When is a good time to hire a virtual assistant?
The answer should be sooner rather than later. Many company owners are so busy that they do not have enough time for everything, but it’s important to remember the benefits of hiring someone who can take care of tasks related to your business. Hire a virtual assistant to perform all the business tasks at the time.
Many business owners wait too long until they are overwhelmed before asking for help. The earlier they can identify things that can be delegated, the better. Even hiring someone for just a few hours per week can be so helpful in them being able to more effectively work in their business could help you get back on track and keep your sanity. Hiring someone skilled from the Philippines could allow you to get the help you need BEFORE you are buried and overwhelmed.
This is a great way to work smarter, not harder. It’s also a great opportunity for you and your business to have more time for things that matter most in the long run! You may be asking, what tasks could you outsource?
Here are some ideas…
You could outsource:
- Email management (answering emails, filtering them)
- Scheduling social media posts and more!
The benefits...
The benefits of hiring someone who can take care of tasks related to your business go far beyond the time you save. For example, they could help you work more strategically.
You may be asking yourself now, what tasks can’t I outsource? This is a great question to ask! Here are some ideas of things that might not be good to give up…
- Accounting (unless you hire a virtual assistant who is Quickbooks or Xero Certified. They exist! I have one!)
- Graphic design (if your needs exceed basic graphics to social media)
- Creating new products or services – usually, the genius behind your product or service is best executed by you. Your virtual assistant can, however, be a great sounding board for ideas. They can also help put action steps to big ideas.
What's the cost?
You may also be asking yourself “What would this cost?” If you think about hiring someone for just a few hours per week, it could be very affordable.
Virtual Assistants from the Philippines often charge $6 – $8 USD/hour. This is an industry-wide average that can vary depending on your needs and experience level. You can definitely find someone for less and you can find someone for more but this tends to be a good place to start for a solid virtual assistant.
Even though the prices are less than in the United States, being responsible for someone else’s livelihood can feel like a large investment, but when you consider the time it can save or how strategic this could make your business–it’s worth every penny! Additionally, you are making an impact in their lives by paying a good wage in their country and giving them the opportunity to grow in wage and hours as your business grows.
As much as we would love to, we as business owners will never be able to do everything in our business. A Jack (or Jill) of all trades is the master of none. Isn’t that how the phrase goes? Sure, for a while we can float along and chip away at things but we are not uniquely gifted in all things.
Even if you CAN do something doesn’t mean you SHOULD. It may take you twice as long to get your newsletter template formatted or a blog post repurposed. Maybe fiddling on Canva is fun but you’re not making your follow-up calls in the meantime. Time is money and for every hour you are working on non-revenue generating activity is an hour that you could have pocketed the money for your needs and wants.
That’s what Virtual Assistants are for! Hiring someone to take care of the things that don’t align with your business goals is setting yourself up for success. They can help you work more strategically and market YOUR products or services–not just do a task. This will set them apart from any competition because they have a deep understanding of what you do and how to market it. They can also help you make more money!
