I recently ran a poll on our VA Facebook Group and this is the result of the poll responses. This chart may change, over time, as more VAs join our group and respond to it, but I thought it might help you to see the types of things that can be done for you. It might even make you realise there is more that can be done for you than you thought.
You may be wondering about the cost as well and that will vary considerably, depending on the type of work being done. Some will charge hourly, some will charge package rates, i.e. set number of hours per week or month, or perhaps project rates. Some live in states or countries with a lower cost of living, some in a higher. Ultimately it would still be cheaper for you to secure a VA to support you rather than you doing the work yourself at whatever your own charge out rate is. That would give you more time to service your own clients, or pursue more clients to build your business further.
There may be times when you need more than one VA as well. For example, the role you have requires a lot of hours per week. If that’s the case, better to split the role amongst 2 or 3 VAs to get the work done. Why? Well, here in Australia (and in other countries) if you were the sole income supplier for the VA, or the main income supplier, you could be deemed their employer by the Tax Dept and be taxed accordingly, and also be told you have to pay their Super, WorkCover and so on. The majority of VAs have multiple clients so wouldn’t have the time capability to dedicate to one full time or almost full time client, anyway. A benefit of having 2 or 3 supporting you is that when one isn’t available, the others can fill in the gap and saves you having to engage and train yet another VA.
Yes, it takes time to bring a VA on board and get them familiar with your business and how you operate things but the same can be said of an employee as well. Either way you have to train someone or a few someones, but the benefits here are you only pay for the work done, you don’t have to purchase equipment, software, furniture or phones for them and if you don’t have work to be done, you’re not having to pay wages, unlike engaging employees.
How long can you keep a VA for? That’s up to you and them. For my own part, I have clients that have been with me for close to 20 years, although most are in the 5-8 year bracket. Some retire, some close their businesses, some move on and no longer need support, but of those that do, I’ve remained steadfast and available to them, and know and understand their businesses too. And this is the same for many VAs the world wide. You do not have to get a new VA every time you’ve got something else to be done. Just keep going back to the same one and, if they’re unable to assist, they will be able to help you find someone else to give some extra support, when needed.
So, do you need a VA? Contact us today to place your request.
This post comes as the result of reading a sad story from a new VA who had purchased items on the behalf of a new client, who then paid her back with a bad check. Had I heard before this was to happen I would have told her “don’t do it!”. This is a common scam and unfortunately the poor VA has lost a couple thousand dollars for this learning exercise. Whether she’ll get her money back is an unknown. Depends on the legal system in her country and if the police get involved.
Folding and stuffing letters into envelopes
If you’re like me and starting to have regular online meetings, you may find yourself doing far too many, in too little time. I’ve heard some are spending hours every day in online meetings.
While the media has made it seem like the entire world is on the brink of complete disaster, that’s not the reality with all businesses. Most businesses that were already working online, like us, can pretty much continue on as we always have done. This puts us in a fairly strong position. We haven’t had to uproot from business premises somewhere else to set up at home. Working at home isn’t strange to us – it’s a normal activity. And we’re already used to working remotely, and productively, even if there are family members at home.
All VAs should be marketing online but if you’re not, time to start. So, look into what you are doing and where. Most of you will have clients that won’t go out of business – some may close their office for a while, or cut down their hours, but most will remain in business and you can help them with this. Perhaps show them how to do more online, how to be more reachable, and how to use online tools such as Zoom, Asana, Trello, Slack, Dropbox, Skype and so on. Now’s a time for you to reach out and offer help to your existing client base and to others too.
