Do you need a Virtual Assistant? The last blog post talked about what a Virtual Assistant does (read that here!), and today, we’re chatting about how to know when you need a Virtual Assistant! Entrepreneurship is challenging, but you don’t have to do it alone! Here’s how to know when you need a Virtual Assistant.

1. You have dreams for your business but don’t have time to make them a reality.

As entrepreneurs, we’re wired to dream big. But a lot of little stuff often gets in the way and we’re left just dreaming—not actually doing. 

A VA can help take things off your plate that you don’t have to do—more on figuring out what exactly that is in a minute. 

2. You are working more hours than you’d like just to get everything done.

Most likely, you started a business to live the life you’ve always dreamed of: time to travel, time to hang with your family and friends, and time to devote to things you’re passionate about—all while doing work you love. 

But the reality of owning a business is that it’s not all fun and games. It takes time and hard work. Instead of spending more time with your family and friends, work often pulls you away. Instead of traveling more, you are glued to your computer. Instead of being well-rested, you stay up late and get up early just to get everything done. 

3. You spend more time doing admin tasks…

…than you do working on the things that actually move the needle in your business.

Ah yes, the admin tasks. Chances are, you don’t love ‘em. And chances are, you didn’t start a business to do ‘em. 

But there actually are people who love admin tasks—and those are the people you need in your business! You have a unique skill set that makes a difference in the lives of your clients or customers. You are good at what moves the needle in your business—that’s why you started a business in the first place. You don’t have to spend time doing those admin tasks that are necessary to keep your business running, but don’t actually bring in the cash to pay the bills.

Take one of my clients, for example. She is really good at business strategy (and is even more niched than that). Consulting and creating strategies for her clients is what brings in the money in her business. Her business model runs on providing resources and expertise for free, which leads to clients down the road. Designing email funnels, workbooks, and a social media strategy doesn’t make money, but it’s necessary for her business model. By working with me, she has been able to spend time working on client projects and also get her email funnels and other admin-type systems in place so that her business can continue to grow and scale. 

The formula for figuring out if you need a Virtual Assistant

The 80/20 principle is well known and applicable to many parts of life, but especially business: 20% of your work brings in 80% of your profits. You want to personally focus on that 20%. Everything else? Either automate, outsource, or eliminate.

Here’s how to figure that out: make a list of everything you do—both behind-the-scenes work and the services you market. Look at your numbers, look at your time, and divide your list into three sections: what tasks bring in the most money, what tasks are necessary but don’t directly bring in money, and what tasks aren’t necessary and don’t bring in money. 

Set the tasks aside in that last category—we’ll talk about them in another post. 

The most-money category should be full of things that only you can do. Things like direct client work, video calls with clients, and writing content or creating products—those are the things that set you apart in your business and make money, so those are the things that you should spend your time on. This list is probably pretty small (20%) compared to the other lists (80%).

For the necessary-but-not-money-maker category, highlight in yellow the things you have to do. (For example, you might have to record Instagram stories, but you don’t have to schedule your Instagram feed content. You might have to write your blog posts, but you don’t have to format and post them. You might have to write ebook content, but you don’t have to design and proofread that ebook.)

Highlight the things in green that you don’t have to do. (For example, you don’t have to schedule your Pinterest content. You don’t have to input data or create client profiles in your CRM. You don’t have to create quizzes or surveys. You don’t have to respond to each and every email.) 

That list? That’s gold. Those are the things you should hand over to your VA. Think about how much more time you’ll have to focus on what you love!

Ready to start outsourcing? Contact me here or visit Outsourcing with Love to find your perfect assistant!