Hire a Virtual Assistant at Your Peril? Don’t Waste Time – 9 Facts Why You Should Hire A Virtual Assistant and the Roles to outsource!
Tune into this Audio to Learn why you might need to hire a virtual assistant!
If you want to create home based business or network marketing success, you will need to know what to spend your time on and what to outsource or delegate!
This post talks about how to balance your time between tasks so you can connect with potential clients more, prospect, content promotion, sales and fun stuff, hope it helps! 
Yes it’s time for us to hire a virtual assistant too long term and we share with you why you too should consider this option for your business growth on or offline.
So…..
This year part of our business plan was to hire a virtual assistant part time and get to spend even more time doing fun stuff and create a killer info product for our clients. We believe this is something that’s definitely essential for our blog and business growth.
Why hire a virtual assistant for your home business?
Let’s backtrack here. When I first heard the term virtual assistant or VA, I thought this meant some kind of robotic alien like resource online that you pay the creator to do your stuff…duh virtual et al…don’t you dare laugh at me …lololol. 
Fortunately I learnt the truth fast. So whats a Virtual assistant?
“A Virtual Assistant is a professional who helps you with administrative or managerial tasks related to your business via the internet.”
So now that we are clear on who a VA is, let’s get into why you need to hire one or a lil army of them depending on your finances and workflow!
We have been creating and continue to create content that we like to be packed full of value, ideas, tips, resources, all implementable immediately! But this takes time and it’s all we can do to get the big articles created and promoted, prospect, syndicate, reciprocate, breath, breath, breeeaaath!
I literally sometimes ignore or forget some seemingly small time-consuming tasks on our to-do list.
The problem is these seemingly little tasks are the glue that keeps things moving and progressing so we can’t put them off forever…
So this year we must hire a virtual assistant. or some kind of help…By the way without help and a plethora of resources behind the scenes, the 4 hour week doesn’t exist, sorry Tim Ferris lol!
Trust me I tried bribing our children to do some of the less techie stuff and move things along.
Things like clicks, posting stuff…Yet I look at their tired faces after school, homework, and their fav TV program is on, it’s getting to bedtime and I melt. I am a mom after all….
So what does a woman do? Hire a virtual assistant of course!
We have used VA’s before and know exactly what to do to get one. We have picked some bum ones and some weird ones, and we can assure you it’s a trial and error even with Tim Ferris 4 Hour week tricks!
In earlier jobs we hired a VA for: blog editing, content curation, research & proofreading, comment moderation and cleanup, Monthly or Quarterly Roundup Newsletter creation and distribution, social media promotion and posting, email management, but hang on to your boot-strings, details coming below!
One of the things we learnt that’s essential before you hire a virtual assistant online is to vet them. A hard lesson we learnt after hiring one who did one.
Literally didn’t do their job, had an excuse why she wasn’t available at agreed times, and sent us shoddy work to put it politely.
So check and contact their references and online sites for reviews. The hard lesson we learnt here was; you gotta trust this person to actually put in the hours you pay them for and also you have to trust them with access to certain accounts.
So trust is crucial, esp. with account passwords. It’s essential by the way to change passwords once the job is done!
So yes, do hire a virtual assistant. In our case, along with creating multiple 6-figures and creating a new profitable Info product (our plan this year) & yes these things are on our Vision Boards and I guarantee you they are already on plan.
The thing is why are we even talking about why you too should hire a virtual assistant? Because like you, we have 24 hours to live, create, build, blog, laugh, market, party, pray, enjoy, eat, breath, sleep…To Be, Do and Have! And we definitely intend to do more of the; laughing, enjoying, sleeping than last year!
Very Important: Please read Brandon Turner’s tips on what you must know before you hire a virtual assistant! He gives you every reason to do your homework and what we followed when we had picked a few bad apples…has to be said!
Why should you hire a Virtual assistant – overview!
#1 A VA can help small business owners and home business entrepreneurs save time and money by outsourcing their administrative, social media updates, blog and document writing and more… So you (the small business or entrepreneur) can focus your time and expertise on building your business.
In our case, our plan is to take our own advice more and be savvier Social Media Marketing Specialists, Coaches, and Speakers with the help of a super-efficient Virtual Assistant.
