This is a long one so if you want to jump ahead use these links
Top Tips: How to find out if you need a Virtual Assistant
The Interview: Let’s hear it from the Virtual Assistants themselves
The Interview: What does a Virtual Assistant actually do?
For those of you reading this thinking, what the heck is a Virtual Assistant or VA, it’s basically a PA (Personal Assistant) but they are based remotely. So they support you but they are not sitting in the same room or building as you.
I have a fantastic Virtual Assistant called David who is a charming Scotsman based in France. We’ve only met twice in person but I don’t know how I would run my consulting and coaching businesses without him frankly. He is faster and better than I am at many tasks and he seems to enjoy doing things that I find boring and irritating. He is also very clever and adds value in many ways such as website development and maintenance.
Hiring a VA literally changed my working life for the better. As with many business breakthroughs it was quite a simple thing to set up but it took a shift in mindset for me to first even notice it was a possibility and then to make it happen as I describe below.
“Is it ok for me have a V.A.?” Blocks I used to have
“Is it ok for me have a VA?” As silly as this question seems to me now, I used to have several mental blocks about having a VA…
Block 1: I had a pre-conceived notion that only CEOs in suits sitting in offices had Personal Assistants. This idea was so embedded in my DNA that I never stopped to think about whether it was actually rational. A lot of the coaching I do with my clients deals with similar non-rational or inherited beliefs too.
Block 2: Then about 15 years ago I started doing a lot of thinking about how to maximize my working time and hiring a VA came up as an obvious solution. But not only did I feel that hiring one was not for the likes of me, I also thought people would look at me and think “She has a VA? Who the hell does she think she is?”.
Block 3: was the biggest and final hurdle to overcome – the perceived cost. I believed (and I still meet many people who also believe this of themselves) that I couldn’t afford a VA. I saw it as something I would consider later when I was ‘really successful’ and could afford it.
This is such a common notion in small business-building: we say to ourselves that we will do something once we have the money. But burn-out is not a good plan. Investing in your business frees up development time which will ultimately bring you more of the good stuff. Like more clients, increased income and profit, more free time and more time to change the world.
Despite all these blocks luckily I also believed strongly in the power of team-working and the more I studied it and experienced it, the more I began to see that although I was a small business, I could and should get support.
One day I realized, ‘you know what: it’s ok for me to have a VA too’. I don’t need to have reached a certain status. I can have one because I need and want one and it doesn’t matter what other people think (or what I think they think).
VA-VA-Voom: my top gains from hiring a Virtual Assistant
The minute I hired a VA I found I gained…
- a lot more free time and head-space to work on my business growth
- freedom from boring and repetitive tasks
- better handling of certain tasks
- new ideas and tips from a supportive expert
- increased happiness and peace of mind
TOP TIPS: How to find out if you need a Virtual Assistant
I initially used two quick methods to work out what to delegate to a VA:
First method – I wrote a question on a post-it note and put it in view on my desk for a few weeks. The note said, “Can I delegate this?”.
The note reminded me to regularly pause and notice the tasks I could pass on to someone else. Each time I thought of something I added it to a list.
Second method – I wrote down all tasks I disliked and really would rather not do. Check out books by global business expert Michael Gerber (The E-Myth) and marketing expert Perry Marshall (80/20 Sales and Marketing) for good tips on this.
I was surprised at how long my hated/boring tasks list was and shocked at how I was still ploughing through them all with gritted teeth. I mean, life really is too short to suffer at a desk. So I then took my list to my first VA Nick and asked, “Can you do this?”
By the way both of these methods are worth doing on a regular basis as your business or freelance career grows.
THE INTERVIEW: Let’s hear it from the Virtual Assistants themselves
I’ve shared about VAs from my perspective as a client but I wanted you to hear from the VA perspective too.
So I interviewed two excellent VA’s, my own, David and also Virginie who I met through my local Athena women’s networking group.
Q1. Please say a bit about yourself…
David – I’ve been a Virtual Assistant for 9 years. I started this work at the time of the financial crisis of 2008. At this time, many companies found that hiring a VA was a good way to keep their business running. They reduced their costs because my clients only pay for the work I do. They don’t pay any benefits, sick pay or office space overheads.
The appeal of Virtual Assistant work was the flexible working hours and the choice in how much work I wanted to take on. This gave me the time to finish my PhD thesis on communication. I work with clients in very different industries including real estate, marketing, arts and the charity sector.
Virginie – I’m a bilingual French-English Virtual Assistant based in London, and founder of Ginie VA. I provide remote personal assistance services to small, mostly local businesses and busy individuals.
Ginie VA was founded two years ago (in August 2016) and there are now two of us supporting our clients, which allows us not only to offer more services but also to ensure we are available throughout the year.
I was a Personal Assistant for several years before founding Ginie VA, and Adam has worked mostly in customer services, social media and in the entertainment industry which we are aiming to support as well.
Marketing:
- Proof-reading and editing copy
- Preparing email campaigns to send to a mailing list
- Website design and development
- Writing website content
- Social media content creation
- Scheduling social media posts
- Image editing
- Production of photo and video reels, audio recordings
Admin:
- Email and diary management
- Answering telephone or email enquiries.
