Is It Time For You To Outsource To A Virtual Assistant

Does this sound like you?

I can't afford to outsource.

How do I know who to hire?

I'm fine doing it all myself. 

So many small business owners consider outsourcing to be a benefit of success, something they'll do when money is flowing in, and clients are pounding on the door.

But here's a hard truth: that may never happen if you're stretched too thin! 

Waiting for everything in your business to all line up a certain way can result in a massive waste of your precious time.

Three Signs You Need To Hire A Virtual Assistant 

1. You're generally on top of everything, but lately, you've been feeling frazzled and anxious about getting it all done, and you've made a few mistakes. 

2. The business you used to love has started to feel like a "job," and every day, you're feeling more exhausted and worn out, and throwing in the towel has crossed your mind more than once. 

3. You have so many amazing ideas but you don't have time to focus on them right now. 

4. Did I just read your mind?

If you're running a successful business there is going to come a time when you need help. 

You need to delegate. 

You need to outsource. 

You need to invest in YOU! 

You need to hire a Virtual Assistant!

RELATED: WHAT EXACTLY DOES A VIRTUAL ASSISTANT DO?

A Few Thing You Can Do When You're Ready To Hire A Virtual Assistant

1. Have a clear idea of the tasks you want to outsource (think about the time-consuming stuff you'd love to have someone else do).

2. Know your budget, but understand that experience (talent and skill) comes at a cost. 

3. Connect with your network. Who do you follow on social media? Who are your business buddies? There is probably someone in your online circle that provides the service you need or can give you a recommendation.

4. If you do a job opp in a Facebook group - USE A GOOGLE FORM or TypeForm to collect contact information!!! I can not stress this enough. Don't have people DM you, email you, or leave their data in the comments. YOU WILL GET OVERWHELMED with the responses and the notifications. Set the form to STOP accepting, or you'll keep getting answers. 

5. If you find someone from your social media circle, engage with them in some form of communication (DM's/ email) and see if you think they're a good fit. Then, set up a Zoom call (you need that face-to-face contact too). 

6. If you post in a group, have a clear deadline (see #4) when you're going to stop taking applications and then pick 5-7 applicants and again, set up a Zoom call to meet with them and make a decision from there. 

7. BRAIN DUMP! That's right! You need to brain dump!!! Pull out your cell phone/iPad or open up a Google Doc/Word doc and just start unloading it all. What should you brain dump? All those tasks you hate doing. The tasks that are a waste of your time. Everything you wish someone else would do. Skills that are not in your zone of genius.

After you complete this list – let it sit for a day or two and then come back to it. Delete or add to the list. Then, prioritize the first three things you want your new assistant to take over. 

RELATED: 5 WAYS A VIRTUAL ASSISTANT CAN HELP A BLOGGER

Things To Avoid When Looking For A Virtual Assistant

1. Don't ask for free "trial periods" or extensive work to be done regularly. 

2. Don't ask for long or detailed project proposals from everyone, and then don't follow up or contact. (See#4 above about using forms to collect the applicant information you need).

3. Don't feel obligated (or cheap) and hire the first person/most affordable person if they don't seem like a good fit.

4. Don't come to your first meet up (Zoom) unprepared. 

It's a big step when you're ready to hire a Virtual Assistant for the first time. It means your business is growing and you need help. 

Whoever you decide to hire, they should be able to complete tasks promptly and assist you in freeing up your schedule so you can operate in your zone of genius. 

An excellent strategy to implement when you hire a virtual assistant: start your virtual assistant off with one small project or task and then add to her workload as time progresses. 

Why A Virtual Assistant Is Different Than Working with an In-Person Assistant

Working with a VA is very different than having an in-person administrative assistant or an employee. Here are a couple of key differences:

1. A Virtual Assistant works a designated number of hours. Although you may (together) set specific due dates for particular tasks, a virtual assistant can complete those tasks at any time of the day they choose. I, for one love, to work late at night when my house is quiet, and I don't have to worry about interruptions like the phone ringing or text messages from friends and family. 