#2 First it’s a mega advantage that Like us the VA works in their own space, so I feel like we are supporting the Home-based Business industry. Although there are corporate style VA services.
Typically we usually look for a Home-based person or a solo-preneur attached to an agency. So there is a way to track that they are actually doing the work and we pay for the agreed hours.
So not having to provide the supplies, equipment & office space is a huge advantage! Plus it’s not my responsibility to worry about their vacation or sick pay time or benefits, for that matter.
We only pay for the agreed hourly rate that’s it! As entrepreneurs, when you hire a virtual assistant, he/she covers their business expenses like we do!
#3 Now this is something we also found out on a very positive note. If you do your research and find a gem hire that VA already…What am I talking about …
A good VA knows lots of other entrepreneurs, small business owners, bloggers etc. So know that when you hire a virtual assistant she is now your team and comes with his/her own network.
If you treat them right, that becomes your wider network. She/he can recommend or refer your services to her/his list and vice versa. You could find an ace power hitter or other clients thru your VA. He/she too could join your team…
#4 As you know we are bloggers/coaches, speakers, and digital marketers. We are away quite a bit and if you are like us, you will find you definitely need someone on “Your team” who can efficiently and purposefully manage and run your brand.
This you will find you need as your blog traffic grows and you have to moderate hundreds of comments…., deal with hundreds/even thousands of clients or students or customers. For peace of mind, you will find you need to hire a Virtual Assistant with prior blogging experience.
Once you explain your vision and goals, they will quickly understand what you need coz they have the experience. It’s the same as any offline job, You want someone who knows what they are doing and hits the ground running. Hand holding them is not a trait what you want from a Virtual Assistant.
Hand holding them is not a trait what you want from a Virtual Assistant.
Here is what to do to ensure the VA delivers a Stellar Service and does exactly as you require:
- Create a Short Step by Step Instructional Tutorial on what tasks you Want to be done, Time frames, and suggest How!
- Then create a PDF of the above instructions so they can print it off.
- Also, create a Google doc or give them access to your Dropbox with the resources/Tools you use inc Passwords and ask if they have others they use that are more efficient.
- Connect them to your Team if need be and of course request for their network of people, they may use to get your work done…!
- Use a tool like Trello, to monitor their progress, or if connected to an Agency inquire about accountability!
- Agree mutually convenient times for communication, reporting, updates, queries, etc.
- Let them get on with the job!
#5 For financial reasons, this is important. Don’t get dragged into making a long term contract with a VA. When you hire a virtual assistant, you only pay for the time you need, period!
In other words when you wish to lessen your workload or wish to keep your blog active when away for longer than 7 days, or you are bogged down and want to get out from under that pile of paperwork, and you budget for it… Hire a virtual assistant to help you for a specific period of time.
Make sure you have done the maths. Business is a game of numbers. So once the job is done, don’t pay for non-existent work. You give them a short fixed-term job and agree its length. Remember that…
“The time your VA devotes to you MUST always be productive and Save You both Time and Money.”
The time your VA devotes to you MUST always be productive and Save You both Time and Money.
Lets Do The Maths:
Hire a Virtual Assistant Online for 3-4 hrs/week at £10-15/hr
Taking the higher fee and hours that’s 4 x 15 = £60
If you Hire the assistant for say half the Year = 26 weeks that’s 40 x 26 =£1560
In Dollars this equates to approx. $2080/year to hire a virtual assistant online and take back your time!
If you are grossing $2k+ per month from your business, do you see how hiring some of the admin running of your home business out to a virtual assistant could be priceless!
Ask yourself: What is my Time worth? Free it to do more of why you left the corporate world and live your life to the full!
#6 When you’re away from your blog or business, your VA is still there making sure that things get done on time. Go ahead, take that vacation, put your feet up, meetup with your gals!
Heck, just take a day off. Everyone needs time out, to de-stress, unplug now and then! Your VA will keep the fort while you’re grabbing a little R & R. Remember you left the 9-5 for a reason. So no need to have the “Back to Work Dread” after a little time off.
