Do You Need a Virtual Assistant?
“I’m new to virtual assistants and I don’t even know what I need help with, I just know I need help.”
I hear this phrase repeated in the majority of the discovery calls I have. If this is you, you’re not alone!
You know you’re overwhelmed and overloaded, but there are a lot of variables at play with hiring help. How many hours will you need a month? What are the highest priority tasks? What’s the budget? Is this a one-off project or an ongoing agreement?
How do I know what to outsource?
It can be daunting to nail down the details, and I heard some golden advice long ago on The Action Academy podcast. The episode I heard featured guest Daniel Ramsey, CEO of the virtual assistant agency, My OutDesk; in other words, he knows a thing or two about hiring VAs. So, what was his advice?
A sticky note.
Stay with me here, folks. He recommends that if you’re considering outsourcing some tasks to a VA, keep a Post-It note with you for one day. As you go about your day, make note of every single thing you do. At the end of the day, review what you’ve written down and divide the tasks into two categories: nonbillable and billable hours. From the list of non-billables, what can you outsource? Are those tasks that can be completed virtually or do you need someone in-person?
How do I determine my budget?
Mr. Ramsey’s advice is a great start for coming up with a job description or list of tasks when hiring, but I would urge you to add one thing. As you write your list, keep track of the time you spend on each task. This is going to do two things:
It will give you an estimate of the time you would need an assistant to dedicate to your business each week or month
You’ll see how much time you could’ve spent on your honed craft/business.
The biggest hesitancy I hear with hiring out is the cost, but numbers don’t lie. A simple sticky note will show that your busy work is actually costing you more than hiring a VA. In the time you spent checking emails or filing forms, how many clients could you have seen? How many galleries could you have edited? What money maker could have been done in that time? Profit aside, what could you have done outside of work with that time? All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy, after all.
Some virtual assistants charge an hourly rate for services, so this will give you an amount to provide your potential VA when discussing the details. Others, like myself, offer packages for services and your research will help you determine the value of bringing on help to allow you to focus on other things, even if it’s hobbies!
Contractor or Employee?
Most Virtual Assistants are contractors, and our preferences aside, the IRS is pretty picky with distinguishing between the two. This article does a great job of distinguishing between employees and independent contractors and I recommend reading through it before beginning the process so that you go about the hiring process correctly and/or adjusting your expectations.
How do I hire a VA?
Since you’re on my blog, you’re already in the right place! While I consider myself a bit of a Renaissance woman, I have specific packages I offer to clients long-term including blogging, social media, and administrative services in addition to one off projects like website copy refresh and special projects. There are thousands of us out there, and I guarantee there’s someone who niches in your field even if that virtual assistant isn’t me! If I’m not what you’re seeking, I’d be happy to assist you by linking you to a colleague or posting a job opportunity on your behalf in the groups I’m in for VAs.
I recommend a discovery call before signing a contract with everyone to make sure we’re a good fit, but also to really dig into what is expected. Most of us use contracts, just like any business, and will invoice you for the agreed upon amount once the contract is signed. It’s that simple!
You can listen to the podcast here and, as always, if you’re ready to take the next step in hiring a virtual assistant, you can contact me here.