When you are just starting out it can feel like there are a million things to do and not enough hours in the day. In fact, many startup founders report that one of the biggest challenges they face is finding time to do everything they need to do. Even if you have a general sense of what needs doing, finding the time and focus to get these tasks completed can be tricky. And this is where hiring a virtual assistant comes in. Virtual assistants (also known as VAs or personal assistants) offer services such as email management, calendar management, research, task management, and other administrative support from remote locations. What this means is that instead of having to find time to go into an office somewhere once or twice a week for a few hours at a time - you can hire someone who will work remotely from home on your schedule. So how much could hiring a virtual assistant help your small business? Let’s take a look…
What tasks can a virtual assistant do?
A virtual assistant can take on a wide range of different tasks - depending on the kind of support you need and the level of expertise required. When hiring a VA, it can be helpful to think about the tasks you are currently doing that you find the least enjoyable and most time consuming. For example, if you regularly find yourself spending hours on the phone trying to close deals that are stalling, a VA could take on these tasks so you can free up this time to focus on closing more deals. If you regularly find yourself spending time on administrative tasks such as responding to emails, scheduling meetings, booking flights, etc. a VA could take on these tasks so you have more time to focus on growing your business.
How much does it cost to hire a VA?
The cost for hiring a VA will vary greatly depending on the type of work you need done, the hours required, and the level of experience of the person you choose to hire. Hiring a VA is a bit like hiring any other employee - but without the overhead costs involved in running an office or paying for benefits. For example, if you hire a virtual assistant in the US, it will likely cost between $15 and $25 per hour. However, if you hire a VA in India, the cost per hour could be as low as $3.
How much can you save by hiring a VA?
Depending on the level of support you require, hiring a virtual assistant can save you anything from a few hundred dollars a month to several thousand. Of course, hiring a VA isn’t an overnight fix for everything that’s not working. You will need to invest time and energy in finding the right person for the job and setting up the right framework to ensure they are getting the most out of their work for you. However, if you are serious about growing your business and hiring a VA can help you do that by saving you time, then the benefits are clear: For example, let’s say you hire a VA to help with research and scheduling for $15 per hour. This could save you around $30 per hour that you would otherwise have to spend on these tasks. If you hire a VA for 20 hours per week, this could save you $1,800 per month. If you hire a VA for 40 hours per week, this could save you $3,600 per month. This could be the difference between your business struggling to get by and being able to grow as fast as it could.
Bottom line
Hiring a virtual assistant can make all the difference when it comes to growing your business. It can free up your time to focus on the most important tasks and enable you to get more done in less time. However, just like hiring any other team member, it is important to take the time to find the right person for the job. If you need help hiring a virtual assistant, you can browse through the hundreds of professionals on Selector.io. You can also read our guide to hiring a virtual assistant. And once you have hired your new VA, make sure you are getting the most out of your relationship. You can do this by reading our guide to managing remote team members.