Invest In A Virtual Assistant To Save Time, Money and Energy

Starting a small business can be a lonely experience. 

Even though some of the roads on the journey to small business ownership are similar, and the overall experience of entrepreneurship is a shared one, no two small businesses are exactly the same. 

Every small business owner will encounter a set of circumstances unique to them. 

Perhaps it is because of that loneliness, there is a camaraderie that exists between entrepreneurs. Small business owners share a robust community with each other. Business owners who have struggled often try to help others avoid making their same missteps.

And those who have found success – or have discovered a trick or tip that might make someone else’s journey easier – are more often than not eager to share it. Successful entrepreneurs are happy to answer questions and be interviewed on podcasts to explain how they got to where they are and they often point out the mistakes they made along the way.

Most small business owners look to inspire and encourage others coming along, so owning a small business can feel isolating, but the community as a whole is more congenial than cutthroat.

TROUBLE AHEAD - AVOID THIS PITFALL

One of the mistakes entrepreneurs and owners of startup companies often recall in interviews is that in the early days, they tried to do everything themselves. Many remember wearing multiple hats to take care of all their business’s needs in the early days of their company’s existence. They thought they had to do everything themselves and inevitably felt overwhelmed by the sheer number of daily tasks on their to-do list. 

They all speak of the growing mountain of daily stresses that relentlessly pushed them toward burnout, the mental exhaustion brought on by prolonged stress. 

They fell into the trap of believing that only they could do all the work to keep their company up and running. Motivated by perceived monetary constraints or the belief that no one else was capable, they tried to go it alone. And then, each recall, they became overwhelmed by the never-ending onslaught of administrative details.

Business owners that have weathered a few storms and notched some wins along the way often recognize the same key ingredient that helped ensure their business' success. At some point in their journey, they recognized that they had to become super-efficient with their time and carefully manage how they spent their energy. They had to dedicate most of their time and effort to the activities leading to new business development and the company’s growth. And to innovate and create revenue, they had to prioritize and delegate.

The tip many small business owners share over and over with those in the very early days of their startup is this: If you aren’t proactive in managing your time, you can find yourself running in place for hours and weeks at a time, taking care of all the things that keep the wheels of your company spinning, but not actually moving forward.

PRO TIP: If you aren’t proactive in managing your time, you can find yourself running in place for hours and weeks at a time, taking care of all the things that keep the wheels of your company spinning but not actually moving forward.

NATURAL LEADERS: DIFFICULTY DELEGATING

Although small business owners are usually natural-born leaders, delegating tasks to others is often outside of their comfort area. 

But because they always have to have an eye on strategic planning and be focused on the endeavors that bring in revenue, small business owners need to be willing to hand off smaller tasks so they can focus more effectively on the bigger ones.

Successful entrepreneurs will tell you that YOU are where the rubber hits the road as a business owner! Essential tasks like networking, sales outreach, partnership building, and the big ideas will always be your responsibility because you have the passion, vision, and drive that will propel the company’s growth and ensure its survival. 

But how will you find the time and energy to do all those essential things if you are mired in the maintenance-focused, redundant weekly and monthly tasks? 

When you delegate your businesses’ administrative work, you will be free to handle the higher-level tasks that are more appropriate for your skillset.

Those administrative and operations-focused tasks should fall to a virtual assistant. 

DELEGATE TASKS TO A VIRTUAL ASSISTANT

A virtual assistant can begin helping your business almost instantaneously. They will take on whatever you want to hand off: blog writing, inbound marketing strategy development, CRM management, invoicing, bookkeeping, electronic filing, data entry, and calendar management. They can help with workflows and establish procedural-related to-do list items like making/receiving phone calls and appointment scheduling. Virtual assistants can also manage email accounts and social media engagements, conduct research, and facilitate operations. Or, you can bring on a virtual assistant to handle your personal life’s administration so you can spend those hours brainstorming about your business.

Because virtual assistants are utility players, they can often fill gaps and create safety nets so that nothing slips through the cracks. And because they are paid hourly and work as 1099 contractors, they cost a fraction of the rate you would pay yourself or a full-time employee.

Those same successful tips-and-tricks-sharing entrepreneurs? Their other repeated message to business owners in their early days: don’t be afraid to spend a little money to save your time and energy.

PRO TIP: Spend a little money to save your time and energy.

Almost every small business owner who has invested in a virtual assistant will tell you that the choice to spend some money to save their time and energy was more than worth it in the end. They will testify that a virtual assistant is a cost-effective way to hand off administrative tasks or get specialized support in the areas where they need the most help.

Take this example: You are a business owner who has hit the point of exhaustion when it comes to payroll each month. Processing payroll can be complex and tedious, and it is absolutely critical to get it right. You also must maintain your records for reference if there is a discrepancy between an employee’s net pay and what they expect to receive. You’ve figured out how to do it, but the process plagues you each month and causes you stress and anxiety. Not to mention the time it takes and all the other tasks that have to wait so you can give payroll your full attention.

This is the perfect task to hand off to an efficient support specialist. A virtual assistant who enjoys doing payroll can also help streamline the process to make it more efficient. They can complete this essential job in less time than it would take you. Payroll for your business is the only thing on your virtual assistant’s plate during the hours they work on it. The focus and experience they bring to the task can ensure fewer errors and smoother execution.

Time and time again, virtual assistants prove their worth and add value. Successful business owners happily - and loudly - credit their virtual assistant as being the difference-maker at critical junctures in their business’s growth. Often the addition of a virtual assistant is just the thing that can help propel a company that is on the cusp of a breakthrough.   

Successful entrepreneurs will all tell you that time is your most valuable resource. For a small investment, a virtual assistant can handle the tasks that steal your time so you can redistribute your energy to the things that add value to your business. The extra set of hands - and the alleviation of stress - could be just what your small business needs to make it up the next step on the ladder to success. 

Get started outsourcing your administrative support work today by contacting Freedom Makers. Not only are we a small business and part of the entrepreneurial community, but we can provide a solution to your support needs!