As business owners, we are always looking for ways to save cash and maximise our earnings. And in my experience, hiring a virtual executive assistant is one of the fastest and easiest ways to set your business on course for a more profitable future!

How can you cut costs by outsourcing tasks to a VA?

When they first speak with me, my clients are very mindful of the fact that they will need to pay for my time. However, they are less aware of what their investment is going to bring them in the longer term – and how working with a VA can save them money over the course of a month, a quarter, or a year.

From a top line perspective, making money comes down to using your time effectively. If, as a business owner or senior member of staff, you are spending several hours each day emailing prospects, dealing with suppliers, sourcing venues for meetings or grappling with rescheduled appointments, you are not actively earning revenue – you are just keeping things afloat.

If you want to grow your business, you need to be getting yourself in front of potential clients (and nurturing the relationships that you already have). You can’t do these things when you’re chained to your desk replying to messages, putting together PowerPoint presentations and carrying out basic data entry tasks.

These jobs could easily be handed over to somebody else – somebody who can complete them quickly and accurately, with minimal supervision. Somebody like me!

Outsource the admin to a VA, and you will free up your time for the activities that will actually make a difference to your bottom line.

How can a virtual assistant support your business growth?

Good question!

Some directors and CEOs struggle initially with the concept of hiring a virtual assistant – but once they’ve struck up an effective working arrangement with a remote VA, they wonder how they ever got by without one.

An assistant doesn’t need to be physically sitting opposite you in your office to have a positive impact on your business. As the recent lockdown has proven, an employee’s location is irrelevant – you can email them in an instant, you can log their time using sophisticated desktop apps, and you can catch up with them via video call if needs be. What is relevant is how much value they are bringing into your business.

A skilled, experienced, tech-literate VA will deliver quality work whilst taking many of the everyday admin tasks off your desk. So not only will they deliver value themselves, they will also allow you to deliver work of a higher value.

A VA is a more cost-effective alternative to a full-time member of staff, too 

Hiring a full-time employee brings a lot of ‘hidden’ outgoings into the equation. He or she will be paid regardless of how much time they actually spend working (and you might be shocked to learn that the average office worker is in fact only productive for around 3 hours in any 8 hour day!).

Whether they are working full-time or part-time, a permanent member of staff will need to be paid for annual leave; they will need to be paid statutory sick pay if they are off work for medical reasons; and they will be entitled to pension contributions. Add all these costs to the price of their desk space, office equipment and other office sundries, and suddenly the price of an assistant rises well past their advertised salary.

A VA, on the other hand, will only ever be paid for the work they undertake. If they take a holiday, or are too unwell to work, you won’t be expected to cover these costs. A virtual assistant will be responsible for purchasing and maintaining their own computers, laptops and smartphones (unless you need to supply encrypted hardware for data protection reasons, of course). They will take care of their own pensions, taxes, and other financial affairs.

What’s more, they can work much more flexibly than somebody on the payroll. You can scale back on their services when business is quiet, and increase your weekly hours when things pick up again.

Want to learn more about the many ways a virtual senior executive assistant can help you simultaneously make money and save money? Book a free 30 minute consultation with me now!