You’ve spent considerable time on the fence, read all the reviews, heard people talk about how much they love their Virtual Assistant, and you’re thinking it just might be time to make this investment for yourself. Yay! I’d love to help by offering 8 benefits of hiring a virtual assistant for your business that you may or may not have considered while making your decision.

RSVA 8 benefits of Hiring a Virtual Assistant (7).png

1. Collaboration and Teamwork!

Yes! #1 surprised me, too! We’ve all learned to make the decisions and manage the details and juggle the things that entrepreneurship tosses our way, but one thing I didn’t foresee appreciating so much was the teamwork and collaboration aspect of building my team!

It is indescribably amazing to be able to ask, “Hey, what do you think about this?” or “Do you think A would work better than B and what can we do to get this implemented ASAP?” So often, our thoughts get trapped in our heads & either 1. We let them overwhelm us, growing bigger than they really are, and we freeze, taking no action at all; and/or 2. We are simply so overwhelmed with everything. that we avoid them completely until they’re at fire-stage and we’re making hasty decisions in emergency situations. This ended immediately upon hiring my VAs! ⁣ Yes, immediately… I’m not kidding!

Because they love what we do and our teams as much as I do, their opinions and suggestions are invaluable! I am no longer carrying every single decision alone -- because seriously -- we are just not meant to carry things and walk alone in life or in business. To say I'm grateful for my entire team is a huge understatement. Rock Solid would not have grown into what it has without collaborating with my amazing team!

One more thing I can admit because… we’re friends, right? Entrepreneurship can feel a little lonely sometimes! I know you know! Sitting at my laptop every day... working on my business... by myself? My introvert skills are STRONG, haha, and I still can’t choose this day after lonely day! Another added benefit of a virtual assistant is that you have a built-in partner. Not only is she doing a killer job getting all. the. things. done that you haven't had time to do BUT she can be a sounding board, a brainstormer, and someone to have that virtual "water cooler" chat with on the daily. Bringing on a teammate will add a different perspective and even better ideas than you could come up with on your own!

2. Nothing Falls Through the Cracks!

Investing in your business by bringing on a team member is the best investment you can make for every area of your life! All of a sudden you have someone that honestly cares as much about you and your business as you do - or even more, possibly - and your VA will jump in and take care of all. the. things.

No more emails that begin with, “Sorry it took me so long to get back to you…”.
No more losing a client because you lost their inquiry in your disastrous inbox.
No more showing up for an engagement shoot on a wrong day or forgetting to send your client a follow-up email and they don’t show because of miscommunication!
All your client education and communication is suddenly on point.
Your social media pages look like you always hoped they would.
You write a quick draft for a blog and it gets edited, formatted perfectly, and posted ON TIME!
Newsletters… we’ve got you!
What about the other vendors at the wedding -- let’s send them a thank you note or tag them in your social media posts -- just one more way to get a few referrals sent your way!
Remember all the places you were going to submit your favorite weddings to… yep, we can do that, too!

3. Strengthen Your Weaknesses!

Let’s face it, as entrepreneurs we don’t really know every platform and system, the best way to complete every task, or the latest details of those blasted new algorithms that change so often! We’ve gotten our businesses off the ground and found a measure of success. Now, let’s keep that momentum flowing smoothly. One piece of advice that I received early on came in the form of a very pointed question -- pointed at my mistake, if I’m being honest. A good friend asked me, “Why didn’t you hire someone better than you to do that?” Ugh. Great question.

“Surround yourself with the best people you can find, delegate authority, and don't interfere as long as the policy you’ve decided upon is being carried out.” — Ronald Reagan

Bringing on a VA often means you’re strengthening your weaknesses! I believe there is someone out there that can do every single task better than I can and if I can’t hire them to do it, I will learn from them and improve my skills and continue growing until I can hire the person who is better than me! We aim for excellence every time and we don’t back down from the hard things. But friend, that doesn’t mean you have to do it all on your own! Building your team means you are making sure that your business is the absolute best it can be and your deliverables are above the bar every. single. time.

Find the person who is better than you at the tasks you hate and the things that are a waste of your time! Let her handle them and in the end, EVERYTHING will be handled better and in the most capable hands!

4. Streamlined Organization! (Yes, that’s a real thing!)

Let’s stop reinventing the wheel, Friend.