#7 To spread The wealth. And for your social media productivity you need to hire a Virtual Assistant… Have you seen the resources out there…Lord almighty!
Just managing one social media platform EFFECTIVELY for your business and still keep a semblance of sociability needs a plethora of resources and tools… Instead of these, why not pay someone, hire a virtual assistant, and spread the wealth a lil!
Let me give you an even better reason…A VA can physically share your blog on various niche groups in real-time… Changing the verbiage and images, giving platforms like Facebook a human to deal with…
Lots of Apps and tools are getting people blocked and penalized for posting unnaturally!
#8 Hire a Virtual assistant to keep on top of your Email Management. Honestly, have you started avoiding your emails…? This alone is reason enough lol. Seriously I don’t know about you but I now have over 8 different email addresses not counting those linked to our sites.
And they each have a couple of hundred messages every blessed day…This was driving me crazy until I discovered unroll.me… So I unsubscribed to any service I had opted into and hadn’t opened the emails for over 6 months.
That still left us with a good 15k unread emails and over 50+ subscriptions. Then one day I went looking for an audio on why I needed to hire a virtual assistant… I landed on Pat Flynn’s podcast. Just the medicine we needed, we think you need it too: Smart Passive Income – 9000 unread emails to Inbox Zero in fact Go subscribe to Pat’s podcast and while you are at it. SUBSCRIBE TO OUR PODCAST TODAY BELOW
#9 This is really gonna give you a reason to consider hiring a virtual assistant online if nothing else.
Below is a breakdown of the jobs you do or avoid doing as a home business entrepreneur or online marketer, which in the long run you will not only be out of time, you will think a 9-5 was a walk in the park. You need to consider which to outsource so you can target the High-Value Income-producing tasks.
In which case these services a virtual assistant could take off your plate for between $10=$20/hr 3-4 hours a week, depending on the workload!
Ask yourself: What is my time or family worth?
- Create and Schedule Targeted posts: for updates, tweets, LinkedIn posts, Pins, Instagram posts etc.
- Create and maintain social media accounts and profiles (these days one needs multiple profiles on facebook alone…).
- Engage with and follow back Fans, create lists and groups, join niche groups and engage with others.
- Account analytics and stats reporting.
2. Website/Blog Admin
- Edit, proofread schedule & social share blog posts (This could be priceless for info-products, publications & coaching products).
- Curate & Research content for blog posts & Social blog images etc
- Create and moderate Link parties.
- Comment moderation and syndication.
- Advertising & affiliate management.
- Plugin monitoring and updates, + theme, and software updates.
- SEO Management Basic e.g. check & fix broken backlinks, connect with other bloggy’s etc.
- Basic blog design updates.
- Solicit and schedule guest posts.
- Regular site backup.
- Spam control -Clear-up and block (wait till you get over 200+ Spam in your blog and you absolutely must ensure you are not deleting a value comment.) Delete and clear cache. Some of these buggers are spying on and/or diverting your traffic!)
- Site analytics, stats tracking, and reporting.
3. Email Management
- Inbox monitoring.
- Manage your email subscriptions (need to agree which.)
- Respond to generic messages.
4. Newsletter
- Create and design your newsletter.
- Schedule newsletter promotion & delivery to subscribers.
- Track stats & analytics reports for the newsletters.
So are you in agreement with us that you will sooner or later need the services of an assistant, whether virtual or not is down to you?
To Recap:
We recommend that you hire a Virtual assistant as your business grows for the following areas:
– Social Media Management
– Blog/Website Management
– Email Management
– Newsletter Creation
– Media Kits
– WordPress Maintenance
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May we Ask You For a Favor?
Thanks again for reading our post on “when to hire a virtual assistant” and tuning in to the podcast. If it has helped you in any way, shape, or form, please share on facebook and other media using the social media buttons you see on here.
So really, How Many undone tasks and to-do lists are lying in your in-tray?
Leave a comment below and let us know. If you don’t have very many, what’s your secret? If you do have a lot like I did, what are you going to do about it?
You are amazing 🙂
Live. Learn. Love
Julie Syl Kalungi
Skype: Julie.Kalungi1
Email: julie[at]Juleskalpauli[dot]com
Considering Coaching? Check out our Work with us tab and Survey where we Help People Everyday.