- Scheduling meetings
- Database management
Finance:
- Creating and sending invoices
- Book-keeping
- Organising and managing spreadsheet data
Product & Service Delivery support:
- Processing and managing course/training bookings
- Desktop publishing
Misc:
- Creating CVs and cover letters for job applications
- Helping clients become GDPR compliant
- Basic research
Q3. What do you most enjoy about being a VA?
David – The thing I most enjoy about being a Virtual Assistant is problem-solving for clients. Although I have a base of tasks that I do frequently, clients are always asking me to do things that I’ve not done before or find a solution to an issue that they have. My clients understand that I can’t know or do everything. But, if they ask me to do something I’ve not done before then I’ll tell them that it’s new for me. I’ll then learn how to do it on my own time. So, as well as solving problems I have lots of opportunities to learn new skills. This keeps the job interesting.
Virginie – I enjoy seeing more of the big picture (which you lose sight of when working as a Personal Assistant in a big company), and I mostly enjoy feeling like I’m truly making a difference in someone’s life, be it because they achieve more in their business or simply because they have more time to spend with their families. I enjoy the relationship I have with my clients which is both professional but also personal.
I also enjoy the flexibility it gives me and the fact that I always feel my best and enjoy 90% of what I do. The less pleasant tasks are worth doing just because of the difference it makes to my clients.
Q4. Many people reading this will be considering hiring a VA for the first time. What should they look for in a VA?
David – Everybody wants to work with reliable and honest people. People that can manage their time and tasks effectively and can communicate clearly. You should expect all these qualities in a VA, particularly because you’re likely to never meet them face-to-face. But you should also look for someone that is invested in the success of your business. You shouldn’t feel like the VA is just doing the minimum amount of work. If my client has a successful business that means they’ll usually give me more work. It’s a win-win situation. So, look for a Virtual Assistant that…
- Communicates timely and clearly.
- Manages their time effectively. Your VA will likely have other clients and tasks to do. Multiple clients and tasks require good management skills.
- Respects deadlines. Or if they’re running behind schedule, they let you know asap.
- Quickly understands your business.
- Has an advanced grasp of online tools and services. These are vital for any business. And important when working remotely with a VA.
- Uses their experience and skills as a VA to suggest alternative ways of doing things. It’s good to know that they’re always thinking of fresh ways to support you.
- Can reliably follow and implement a process.
- Transparent billing system.
Virginie – Aside from looking for someone qualified, which seems obvious, I would really focus on the relationship side of things. Especially if you work by yourself, your VA will become a colleague, friend (to some degree) and advisor. You need to find someone you feel you can trust.
I would say the three things my clients appreciate the most about me are that:
- I communicate well. They are always kept updated on my progress and know that I will ask them if I have any doubt. I consider this crucial to building trust. I’m also very good at (gently) nagging, and my clients like that I’m not going to let them “drop the ball”.
- I am organised and efficient. I get things done quickly (and well), and my clients know that they can count on me to get the work done within a very reasonable time frame.
- I am proactive and have a very logical brain. A lot of my clients have more of a creative brain which is excellent for what they do but not always great for keeping on top of their admin. I am very good at finding efficient processes that will save both of us time and make our lives easier. I don’t work hard, I work smart.
Whatever you are looking for, remember that the point of a VA is not just to free up your time, it is also to bring you peace of mind. It won’t help if you are constantly worrying that the work may not get done on time and to the standard you need, so have a good chat with your future VA and make sure they have what’s needed to bring you peace of mind.
Reading some testimonials (https://www.ginie-va.co.uk/testimonials.html) may also help you see what mattered to others who are working with me.
Q5. Do VA’s ever feel like they need a VA?!!
David – Yes, indeed. I often think this and smile at the irony. The tasks I’d give my Virtual Assistant would be the same as those I do for my clients. Like my clients, I have invoices to prepare, payments to chase, contact databases to manage and a website to maintain. The work for my clients is my priority, so sometimes my own admin and website maintenance doesn’t get the attention it needs.
Virginie – When I first started my business, I wanted to do it all by myself because I wanted to make sure the quality of work would always be to the highest standard. A year into the business, I realised what I tell my clients or prospective clients also applies to me: “you can do anything, but you can’t do everything.” My piece of advice to my clients is to, ‘Do what you do best, and have someone do the rest’.
In my case, I can do social media, but it’s not what I’m the best at, and it’s not what I enjoy the most. It’s also rather time-consuming! So, I found someone who was very good at it and enjoyed it, and now I can spend more time doing the things I enjoy. It makes me happier, and more efficient. So, in short, yes, I sometimes feel like I need a VA (which is why I have one!)
Q6. How can people contact you if they are ready to hire a VA?
David – You can contact me at david@dmacgregor.co.uk or visit my website Your Personal Assistant. The first step is a conversation to talk about what you’re looking for and expecting from your Virtual Assistant.
Virginie – You can either call me on 07972 562 010, use my contact form on my website Ginie VA, or more conveniently, email me at virginie@ginie-va.co.uk
