Whether you’re a start-up, home-based business owner, or solopreneur, you may be wondering whether hiring a virtual assistant is a good idea for a small business. Is it cost-effective? Will it help you grow?
As VAs are still considered fairly mysterious entities to many, there are myths about them that may be affecting your hiring decisions. Here, we’re going to debunk some of those myths so you can make an informed decision on whether or not to hire a virtual assistant for your small business.
1. Only big companies need a virtual assistant
In fact, outsourcing admin, outreach, and social media tasks to a VA can help companies of all sizes save time.
Remote assistants can indeed support large businesses that have customers all around the world. However, that doesn’t mean that smaller companies can’t benefit from virtual assistant services. You don’t have to hire a vast team of VAs but can instead work closely with an individual and scale up as your business grows.
Small businesses in all sectors — from independent crafters to life coaches and service providers — can outsource tasks to a virtual assistant. Doing so affords you the time and headspace to focus on the areas of your company that you love most.
2. Hiring a VA will be unnecessarily expensive
Hiring a virtual assistant can be a valuable investment in scaling your business.
There’s no getting away from the fact that hiring a VA will cost. But that cost is an investment in your business. As well as giving you time to focus on growing your business, you can benefit from lower overhead costs — for instance, your VA will work remotely, which can be particularly beneficial if you work from home.
3. Virtual assistants only do admin
VAs can support you with a whole variety of digital services, from social media to web design.
Virtual assistants can absolutely help out with your administrative tasks. But that’s not all they can do! Many VAs offer a wide range of services that can help you scale up — from social media management and research to client liaison. Every VA has a unique skill set, so it’s important to discuss your needs with them and ensure the collaboration is a good fit for you both.
Perhaps there’s a particular area of your business you’d like to improve but you don’t have the experience or skills — a VA may just be the missing part of the puzzle.
4. A VA has to be full-time to be productive
Actually, VAs help boost productivity — some people on average can hire a virtual assistant for around 20 hours a month.
A good virtual assistant has excellent time management skills, enabling them to focus on the organisation, admin, or other tasks you need quickly and efficiently. Most business owners hire a virtual assistant on an hourly or project completion basis and provide milestones or targets to accomplish.
If your aim is to help grow your small business, you may just need a little support in specific areas, so a few hours a week or month could be plenty. Hiring on a freelance or part-time basis can give you more flexibility than taking on a full-time, in-office assistant — and it will be more affordable!
5. A remote assistant makes communication difficult
There are plenty of tools that allow for effective virtual communication.
Working remotely is very different from working in a shared space. You may find hiring a virtual assistant to be far more practical than renting an office space for the two of you to use.
What’s more, the COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way that many businesses work. Companies that may have been reluctant to offer remote work have now realised that video conference calls, project management software, and file-sharing services make working from home just as productive (if not more) than working in the office and can increase efficiency and morale.
VA services from Bizzybee
No matter what sector your small business is in, a VA could be a fantastic addition to your team.
If you’re interested in learning more, feel free to get in touch with Erin at Bizzybee for expert virtual assistant services based in the UK.