What does a virtual assistant do?
What does a virtual assistant do? It’s always the first question I’m asked. To answer thoroughly and accurately, it’s necessary to know what a Virtual Assistant actually is. In short, a Virtual Assistant is a professional helper.
“A Virtual Assistant is a professional helper.”
Most entrepreneurs find joy in a specific aspect of their business. It’s their product, their service, or their ideas that provoke them to put in the long hours and breathe life into their days. It’s the record keeping, constant posting, overwhelming number of emails, editing, and other detailed tasks that slow them down and steal their focus away from what they love. A virtual assistant will help bring order to each day as their clients are able to let go of these tasks and details, and focus on what they love. How so, you ask?
Virtual Assistants help businesses and individuals organize their day-to-day needs to improve their efficiency and ultimately their lives. This will look different from client to client, which is an exciting aspect of the job. Sometimes help requires posting to social media or managing multiple social media accounts. Sometimes it looks like entering receipts and tracking expenses for rental properties. Creating calendars, market research, flow charts, systems, answering emails, managing inboxes, updating the website, lead generation, etc.—there are countless ways to take a client’s needs and wishes and organize them into manageable tasks, so they can focus on their dreams for their business and the big picture without worrying about the details that can slow down efficiency and progress. When business tasks begin to pile up, a Virtual Assistant is there to help.
“A Virtual Assistant is an asset to the team.”
While some business owners will opt to ‘hire out’ or pay a third party to handle aspects of their business they don’t have time for or just don’t want to do, these para-business companies are often not truly invested in the business as much as they are invested into their own businesses. They take receipts, ideas, posts, and make them their own returning a finished project, collecting a little (or big) profit, and often walk away with little to no interaction or relationship with the businesses they serviced— a far cry from being part of a team. Virtual Assistants, on the other hand, join in with a team, learn the business needs, goals, and dreams and work to help an entrepreneur or individual succeed. They quickly become an asset to the team as they pull together systems of organization to create efficiency and ultimately focus. Business owners can trust them to have their best interest at hand because when the business succeeds, a Virtual Assistant succeeds.
“A Virtual Assistant is not a Business Coach.”
As we discuss what a Virtual Assistant is, it’s probably helpful, at some level, to address what a virtual assistant is not. A Virtual Assistant is not a business coach. Business coaches will do a full evaluation of a business, review, and create a plan of implementation to improve the business as a whole. Virtual Assistants come into a business that already has a plan and needs assistance in the implementation portion. Business owners should not assume their Virtual Assistant will create business plans and industry strategies for them but rather implement business plans and strategies already in place. So while a business coach may recommend marketing to a certain audience on social media, a Virtual Assistant can carry that recommendation to fruition. A business coach may recommend organizing finances and inventory a certain way, a virtual assistant can execute the organization plan. While many Virtual Assistants could help in those areas, they are best utilized to help with implementation. Virtual Assistants are the doers that help move the business forward efficiently.
“I work with each client individually
to find a system that works for them. ”
In my process, I work with each client individually to find a system that works for them. We’ll collaborate to find different options and tools to get the perfect solution for their needs—establishing easy to read, easy to work form systems. If a client already has a system in place but needs assistance to get up to date, I’ll happily jump in and handle the details. While I handle the growing list of to-dos, my clients enjoy the freedom to focus on what they love about their business.
Do you need help in your business? Whether it’s help organizing your finances, socials, or client information, click the ‘Get Started’ button to connect with me. I have extensive experience assisting business owners and entrepreneurs—from start up organizations to a University—with their daily schedules, tasks, and other organization needs! I love getting my clients to a place where they can work efficiently and watch their business grow and excel with the freedom to focus on what they love! Click ‘get started’ to complete a brief intake form, and let me know how I can help you!