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| The Busy-Preneurs Guide to Working with Virtual Assistants By Lena West |
Time is not your friend. You've got a business to run and in today’s market that means using your time effectively to help
you achieve your business goals - not to excel at completing mundane tasks.
With the plethora of marketing activities that small business-owners have to engage in just to remain competitive and
ahead-of-the-game, it’s any wonder that any progress is made at all. In fact, it’s enough to send anyone back to a cushy full-
time gig – and many times it does. But, you're not just anyone – you're a busy-preneur. And busy-preneurs who want to
grow their businesses and get things done work with virtual assistants (VA’s).
One person can only grow a business to approximately $80,000 in annual revenues without getting outside help. However,
with the help of a talented VA, your earning power can double or even triple. You’d be surprised at who’s working with VA’s
– how do you think highly effective people get so much work done yet still manage to considerably increase their income
year after year?
Think about it…if your hourly rate is $100 per hour you should always ask yourself, “Is the task I’m doing worth $100 per
hour to my business?” If the answer is no, delegate it to a VA. And, with most VA’s charging $30-50 per hour – many
offering a volume discount – working with a VA can save you money while increasing your income because you’ll be free to
focus on income-generating work…work that IS worth $100 per hour.
Here are just FOUR specific, plug-n-play actions you can take right now to start working with a VA and move on with the
business of growing your business:
Here’s the deal: You've got four actions that you can put into play right now to stop wasting your precious time on revenue-
eating, pedestrian tasks. Start thinking about how you’re going to implement these four action steps within the next week.
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Lena L. West is the Creator of The Technology Diet, an 8-week group consulting program that helps small businesses manage their online
marketing and technology spaghetti. Download your free Technology Diet Survival Guide today at www.TechnologyDiet.com
you achieve your business goals - not to excel at completing mundane tasks.
With the plethora of marketing activities that small business-owners have to engage in just to remain competitive and
ahead-of-the-game, it’s any wonder that any progress is made at all. In fact, it’s enough to send anyone back to a cushy full-
time gig – and many times it does. But, you're not just anyone – you're a busy-preneur. And busy-preneurs who want to
grow their businesses and get things done work with virtual assistants (VA’s).
One person can only grow a business to approximately $80,000 in annual revenues without getting outside help. However,
with the help of a talented VA, your earning power can double or even triple. You’d be surprised at who’s working with VA’s
– how do you think highly effective people get so much work done yet still manage to considerably increase their income
year after year?
Think about it…if your hourly rate is $100 per hour you should always ask yourself, “Is the task I’m doing worth $100 per
hour to my business?” If the answer is no, delegate it to a VA. And, with most VA’s charging $30-50 per hour – many
offering a volume discount – working with a VA can save you money while increasing your income because you’ll be free to
focus on income-generating work…work that IS worth $100 per hour.
Here are just FOUR specific, plug-n-play actions you can take right now to start working with a VA and move on with the
business of growing your business:
- Get clear. Write a ‘job’ description that includes all the technology elements you’d like to leverage but don’t know
how or aren't interested in learning. The clearer you are about the types of tasks you can delegate and the skill set
your ideal VA should have, the better a virtual assistant can help you. The good news is many VA’s are already
trained on most of the online technology and marketing techniques specific to small businesses – that’s their job. - Just say NO to Google. Whatever you do, do NOT conduct a Google search. Rather, start asking your network for
referrals to experienced VA’s. You want a bonafide recommendation from someone who shares your values and
business approach, otherwise you’re asking for trouble. - Separate the wheat from the chaff. Develop a selection process that allows you to identify the cream of the crop
immediately. Some good indicators of a serious VA are:
- They have their own web sites and domain names. They shouldn’t be conducting business with the email
address virtualgrrl@gmail.com - References. Good, experienced VA’s should have 3-5 references to whom you can speak.
- Kick-butt skill set. If they've been in business any length of time, they should have the skill set to match.
Today’s busy-preneurs don’t need someone to answer telephones; they need an ally who possesses the
appropriate skill set to help them grow their businesses.
- Go international. My VA is located in Australia. If you just crinkled your nose at the mere idea of that, allow me to
induct you into the hallowed halls of the cognoscenti. Her daytime is my night time and vice versa; which means that
when I give her projects at the end of my day, by the time I wake up the next morning, the work I delegated to her
the evening before is already completed. I have a business that operates 24 hours a day. Do you? Learn to
capitalize on what may at first appear to be a disadvantage. Think about it.
Here’s the deal: You've got four actions that you can put into play right now to stop wasting your precious time on revenue-
eating, pedestrian tasks. Start thinking about how you’re going to implement these four action steps within the next week.
-------------------
Lena L. West is the Creator of The Technology Diet, an 8-week group consulting program that helps small businesses manage their online
marketing and technology spaghetti. Download your free Technology Diet Survival Guide today at www.TechnologyDiet.com
