As entrepreneurs, we often have the misconception that we can do everything ourselves. This can especially be a problem if you work from home all by yourself. But as your business grows, so does your daily list of tasks that need to be accomplished. Soon you find yourself overwhelmed, running around in circles. It can be extremely difficult to even see simple tasks thru to the end.
This is where a virtual assistant can step in and relieve some of your stresses. The benefit of having a virtual assistant is that they can take the simple, mundane daily duties off of your shoulders so you can focus on the more important tasks that will enable you to grow your business. I never realized how many sources were available for entrepreneurs to find reliable, experienced virtual assistants. Alex Shalman, a writer for the blog Dumb Little Man, has provided readers with a list of 20 Places To Find a Top Notch Virtual Assistant. You can easily navigate this list to discover what you may find to be your best asset of 2009.
You can also post classified ads to look for virtual assistants.
The real key to finding a great virtual assistant is first figuring out what exactly can be outsourced and what can’t. Then trying to find someone you will get along with on a personal level, since you’ll be working closely with him/her - even if it is virtual.
You are right, Pinny! Getting along with your VA in a personal level will require time so working with VA outright is still part of the trial process. Hopefully after three months, that would be enough to determine whether your partnership works or not.
A good manager knows when and how much to delegate. Using a virtual assistant make sense because of the value of the managers time and the items that are more important to the business that this allows him/her to tsake care of.