3 Signs That You Need a Virtual Assistant — And What Type to Hire Taking on this type of help is an important step for any business owner, especially a solopreneur. These are the top signs that you're ready to hire.
By Laura Briggs
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
According to Gallup, 45% of entrepreneurs report being stressed out, which makes perfect sense: Being the chief decision-maker and doing everything in a business gets overwhelming and frustrating, even when someone is passionate about what they do. In response, one of the most pivotal moves is taking on a personal virtual assistant — a person typically brought on via contract (rather than a traditional employee), providing both flexibility and enhanced options for getting things off your plate.
Virtual assistants handle a broad range of tasks, including emailing newsletters, social media scheduling, calendar management, research, data entry, proofreading, landing page creation and much more. And there are reliable signs that you need one. Most people wait too long, then find themselves rushing through the hiring process, which makes disappointment far more likely.
So, how do you know when it's time?
1. You're logging more hours than ever
It might have started harmlessly with a few early mornings here and there, then grew into staying late or weekend time. To be sure, getting a business off the ground when you don't have the revenue to pay anyone is complicated, but eventually you'll hit a point where you're either working every available hour and/or are so burned out you're starting to lose interest in running the company at all.
Related: The 3-Step Process to Hiring Your First Assistant
2. Spending too much time on tasks you hate
As if the consequences of overworking weren't bad enough, the more time you devote outside tasks that drive revenue and that only you can do (often referred to as your "zone of genius"), the less connected you'll feel to a business. I've found that the best tasks to outsource fall into the following:
• You don't like doing them
• You're not good at doing them
• They don't directly make you money, but must still be done
Social media could be a great example: It could take you multiple hours just to create a monthly social media calendar, whereas an assistant might whip one together not only much more quickly, but likely better. It might be an effective strategy to get it off your plate to focus on other things.
3. Pulled in too many directions
If it seems like that to-do list keeps growing and yet things are stalled, it's time to refocus energy on tasks that matter most. Spreading yourself too thin can affect revenue. It also swallows up your most valuable asset: time. There's a good chance that two different things are going on here: You're trying to do too many things, period; and you're trying to take them all on yourself.
Instead, take stock of tasks that drive revenue, and that only you can do — essentially that genius zone. Tasks outside of that should be streamlined, automated or outsourced.
Related: 3 Simple Strategies for Coping with Overwork Pressure
Pay/structure options
There are a few structures for organizing both a VA's time and your budget, including a monthly retainer, a flexible hourly basis or purchasing a set amount of hours that a person bills against.
In my experience, it's best to begin with a set hour amount. This helps prioritize which tasks are most important to outsource and provides peace of mind that you won't get a surprise bill at the end of the month.
Come up with a list of things that would take the most pressure off: This is great for organizational purposes, but also assists the new hire in assessing how much time is required and whether they have the experience to complete the work.
Lastly, make sure their energy is directed towards tasks you need to be done, rather than those that fall into the category of, "It would be nice if..." You want to experience the feeling of success when a VA wraps up each week.
