Virtual Support

Are Virtual Assistants becoming as common as hiring a housekeeper?

As I enter the fifth year of my growing Virtual Assistant business, I’ve witnessed an industry that was relatively unheard-of just a few years ago, become the hot topic of conversation at family gatherings and networking events. People continue to reach out to me, asking how a Virtual Assistant could support them in achieving their goals, both personally and professionally.

Check out my Virtual Assistant partners here for support, or reach out tonya@tonyadarlington.com.

I believe that in the next few years, hiring Virtual Support in some capacity will be as common as hiring a housekeeper, and here is why:

No longer just for Senior Executives or the rich and famous

Again and again, people ask me, “Am I ready for an Assistant, and can I financially support this role?” The answer is yes! Hiring support isn’t a luxury, it’s a necessity for personal and professional growth. It is a smart business move to acquire assistance to delegate short-term tasks and long-term projects that drain your energy, distract you from your goals, and rob you of your valuable time. With the power of working remotely, a Virtual Assistant can support you as little or as much as you need, and often for very affordable hourly rates or packages.

To every person who has concerns about whether or not they can afford a Virtual Assistant, I suggest that they download my Task Tracker Tool. This exercise organizes which tasks can and should be delegated. Soon, the task list becomes so extensive, that they realize that they can’t NOT afford the support of a Virtual Assistant!

Seamlessly connect and collaborate with technology

No one is going to debate the fact that technology is moving at lightning speed. One of the benefits to this is that there are so many amazingly effective tools at our disposal, helping teams work together and accomplish tasks with simplicity and ease. It is possible to complete impactful projects from the comfort of the living room in lounge pants and slippers. You can now delegate tasks in seconds with tools like Slack, Asana, and Basecamp (just to name a few of my favorites). Quickly communicate a task to a Virtual Assistant over a cup of coffee, and then get a notification moments later that the task is complete. Isn’t that worth its weight in gold?

Delegate and leave it to the experts

Do you have preferred service providers like a housekeeper, a landscaper, a dry cleaner, a mechanic, an accountant, a travel agent, or a childcare provider? Maybe you subscribe to a food delivery service or a monthly subscription box? We all recognize that if we let experts take care of some of the tasks that fall on our shoulders, we will have more time to focus on our greater goals and dedicate our own time to the professional projects or personal hobbies that we enjoy most.

Tried, tested, and true: Time is money!

If I bill my clients at $50 per hour, why would I spend an hour of my own time to clean my house (which I do not enjoy), if I could hire someone to do it for $20 per hour? For some reason, many people have trouble quantifying the expense of Virtual Support. Time is money! I challenge you to think of what you would do with an extra ten hours per month? I think you would be surprised by what you could accomplish. If you’re on the fence, take the leap and find a Virtual Assistant, and see where you end up.

If you haven’t figured out how to increase your earnings with the support of a Virtual Assistant, then perhaps you need a little help. Contact me to learn more about my program, “Leading, Virtually,” outlining the five steps for success when growing a virtual team.

Commitment to more of what we enjoy

 

I’ve hired Virtual Assistants to create my Google Adwords campaigns, launch Facebook ads, proof my content (including this article), create worksheets, and design posters. Why? Because I don’t want to waste my time on tasks that bore or frustrate me. I am not an expert on these topics, and I don’t want to be. I want more time to provide value to my clients, pursue personal projects, and spend time with those I care about. I delegate so that I can enjoy all the things that I love doing, and millions of other people are delegating, too. Why aren’t you?

A Virtual Assistant is a great asset for anyone looking to essentially duplicate themselves. Trust me when I say, Virtual Assistants endeavour to do assigned tasks as well as you do, if not better.

Download my Task Tracker Tool to track the tasks you can delegate to a VA, check out my Virtual Assistant partners here for support or reach out tonya@tonyadarlington.com.

The day I decided to be a VA

In early 2015, I was looking for a change from my role as an Executive Assistant/Office Manager at a growing digital marketing company. I had no idea what I wanted to do. Actually, that is not entirely accurate. I had A LOT of ideas, but I was held back by the uncertainty of starting something new in unfamiliar industries.

I wanted to start something that allowed me to further apply my management degree and my eight years of executive assistant experience to a new venture, and utilize what I had learned working with entrepreneurs, CEOs and business owners. After spending several hours getting lost in Google search one evening, I discovered the increasingly popular career of Virtual Assistance. I reviewed several articles and made a few connections with people who were running successful Virtual Assistant businesses. To say the least, I was intrigued.

I made one very important connection with a local gal named Madelaine, who I came across on a Virtual Assistant membership website. She was young, modern, approachable, and I felt like I could see myself in her shoes. She even lived in my neighbourhood! So, I reached out and she graciously agreed to meet me for coffee.

February 1st, 2015, was the day that I decided to be a VA.

 

Screenshot of the email I sent to Madelaine on February 1st, 2015.

Madelaine was doing it, and she was doing it well. So well, in fact, that she eventually started her own course teaching others how to become Virtual Assistants, to help the many people like me looking for somewhere to get started. She’s a real gem, and I continue to be thankful for her guidance and her friendship since that day we met at Just Us Coffee House.

 

Madelaine and I working virtually at Lion & Bright in Halifax, NS.

 

Fast forward to November, 2017. I now successfully support several entrepreneurs in growing their businesses, and people continue to reach out to me for guidance and support. They want to know how to start their own VA business, or how to find a VA to support their business. I have always enjoyed connecting people, and I am looking forward to launching my program “Leading, Virtually” in January 2018 with additional consulting packages. I want to help business leaders find and collaborate with the right Virtual Support.

See ya (virtually) later,


Tonya

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