Are you feeling overworked and overwhelmed? Wondering how to fit more hours in the day? You know you need help but aren't quite sure to know when to hire and how to go about it? Hiring a VA is a big step for a business, but one that few business owners end up regretting….especially when it’s done at the right time.

This post will help you understand just what you need to know before hiring a VA, including:

• Signs it’s time to hire a VA
• Signs you’re actually READY to hire one, and
• How to find the perfect assistant for your business!

Signs You Need to Hire a Virtual Assistant

Wondering if your business is at the point where a virtual assistant is the logical next step? Read on!

1. You’re Spending More Time on Administrative Tasks Than on Building Your Business

Do you find your days are filled with answering calls, responding to emails, creating spreadsheets and posting on social media?

These are all perfect tasks to outsource to a virtual assistant.

These are important and necessary tasks, but can take up so much time that could be spent finding new clients or working on new ideas for your business.

2. Your Family is Complaining They Don’t See You Enough

Running a business is time-consuming – there’s no way around that.

But if your family is consistently complaining about missed dinners and late nights, it’s probably time to share the workload with a VA so you can spend a little more time with the people who matter.

3. You’ve Lost Much of The Excitement of Running a Business

Slogging through paperwork and other administrative tasks can suck the joy right out of running a business.

And believe it or not, there are people out there who actually LIKE doing these tasks – and who are probably BETTER at it than you!

When you can hand off these tasks and focus on the big picture tasks related to building your business, you’ll very likely find your passion start to return. 

4. Things are Falling Through the Cracks

Missing paperwork…unanswered emails…clients complaining of poor customer service – these are all red flags that something needs to change.

You’re just one person. You can’t do it all!

And you’d be surprised just how quickly a competent VA can get your paperwork and communications back up to snuff!

5. You’re Doing Tasks That you KNOW Someone Else Could do Better

 Are you spending tons of time doing tasks you KNOW you aren’t really that good at? Tasks like:

• Writing blog posts
• Creating social media and blog graphics
• Planning events or trips
• Posting to social media
• Creating spreadsheets and documents
• Doing your own books and accounting

If you love doing these tasks and are good at them, more power to you! But if you know you’re spending way too much time and are only doing a mediocre job, there are all perfect tasks to outsource to a VA.

6. You Feel Like You Never Actually Catch Up on Your Work

Do you constantly feel like there’s something hanging over you? Like you’re never really able to say you’re “done” for the day?

While this is a common sentiment among business owners, a good VA can help you tackle all those tasks that hang over you at the end of the day…meaning you can actually go to bed at night without a million things left on your to do list.

7. You have customers or clients in other time zones

For some business owners, the driving factor behind hiring a virtual assistant is needing 24/7 customer service for overseas clients.

If you find you have more than one or two international clients or customers, hiring a VA from overseas can be a great solution.

He or she can handle emails and calls during your night, leaving you free to catch up on much-needed zzz’s!

Signs You’re READY to Hire a Virtual Assistant

Simply NEEDING a VA isn’t always enough. Following are some signs that you (and your business) are actually in a good spot to actually hire one!

1. You Are Making Enough That Hiring Someone Won’t Break the Bank

One could always make the argument, “You need to spend money to make money”.

BUT, if you’re going to hire a virtual assistant, you want to make sure you have enough cash coming in that you can continue to comfortably pay him or her for the foreseeable future.

When in doubt, start slow: hire a VA for a few hours a week. You can always increase the hours as your cash flow increases.

2. You’re Ready to Let Go (at least a little bit)

Hiring a virtual assistant will mean giving up on the idea that you need to have your hand in every little detail of your business.

If you’re not sure you can give up a little bit of control, you’re probably not ready to hire a VA.

I’m not saying you can’t oversee the work your VA does; but you WILL need to give him or her some autonomy to make this whole arrangement worthwhile.

3. You Have Systems and Policies in Place

If you want to give your VA the best chance at success, it’s important to have systems and procedures in place FIRST.

This will ensure that he or she knows exactly what’s expected, and that their work meets a certain standard you’ve decided on.

It will also ensure your brand is protected, especially when it comes to the online face of your business.

4. You Understand What a VA Can (and can’t) Do for Your Business

While a good VA can be a Godsend for helping to get your business running more smoothly, keep in mind that a virtual assistant is just that – an assistant.

This means you need to be consistently available to provide direction, answer questions and troubleshoot complicated situations.

In other words, having a VA will still require hands-on involvement from you, and you’ll need to be available to offer guidance at a moment’s notice.

If this is a level of commitment you’re not ready for – you’re probably not ready for a VA.

How to find a virtual assistant for your business

So, what’s the verdict? After reading this post, are you ready to hire a VA?

If so, are you wondering where to start?  This last section will give you all the resources you need to find and hire the best VA for your business.

Hire My Mom

Hire My Mom is a site that connects business owners with women professionals.

Many moms struggle to choose between returning to the workforce and staying at home with their kids, and this service lets moms do both.

Hire My Mom lets you – the business owner – post your VA (or other) position, and mom professionals will see your posting and be able to apply.

Cost: Free for a basic listing.

Virtual Staff Finder

If you’re ready to hire a VA but aren’t interested in going through a tedious and time-consuming vetting process, this VA matchmaking service created by my friend Chris Ducker may be the right choice for you.

VSF finds and screens virtual assistants with proven track records, meaning you can hire with confidence. The beautiful part about this is they find you qualified people and you simply do the interview. No weeding through 100 or more applications to figure out who to interview!

I have personally used this service at least three times to find amazing people to add to my team!

Cost: $495 one-time fee to be matched with a qualified VA.

Zirtual

Zirtual is an agency that doesn’t just let you post a job listing…they actually set you up with one of their college-educated VAs who will work for you for a set monthly fee.

While Zirtual definitely isn’t the cheapest option, they promise a high level of service as all of their VAs are:

• From the United States
• Highly trained in administrative tasks
• College educated

Cost: Zirtual offers a variety of plans based on how many hours per month you require. Plans start at $398/month for 12 hours.

Upwork

Upwork lets you find qualified freelance VAs based on your unique criteria. After you post a job, Upwork analyzes your listing and sends you a shortlist of candidates (others can also find and apply for your job).

The best part of Upwork is that you can view candidates’ job success scores and feedback from past employers…meaning you’re pretty much assured of finding a high-quality candidate.

Cost: Free for the basic package (doesn’t include matching with candidates).

Your Personal Network

Perhaps your best chance of finding a highly-qualified VA is to reach out to your current network.

Ask for recommendations via Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn, and see what your friends and colleagues have to say.

They know your business best, so their recommendations are likely to be among the most valuable you’re going to get!

So, are you going to hire a VA? Do you need one, and are you ready for this next step? Share below!

About Author

Kim Garst

Kim Garst is a renowned marketing strategist and speaker who is trailblazing the use of artificial intelligence in digital marketing. With over 30 years of experience as an online entrepreneur, Kim helps entrepreneurs grow their business and authority online by using AI technology. She is leading the way with proven AI frameworks that help entrepreneurs build authority in their space.

She is keynote speaker and an international best-selling author of Will The Real You Please Stand Up, Show Up, Be Authentic and Prosper in Social Media.

Named by Forbes as a Top 10 Social Media Power Influencer, Kim is well-known for her skill to simplify complex technology and make the use of AI understandable for business growth. Her relatable, actionable advice helps guide new entrepreneurs to harness the power of AI to succeed in digital marketing. Kim is leading the way in combining human and technological skills to create a new model for AI-powered marketing.

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