Around 12 years ago, when I first thought about leaving my PA job and becoming a Virtual Assistant it was still a very niche profession. There wasn’t a lot of information about what VAs do or why small business owners might want to hire one. Fast forward a decade and the term ‘Virtual Assistant’ is no longer quite so alien – many more people have heard of them, or at least understand the concept of a freelance PA and the work we undertake.
As you’ve clicked through to read this, the chances are that you already know the kind of work a VA does and the types of tasks that you can outsource. But do you really understand how this translates as a benefit for your business? Read on for an outline of 3 key ways you and your business will benefit when you outsource the admin…
Your business will grow
As a busy entrepreneur you know how difficult it is to keep up with the day job, never mind stay on top of the paperwork. Responding to emails from potential customers, keeping up with existing clients and progressing your marketing plan all take focus and time. By taking on the smaller, time-consuming tasks, a virtual assistant can ensure that new enquiries are responded to quickly, keeping future customers out of the clutches of your competitors, and can free you up to engage with your existing clients.
A VA can also help to implement the oh-so-important marketing plan. From creating brand-specific templates, to uploading your social media posts, they can help you to ensure you always come across as professional and engaged and create that vital good first impression.
This may only take a couple of hours a week, but that’s two extra hours that you then have to review your business, revise your marketing strategy and go out and win new work.
This week is mental health awareness week – did you know that almost one in five small business owners describe themselves as “highly stressed”? And that 35% of small business owners claim a main source of that stress is admin?
Keeping up with all the paperwork associated with running a business takes a lot of time and as a result it can stack up very quickly. Whether your inbox is overflowing, you still haven’t got round to typing up those meeting notes or your expenses are piling up in the corner, knowing you’re not doing essential tasks can weigh on your mind and cause stress levels to rocket.
When you outsource the admin to a professional not only do you get rid of that nagging feeling of guilt, you also have the peace of mind that the work will be completed quickly and to a high standard. You’ll be able to get on with the day-to-day, confident that everything is running smoothly behind the scenes and allowing you a good night’s sleep and worry-free evenings.
Your social life will be better
This one might sound a bit left-field initially but bear with me. I’m not talking about scoring you invites to all the best parties or making sure that every Friday night is filled with exciting dinner dates (although most VAs could probably sort this out for you). No, I’m talking about the dream of every small business owner, that elusive work/life balance.
I’ve lost count of the number of small business owners I’ve spoken to who happily admit to spending most of their evenings catching up on the admin or setting aside weekends or bank holidays to get on with clearing the office or doing the books. Much like working long hours at the office, once you get into the habit of working like this it can actually feel wrong to clock off at a decent time. But your work/life balance really suffers if you do this long term. In fact, if we’re honest, you soon get to the point where there’s no balance, it’s all work, and both your personal relationships and working life start to deteriorate as a result.
By outsourcing the crucial administrative tasks, or getting a virtual assistant in once every few months to give your filing a good going over you will get your evenings and weekends back, allowing you to go to as many fancy parties as you want, or maybe just binge watch Line Of Duty (all 5 series). And if you’re getting time to socialise and relax, you’ll have more energy during the day to focus on growing your business, you’ll be less stressed and your mental health will improve.
And if you've really had enough of all the admin and want to grow your business, be less stressed, and get your evenings back then get in touch to arrange a free 30-minute consultation to chat about how I can help you.