An Entrepreneur’s Guide to Outsourcing & Hiring Virtual Support.

Starting a business is one of the bravest things a person can do and requires time, love and attention. If you thought quitting your 9-5 for the Entrepreneur’s lifestyle of sipping cocktails on the beach, I can tell you now, its 12 hour days and zero switch-off holidays for 3 years minimum, especially if you are a solopreneur.

Hiring a team member is vital in making the shift from a solopreneur to a business owner. Making time from working in your business to working on your business. Creating time for yourself by delegating tasks to your team member, providing you time to focus on revenue making avenues.

In this blog, I will walk you through the steps to hiring your perfect Virtual Assistant and share some tips on what you should have in place to make onboarding and working with Virtual Staff go as smooth as possible.

3 top tips when it comes to hiring your virtual assistant.

1. Be sure to know your budget before hiring a Virtual Assistant 

I’ve assumed you’ve already considered how much you can afford to invest in a Virtual Assistant; think how much value they’ll be bringing to your business. 

A Virtual Assistant will achieve results with an hour or so a month but give 15 hours, for example, can provide game-changing benefits for your business. Factor in the additional time you will have to focus on revenue-generating tasks while your VA is working on your customer retention and engagement. I’m sure you will soon realise your VA will be worth their weight in gold. The better communication you have with your VA, the better the results for your business. Your Virtual Assistant will start to understand your business and gain the tone of voice required for your clients and customers; soon, you will be receiving fresh ideas, loyalty and dedication and someone who genuinely cares for your business success. 

2. Have Procedures, Processes for your Virtual Assistant to follow

Having clear communication with what you require from your VA and what they need to accomplish, they’re in a better place to support you with efficiency and ease, what you don’t want to spend hours on end having to train your new assistant trying to explain just what you need. 

Having transparent documents, processes and guidelines, video tutorials (such as loo videos), your VA will be able to get straight to work, lowering your initial setup costs and freeing up your time quicker than expected. 

3. Let Go (at some point). 

Now, I know this is easier said than done, but to get the best from your virtual assistant, you give them the autonomy to do what they do best. If you have a good relationship (which you should), I suggest keeping in touch regularly, communicate often, but do trust they are doing the best for your business. If your VA requires further instruction or if something is unclear, you will have a relationship where they feel they can approach you for some direction. It’s time for you to enjoy the desk space and headspace that comes with hiring a great VA.

“4 steps to finding out what you should delegate to a Virtual Assistant?”

My suggestion is for anyone looking into a Virtual Assistant to make a list first. Listing things such as:

1. What skills don’t you have to do those tasks?

Start with the tasks you do not have the skillset for – it is a no-brainer to start with these. 

2. What don’t you mind doing that takes a lot of time? 

Next, look into the tasks you don’t like doing and outsource those. You will be surprised how quickly they can get these done as they enjoy doing them.  

3. What don’t you like doing?

Take into consideration the tasks you don’t mind doing but the tasks which also take up the most time. 

4. What do you like doing but know you should be spending more time on other areas of your business?

Finally, look at the things you like doing but which are not an effective use of your time – are there other things your time would be better.

Are you ready to book your VA and start making life a little less heavy?

It doesn’t have to be scary, fill out the contact form on the website, we will book in a friendly (no pressure) chat and see how I can best support your amazing business.

Related: Benefits Of Outsourcing Customer Services To A Freelancer
Related: Why Is Great Customer Service Important