It’s a brand-new year, and time for a fresh start!
I love January. Some find it bleak, but I always start the year with a renewed zeal
and enthusiasm. It’s the perfect time to reflect on the successes of the previous
year and to think about the exciting opportunities that lie ahead of us.
Equally, it’s just as important to ask yourself what you can improve on from
the previous year. Maybe you felt like you were drowning in day-to-day tasks
and admin? Pulled in too many directions? Feeling overwhelmed? As you take a
moment to reflect and reassess, perhaps now
is the perfect time to
expand your business with the right team members…
Hiring a Virtual Assistant is a simple, cost-effective solution that can help
you manage the demands of running a business, allowing you to serve your
customers better. A Virtual Assistant can help to optimise your business
operations by unlocking time for you to spend on more productive tasks so that
you can focus on what you do best.
And the great news is that there is a Virtual Assistant out there just for you!
VAs come in all shapes and sizes – all armed with knowledge and experience in a
variety of industries. My background, for example, is in the advertising
industry – as a Creative Services Manager and an Audio Producer.
Having been in the industry for 13 years before becoming a
Virtual Assistant in 2021, I have a wealth of knowledge and experience in that
sector. As well as offering more traditional administrative services, over the
course of my career I have helped clients with all sorts of tasks, including:
o Online course creation
o Blog writing
o Social media content
o Website updates and maintenance
o CRM management
o Lead generation
These are just some of the tasks I’ve helped clients with –
for the full list, you might like to check out my services brochure.
So now that you have a better understanding of the benefits
that a Virtual Assistant can bring to your business, there are a few bits of
homework you need to do before you go searching for the ideal candidate.
Read on for some tips on the necessary preparation you
should do before you begin your search!
Before you hire a
Virtual Assistant, it's crucial to identify precisely what you want to achieve.
Perhaps your
business is growing exponentially, and you just don’t have the time (or
headspace) to be dealing with admin - your time is much better spent serving
your clients.
Is there an area in
which you lack expertise? Maybe you’re great at running a business, but
your creativity leaves much to be desired! As well as more traditional VA
services, VAs like myself are very good at more creative tasks, such as
creating eye-catching images and infographics for social media and
presentations. I don’t proclaim to be a graphic designer, but I do have a very
good eye for design (I have a degree in Graphic Arts, so it’s not surprising
really!). So, if you’re looking to fill the creative void in your business, and
need help with designing content, a VA (with a creative background) might just
be what you’re looking for!
Or do you simply wish that you had more hours in the day?
For ideas on what you might be able to outsource, you should check out my outsourcing exercises download
– it’s designed to give you clarity on what you
can delegate, so that you can work smarter.
If you want your VA to hit the ground running, it’s
important to have clear processes and guidelines in place. For example, if
you’re looking for a VA to help with branding and creative work, make sure that
your brand guidelines are up to date.
To get the very best from your VA, provide them with
documented processes if possible – it will shorten the time it takes them to get
the hang of things. This can either be written or presented as a video tutorial
– and it doesn’t need to take up too much of your time! For example, when I
started working for one of my clients, I hadn’t used Wix before. My client very
kindly provided me with a video tutorial on the process for publishing a blog
article on her Wix site. And the great thing is, it didn’t take up any of her
time – she simply filmed her screen as she went through the process herself. It
meant that when she handed that task over to me, I didn’t have to keep
bothering her with questions every five minutes!
Delegation is a tricky one. And it’s a surprisingly
difficult skill to master. However, to utilise your VA to their full potential,
you must embrace the art of letting go – trust your VA.
It’s hard let go of the reins when you start working with a new VA, but to
succeed in business, delegation is fundamental. Delegation is the only way
you’ll get tasks done without having to eat into too much into your own time
and resources. Letting go is a tough nut to crack, but when you have found a
reputable VA that ticks all the boxes, you should confidently entrust tasks to them.
If there are any questions or if something is unclear, your VA will let you
know. And soon enough, you’ll start to experience the benefits of delegation -
leaving you free to focus on the goals and ambitions that usually get
side-lined because day-to-day tasks keep getting in the way.
As you take a moment consider the growth of your business
and the expansion of your team in 2024, it’s worth throwing the idea of hiring
a Virtual Assistant into the mix. But before you dive in headfirst, take a
moment to prepare before you begin your search. I know it sounds
counterintuitive (isn’t a Virtual Assistant meant to SAVE you time, rather
than giving you more to do?),
but trust me on this one – put in the effort
in the beginning and you’ll get the very best out of your VA far sooner than
you could ever anticipate! Once you have most or all of these areas mastered,
it’s time to reach out and speak to a few different Virtual Assistants to see
who is a good fit.
When you’ve done your homework and you’re ready to hire
external support, feel free to get in touch - I’d love to hear from you, and
I’d be very happy to discuss your needs further. Even if I’m unable to help
you, I’ll most certainly know someone who can!
Here’s to a successful and prosperous new year!
