You don’t need a Virtual Assistant. You don’t need anyone to help you keep on top of admin or create engaging social media campaigns. You don’t need anyone to make those dreaded credit control phone calls or respond to hundreds of customer enquiries.
You can do all that yourself.
But if you didn’t have to, would you still want to do it?
You may think you don’t need a Virtual Assistant, but here a few reasons why we think you might want one…
Time is your most Precious Resource
You’re excellent at time management. You’re already successfully running a business, you meet deadlines, you reply to important emails within twenty-four hours, you don’t let paperwork pile up. That’s great. That’s how running a business should be.
But what we business owners tend to forget is that time is finite. And while it may feel like we have plenty of it, it’s not something we can get back once it’s gone.
So, while you may have plenty of time to run your business on your own, how would you be using that time differently if you didn’t have to do it all solo? One of the key benefits of taking on a Virtual Assistant is claiming some of those hours back. It’s the hours you spend on admin after the working day is over. The 30-minute email check on a Saturday morning or the evening of presentation creating last thing on a Sunday.
A Virtual Assistant can step in to take tasks off your hands that don’t necessarily need to be done by you personally, whether you have time to do them or not. So, while you may not feel like you need a Virtual Assistant, it may be something you want to consider if you value your time.
Efficiency can Always be Improved
Efficiency doesn’t have a limit. Processes can always be more streamlined, procedures more refined, and schedules more organised. The role of a Virtual Assistant is to audit what goes on behind the scenes at your business and make certain aspects of it run more smoothly.
Take this for example; you create content for your small business and post one piece of content daily. That’s fine, it doesn’t take up too much of your time. But, if a Virtual Assistant could do that for you, surely you’d have time to carry out a different task instead.
Your process was already efficient. It got the job done and didn’t interfere with your day too much. But a Virtual Assistant can reduce that interference to zero, maximising your time and increasing efficiency within your business overall.
So, while you may not need a Virtual Assistant to make your business efficient, investing in one will only serve to benefit your business in the long run.
You can’t be an Expert in Everything
You’re an expert in running your business. It’s what you do best. It’s what you’ve invested your time and effort in, and, of course, you know your business better than anyone. But, no matter how many skills you’ve acquired, or experience you’ve gained whilst running your business, it’s impossible to be an expert in everything.
The beauty of Virtual Assistants is that they often specialise in one very specific skillset. They will have utilised this skillset with hundreds of clients before you, making them the real expert in supporting your business. For example, you might be great at running the admin side of things for your business. There’s no one better than you when it comes to spreadsheets and data.
But what about your marketing? While you may be completely capable of firing out some social media posts or writing weekly blogs, you probably haven’t done so for 100 different clients before, all with fantastic results. A Virtual Assistant out there will have done.
So, if you think you don’t need a Virtual Assistant, consider this. While you may be good at a lot of things, pouring your time and effort into a part of your business that isn’t your area of expertise could cost you time and money in the long run. Be open to using other people’s talents to push your business to the next level.
Your Work-Life Balance isn’t as Balanced as you Think
You have a pretty good work-life balance, right? You put your laptop away for most of the weekend. You only reply to emails for an hour every evening. You only sit up in bed making business notes on your phone every once in a while…
While you may not see or feel it, running a business can begin to infiltrate every part of your life if you aren’t careful. A quick check of your email turns into an hour on the phone. An evening creating a presentation means missing bed-time stories with your kids.
A truly healthly work-life balance means being able to switch off from work completely – and that’s an incredibly difficult thing to do when you’re running your own business.
A Virtual Assistant can help. If and when you need to take time away from your business, a Virtual Assistant can act as a buffer to the guilt and worry that might cause. You’ll be able to relax and recharge while being sure in the knowledge that everything over at your business is being handled by an expert. Your inbox won’t go unread, customer enquiries won’t be ignored, social media channels will be updated. All you need to do is learn to trust someone else to do it for you.
So, you might not think you need a VA, but if you’re beginning to wonder whether your work-life balance is as balanced as you thought it was, investing in one might be an idea.
Virtual Assistant Support with The Edwards Company
Here at the Edwards Company, we provide support to businesses like yours (whether you think you need it or not!).
Our team specialises in admin, content creation and credit control and will work with you to make running your business as easy as possible. For more information or to book your support service, please do not hesitate to get in touch.