Expanding your business when you have finite resources is a difficult balance. But doing good business isn’t about trying to do more with less. It’s about doing more by having less on your plate.

As a small business owner, you’re at the apex of the whole operation. You guide your company’s direction. You head up strategy. You’re the one everyone reports to. And you’re the one who makes all the tough decisions.

That’s quite a job description right there! But you know all too well that it’s just the tip of the iceberg. Your role has all the responsibilities of a C-suite exec. It also happens to include the responsibilities of an admin assistant, a marketing manager, an HR manager, a social media manager, salesman, and an accountant.

No wonder you have days where it all seems too much. Fortunately, help is just a virtual assistant (VA) away.

A virtual assistant can help you be productive, not busy

It’s easy for small business owners to get swamped under a never-ending to-do list. But how many of those tasks are ones that truly need your expertise? The next time you find you’re printing and sending invoices, for example, ask yourself whether this is the best way to spend your time and expertise.

With a VA at hand, you can delegate these tasks to a qualified, self-directed contractor. Many VAs are multi-skilled generalists, with the ability to wear whatever “hat” you need them to – plus many have their own specific areas of expertise on top of that. A great VA can identify what needs to be done and who needs to do it, taking the office project manager role out of your hands.

An exceptional VA will eventually be able to do these things, even before you realize they need to be done.

As a result, you’ll be able to reduce the time you spend on admin, correspondence, bookkeeping and basic organization, freeing yourself up to handle the high-level tasks that will help your business grow. No more weekends spent printing labels!

A virtual assistant can act as your personal gatekeeper

“Urgent” tasks are just one way that your time can get eaten up. Meetings, calls and events can also take a huge chunk out of your day. Just as a virtual assistant can ensure that only crucial tasks land on your desk, they can do the same with requests for your time.

By screening your calls and meeting requests, they can ensure that only those who really need to will get through – and on terms that suit you. They can request a brief agenda of any phone calls, ensuring calls are kept on track, and schedule meetings so that you’re only present during the discussion points where you’re truly needed.

In some cases, a VA can also be a handy stand-in for you or your company. They might help prepare and send emails from your account using the “proxy” functionality. Or they may speak for the company through social media or your customer service channels. Any questions or issues can be dealt with quickly – and you won’t have to drop everything to make sure it gets done.

A virtual assistant is affordable and quick to on-board

Cost may be one of the reasons you haven’t hired an assistant yet. But think about the costs of doing admin tasks yourself. Consider your hourly or billable rate. Chances are it’s a little more than you’d feel comfortable paying an admin staff member. Now consider the opportunity cost of spending an hour reconciling your accounts vs renewing a client contract.

Doing it all yourself may seem like it’s saving money, but it’s probably costing you. Hiring a VA is the far more economical option – and changes the stakes of your opportunity cost immensely.

Not only that, but VAs are a more affordable option than their in-house salaried counterpart. The hiring process is far more streamlined, and your HR responsibilities are minimal. You won’t need to wait for them to give notice at their current job, and you’ll generally find that they’re up to speed on your systems and platforms, making on-boarding a breeze.

Hire a VA and take a load off your schedule!

A good VA is worth their weight in gold. They can take over your administrative and organizational load, freeing you up to grow your business instead. With fewer demands on your time and less on your to-do list, you’ll be a lot less frazzled and a lot more productive.

With the help of a VA you’ll be able to focus your time and energy on working on the business instead of just in it. After all, what would you rather look at: the big picture, or a sea of Post-it notes?

Curious how a VA might help your business?  Let’s chat about your options!