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I wanted to thank you for this excellent read !! I certainly loved every bit of it. I have you book-marked to look at new stuff you post
Hello Janine, Thanks for stopping by.
Just so you know, All our New Content has moved to Our new home at http://www.KalungiGroup.com Janine.
Julie Syl
Website content writing is really hard task. Virtual assistant help us to maintain our blogs and websites with quality contents.
Hi Rapid,
Indeed what we focus on expands. I love content creation in its various forms so on that front I dont use a virtual assistant. But for the admin, social media managemet and such, I definitely call on some back up 🙂 Thanks for your time!
~JulieS
Hi Julie, I enjoy reading first-hand accounts of clients who benefit from using Virtual assistants. You’ve covered many important aspects of hiring and maintaining a quality relationship with your assistant.
The key is always communication. As a v.a. myself, I always recommend a thorough trial period before exchanging sensitive information, this includes working with an agency. This trial period needs to be longer than 1 – 2 weeks as work ethic can only be determined after a few months (even longer).
Your tip about seeing the V.A. as a team member is important because they are representing your business. If they do a shoddy job, it doesn’t directly affect them, but YOU and your business. I’d say, if your v.a. doesn’t work on your business as though they are working on their own, you need to continue searching until you find him/her.
I came to this post via one Janice Wald wrote on the service she uses “Jill”. She mentioned your statement on hiring ‘only for what they do’ not based on hourly rate. “Jill” is one way those new to outsourcing can start with minimal financial obligation.
p.s. Another thing to note for businesses using V.A.’s, it is a business expense thus tax deductible in most countries/states.
Hey Sara,
Thank you for this break down and important contribution to our post on Hiring a VA.
We would be very interested in Knowing your rates and Terms too. We usually outsource our work esp. in the summer and the more people in your network who do as agreed terms and beyond do. The better 🙂 Glad you dropped by Thanks
~Julie S
BIG POST!
However, we have one addition to make…
We just spent a LONG time collating the best info about working with, recruiting, hiring (and even firing virtual assistants!) on our blog here:
http://blog.virtualvalley.io/virtual-assistant-philippines/
Hope that helps!
Anyway I am off to share this with my closest 9k Twitter followers 😉
Thanks
Tom
Hi Tom,
Usually we demand that links are shared under relevant URL Box but on this occasion we will leave the link on this comment as it adds value and some super cool resources referencing. Thanks for your addition and keep rocking 🙂
J&PK~
I’ve been thinking about hiring a VA. Thanks for sharing this information.
Glad we helped Shannon 🙂
J&PK~
I actually just hired a VA! Really good list of things for them to work on. Pinned it!
Good on you Diana and thanks for stopping by! Glad you found value
Julie Syl~
Great post! I just finished up the four hour workweek which talked a lot about virtual assistants and you give some good advice thanks 🙂
You are welcome Philip,
Indeed I got the idea from Tim Ferris Coaching and I know It works.
J&PK~
I’m not busy enough yet to hire a VA, but I’m glad to know there is such a thing. It would really lighten the workload once I start getting my blog where I want it to be. Thanks for all the info! You are awesome! =)
You dont have to be busy Jessica, You just have to have a vision on better spending your time actually helping people than sat on a pc dong admin stuff.
Social media management is indeed a time taking task. Virtual assistant hiring is absolutely essential in that case, I suppose.
You said it gal. and Its time we freed our time to do more productive stuff and spread the wealth about too!
Having a VA was really a great thing. It makes my life easier and i can focus on my writing and i have an extra time for my kids
Awesome for you Ryan, Keep doing 🙂
J&PK~
Outsourcing is great and even then, Sorry Tim Ferris. Great concept of the 4 hour work week but it is highly unlikely. Thanks for sharing
LOl,
I am sure Tim Ferris would disagree with is Eric, Yet, His concept does work fora while till you have to get back in there and fix the errors that happen if you over let things go to subcontractors 🙂
J&PK~
I’m not at a point where I can hire a VA yet, but there’s are great tips!
