10 Signs Your Business Needs A Virtual Assistant

As small business owners, we often start off doing EVERYTHING ourselves. We are the marketing department, PR person, bookkeeper, salesperson, accounts payable, social media manager, content creator, researcher, and strategist. That is a lot of hats!

Eventually, all this sweat equity pays off in the form of more customers and increasing revenue. However, this time of great momentum is also the time when business owners experience overwhelm, and further business growth is threatened because they are still trying to do all the things.

I’ve been there. I found myself working 80+ hour weeks in my first business with zero time for friends and family. Basically, I missed the 90’s. I essentially created a job for myself and my boss (me) was a tyrant. I knew something had to change because what I was doing was not sustainable. I finally realized that I had to remove myself from day-to-day operations.

I began hiring and delegating everything EXCEPT those things that only I could do as the CEO of my company. Instead of answering the phones, and fulfilling client jobs, I was now developing training programs, business systems, and going after corporate contracts. That business grew to a seven-figure business because I took that leap to work ON my business instead of in my business. My most valuable business lesson was learning to scale a business by delegating, outsourcing, and creating efficient systems.

“If you really want to grow as an entrepreneur, you’ve got to learn to delegate.”

— Richard Branson

The first time hiring a VA is always the most difficult. I can say, that 100% of the time, I see business owners transform their businesses once they start delegating day-to-day tasks. I’ve never heard a single business owner say, “I wish I had never hired a virtual assistant. I miss doing everything myself.”

Once business owners work with their first virtual team member and discover the transformative power for their business, they find it much easier to expand their team, reclaim their time and grow a company that aligns with their desired lifestyle. It is a beautiful thing to witness.

How do you know if you are ready for a VA? I have found there are some obvious signs that it is time for you to delegate. If any of these signs sound familiar, don’t feel bad. These are also telltale signs that your business is growing, but for it to continue to grow and scale, you just need some help.

10 signs you need a VA

1. You Are In Constant Overwhelm

2. You Are Starting To Drop Balls And Miss Deadlines

3. You Are Starting To Turn Down Business

4. You Don’t Have Enough Time For Friends & Family

5. Your Social Media & Marketing Efforts Are Being Neglected

6. You Have Great Ideas But No Time To Implement Them

7. Your Systems Are Inefficient or nonexistent

8. You Are Not Doing Any Email Marketing

9. You No Longer Love Your Business

10. Your Business Can Not Function Without You

If you can relate to any of these, it is time for you to delegate in order for your business to grow and scale. Amazing things will happen for you and your business when you step into the leader and visionary role that you should be in as the CEO, Founder, or Owner of your business.

At Sparent, we often see business owners getting in the way of their own amazing businesses by being hesitant to delegate. One of the easiest ways to start delegating like a CEO, is to work with a virtual assistant or virtual team.

These are the most common objections we hear to hiring a virtual assistant:

1. I don’t even know what I would have a VA do! Here are some ideas. See anything you’d like to put on your Not-To-Do List?

2. I don’t have time to stop and train a VA. Good news! You actually do have the time once you realign the role you play within your business. Sparent’s VA Onboarding Checklist will help you with the process.

3. I can’t trust someone with my business! We understand how trusting a stranger with your business baby can be scary. This article on How To Take The Fear Out Of Working With Your First VA is really helpful if you are struggling with that resistance.

4. I can’t afford a virtual assistant. We find that this objection is typically not true. Because you have complete control over your VA’s billable hours, this is an expense that can flex with your business needs. Even five hours a month can improve your business operations and free up time for you to focus on CEO tasks. If that doesn’t convince you, do the math using the worksheet on page 5 of our 4 Baby Steps To Delegating Guide.

   Imagine how it will feel to actually make those courses, programs, partnerships, or products, a reality. You can’t build a successful business alone. Delegating to a stellar team, and becoming a trusted leader will allow you to develop systems, processes, and protocols so that your company is positioned to scale and can achieve the growth you envisioned. Rah, Rah, Rah!