5 Reasons Why You Should Hire A Virtual Assistant For Your Small Business
Updated: Apr 7, 2021
Guest blog by Holly Jarvis
Let’s face it, running a business is stressful! Of course, it can turn out to be one of the most amazing and rewarding things that you do in your life, but the journey to success isn’t without its challenges.
Often business owners try to do everything themselves, from admin and accounting to customer service and sales. But, whilst this approach may work at the beginning, it isn’t sustainable in the long run.
In order to grow your business, there comes a point when you are going to have to delegate some of your work so you can focus your time and energy on the things that matter most to you and your business.
But hiring an employee can be an expensive and long-term commitment that you may not be ready for.
This is why more and more small business owners are paying for the professional and flexible support provided by Virtual Assistants.
Here are five reasons why hiring a Virtual Assistant can be beneficial for your small business:
1) They can help you be more productive
As a small business owner, you will inevitably wear multiple hats and play different roles within your business. But there are only a certain number of hours in the day, so it’s important that your time is spent on the tasks that are central to the continued growth and success of your business. A Virtual Assistant can help balance your workload by taking on the tasks that are taking up too much of your time. These can include managing your social media accounts, cleaning up your CRM, organising your diary, searching for press/podcast opportunities, posting on freelancer websites, creating sales presentations etc. Delegating these tasks frees up your time to focus on more important areas of your business.
2) They can make improvements
Virtual Assistants have the confidence to become self-employed because they know that their skills and experience are in-demand and can add real value to businesses. Most Virtual Assistants have years of experience behind them which they can use to help small business owners achieve the goals that they have for improving their operations and increasing their revenue. When hiring a Virtual Assistant, it’s important to look at their career history to make sure they’re a good fit for your business and can help with what you’re trying to achieve. For example, my background is in Operations Management so I would be a good fit for small businesses looking for help with project management and/or improving their business systems and processes.
3) They are cheaper to hire than an employee
Virtual Assistants are independent contractors which means they can work out significantly cheaper to hire than an employee. In fact, an article posted on Entrepeneur.com suggests that hiring a VA over a full-time member of staff "can save up to 78% in operating costs per year"! This is because you are only paying them for the work that they do; you don’t have to worry about national insurance, pension contributions, office equipment, annual leave or any of the other costs associated with a permanent employee. For this reason, hiring a Virtual Assistant can really benefit small business owners who need help with their day-to-day business operations but aren’t ready for the financial commitment of hiring an employee.
4) They are professionals at remote working
If it isn’t already clear from the job title, the majority of Virtual Assistants will work entirely remotely/virtually. This means that their home offices are set up in a way to optimise successful remote working partnerships. Not only will they have all of the necessary equipment, such as a phone, laptop and printer, they will also be experienced with cloud-based storage systems, video conferencing platforms, project management software and any other programs that facilitate seamless remote communication.
5) They can provide flexible support
Whether you are looking for regular support on a long-term basis or you just need help with a few ad-hoc tasks here and there, Virtual Assistants are there to provide flexible support when you need it. When you decide to hire a Virtual Assistant, they will draw up a contract that is based on your requirements for an agreed time frame and then, once that time frame has elapsed, you can either extend or end the relationship. All Virtual Assistants are different but I tend to operate my terms of service on a rolling monthly basis. This level of flexibility is great for growing businesses that are in need of support but aren’t yet ready for the commitment of hiring an employee.
Could your business benefit from the flexible, cost-effective support that a Virtual Assistant can provide?
Holly's contact information
Holly Jarvis Virtual Assistant
Website: www.hollyjarvisva.co.uk
Instagram: www.instagram.com/hollyjarvisva
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/hollyjarvisva
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