There are a lot of myths about working with a Virtual Assistant circling round and, as a Virtual Assistant and business owner, I thought I’d tackle these myths head-on!
I’m not saying that working with a Virtual Assistant is right for everyone, or that you are in the right place in your business to work with a VA at this exact moment in time BUT there are a lot of people out there who are put off by these myths.
So, let’s dive right into busting the top 5 myths I hear people talking about.
1. My Business Is Too Small To Work With A Virtual Assistant
Myth:
My business is too new/too small or I don’t make enough money to work with a Virtual Assistant.
Reality Check:
There are actually two myths here so we’ll deal with each one separately:
New business - Just because your business is new or small, doesn’t mean that you can’t benefit from working with a Virtual Assistant. In fact, it’s much better to start working with a Virtual Assistant before you get yourself and your business into a super busy, hot mess! BY working with a Virtual Assistant when you’re still in the early stages of your business, you can create and establish systems, and processes together to ensure that everything runs smoothly. Not only will this free up more of your time and enable you to scale your business sooner but it also means that everything should continue to run smoothly when your business does grow.
Not making enough money - This one is really tough! Working with a Virtual Assistant is like any other investment in your business and so you should think about it like that. Investing in your business is one of the things that is going to help you move into the next phase of your business. There will come a time in your business journey when the only way you can continue to grow is to have more time available. When you start outsourcing your day-to-day tasks to a Virtual Assiatnt, you can focus your time and attention onto the parts of your business that bring in the money!
Whether your business is new or you’re not making much money yet, you’ll probably find yourself in a catch-22 situation - you need more money to be able to hire a Virtual Assistant, you need more time to be able to make more money, and in order to have more time, you need to hire a Virtual Assistant! But the earlier you start working with a Virtual Assistant, the more easily you’ll be able to scale and grow your business and income!
2. A Virtual Assistant Won’t Really Understand My Business And My Business Needs
Myth:
My business is my baby. No one else will understand my business, how I like things to work and where I’m headed.
Reality Check:
The first thing to remember here is that Virtual Assistants are business owners too.
We completely understand how you feel about your business because we feel the exact same way about our own businesses!
Before you start working with a Virtual Assistant, it’s really important that you get to know each other. I always start any relationship with a new client with an informal “discovery call” where we chat on Zoom for an hour and get to know each other. I use this call to really dig deep and find out exactly what my new client is looking for in their Virtual Assistant. This goes deeper than just what tasks they need completing and more into what they hope to achieve by outsourcing those tasks to me.
I also make sure that I check in with my clients regularly and that we chat about their goals and dreams for their business to ensure that we are always working towards them in everything we do.
3. A Virtual Assistant Can Do Everything I Need Them To
Myth:
I can pass ALL of my work over to a Virtual Assistant and they can just do everything for me!
Reality Check:
As with most business owners, a lot of Virtual Assistants have specialisms. Some Virtual Assistants are great at copywriting, some at social media, some at graphic design, some at admin tasks…you get the idea!
The point is, you will probably struggle to find a single Virtual Assistant to do EVERYTHING (or at least at a high standard!) However, you will definitely be able to build a team of Virtual Assistants who, between them, can do everything you need.
It’s also worth bearing in mind that most Virtual Assistants will work with more than one client at a time and, as such, may not be able to dedicate “full-time” hours to your business. This will also have a bearing on how much work/how many tasks they can take off your hands.
4. Virtual Assistants Need A Lot Of Hand-Holding And Supervision
Myth:
If I hire a Virtual Assistant, I’m going to spend so long assigning tasks, showing them how to do things, checking over work etc. that I might as well just do the task myself.
Reality Check:
I’ll be straight with you - most Virtual Assistants will require some sort of onboarding and possibly some training when you first start working together. Even a Virtual Assistant who has years of experience will need to get accustomed to how you do things in your business (and you definitely want them to get to know you, and the ins and outs of your business early on).
But once you’re both settled into the routine of working together, assigning work to your Virtual Assistant should be a breeze and minimal supervision will be required…leaving you with lots of extra time to work on the things you love (or, ya know, just watching Netflix).
Note: If you do find yourself spending lots of time assigning work to your Virtual Assistant you may need to review your systems and processes to see what can be streamlined, what templates can be created etc.
5. My Business Doesn’t Seem To Be Work Well, A Virtual Assistant Will Help Me Fix It
Myth:
A Virtual Assistant is a magical creature who can come in and fix a business that isn’t working.
Reality Check:
Virtual Assistants can do a lot of things…and I mean a LOT. But it’s not up to them to come in and fix a business that isn’t working due to poor strategy. Sure, they can mull over ideas with you, give feedback and more but your success is ultimately your responsibility.
Note: If you’re looking for more business input/strategy you may be ready for a coach or an OBM, and not a Virtual Assistant.
If you think you’re ready to outsource some of your business tasks, get in touch with me here to see how we could work together to not only free up more of your time but also grow and scale your business!
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