You may need a Virtual Assistant — and my not even know it yet. Your business has been growing by leaps and bounds and you’re starting to feel a little overwhelmed. You might be considering hiring an assistant to help you with some of the more menial tasks, but when you start pricing out how much it costs to hire someone full time, it feels much more expensive than what you had anticipated. So, again, you may want to consider hiring a Virtual Assistant.
What is a Virtual Assistant?
A Virtual Assistant (or VA) is typically a remote contractor who can help you with every aspect of your business. A VA can specialize in everything from financial issues (e.g., billing, accounting, etc.), administrative tasks, event planning or even e-mail and blog correspondence. They are usually hired part time and can be located just about anywhere in the world.
What does a Virtual Assistant Cost?
Their prices can vary depending on what you need them to do. But, because they are all over the world, you might find that they are much cheaper than having to hire someone full time. In my personal experience, the VAs that I’ve hired have run anywhere between $12-$25/hour. But again, it’s dependent upon the skill set you require them to have.
Where would I find a Virtual Assistant?
There are a wide variety of sites that cater to these services. Again, some are very task oriented while others are more service oriented. Two of my favorite are: Upwork.com and Guru.com. I haven’t personally used Zirtual.com, but those who have speak highly of their services and people. Cheaper options are sites like Craigslist.com or even Fiverr.com, but remember, you get what you pay for.
How do I know if I need one?
If you find yourself spending too much of your time on fairly menial tasks and it’s taking away from your focus on growing your business, a VA might be a great option to consider. Further, if you if a large project coming up and you’re realizing that it’s something you may not be able to handle on your own, you may want to consider bringing in a VA to take on some of the more mundane/utilitarian tasks that might bog you down.
Anything else to consider?
You should take the time to plan out whatever project you’re working on so that you can give a clear direction/assignment to your VA. Their costs can add up quickly if you don’t have a sense of what you need them to prioritize. Further, depending on how often you need to communicate with them, you need to take their time zone into consideration. There’s nothing worse than needing to speak to someone at 9:00am your time when it’s 2:00am their time.
Virtual Assistant vs. a Full Time Assistant
Lastly, as you work with a VA, there will likely come a time when the balance of value and expense of having a contractor versus bringing on someone full time starts to tip. You’ll know fairly quickly when hiring a full time employee begins to make more sense.
A Virtual Assistant can be an extremely valuable resource. They can help you with a wide variety of tasks and provide expertise in areas that you might be lacking. Be sure to plan out your tasks to keep both your costs and expectations in line. But, if you do it right, a VA is one of the best ways to allow you to keep pushing your business forward.
