Entrepreneurship is on the rise, and more small business owners are striving to streamline and scale their company. The challenge is always that there’s so much work to do and few resources with which to do it.
For these reasons, small businesses are connecting with virtual assistants to handle various tasks. Here’s what you need to know about virtual assistants and how you can hire one.
What is a Virtual Assistant?
A virtual assistant is an outsourced worker who handles various delegated tasks to help your business thrive. They can handle everything from email management to customer relations to scheduling and social media posting. Essentially, any administrative task that is necessary but not a core aspect of the business can be delegated.
How Virtual Assistants Help
Virtual assistants help by freeing up time for business owners to focus on revenue-earning tasks. For example, an entrepreneur might delegate their monthly bookkeeping to a virtual assistant then use the time that would have been spent to take on more client work.
Hiring a virtual assistant can help boost revenue and create a work-life balance for entrepreneurs. As a virtual assistant is a contractor, you can use their services without dealing with the extra costs and paperwork that comes with hiring an employee.
How to Hire a Virtual Assistant
There are a few key activities to keep in mind when hiring a virtual assistant. First, you’ll need to take an introspective look into your business needs.
Outline Your Business Tasks
Take time to outline the time-consuming tasks that prevent you from taking on more clients. You can also add tasks that you find challenging or unenjoyable to the list. This list will create the foundation of your job description and give you a better idea about what you need.
Consider Your Budget and Time Commitment
Once you’ve outlined the tasks you need help with, consider your budget and time commitment. When trying to find a VA, it’s important to be frugal without being cheap. Yes, you want to save money for your business. However, these people are also trying to make a living and deserve to be paid accordingly.
Many virtual assistants work on a retainer or hourly wage. Consider how many hours per week you’d like them to help you when outlining your job description.
Search VAs with Relevant Experience
When you hire a virtual assistant, it’s important to look at relevant experience. This experience could pertain to specific tasks you need— like creating an email marketing flow— or a nuanced industry, like real estate.
Find VAs that fit your needs and reach out for quotes and more information.
Interview and Test
Once you’ve created a shortlist of candidates, schedule a call to put a face to the name. This could be a casual conversation or a more formal interview, depending on your needs. Many businesses find success by assigning a paid test project to a few shortlisted candidates.
Hire and Onboard
Once you’ve found a VA that suits your needs, hire them, and onboard them to your business. It will take a bit of back and forth to ensure they have access to the information they need to do their work. It’s important to facilitate open conversations and communication to ensure you’re both on the same page and to answer any questions they might have.
Final Thoughts
The key to finding success with a virtual assistant is continued communication and a partnership mentality. Start small when delegating responsibilities, and scale up as you get more comfortable with one another.
Use these tips to find the right VA to help take your business to the next level.
