The signs a business owner like you needs to hire a virtual assistant are often loud and clear. But in some cases, these get drowned out by the noise of distraction — and perhaps denial.
If you had come across this article ready to get to the bottom of whether you need a virtual assistant, here are seven signs you have to watch out for.
7 Signs You Need a Virtual Assistant
Sign #1: You Can’t Remember Your Meetings this Week
As the one calling the shots in a company, you can’t escape being saddled with multiple meetings every week, and in some cases every day. Likewise, you can’t escape occasionally losing track of your schedule.
That’s generally okay. Forgetting meetings is a forgivable mistake — when it happens rarely. But if you’ve been missing meetings left and right, that’s a sign of trouble. It’s also a glaring sign you need someone to start managing your calendar for you.
With a virtual assistant, you have someone who can schedule all your appointments plus remind you of them. And if a conflict in schedule comes up, you can ask them to update your calendar and even notify everyone involved.
Staying on top of things is crucial for business leaders. Remembering your meetings is a great way to start.
Sign #2: Your Head’s Starting to Get Irritated from All the Hats You Have to Wear
Many studies have suggested multitasking doesn’t work.
An article on Cleveland Clinic cites a study that found only 2.5% of its 200 respondents could multitask without affecting their performance.
As a business owner, your main job is to grow your business strategically. That involves improving your products or services, making the most out of your resources, and even finding new sources of revenue. What it doesn’t involve is tracking your company’s expenses, organizing data into spreadsheets, and taking down minutes during meetings.
These virtual assistant tasks are meant to be outsourced to specialists.
Sign #3: The Image of a Beach Makes You Want to Cry
When you feel a vacation is what you desperately need but isn’t something you could fathom turning into reality, it’s time for you to assess your workload.
Nowadays, prioritizing work and personal life in equal measures is a welcome practice. You can even say glamorizing fatigue due to overwork is becoming a notion many frown upon. After all, taking a break is vital for productivity.
But if you’re at the point where you physically can’t take a break from your insurmountable to-dos, then maybe it’s time you delegate some of them to a professional.
Chances are, you’re doing way more admin work than necessary. Who knows? When you cut down on these tasks, you may just find yourself being able to book that trip to the Philippines.
Sign #4: You Don’t Know Where Your Money Is Going
Keeping track of all of your company’s daily transactions doesn’t seem like a job suited for a business owner. So if you’re lagging behind on this, it’s time to call for help.
Keeping your bookkeeping up to date is not a good-to-have. It’s a must-have for any business. This accounting activity allows you to make accurate financial statements, ensure you’re complying with tax laws, and guide you in making data-driven business decisions. In other words, you wouldn’t want to experience the consequences of poor bookkeeping practices.
But don’t you worry. The role of a bookkeeper — a type of virtual assistant — is to prevent that from happening.
Sign #5: Tracking Relevant Data for Your Business Eats Up Your Time
Strategizing ideally doesn’t include data-gathering.
When a business owner needs the numbers from a marketing campaign or the details of potential leads, someone else has to do it. Otherwise, you’ll be spending more time tallying and recording data than building a solid strategy for your business.
If this is the case for you, consider hiring virtual assistants who specialize in data entry, social media management, or lead generation.
Sign #6: Days Begin to Blur Together
Can’t tell whether it’s Monday or Wednesday anymore? That’s likely due to overwork and stress.
The monotony and volume of admin tasks could be the primary culprit behind this happening to you. Whether it’s data entry, tech support, or bookkeeping, monotonous tasks can make days feel like a long, uphill journey with no end in sight.
This is a telling sign you need a VA. But, you may be wondering, what if my VA becomes dissatisfied with their work and quits due to the nature of the job? It’s difficult to guarantee work satisfaction, especially when it comes to virtual assistant tasks that are repetitive like data entry.
A solution to this potential issue is to create a system that either diversifies the tasks of your VA or provides them the care they require.
Sounds like a lot of work? One thing you can do is hire a virtual assistant whose workflow is established and whose needs are met even before you hire them. You can do this by outsourcing virtual assistant services to a company with experience.
Sign #7: Your Vision for Your Business is No Longer 20/20 & Running It Isn’t Something You Can See Yourself Doing Long-term
If you’re about to call it quits because running a business doesn’t seem sustainable in the long run, this is what you need to do. Pause.
Take a step back and reconsider. You’re more likely to be feeling burned out than letting your business down. Poor management is one of the leading reasons a small business fails, Investopedia says. Without people you can trust to help you run your business, the frequency of you feeling tired or lacking passion significantly increases.
So seriously reassess your situation. What’s causing you to burn out and feel demotivated? Is it the amount of work you do? The kind of work you do? And can you outsource these tasks to someone with a greater level of skill in handling the work?
If you’re having a hard time determining what you need, check out our article on the different types of virtual assistants that can improve your business performance.
In Summary
The signs you urgently need a virtual assistant are:
- You can’t remember your meetings this week.
- Your head’s itching from all the hats you have to wear.
- The image of a beach — or any vacation destination — makes you want to cry.
- You don’t know where your money is going.
- Tracking relevant data for your business eats up your time.
- Days begin to blur together.
- Your vision for your business doesn’t seem to be sustainable anymore.
Are these signs relatable to you? Then perhaps it’s time you outsource virtual assistant services to a company you can trust.
For a free consultation or for any inquiries, send us an email at sales@narrasoft.com. Or you can message us on our contact form or chat below. We’re excited to hear from you!