By now, you get up in the morning to start your day and it’s August and the message has sunken in finally; things are not going back to normal. Not today, not next week and not anytime soon. Back in March, your startup and small-business growth plans were outlined and beginning to be executed. You had a couple of clients, rented a small office and planned by September to have several people on staff to handle the needs of the business. We all know how that worked out.
Fast forward to August and you and your staff (or now just your partner) are working remotely. You are struggling to keep your clients, handle new leads and do the bookkeeping, inventory, banking, social media and everything else you had planned on having other staff do, all by yourself.
Your days are long, and you struggle to keep up. The phrase I always hear is “I wasn’t built to do this.” Translated, it means I didn’t get my MBA, or invest sweat equity in another firm just to start my own business and spend all day handling too many emails and trying to manage the books.
According to Guidant Financial, in a recent survey of 3,100 current and aspiring profitable small-business owners nationwide, when asked what were the motivations for opening their business, 55% responded they wanted to be their own boss and another 39% wanted to pursue their own passion. That’s 94% of small business owners that admittedly do not want to be spending their time doing anything other than run their business. Yet, here we are, almost six months after COVID-19 sent us home and many are wading through back-office tasks that need to be done, clearly by someone other than you!
Is This You?
– You simply can’t take on anymore, or do anymore, in any given day.
– You are trying to run your business, and your website, and your social media, and your back office all at the same time.
If you answered yes, then read on.
Why Hire a Virtual Assistant (VA)?
The reasons to hire a virtual assistant are compelling:
1. Virtual assistants cost less than hiring full time employees.
You don’t pay for related taxes, sick days, holiday leave, Worker’s Compensation, and medical benefits. VAs are independent contractors, which means they handle all their own expenses, taxes, and insurance.
2. Virtual assistants are more productive than your own in-office staff. They essentially do more work in less time.
Even if you hire staff on a part-time basis, why pay someone to sit there in idle moments surfing the internet or engaging other staff? VAs are task-oriented, and because their future employment depends on ongoing client satisfaction, they are highly motivated to be efficient and productive.
3. Your company will have decreased office equipment cost (as in none).
The VA supplies his/her own office equipment and materials. Desk, phone, computer, printer/scanner, pens, paper, stapler…the list is endless. You will no longer need to invest in and then restock these office essentials as they break or run low. You no longer need to provide precious space in your work area!
4. You will have reduced risk when growing your business.
You run the numbers and project rapid growth is coming and you want to be prepared. Why pay for staff to sit there and either be underwhelmed or overwhelmed with activity when you can pay as you go by hiring a VA to assist you on a short-term basis and then add more time or VA staff to accommodate your needs when needed.
5. VAs provide skill sets on demand.
It is unlikely that either you, or anyone currently on your team, has all the requisite skill sets to handle all your business needs. And besides, with your MBA, or BA in Engineering, do you really want to be a QuickBooks, HubSpot, or Mail Chimp expert? You could hire an expert to take care of one or two jobs, but it is unlikely they have all the skill sets you need. Hire a single VA or a VA firm who has the skill sets to get it done for you on a pay-as-you-go basis. This way, you can be the CEO you are meant to be and let the VA handle the administration behind the scenes.
COVID-19 allowed us the opportunity to show that business continuity and growth can be achieved without being in a physical office or hiring full-time staff. Small business is changing. Take back the CEO job and hire the right remote help to handle the rest.
Izzy Leizerowitz, along with Davii Mandel, are the founders of JFY Virtual Services, providing experienced, professional virtual assistance to small businesses. JFY Virtual takes care of the administrative tasks so small-business owners can focus on growing their business.
Izzy and Davii can be contacted at [email protected]. For more information about JFY Virtual Services and its full offering of virtual assistant services, you can visit their site at www.jfyvirtual.com.
