“What would I give to get just a little more free time? The risk I took has already been surpassed with the amazing quality of work they have given me. They were able to gain my trust with their consistency and exceed my expectations. During the time that they have worked for me, we never have hit a bump and everything has flowed smoothly. I never would have imagined that “testing the waters” would lead me to stay with them for almost 6 months now.
At the very least, when I go to sleep my mind is less consumed with how I will get tomorrow’s tasks completed. When I wake up and check my emails, I smile with assurance because my virtual team has completed all of the tasks I had asked them to do and more importantly, I get to spend more time with what matters most to me – my 2 little dudes.”
-Amanda Vlastas, How Hiring A Virtual Assistant Freed My Time and My Mind
So you’ve got a VA or virtual staff taking the weight of running a startup off your shoulders. The experienced specialist is taking care of tedious but vital tasks like customer service, sales or bookkeeping – at a lower cost than a full time employee, to boot! You’ve finally gotten some R&R, spent some quality time with the family, and return to work positively energized. So, what’s next?
Well, now you can focus on your strengths and do what you do best. The breathing room you have will come in handy for things like:
Doing some brainstorming
Now that your VA has lessened your burdens, you can reorient yourself and figure out ways to take your startup to the next level. Are you running your business solo, or working with accomplices? You can meet and throw ideas at each other, go to the drawing board and plot out new services you want to offer, or plans to expand your business.
This might not have been doable if you were swamped with extraneous tasks, or trying to balance work and life. But now that you’ve successfully delegated, you can finally focus on strategic matters. If this were the military, a general shouldn’t be out in the trenches, he or she should focus on the campaign while the foot soldiers secure the battlefield.
Implementing Your Master Plan
So you’re done with brainstorming. Now you’ll need to pull off your grand vision and that’s no mean feat. You’ll need time and energy to upgrade your products and services. Thankfully, with your VA chugging along handling the small stuff, you’ll have more than enough in the tank to carry out your plans.
And VAs will be critical for this step since you’ll need someone to make the calls, send the messages, schedule meetings and write everything down. After all, new services and products means contacting suppliers, meeting partners, training staff, handling payrolls, and just keeping track and organizing everything. With a VA, or a virtual staff, you can do this while sparing yourself the headache of stressing out over the little details.
Preparing for Combat
…or meetings, rather. You need to be ready to give your elevator pitch. Presentations need preparation and practice. And you’ll need enough rest to be as fresh as a daisy when you go in front of clients and customers, shareholders or potential investors. Show them why your business is awesome – and look the part as well!
As a startup owner, it’s obviously best for business to have your house in order. And how you look, speak and act will convey that. That confidence will radiate and help youconvincebuyers, investors, partners and customers.
Having a VA to assist you will contribute to that, since you’ll be less stressed and won’t look like you’ve run yourself ragged (which will send the opposite message). You’ll be focused, fielding questions and inquiries coolly, rather than floating around because of a long night spent on beancounting. Such an impressive performance will be vital in securing deals.
Best for Business
At the end of the day, that’s how a VA can help you and your business. With your burdens alleviated, you can then focus on the Big Stuff that really matter. Don’t risk being overstretched, avoid getting “a thousand papercuts.” Make your business better and stronger, get work done faster and smarter. All while making things easier for yourself. That’s how you get on the road to success!
– John Li
