Are You Ready to Hire a Virtual Assistant?

Are you ready to hire a virtual assistant? Click on the blue words and we’ll tell you all the flashing red flags to know when it's time to hire one.

When you have a mountain of tasks weighing on your shoulders, it’s hard to scale on your own.

You need a reliable team taking on the right tasks to optimize your business operations and hit your bottom lines.

While it’s easier said than done to commit to hiring new people in your organization, there are some factors that you need to poke carefully before bringing in additional help.

Do you have to hire an on-site permanent employee? Or are you better off with a virtual assistant?

If you’ve read all the pretty benefits of outsourcing a remote worker, it’s kind of obvious that it’s the solution startup entrepreneurs are looking for. It’s cheap and takes care of mundane tasks without binding you for the long term.

Well, you don’t need to make that hiring decision right away.

Here’s a blog post dedicated to helping you on how to tell if you’re ready to hire a virtual assistant.

Let’s roll in!

6 Signs to Know When You’re Ready to Hire a Virtual Assistant

Who might need a virtual assistant? Do you actually need one?

If you’re unsure how to answer these questions, you’re actually one of many.

Tons of business owners and entrepreneurs are skeptical about onboarding a VA and for many reasons.

For one, they fear what “offshore” would mean to the collaboration. They don’t want to lose control working with someone from across the globe.

We understand all your concerns. But despite all this, there are some flashing signs that it’s time to get over your hesitations and just hire a VA for your business needs.

See all the waving red flags below and watch out for them because they’re clearly the go signals you’ve been asking for.

You’re missing deadlines.

Remember last week? You missed the deadline on the business plan for that new project because you had the schedule mixed up with the suppliers — and that was the second time.

Yes, you want to work in the trenches of your business and figure things out on your own. But it’s clear as daylight, you’re lagging behind your workload.

You need to offload some tasks to get your focus on the growth mode back on; meet your deadlines and provide quality work.

You’re losing money.

Of course, you want to make more money, but instead of making them, you’re losing more and more each day you’re bent on playing superhero.

Yup, your math is not lying. You’re spending too much time (your most precious resource) on menial tasks, instead of going after hefty ventures with greater ROIs. And worse, you’ll never get paid for them according to how your time is really valued.

Your eyes should be set on growing your business; not doing the little things that you could pass to virtual assistant support.

You need a specific skill to finish a task.

You’ve been a great soldier, getting your hands dirty and doing things on your own — from answering clients on the phone to financial reporting.

You’re doing a fine job at bootstrapping, and rightfully so, because you’re still a fledgling bird.

But, if you want to take the next level, you need next-level skills to hone your brand.

From graphic design to social media marketing, you need a specific skill set to stand out amongst big competition — something only a professional virtual assistant can deliver without breaking the bank.

You’re stretching your capacity.

There are only so many hours that you can spend working in a day catering to everyday tasks and different clients. And no matter how much you stretch it (beyond breakable point), there’s still a maximum ceiling you can’t cross.

That being said, it’s apparent that you need to let go of some of the daily chores to someone else to expand your capacity.

Whatever you might need, be it a video editor or blog post writer, we’re sure hiring a virtual assistant can take care of your company’s support tasks.

You’re burning out.

Nothing is quite easy when you’re running and raising a business on your own. In fact, it’s the fast track to burning out.

If you keep on spending late nights and forgoing meals and other personal interests, you’ll be putting yourself at risk and along your business.

But when you ultimately decide to work with a virtual assistant, you can reduce both your workload and stress levels.

With a virtual ally handling your other tasks, you can maintain a work-life balance. You can do the things you love outside of work and keep your business going, even when you’re not there.

Plus, with you recharged, you’ll have more creative juice to fuel fresh ideas and energy to deal with new challenges.

You’re spending too much of your time on the daily processes.

When you’re just starting out, it’s okay to do the bookkeeping and data entry by yourself.

However, when your business is already climbing and the demands are chasing, it’s not realistic and smart to keep doing the same working approach — it’s time to get out of your usual everyday grind and let a virtual assistant take over.

Get your head in the game — strategic planning and finding valuable connections are some core activities your time is best spent on.

So, if you’re spending too much time on the little things, and compromising the growth of your business, you know you’re ready to hire a virtual assistant.

How Do I Choose a Good Virtual Assistant?

After checking every sign on “How to Know When It’s Time to Hire a Virtual Assistant,” you’re finally ready to hire a virtual assistant.

But, what to consider when hiring a VA?

First of all, choosing a virtual assistant that is right for you is an important decision. You’ll be entrusting them with daily tasks and your investment, of course, you have to be thorough when selecting them.

So, to help you choose the right VA that fits your business needs, here are some considerations that will do you good to ponder.

What tasks do you need to outsource?

Take a moment for a bit to reflect on yourself. Yes, YOU — contemplate what you need from a virtual assistant.

Before you think about outsourcing, you need to identify the tasks that you are willing to delegate to a third-party stranger who hails from the other side of the planet.

Create a detailed list, from the repetitive office chores to the tasks that need specialization. The more specific your list is, the more targeted your search will be.

Do Your Research

Remember what we said about hiring a virtual assistant as your investment? You should make do with that statement by being hands-on in your search for candidates.

If you’re working and trusting them with your operation, you have to get along with them.

And oh, you also have to scrutinize their qualifications to make sure they can meet your expectations. You should check on their previous clients and listen to what they have to say about your candidate.

The whole point of this phase is to not commit blindly before you’ve done your homework.

Screen Your Candidates

Once you’ve gone through your research, you get to fill up a list of worthy candidates where you choose your new virtual assistant.

At this point, you can do a virtual interview or administer a paid assessment.

Ask and try to get a feel of their attitude towards work and their level of professionalism. You can get crafty when interviewing them. You can throw questions regarding previous employment or how they effectively use and enhance their skills.

Then, you step further by giving your potential new hire a test related to their actual job just to see the extent of their capabilities in handling it.

It’s Time to Recruit!

Finally, after thorough deliberation with your top virtual assistant talents, you get to choose the VA that best fits the bill.

By now, you should have a good understanding of what you need and want from your remote support.

Your virtual assistant should meet all your job requirements; skills, personality, budget and even your preferred working hours.

Are You Ready to Hire a Virtual Assistant?

Well, we’re hoping that these signs on how to know when you’re ready to hire a virtual assistant have helped you kickstart your investment for the future.

A virtual assistant can be your valuable asset, staying cost-effective while boosting your productivity.

So, if any of these cues come into the limelight, you know what you have to do.

Be smart about it and then take the necessary steps in hiring a virtual assistant.

C’mon do it and catapult your business to dizzying heights!