And before your mind starts wandering too much, let me clarify! Do you have time to still be PASSIONATE about your business? Or do you find that you spend more time running your business than you would like, and you don’t get time to do the things that you LOVE; the things that made you start your business in the first place.
I know how much is involved in running a small business, because like you, I am a business owner. And I know how easy it can be to get bogged down in the administration and management of a business, to the point where you no longer have time doing the things you enjoy, and it stops being fun.
Think back to the reasons you started your own business. I’m betting that most people will say they started their own business so that they could make money doing something that they enjoyed. It might be baking cakes, or making clothes, or building houses. Whatever the business, I can pretty much guarantee that you didn’t start your own business so you could spend all your time doing admin and chasing your tail. But so often that’s the position small business owners find themselves in.
If you’ve ever found yourself overwhelmed by the myriad of tasks that you need to get through in order to keep things running smoothly, and you don’t have the ability to hire staff to help you out, then perhaps you should consider using a Virtual Assistant. A Virtual Assistant can give you back the time you need to do what you LOVE again.
A VA is an independent business owner. We specialise in different areas of business, including administration, marketing, social networking, and business development. We cover all of our own expenses, including taxes, insurances, superannuation, hardware & software, training & development. And we partner with other small-medium businesses, individuals and entrepreneurs to help them with the many aspects of their business.
If you’ve ever wondered how a VA could help you, here are a few suggestions:
Manage your diary: Give your VA access to your calendar and have them make appointments for you.
Manage your Blog: If you have a blog, you know how important it is to maintain it, and how easy it could be to neglect it. Your VA could manage your Blog for you – research topics, create a blogging schedule, format & upload posts, approve comments and set up Google alerts.
Create a contact database: enter all the details from those business cards you’ve been collecting for years into a database, to assist with relationship management
Follow up any enquiries: phone potential customers, respond to emails, send out marketing material for you
Arrange your travel: if you travel for work, let your VA book your flights and accommodation for you.
Assist with your accounts: chase debtors, send invoices, record payments
Manage customer relationships: after that database is set up, get your VA to send birthday cards to clients, organise your Christmas card list, and arrange gifts for your best clients.
Client entertainment: make lunch and dinner reservations for you, manage events and product launches.
Business development: get your VA to do some telemarketing to follow up warm leads, or even some cold calling if appropriate (not all VA’s offer this service, find a specialist if this is something you require).
Organise your life: If you’re just overwhelmed by the day to day tasks involved in operating a business, or running a family, then speak to a VA about helping you with general tasks.
To find out more about how a VA could help you and your business, visit www.day2dayva.com.au or call or email Lia for a chat on 0404 00 9876.
Till next time,
Lia…
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