There is always another day Vic 🙂 Thanks for stopping.
J&PK
I’ve contemplated hiring a virtual assistant a couple of times. I may eventually when my blog grows 🙂
Be, Do, Have…not the other way round. If you wait for your blog to grow you may wait a long time as you get bogged down with its demands. So As you budget for your biz, look to get help where you need it. You will be surprised how much faster your blog grows as you have more time to do those things you are great at instead of everything Hannah!
Julie Syl~
Some tasks are too important and must be done yourself. The others are perfect for a VA. Thanks for posting.
Ha Ohh yes like Decision Making and How to spend your cash Kenny>…The rest are absolutely Outsource material trust us 🙂
Julie Syl~
Really helpful post here, Julie. Something I hd been wondering about. And trying to decrease child labour, too. My son was getting fed up with being asked to help,like yours!! To say nothing of the subjects he was exposed to on some of the FB business pages!!
It’s probably like paid advertising: you pay money to make money.
Exactly Louisa, Plus we gotta remember, they have had a very busy day mentally. Its not fair on the.
We cant blame them for the results they return if they are less tan stellar. If we take their revision time for business!
So if it requires more time, pay to play!
J&PK~
What an awesome article. I pinned it because I am not at the point yet of affording a VA, but when I am… I am absolutely referring back to these tips!! Thank you!!!
You are most welcome Meredith.
J&PK~
These are great advice on what to do before hiring a virtual assistant for your business! Thank Julie!!!
Absolutely Welcome Danny!
J&PK~
Informative as always. This is on the agenda for later on not right away.
Awesome Claudette, thanx for swinging by!
~J&PK
I can see how a virtual assistant could be very helpful to a blogger. I don’t haave a blog, but if I did these tips would be very useful to me.
Indeed so do we MAddie and hope we help others out there to do the same 🙂
~J&PK
Having a VA helps me a lot, ’cause sometimes I’m too busy in other important things.
Bravo Lexie, Just what we like to hear.
Outsource and get your life back 🙂
J&PK~
I have never considered hiring a VA before but it would make life so much easier! How much are VA’s paid do you know?
Hey Ana,
I did actually give a basic break down of a VA, based on UK range as well. Just holler if you need any more help gal! But in brief:
What type of work would you be outsourcing to a VA, book keeping type work or more in depth, almost a concierge service? I know you are in fashion and design…? A Virtual Assistant can offer different skills that are variable in cost/hour. Are you looking locally/overseas? Are you offering to train the VA or need them to “hit the ground running”?
You could find an overseas VA who may need a lot of instruction and hand holding for anything from £5/hr or find one based in UK and be ready to pay premium from £10-30/hr if you earn the cash, invest in a good one yo will earn even more due to their invaluable service. I hope that helps!
Julie Syl~
I think a VA is a great thing. There are only 24 hours a day, and with kids, house, blog and business – it is hard to get everything done. When I try to do everything a 100% I get swamped. I really liked this post, it has all the important details, delivered in a clear and concise way. Next time I want to hire a VA I am coming back to this post.
Hello Orli,
we are glad you agree and have found value. Do feel free to bookmark and visit anytime 🙂
J&PK~
It’s definitely tough to maintain a website and make sure everything runs smoothly from end to end, that’s why a little help wouldn’t hurt you. Hiring a VA is definitely something for people who have a tough time managing their business.
Everyone who is building bigger and better in the long run would desire help to run their business Elizabeth O, whether via tools, apps, robots, real life offline office based staff or A virtual assistant!
In order to better manage our time, we are hiring a VA 🙂
J&PK~
This is great
sounds like it’s straight out of 4 hours work week 🙂
The 4 Hour work week ala Tim Ferris is a Myth Steve Bro and you and I know it.
On the other hand our experiences are a great teacher and we are obliged to share!
Thanks for stopping by!
Julie Syl~
Wow, I had no idea that the VA world was so big. I’ve hired a virtal assistant before, but I truly don’t think I can afford one. I figure my blog should be making money first right? I’m afraid to hire someone without the income first, but clueless on how to make the income and who to trust on the internet.
Aww Heather,
We have been in your shoes and we understand Trust is earned.
