You Can Save The Ship!

As a small business owner for a couple of years now, I’ve learned a few things. But one important thing is that we are all pretty similar.

Most small business owners have something in common. We like to get things done ourselves and we have trouble letting things go or delegating them.

We live by the philosophy, “If you want something done right, do it yourself.” That’s not to say that we necessarily doubt the competence of someone else. It’s just that if we do it ourselves, we know that it’s done – to our standards – on time. There’s no second guessing or worrying about it.

Unfortunately, sometimes, that means we work more than we should or even more than we even physically or mentally can. So when the ship sprouts a leak – we start bailing the water and we’re pretty good at keeping it down for a while. But eventually, we need a break or we get tired and the water starts to get ahead of us. We need to find a way to let some of our work go.

But there’s a second pitfall that ensnares us. It’s the belief that we really don’t have enough work to warrant asking for help. We lie to ourselves, convincing our own hearts and minds that it’s just temporary, or that no one would be willing to come in for a few hours or a few months.

After all, people are looking for full time, steady work. And we know that we don’t have enough to warrant hiring an employee. What’s more, is for some of us, it’s just impractical. To bring on a W-2 employee is a whole new game in business.

So we suffer. And bail. Because we don’t want to admit that the water is rushing in faster than we can bail it. The problem is getting out of hand.

But the amazing thing about the VA industry is that it doesn’t have to be that way. Business owners don’t have to wait until the ship is sinking to deploy the life raft. It’s ok to throw out a tow rope and guide the ship back to shallow water.

The Virtual Assistant industry caught fire when Covid hit the world in 2020 – but that wasn’t the beginning of the industry. I have colleagues who have been in the VA business for over 10 years.

Virtual Assistants help hundreds of businesses from small startups to Fortune 500s. The businesses who employ VAs are around the entire globe in just about any business you could imagine. Coaches, Doctors, CEOs, Teachers, College Administrators, Salon Owners, Authors, Speakers, Vloggers, Podcasters – and any other profession you can imagine – have used VA services.

Each of those business owners, CEOs and non-profit directors knows these three important things about the VA industry. 

1. You can find a VA no matter what your budget is. There are VAs that work at many price points. A little research on LinkedIn or Google can lead you to a great VA. In fact, many in the industry are happy to refer clients if their budget or other needs isn’t a match. What’s more, most VAs work as contracted workers, so there’s no W2 employee relationship.

2. Some VAs, like myself, have no minimum amount required. You can book as little as one hour of work with me. If you choose to book 5, 10 or more hours, those hours are good for six months and can be used in single hour increments if that is how you choose to have me work.

3. Having a Virtual Assistant doesn’t have to mean an absent assistant. My clients have a special portal through which they can book hours on my calendar to check in, evaluate progress, change direction, or redefine the scope of projects. I speak with my clients via email, call or zoom meeting regularly.

So, if you’re on a sinking ship and you’re bailing water – give me a call. I can help. You don’t have to wait until it’s time to send an SOS!