What is a Virtual Assistant and How to Figure Out What Kind of VA You Need
If you’ve ever got super overwhelmed in your business, felt like you’re falling behind, not getting back to clients in good time and thinking ‘I need help, but I don’t need someone full time’.
…Then you’ve probably done a little bit of Googling and come across Virtual Assistants, but might still be wondering what they are, what they can do and how they can help you?
I’m going to tell you everything you need to know about what Virtual Assistants are and the magic things they can do for you, so you’ve got all the info you need for whenever the time is right for you to outsource to one.
In your rabbit hole research, you probably found out there are $5 an hour VAs who work from the Philippines and there are £30-£50 an hour UK based VAs and you’re thinking….
Where do I start and how I do choose the right fit?
Especially when there are so many choices out there, like VAs that do social media, some that do book keeping, others that do admin…some that do it all (be mindful of the do it all VAs - for reasons I’ll explain later on!)
So let’s dive into what a VA actually is.
Your Virtual Assistant is highly skilled, loves the things you loathe, they’re fully remote, never physically present but highly connected, ridiculously resourceful and shows up for you consistently. And they literally can’t wait to take tasks off your plate, they’re actually really economical which I’ll tell you more about in a second.
They work from their own home, with their own equipment and software, serving a handful of clients like you.
And yes of course there are $5-$15 an hour VAs you can find from the Philippines vs a UK VA, the only thing I would say here is be aware you might be fighting a timezone, a language or cultural difference barrier if you hire from overseas vs in your native country.
For reference, everything I’ll be talking about relates to VAs I work with in the UK, because that’s my area of expertise.
There are many kinds of VAs, some who are Virtual Executive Assistants handling business admin, calendars, inboxes, travel, book keeping and expenses and all of those very normal admin tasks.
These VAs keep you out of the weeds of your business so you can focus on driving the business forward, or spending more time away from your laptop with your loved ones.
Basically, they’re effective and they’ll help you be more productive by taking tasks off your plate that cost you the business owner precious time.
Some are Lifestyle VAs looking after the lives, homes and travels of high net worth clients. They’re discreet, experienced and absolute life savers.
There are the more creative VAs who will schedule your social media content, upload blogs, send out your newsletters and upload group coaching call replays and help with customer service.
Then we have the Unicorn VA, who does all of the above.
I’m joking, unicorns don’t exist and whilst some newer VAs do try and offer everything and the kitchen sink, the standards they will have across all of those services won’t be balanced or excellent in everything.
I’ve seen too many clients hire do-it-all VAs only to see it crumble, because no person can be an expert in all those areas.
My best advice is to figure out what you need support with the most and search for a VA who can support you with that specific thing.
For instance if you need executive assistance and a bit of lifestyle/ family support you can find one VA who does both business and lifestyle support - that’s absolutely possible and can be a game changer.
My team offer both business and lifestyle support in one dedicated VA, or they can focus on just one of those - depending on what you need.
So now think of your VA like your Chief Organiser, supporter and accountability partner. Plus they make you so much more productive too, win win!
What makes hiring a VA better than a part time or full time employee is that you only need to pay your VA for the time they work for you, saving you money.
No need to worry about PAYE, taxes, sick pay or pensions - they handle all of that as a self employed person themselves.
Each VA has their own professional indemnity insurance, are registered with the ICO and some are even DBS checked for extra peace of mind (my team have all of these things), so you’re protected when you hire a VA.
Whilst you might baulk at the hourly price tag on UK based VAs, you very rarely need to hire them full time and it can be one of the best things you ever spend money in your business, because let’s face it - what is your own time worth? What would you be able to do 10-15 hours a week of time that you’ll gain back?
Often even the busiest business owners only ever need their VA on a part time basis.
For instance over the past five years most of my clients who are Entrepreneurs, CEOs, and Founders from start ups and solo businesses to global and multi national, spanning a wide range of industries, from design, tech, marketing, education and hospitality they average around 30-40 hours per month.
Yep you can have you life and business expertly sorted in around 10 hours per week.
Amazing, right?
The relationship with your VA just keeps getting better and better and more intuitive as time goes by.
Your dedicated VA is there to give you all the support you and your business needs, they’re great communicators, hugely adaptable and up on all the latest digital systems - think of them like your digital right hand.
The best part is that the support is effective, you’ll only wish you hired them sooner.
I hope this has given you lots of great insight to what a VA is an how they can help, and you’re one step closer to making that move to outsource and get some support.
If you’re interested in hiring a VA, let’s have a chat, book a call here, or view our VA services here
