Most small business owners usually start by doing everything themselves. They act as the CEO, manager, secretary, and even accountant. Suppose you find yourself in the same situation as an entrepreneur. In that case, you are probably trying to do everything yourself, including what you can handle and what you have little to no knowledge about. However, you are not alone.
Statistics from the Small Business Administration in 2020 showed that out of the 31.7 million small businesses in the US, individuals run 25.7 million of them. Several factors, including business size, logistics, and lack of finances, contribute to this phenomenon.
Aside from that, many people prefer working alone. If you find yourself in this group, how long can you continue with this? Working alone can be overwhelmingly stressful. You take up all administrative and even menial jobs. It can negatively affect your business and personal development.
Except you don’t have a plan to grow your business, you need extra hands to run your business effectively and efficiently. As the business expands, you require support from experienced hands to handle the demand. Even if you don’t have the space and logistics to hire a full-time worker, you can rely on hiring virtual assistants.
What is a Virtual Assistant and How Can a VA Help Grow Your Business?
A virtual assistant is a professional with experience in various fields of work and renders support virtually to clients. Unlike in-house workers, a VA works remotely from their home or a small office. VAs have become very popular and one of the most sought-after professionals currently for various reasons. They are primarily versatile, affordable, and have flexible working hours.
Why You Need a Virtual Assistant
Being a jack of all trades decreases your productivity aside from getting you stressed out. You spend more hours on tasks, which limits your efficiency in other areas. You deserve better than this as a small business owner. And delegating some of these tasks will allow you to focus on growing your business. Below are the top reasons you need a virtual assistant.
Have time to concentrate on your business
The number one desire of every entrepreneur is to expand and serve more people. How can you achieve this target if you waste your time doing things someone else can do easily? It is nice to involve yourself in everything concerning your business. However, it shouldn’t be at the detriment of your core business mandates.
Let a virtual assistant take over the bookkeeping, email, calls, travel arrangements, bookings, and other administrative jobs. It gives you enough time to concentrate on important things like accessing loans, meeting investors or new clients, and negotiating new deals.
Improves productivity
Imagine getting a job, which you used to spend six hours on done in just two hours. You get enough time to work on other essential tasks. In short, a shared responsibility brings about efficiency and improves productivity.
This is what a VA brings to the table. They help you improve productivity by working around the clock to achieve set targets.
Low maintenance cost (Affordability)
Hiring a permanent worker comes with extra costs aside from the monthly or weekly wages. You need a well-furnished space, gadgets, and other logistics. You will also need to contribute to their social security, among additional costs.
This is the opposite when you hire a virtual assistant. A VA works remotely, so no need for an extra office; they use their own supplies and pay their own bills. Your only obligation is to honor the contract signed. That said, you could offer bonuses for reaching or maintaining certain goals, such as in sales.
Experience
Most virtual assistants specialize in specific areas and have built experience over time. As such, they deliver flawless work in less time. Some are also versatile and can handle more than two tasks at a time. Having a team member who multitasks means you won’t have to hire more people.
What to Look For in a Virtual Assistant
Before engaging the services of a VA to help grow your business, you should already have straightforward tasks designated that you need to delegate. You should also be prepared by knowing which tasks take priority and the qualifications required to get the job done effectively.
Figure out how long you would require the services of a virtual assistant and define your objectives to make the hiring process more manageable. This will help you connect with the right type of VA right from the start.
Communication skills
Excellent communication skills are necessary when hiring a VA. Many things come into play here, and any gap can result in a mess. Hire someone who understands your language and is ready to ask questions if something is not clear.
Without quality and consistent communication, the assigned individual may poorly execute some tasks due to lack of information, resulting in losses. This is even more important when hiring someone to handle your customer service.
Aside from having excellent communication skills, the prospective candidate should be highly tolerant and skilled in working with challenging situations or demanding customers.
How to Hire a Virtual Assistant
Currently, virtual assistants are easy to find; however, finding a skilled, competent, and dedicated one is the problem. As a small business owner, you have no time for trial and error, so hiring an agency that handles the hiring of VAs, like Prime Virtual Staffing, can save you time and money.
Below are some suggestions for finding the perfect virtual assistant to grow your business.
Search the Internet
Websites like Upwork, Guru, Fiverr, Fancy Hands, Vasumo, and VaVa Virtual are some of the places you can find VAs to hire. You would first have to sign up as an employer, list your jobs, and wait for the numerous VAs to apply. When listing your position, you should find out about:
- Level of experience
- Academic qualifications
- Rate / Budget
- Type of contract
Doing this reduces the number of applications, as only qualified people would apply. It also makes selection easier. Before you settle on a particular person, check their reviews from previous clients and their level of experience.
Use an Agency
Using an agency is one of the best ways to hire a virtual assistant. Agencies engage skilled and experienced VAs who mostly have to undertake various exams to test their competency. This is exactly the services Prime Virtual Staffing renders.
The company has vetted and trained VAs who can help you grow and scale your business. The good news is that their VAs can handle various tasks and are affordable.
How a VA Can Help Grow Your Business
After a competent VA joins your team, you can now lighten your load by delegating specific tasks. A virtual assistant can handle most of your administrative duties while you concentrate on growing the business.
If you already have in-house staff, the VA can take some of the additional responsibilities they were handling and help streamline your business. So, as long as everyone is working according to their expertise, productivity increases, and your business continues to grow!
