When you’re a small business owner, time is everything. I start each morning with a thorough list of tasks and while I can tick off most of them throughout the day, I sometimes head to bed wondering where my time went.
It took me a long time to realize I wasn’t going to receive an award by tackling all the trivial things myself. By trying to wear all the hats in my business, I was stressing myself out and slowing down my productivity.
The idea of using virtual assistants had been in the back of my mind for a while. But I was worried it was a waste of money or that my results would be less than satisfactory. Eventually, I hired my first virtual assistant.
It was a disaster.
But then I hired another. With time and training, the results were exactly what I was looking for. Now, I no longer think of outsourcing as being lazy or losing control of my business. Instead, I view it as a tool that saves me time and my sanity.
If you’re curious about outsourcing part of your to-do list, consider the following benefits of handing over the business reins to the right candidate.
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Focus on what you do best
No matter the business you’re in, you can’t be great at every small task that comes your way. By outsourcing the smaller or less important tasks, you can spend your time and energy focusing on the tasks that make you great.
For example, spending an hour each day on research or marketing might be a large piece to your success. But if you tend to get distracted or struggle with the ins and outs of data mining, having someone else complete these tasks while you focus on the core of your business is a wiser use of your time.
Save your budget
How much does one full hour of productivity cost you? Unless you’re working for pennies, paying a virtual assistant a flat rate of $10 an hour (or less in many cases) to complete your mundane tasks leaves you with more time to work on things that put money in your bank account.
As small business owners, we aren’t guaranteed an hourly rate. So, by spending less time working on tasks that don’t pay us directly (such as invoicing, updating our websites, or answering emails), we can either spend more time working on client work and projects or even enjoy a little more free time throughout the day.
Thinking about growing your team? Look to outsourcing first. You’re not responsible for a virtual assistant’s health insurance or taxes. You’ll pay them the same (or less) than you would have paid an employee, and enjoy less paperwork and headaches.
Extend your working hours
Even if you already put in long days at the office, you can make them even longer by outsourcing. If you work with a virtual assistant who is in a different time zone, you can send them work at the end of your workday, go home, spend time with the family, get a good night’s sleep, and wake up to the completed work in your inbox.
Outsourcing allows you to keep your business operational 24 hours a day, even if you’re not available. By doubling or even tripling the amount of work that’s getting done in a day, you can imagine how fast your business can grow
What Can You Outsource?
Still think your business won’t benefit from outsourcing?
No matter what you sell, be it a product or service, outsourcing can free up your time and increase your bottom line. If you spend time doing any of the following, outsourcing is an option.
- Lead generation
- Administrative tasks
- Financial tasks
- Customer service
- Marketing
- Social media
- Content writing
There’s virtually no end to what you can outsource in your business. Just remember that you should always vet your virtual assistants and make sure they’re more than qualified for the tasks you’re requiring of them.
Once you stop viewing outsourcing as an added expense and start thinking of it as an investment, its benefits become clear. If you think about some of the most successful entrepreneurs, they all mention the power of outsourcing.
“Do what you do best and outsource the rest!” -Peter Drucker
If you’re starting to lose your passion for your business simply because you’re tired, overworked, and frustrated, give outsourcing a try. When done correctly, you’ll gain back control and see happier clients.
