The tasks you give to a Virtual Assistant can vary depending on the assistant and their skill set. I was talking to a business owner who was looking for a VA in Sheffield recently. He said that he needed to free up time to get back into his hobby of fell running which he had been neglecting over the last 12 months. He was too busy working in the business. It was time to readdress the balance, get back to the fells and create opportunities for his business to thrive, not being stuck in the office worrying what he was going to post on social media that day.
But he wasn’t sure how to identify the tasks a virtual assistant can do.
Read on to find out my advice to him, contact me or call me on 07734430590 to discuss how I can help you.
What can a Virtual Assistant Do?
When I ask that question to business owners, the answer is typically along the lines of ‘but what would I get you to do?’
The answer is typically ‘anything you don’t have the time, inclination or skills to do’
The best way to identify how a Virtual Assistant could help you is to write a list – this is what I got my Sheffield client to do;
Make 3 columns and title each one with one of the following – ‘Like Doing’, ‘Don’t Like Doing’ ‘Can’t Do’. Think about all the tasks you must do or should be doing within your business and place each task under one of the headings.
The list will look different for everyone but typically the items in the ‘Don’t Like Doing’ and ‘Can’t Do’ lists could be outsourced to a Virtual Assistant.
As I like to practice what I preach, my list looks something like this;
Like Doing – Writing Blogs, social media management, improving search engine optimisation for websites, talking to people, networking, writing reports, competitor research
Don’t Like Doing – expenses, tax returns, delivering presentations, my own filling
Can’t Do – video editing, graphic design,
The things I ‘Can’t Do’ I outsource, those I ‘Don’t Like Doing’ I outsource if I don’t have time to do them – unfortunately the tax man marches to his own beat, not mine! The things I ‘Like Doing’ I will always prioritise but in the event of a busy schedule, I would be able to relinquish ownership of a few tasks to someone else.
The internet makes hiring a Virtual Assistant easy, you can use one of a number of apps that make collaborative working simple and video conferencing can reduce meeting times.
Benefits of Hiring a Virtual Assistant
There are a number of benefits of using a virtual assistant but really, the main benefit is that it will free up your time.
We are constantly being told about the value of time; ‘time is money’ we should ‘make time for ourselves’, ‘Lost time is never found again’ … the list is endless.
In a world where time is a commodity, how do you make the most of yours?
In your home life you may already be used to outsourcing. You may hire a cleaner, do your shopping via an online delivery service, pay someone to do your gardening. So why can’t you adopt the same principal to your business?
Virtual Assistant Sheffield - UK
Once you have brought back your time what your do with it is up to you. My client has escaped Sheffield and is currently running up a hill in the Peak District!