Have you been feeling like you’re trying to juggle flaming torches while riding a unicycle, uphill, in a hurricane? Welcome to the entrepreneurial life! If your daily grind has turned into a daily groan, maybe it’s time to start thinking about hiring a virtual assistant (VA). Are you wondering if you’re ready to take that leap, or are you scared you might actually get a full night’s sleep for once? Let’s find out.
Recognizing the Need for a Virtual Assistant:
You know you need help when your to-do list starts looking like a novel, coffee has become its own food group, and you can’t remember the last time you actually ate. If you’re spending more time with Paper Mate than your actual mate, then it might be time to delegate. Remember, admitting you need help is the first step—ignoring it is just business self-sabotage.
Finding the Right Virtual Assistant – Where to Look:
Looking for a VA can feel a bit like finding a unicorn. Start with professional platforms like Upwork or LinkedIn, or tap into the secret society of successful entrepreneurs—your network. They might just have the magical creature you need, or at least someone who won’t drive you nuts.
Cost Considerations:
Cheap VAs come a dime a dozen, but remember the golden rule—cheap work ain’t good, and good work ain’t cheap. If you pay peanuts, you get monkeys. All jokes aside, be wary of places that offer 40+ hours of work for $600. Remember, you get what you pay for. A good virtual assistant has skills and talents, and just like you, deserves to be paid for them. Depending on the level of skill your business requires of your VA, expect to pay somewhere in the range of $25-60 per hour.
Hiring Considerations:
Before interviewing, list out the tasks that make you want to fake your own death just to avoid doing them. During the interview, find out if they’re just as allergic to nonsense as you are. Skills are great, but if they laugh at your jokes, they’re probably a keeper.
Establishing the Working Relationship:
Set ground rules early—this isn’t a circus, and you’re not looking for clowns. Decide how often you want updates—do you need daily affirmations, or will an occasional smoke signal do? Establish clear communication from the start to avoid playing psychic later. This goes for everything; it’s not just about clear communication. Set up systems and channels for delivery, communications, and project management before you go gung-ho and wind up with a costly error due to improper setup from the get-go.
Additional Hiring Tips:
Do your due diligence—stalk their LinkedIn, check references, and maybe conduct a trial project before signing your life away. You want a VA who can admit they’re human (and flawed) when they mess up, not one who blames the WiFi every time.
The 10 Most Common Types of Virtual Assistants:
- Administrative: They handle emails and schedules so you don’t have to. If only they could handle your in-laws, too.
- Bookkeeping: They keep your numbers in line and your bank account in the black. Like a financial whisperer.
- Social Media Management: They post, tweet, and share so you can stop pretending to have a social life (and actually go have one).
- Content Creation: From blogs to newsletters, they write it so you don’t have to dedicate the mental tedium of staring down a blank page.
- Customer Support: Keeping your customers happy so you don’t have to.
- Sales and Marketing: They sell your stuff so you can keep buying those fancy office chairs.
- Technical Support: They keep your tech running smoother than your morning coffee.
- Project Management: They keep the trains running on time, even if you’re still building the tracks.
- Research: They dig up the dirt—everything from competitor research to the best software for whatever you need.
- Personal Assistant: They remember your spouse’s birthday, so you don’t have to.
Have you been feeling like the ringmaster of your entrepreneurial circus, trying to keep all those wild acts in line? If the crowd’s roar is turning into the chaos of the critters, it might be time to introduce a skilled virtual assistant into your lineup. They can tame those unruly tasks so you can finally take a well-deserved bow—and maybe even sneak in a nap.
We’d love to hear about your own adventures in the VA Big Top! Have you found a star performer, or are you still dodging those lions and tigers and bears? Drop a comment below with your stories or reach out to us. If you’re still on the hunt for that perfect assistant, let Buzzworthy Media swoop in like a trapeze artist, ready to catch and elevate your business performance. We’re here to help connect you with a virtual assistant who can turn that circus into a masterpiece of efficiency.