As business owners, we all want to keep every penny. But there is a point where it will actually cost you instead of help you in the long run.
Photo by Christin Hume on Unsplash
As a small business owner myself, I have a lot of skills and experience that I bring to my table, but it has taken me a while to understand that even though I am skilled enough to do it all, doesn't mean I should. Afterall, there's a reason why they make more than one style of hat right? We want to wear them all...
But what are the consequences of doing it all? The real question is, how much more money can you bring to the table if you delegated the things you don't want to do?
The primary problem I see with business owners I work with is control, but not in a negative way. They have the vision and don't realize that they have an issue with releasing control for the bigger picture.
Common push-backs are:
Financial: "I don't want to/have the money to invest in a virtual assistant". I totally get it. Having someone come into your bubble can be intimidating, scary and nerve wrecking. It can be stressful trying to figure out what this extra person will do, but I can guarantee you that virtual assistants can do more than you realize, making the investment in one incredibly valuable. By freeing your time up from administrative tasks, you allow yourself to focus on money-generating activities that will bring more customers, clients, and ultimately, more money. If you have the funds to invest in a VA, then do it! If your VA of interest doesn't offer hour packages, see if you can do a trial run basis for a specific amount of time before signing a long-term contract. That way, no one's time is wasted and you both can work on the relationship first. I do a debit card system when it comes to hours, meaning that clients invest in packaged hours in quantities of five (5) or ten (10), which is good for one year from the date of purchase. My clients can use me for their needs when they need to without feeling the stress of a contract. This allows them to have me work on projects without large up-front costs.
Time: "I don't have the time to teach someone how to do something I need when I can do it myself". Look, I know how to change the oil in my car, but that doesn't mean I want to do that. The things you probably want to delegate are the things you should, but what's even more valuable to you is delegating the tasks that you think you can do yourself. Thinking that you'll have to invest a lot of time in teaching your VA how to use a tool, system, etc. is actually not necessary a problem you have, that's a challenge your VA will take on. As a VA, if there is a tool or system I don't know but my client asks me to learn, I will happily learn how to do it. Technology now has a bountiful amount of resources available for us to learn how to use a system or process, so learning how to do it easy, can be fast, and is something you don't have to do on your own. Discuss with your virtual assistant your needs and see how you both can find a solution to see that the need gets fulfilled.
Need: "What if I don't have enough work for them?" When it comes to virtual support work, a lot of times it starts off with general clerical tasks, bookkeeping, etc. Overtime, VA's show their value by the flexibility of their offerings and ability to support their client no matter how random or odd the project is. In my experience, I've seen clients start working with a VA for customer support, then the relationship evolves and that same VA is handling event coordination for client appreciation parties. Both tasks are client/customer focused, and it proves that overtime, needs are discovered. For example, one of my clients needed a client gift sent to their client which isn't a typical request for me. She had been consumed with life, and needed an extra support. I researched unique local gift ideas in the area, I provided prices, hours of operation, how to order, and ultimately my client chose one establishment. I placed the order for pick up, she picked it up and drove it there and her client was thrilled. We nurtured that relationship and both my client and her client were happy. Sometimes, you won't realize how much work you have to do until you hire a VA and need an extra pair of hands. If you have ever said to yourself "I wish I had a clone of myself", then you likely need a VA. I promise you, you will have enough work for them.
Hiring a VA can do a lot of things for you: they can relieve stress of worrying how you're going to get things done and figuring out how to make time to do money-generating activities. They can also help you do all the little one-off tasks in addition to the general work you need more consistently. Simply put, remember: your time is incredibly valuable, why waste it doing activities you don't enjoy and/or don't make you money? Let a VA take that off your plate so you can stress less and make more.