your physical and mental health.
Your workload will reduce considerably, allowing you time to complete your scheduled work without stress, as well as allowing time for strategic thinking. You can think big picture with business growth, and set long-term goals without it overwhelming you.
Your business needs your undivided attention, because you've done it all on your own. But it can be easy to create an unhealthy work/life balance if you're too consumed with your work, leading you to miss out on important moments with your loved ones. Hiring a Virtual Assistant gives you the opportunity to take some time off of work and improve your work/life balance as you need to.
5. Scale Your Business
As an entrepreneur or small business owner, it's highly likely you have huge goals or ideas for your biz. But being tied up with admin tasks that don't directly advance your business growth, it's easy to feel demotivated or put your ideas to the sidelines. Hire a VA to do the heavy lifting behind the scenes, while you focus on making strategic decisions for your biz that will take you closer to your goal.
Rather than taking on employees to help you scale your business, hiring a VA can help you to grow in the areas you want to without breaking your budget. If business grows fast and you need more help, you can easily hire another VA to see you through the transition. You can also consider hiring skilled VAs in various fields, such as marketing specialists, website editors, design virtual assistants etc. No matter what job needs completing, you can find a qualified virtual assistant who has the skill set you’re looking for. Upwork is a great place to find VAs specialised in different fields from allover the world.
So, what are you waiting for? Now you know that the reasons to outsource to a Virtual Assistant are undeniably beneficial, there's no excuse! Learn more about me and my offerings here, and let's do this together.
I can't wait to hear from you!
L x
Laura Mackenzie
Creative Virtual Assistant at Kelp Collective