2. When you hire a Virtual Assistant, they are going to come to you with a specific set of skills that will not require any, or minimal training. One of the benefits of hiring a VA is you can hire someone who already knows how to complete the task you need them to do, so there is no learning curve, and you don't have to spend a week or two training them to do what you need them to do. As a Pinterest Manager, I already know how to optimize a Pinterest business account, sync it with Tailwind and read analytics. So, when a business owner hires me to manage their Pinterest account, I can jump right in and get started. In contrast, when I needed my Dubsado account set up – I outsourced that task to someone else because I didn't want to take the time to "learn" Dubsado. I knew the immediate benefit of Dubsado after a client introduced it to me. Now that it's all set up – my systems run like clockwork. 

RELATED: 6 WAYS A VIRTUAL ASSISTANT CAN HELP A LAWYER

The Mindset You Need To Hire A Virtual Assistant

Outsourcing is a huge step for any small business owner. It means giving up control over specific tasks in your business. But it's also your first step toward scaling your business so it can grow.

If you're thinking about outsourcing, there's a mindset you need to cultivate first.

1. Learn to let go. Don't get it twisted - you're not giving up total control, but you're learning how to shift your focus and trust someone else to handle all the little details you don't need to focus on because you're SCALING UP.

2. Outsourcing costs money. How much does it cost? That all depends on you. You may want to start small - 5 hours per month, 10 hours per month. Please don't walk into outsourcing, thinking you have to spend $500 a month. Depending on what you need, you can spend as little as $125. Find someone who can work within YOUR budget. I'm not saying be CHEAP! Never that. But if your budget is $150. Then that's all you need to spend. 

3. Managing others is not fun. You ARE the boss...but sometimes that doesn't necessarily mean you have employees. However, when you outsource - it means you'll be checking in with someone regularly to make sure the tasks you assign them get completed. What it doesn't mean is standing over someone's shoulder. Once you complete the trial and training period, other than a weekly check-in, a virtual assistant requires "little" management. 

Do These Three Things When You're Ready To Hire A Virtual Assistant

Start small.

Although you may have a to-do list that's a mile long that you'd LOVE to outsource to a Virtual Assistant - why not start small. If you're not sure if outsourcing specific tasks are right for you, try hiring a VA for a few hours each month to take responsibilities off your hands strategically. 

For example, you can assign your Virtual Assistant customer service or email management. It won't be much in the beginning, but starting with only a few hours per month will be an excellent way for you to determine whether or not outsourcing is right for you. 

Is outsourcing worth it?

Paying someone to complete a task you know how to do is hard. But if your return on investment far outweighs that time you spend completing that task - you need to outsource. Think about what you could be doing for your online business with the time you're not spending completing those tasks. 

For example, if you hire a Virtual Assistant for 5 hours per month and you use those 5 hours working with a client or creating a product you're going to sell, you've covered the cost of your VA right there. 

Dedicate funds to outsource.

Based on the amount of income you bring in every month, dedicate a portion of it outsourcing. Determine if you can set outside 10% or 20% of your income to outsource to a VA. 

For example, if you're a blogger, you could 20% of your affiliate income to cover outsourcing costs. If your income is consistent, then allocating this amount in your budget won't feel like an excessive expense.

A lot of us cringe at the thought of handing off tasks to a total stranger, and the excuses start to flow like the ones I stated above plus, "I can't justify that expense," or "I'll outsource when I start making $XYZ per month."

I know you've said it.

You decide it's cheaper and easier to do everything yourself, even when you're struggling to keep up with your workload and get it all done. You decide that outsourcing will just have to wait.

But in most cases, outsourcing can not and should not wait. Outsourcing specific tasks like social media or email management or content creation could be the most significant step toward expanding your businesses!

Do you need a Virtual Assistant or a Pinterest Manager, check out my services page and let’s chat.