So, you have launched out on your own. You have taken the plunge and proudly set yourself up as a solopreneur. Your business is up and running and you are attracting clients. But you soon reallize that you can do it all on your own. You don’t have the time to finish all the tasks of the day or deal with what is most important. After an exhausting day of dealing with demanding clients, you now have to attend to onerous tasks such as answering emails, accounting, writing blogs, updating files, and fine-tuning your website. You find yourself plate-spinning even in your sleep (if you get any sleep at all!)
Hiring an emploee is not always possible and here comes the VA service known as virtual assistant. It is not an app or some robot named Alexa, we talk about real persons working online and help you get things done. The good thing is that VA is a relatively cheap service that offers valuable help to your business and you pay only for the work done, not for the employee’s pension or medical aid schemes. Unfortunatelly this service moved fast from secretary duties to a multi skilled job roleas the market requires cheaper and cheaper freelancers everyday, leading this great service going down the sink like usual.
But the good thing is that you can still track and find in this ocean of ”i can do anything” people the right person that will trully help your business move forward. Our advice is to choose quality over quantity if you want to become a successful solopreneur.
So here is why solopreneurs end up taking on a Virtual Assistant. Let’s take a look at some of them:
Reason #1: The Time Factor
Your time is precious and if you are working up to 18 hours a day trying to handle every aspect of your business you will be eroding its value. Without devoting enough time to family and friends, to exercise and recreation, and of course, importantly, to clients, you will suffer burnout. That is a guarantee!
A much wiser option is to take on a Virtual Assistant who can handle day-to-day administration tasks, leaving you to focus on what counts—growing your business.
Reason #2: The Cost Factor
The beauty of hiring a VA is that he or she doesn’t come with the same sort of costs associated with taking on a full-time or even a part-time worker.
Their services come with the following cost-cutting benefits:
- They work from home and thus don’t need office space
- They take care of their own pensions, medical schemes, and taxes
- They have their own computers loaded with up-to-date software
- They get paid only for the hours they work—as determined by you.
Reason #3: The Commitment Factor
Contrary to what you may have expected, Virtual Assistants are, in general, fully committed to bolstering their client’s business goals. It stands to reason: the more their client’s business prospers, the more work security they enjoy. In time, they could become a trusted addition to the solopreneur’s venture, often generating new ideas—and at the very least acting as a sounding board for his or her business plans.
Reason #4: VAs can Handle Complex Tasks
As your business expands, you will inevitably find that you are faced with complex tasks way beyond your abilities. Tasks such as web design, content writing, graphic design, accounting, and business administration.
How to Find a Virtual Assistant
There are many platforms where VAs around the world advertise their services, as a quick Internet search will show. However, offshore freelancers, especially those operating in India and the Philippines, are becoming less and less popular because of their all-round expertise. The demand is growing for VAs that come from Europe or United States and are skilled assistants. The rates for hiring a VA are very low, especially if you compare them with the expences of a 9-5 emploee.
How a Virtual Assistant Can Add Value
Virtual Assistants offer a variety of business skills, allowing you to select which one(s) will serve your needs the most.
For example, they are typically trained in one or more of the following skills:
- High tech
- Financial services
- Telecommunications
- Hospitality
- Customer care
- General assistance, including bookkeeping, data entry, and telephone reception
How to find a VA best suited to Your Needs?
We believe the trend towards the hiring of virtual assistants will continue to gain even more momentum once the grip of the Coronavirus pandemic has eased. So to wrap it up, the best way to find a reliable VA is to look on platforms that have verified and real reviews. Also you should always interview the VAs you find that suit your needs and also give them tests to complete before hiring them in order to verif that have the skills they state in their resume.