Each week I hear from potential clients that the repetitiveness of their daily tasks takes their creativity and dumps it right in the trash! Almost every one of them has purchased the latest CRM or the newest task management system and has “been meaning to set it up”. Gmail has an amazing little trick called “Canned Responses” that is very easy to implement and even though most people are at least aware of it, very few even have the time to get it up and running!

As amazing as those systems are for automating our daily tasks, the set up can be daunting. Questionnaires, templates, proposals… they make life better when they are all in place, but they don’t create themselves. Even a simple invoicing system, template, and schedule would make a big difference in business.

Your VA can step in and take all your tasks and create a system that works specifically according to your needs, work habits, and business. We can set up the CRM, write your email templates, create beautiful proposals and brochures, and teach you how to seamlessly use every bit of it!

5. No Overhead!

Ok... let's get down to the nitty-gritty of why you need a VA vs. an in-house employee! Let's say you've made the decision and you're ready to bring on a team member. What's next?⁣

✔️You need to find office space.⁣
✔️...and a desk.⁣
✔️...and a new computer.⁣
✔️Your electric bill will probably increase.⁣
✔️ You'll now be sharing your WiFi with another worker.⁣.. and your space. All day. Every day.

Working with a VA is the best of both worlds! She takes care of her own technology needs and space and pays her own electric bill! She is not in your space every day which actually makes her MORE intentional about her time and about building a great work relationship with you. She will only be seeing you on a weekly video meeting for 30 minutes and she will come prepared to use that time to its full capacity! Our VAs at Rock Solid are masters of managing their time and distractions so when they’re on the clock for you, they’re tuned in, focused, and maximizing every minute they have to work that day

6. No Monthly Taxes or Benefits to Compute and Pay!

When it comes time to pay that in-office employee, don't forget the tax withholdings, state workers' compensation, and the benefits package.⁣

Working with a Virtual Assistant from Rock Solid means we take care of all of the end-of-year tax requirements! No added to-dos for you!

7. Hire an Expert for Your Specific Needs!

You’re on top of all things and everything is running great… except for that one area!! We get it! Maybe it’s the love-hate relationship you have with social media or perhaps your inbox and scheduling needs are more than you can take and remain sane! Maybe you need someone to help with blogging and Pinterest.

When you hire a VA, you are able to decide exactly what your biggest needs are and hire for only those tasks. The added beauty is that you can find the VA whose specialty matches your specific needs rather than a “jack of all trades”, so to speak. At Rock Solid, not only do we have the best VAs in the industry, but our matching process is superior! We match you with the person who will tackle those problem areas with detailed precision and skill and who is also a great fit for your personality and brand as well.

8. More Time!

The story I will never forget regarding the importance of time is from one of our current clients whose beautiful soul and sweet personality quickly won a spot in my heart. She had battled cancer recently and is now in remission. She’s made the decision to jump whole-heartedly back into business and into doing what she loves while she has the time. Her wisdom still rings in my ears,

“Cancer teaches you that you don’t have time to do what you don’t want to do!”

Time is something we can never get back once it's gone and something we can't purchase more when it's spent. We hear all the time that we need to assess what is truly valuable in life and what moves the needle in business and then prioritize. Ask yourself the tough questions like, "What is my time worth?" I just had a gal tell me last week that her time is literally worth $100 per hour but she isn't making enough to pay herself that much to send invoices and organize her social media. However, she has to spend time doing those tedious duties which in turn, kills her creativity and slows the flow of business-growing tasks! We all know that cycle, right?

What could you accomplish if you had 5 more hours per week to work on business-growing activities? What if the work your VA accomplished each week freed up 10 hours per week for you? What does that look like in real life?

Hello, Date Night!
Lunch with those friends who have stopped asking because you’re always “too busy”.
Join (or start) that mastermind you’ve been thinking about!
Family time! ~actually being present and not trying to do “just-one-more-thing” on your phone at the same time as you’re hanging out with them!
The holidays are coming and you’ve been wanting to host a big Christmas party for all your friends … now you have the time to start planning and stop making excuses!
Ski Trips!
Beach time!
time to breathe and have one of those Netflix Binge days you hear everyone talk about!

This is the reality of life with a VA by your side!