You've heard of a virtual assistant and, after a bit of research, you now know what it is. But how do you know if you need one?
When you're running a small business and trying to keep expenses to a minimum, it's easy to try and take care of everything yourself. However, the 7 signs below suggest that you need a virtual assistant to help you.
1. Social media takes up a lot of your time.
Social media is often seen as an easy win for small business owners trying to do it themselves. However, you can end up spending a lot of time on it without that investment really paying off. Think about it. Even if you only spend half an hour a day on each of the most popular platforms, that can add up to a minimum of two hours a day!
A virtual assistant can take on this workload on your behalf. What's more, a virtual assistant with social media experience can help you make your profiles shine!
2. Your mailbox is ready to explode.
You have more unread e-mail than you can bear to think about. You missed a customer's e-mail last week and you've had enough of spam. The number of e-mails a person can receive in a day can become exasperating. If your inbox is overwhelming you and you don't know where to start organizing it, it's time to call in a virtual assistant.
3. You miss family occasions.
A new or expanding SME can take up a lot of your time, and you can quickly find yourself working evenings and weekends. This prevents you from devoting time to other aspects of your life, especially your family. If you find yourself missing the kids' fields days or parents' parties, or forgetting your wedding anniversary. It's time to call in a virtual assistant.
4. Do you spend more time on administration than on your core business?
Administrative tasks can take up a lot of your time and distract you from the essential business activities you also need to carry out. As a small business owner, it's easy to find yourself overwhelmed by a series of administrative tasks. A virtual assistant can free you from this administrative work, allowing you to concentrate on more important things.
5. You don't have time for your big projects.
Whether it's because of excessive administrative work that takes up all your time, or because you're in demand left, right and center while running your business. Your big projects are on hold. Sad.
A virtual assistant can help you manage your projects from start to finish, overseeing implementation and managing the necessary resources. You're kept up to date on project progress, while you concentrate on running your business.
6. Do you lack enthusiasm?
The enthusiasm you feel for your business, as a small business owner. It motivates you and helps you move forward. However, excessive stress and workload can lead to a loss of enthusiasm. This can be detrimental to the progress of your business. By freeing up your time, helping you with your workload and, consequently, reducing stress, a virtual assistant can help you regain your passion.
7. You need help in an area that isn't your specialty.
If you take on every role in your company, you'll find that sometimes you just don't have the expertise or knowledge to get the job done. A virtual assistant may have extensive experience in different areas of the company, or specialize in a particular field.
This means that with the right virtual assistant, you can use their expertise to help your business grow and develop.
Running a business alone can be daunting, overwhelming and time-consuming. By using a virtual assistant, you can free up your time to focus on other things, and use their expertise to improve your business.
Do you need a virtual assistant?
SoS Av offers a range of administrative assistance and virtual assistant services, designed to help business owners reclaim their time and grow their business. Find out more about the services we offer on our services page.