As a small business owner, you may feel like your workload is increasing and you need some help. Hiring a virtual assistant is a great way to ease your workload and gain some
experienced support with your business. However, you may feel a little nervous about hiring one so here are some truths and common misconceptions about hiring a VA.
‘Hiring a VA means you will be giving up the work you LOVE to do’
FALSE
A virtual assistant is there to help you, meaning you can delegate the tasks to them without fully giving up on the things you love to do. In fact, hiring a virtual assistant means that you’re actually freeing up your time from admin tasks, bookkeeping or even social media to do the things you love, the thing that made you want to start your business in the first place. It’s completely up to you in what you choose to delegate.
‘A VA can only help you with admin’
FALSE
While virtual assistants can help you with your admin tasks, there is actually no end to what they can help you within your business. There are a variety of types of VAs that specialise in different areas, for example in finance, social media, creative tasks, editing photos or videos etc. This means that whatever you need help with, there will be a virtual assistant out there who is ready to help you.
‘You can delegate all your dreaded business tasks to your VA’
TRUE
Yes, it may seem too good to be true, but you can delegate all those tasks that you may not like such as bookkeeping or admin to your virtual assistant. They are there to help and support you with your business and free up your time to focus on growing your business and even give you some time to focus on your personal life.
‘A VA is a security risk’
FALSE
Of course, as a business owner, you need to be cautious when it comes to trusting your business with people. However, you have the control to set boundaries and control the access your VA has to your business. If you’re not sure, then start small and work with your VA on smaller tasks before bringing them onto bigger things. A VA can also sign any non-disclosure agreements to ensure your intellectual property is protected too.
If you’re unsure, any trusted VA will be happy to answer any question you have about the safety of your business and its data. They will have policies in place to ensure your business's safety. Another good way to know if your VA is trustworthy is by reading through their client reviews and recommendations.
‘A VA can help you organise and improve your business too’
TRUE
A virtual assistant can help you with your admin, correspondence and more, but they can also help you to organise it too. For example, your inbox may be a little messy and unorganised which can make dealing with emails a lot more time-consuming than it needs to be. A VA can help to organise your inbox, ensure any important information is stored correctly and help flag certain emails as a higher priority than others. This organisation can be extended across your whole business too, working with social media inboxes, folders, online drives and even your desktop. You may also find that the knowledge and experience your VA has gained working with other businesses could also help you and your business to grow too.
‘You’ll have to fit in with their workload/ work process’
FALSE
While your VA may be experienced in working with other business owners and may have
suggestions on how you should work together, at the end of the day they are there to help you and fit in with your workload. They are there to listen to you together you will find the best process for working together. Therefore, there is no need to worry about how you’re going to fit in with them.
‘A VA is flexible with the hours you need’
TRUE
A VA can work as much as you need, whether that’s a few hours a month or a couple of days in the week. What’s important is what works for you and your business. You may find that you’re busier towards the end of the month for example and you may not need as much help at the beginning of the month, your VAs hours can work around this. In this instance, hiring a VA would be much more beneficial than hiring someone to join your team as then you’d have more pressure to provide hours
and work.
And finally,
‘A ‘VA is a temporary solution'
FALSE
A virtual assistant doesn’t have to be a temporary solution; in fact, working with a VA on a regular basis is more beneficial as they will get to know you and your business and build a professional relationship with you, which will make working together more effective and efficient. What’s important is to forget about all expectations and misconceptions, consider what you and your business need and work from there.
And if you’re looking for an organised, experienced VA to help with day-to-day management, scaling up your social media presence, and more, feel free to get in touch with Erin at Bizzybee.