Are you working with a VA (virtual assistant)?
Often, a VA is the first person hired as your business grows.
They can assist you with things like:
- Managing your calendar, emails, and appointments
- Social media
- Event planning
- Preparing reports
- Booking travel
- Maintaining databases
- And more!
And, while hiring a VA can seem like an easy first step to getting help in your business – it’s also a BIG step. When you bring on a team member, you have to think about:
- Qualities, Skills, and Values
- Experience
- Training
- Communication
- Expectations
- Rapport
It’s no wonder that some people think hiring a VA is more trouble than it’s worth – but you need to look at the big picture.
Can a VA save you time? Can they take tasks off your plate that allow you to do more of what you love? That allows you to bring in additional revenue? That has you working in your zone of genius?
For me, the answer to those questions is a resounding, “YES!” And while there may be some time and effort on the front end to find the right person and to train them on how things work in your business – the pay off is so worth it!
The Momentum CEO Network recently met to discuss virtual assistants. It was an excellent conversation as we had some members who currently have an assistant, others who are contemplating hiring one, and some who are content doing things on their own. That’s the great thing about this group – everyone has their own way of doing things – and they’re all open to sharing their ideas and opinions.
Here’s a few comments from that meeting:
“I have not used a virtual assistant. I can imagine using one to save time on content creation and social media…When you do something for as long as I have, it becomes part of your whole, and I can’t imagine how I would cut off that piece, handing off that piece and trust they understand my business and what I’d want to have posted.” – Peter Cotton
“I’ve been doing everything for so long; it’s hard for me to offload certain [tasks].” – Ellen Koronet
“I’ve been using [a virtual assistant] for four months. I have them scrub my email every morning, manage my calendar, [handle] social media tasks for business pages, and give me a daily rundown of meetings of the day and people to reach out to. The biggest reason [I use a virtual assistant] is to offload all those tasks from my plate.” – Adam Knitila
“Don’t think you have to find one person who can do a whole bunch of things. [Your virtual assistant doesn’t] have to be that administrative person.” – Jodi Davis Gonzales
“It’s hard to let go [of certain tasks,] but sometimes you have to, and it will help you in the end.” – Marney Lumpkin
How about you? Do you have VA? What types of things are they doing for you? What challenges did you face when they first came on board? If you’re still contemplating hiring a VA, what’s holding you back? I’d love to hear your thoughts on this topic.
