INSIGHT ON : Virtual Assistant
INSIGHTFUL RESOURCES by Candice Brokenshire
A new perspective on cool tools to boost your coaching business.
According to the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), the average small business owner spends up to 40% of his or her time on routine administrative tasks and don’t I know it! But things are changing around here. I recently gave myself a good talking to and decided it really was time to invest in me and create the space that I yearn for by employing some outside assistance.
Pam Vaccaro, president of Designs on Time teaches the Pareto Principle otherwise known as the 80/20 rule, where it is stated that approximately 20 percent of your efforts produce 80 percent of the results. She says that you will know if you are in the 20% if:
- “You are engaged in activities that advance your overall purpose in life
- You’re doing things you have always wanted to do or that make you feel good about yourself.
- You’re working on tasks you don’t like, but you’re doing them knowing they relate to the bigger picture.
- You’re hiring people to do the tasks you are not good at or don’t like doing.
- You’re smiling.”
Even with this awareness you may still be wondering how a VA can help you, and I encourage you to think broadly; while you may not want to immediately relinquish control of all of your invoicing you may be prepared to have a VA maintain your website, distribute your newsletter, handle customer support, proof read or conduct research for you. The research aspect is a blessing for me, I can spend hours in flow mode reading articles on the internet so having someone do targeted research for me saves me many valuable hours. To that point agreeing an hourly target for each task and having the opportunity to gain a progress report is very useful; a certain task may only be worth a certain dollar figure for you so be clear to communicate and discuss that when outlining the project.
Some VA’s will charge hourly and others will only work on retainer, asking for 10, 20 or 30 hours a month but some will offer reduced rates based on that commitment. In return you will find that you have gained a great advocate who will continue to bring the wealth of their expertise to the growth of your business.
Pros –
- More time for what and who you love
- A business “partner” who is on your team
- More focus and therefore greater potential to grow your business and revenue
- More productivity and less stress
- A level of accountability!
Cons –
- You are sharing someone with other people who also have deadlines
- It may take a while to set up a successful way of working together so bear with any initial teething troubles
- Signing up for a retainer puts the onus on you to pull tasks together, if you don’t use the hours you lose them
POINTERS:
- If you want to short-cut the RFP and interview process ask for a referral/recommendation
- This is a two-sided relationship so discuss expectations from both sides.
- Clarity is key! Communicate your needs clearly and succinctly.
- Check for practical things such as the use of the same software.
- Consider if a geographical time difference may help you, e.g. you may be able to set up a list of tasks at the end of your day and have them complete by the time you wake up!
- Before diving in consider your preparedness to delegate.
RESOURCE AT:
– Specializing in VA’s for coaches – http://www.assistu.com/client/client_how.shtml
- Interesting site http://thenewlyrich.com/outsourcing/5-tips-for-outsourcing-to-a-personal-virtual-assistant and founders of http://havingthingsdone.com where you can have tasks completed without having an ongoing relationship with just one assistant.
– A peek into the world of VA’s: http://www.virtualassistantforums.com/showthread.php?t=749
– Virtual assistant chamber of commerce – http://www.virtualassistantnetworking.com
- International Association of Virtual Office Assistants – http://iavoa.com
- Just for fun – http://www.fourhourworkweek.com/blog/overview/
- The 80/20 Principle: The Secret of Achieving More With Less by Richard Koch (New York: Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing; 1998)
Acknowledging Angee, the OC Chapter’s wonderful VA,
Candice