We were blessed to connect with some integral Mentors and also the weekly webinars we have every Wednesday have been a Godsend yo might like to attend THE ARE FREE and see if you would be happy to use the resources to monetize your blog and make some money here https://juleskalpauli.com/training
You dont know what you dont know, so allow us to help you! 🙂
J&PK~
I dont have a VA and I do all this myself but it sure would be handy after the extra help.
Trust us you will feel like a heavy load has been lifted once you believe and know you an afford to hire a Virtual Assistant Angela! 🙂
J&PK~
Thanks for sharing this comprehensive post about virtual assistants. I could certainly use one for social media management!
Social media management is one of the biggest reasons why one would need a VA Lee. Glad you found value! 🙂
J&PK~
Very helpful post. Managing blogsite and promoting it is very tasky. I wish I can afford to hire a VA soon. My blogsite is not yet earning that much. But definitely I will consider your advices 🙂
We are glad you found the information useful Cai. we wish you every success as a blogger and entrepreneur!
J&PK~
I Have been thinking about this for some time and This post certainly helped me to better understand What a Virtual assistant Does, How to Delegate Tasks and Even Hire one. I appreciate the time you took to share this with me 🙂
Hello Tara,
We appreciate the time you shared with us too and are glad you found value 🙂
J&PK~
I do understand that at some point it’s necessary to hire a VA 🙂 And probably I will do it too, when I won’t be able to handle my tasks alone anymore. I’ve got this comfort of being freelancer, I’m used to working from home and keeping track of everything and for now I’m managing all of my tasks – but I know there might be one day when it will just get too much for one person!
And if you are building big Katarzyna, that day is coming sooner than you imagine!
so start checking some resources and people out 🙂
J&PK~
Oh, do I ever understand this one, Julie! I resisted doing so for years. And like you, tried bribing family. I could write a book on how badly that worked!
But when I finally broke down and hired a professional, oh, my. My only thought was why I hadn’t done this years sooner!
Hey Susan,
Tell us about it. we do understand for sure that feeling, of why havent we done this like yesterday 🙂
Julie Syl
I have been a Virtual Assistant for a little over 2 years now. It is a great service for bloggers to be able to use!
Bravo Jennifer,
Thats what we like to hear, now we know to let others know and of course consider your services. If you let s know a bit more of what your VA specialty is!
J&PK~
This is a great list. It really is amazing all that we do as bloggers/business owners.
We are solo-preneurs most of the time Miranda, so we get to do all these tasks..and somehow we gotta agree to get help when we can afford to! 🙂
J&PK
i can see how virtual assistants are a blessing for those who need them/can afford them
Yes Michelle,
A virtual assistant can be a blessing to you and your business once you find the right one. Life gets more fun!
J&PK~
I dont make enough money to hire a VA. I would love one though.
Focus your Vision on what you really want Tara,
Make it Huge…then go do what you gotta do,…before you know it you will need an army of VAs to help you manage your business 🙂
J&PK~
Wow, when I read that list of VA tasks I begin to reflect on what I try and get in each day. I also look at this list and think to myself that sometimes VA’s are not paid as much as they should be.
For sure everyone gets paid what They are Worth, whether they consciously believe it or not.
And Yes getting the help we need, even hiring a VA is an essential part of Business growth long term.
J&PK~
Hiring a project manager with a team of virtual assistants is the best! I used to manage multiple teams of VA’s for clients. Well worth your time and money to hire someone to do what needs to be done so you can focus on what you love as Julie mentioned above!
my virtual assistant is in philippin, i had to fire ton of assistance before i had the right one, your tips are valuable, thanks for sharing.
It can be a resource drain when you trial and error Jub, so we are glad this post will help more people hire the right person.
If you hire a virtual assistant overseas, you have to give very clear instructions as to what you want, deliverables, time frames,and by all means find one whom speaks and understands the language you use, in our case English. We gave a brief on how that can be done. And be very specific about the type of contract I.e. time bound and limited. 🙂
J&PK~
I am home all day, so I can keep up pretty well myself. I do hire someone to help out when I travel, though.
Good for you Robin, we are happy for you indeed.
J&PK~