We often outsource without really calling it that
Most of us outsource the above with little thought, primarily because they are things we can’t do ourselves in a way that would be as professional as outsourcing elsewhere.
A lot of resistance can come up around outsourcing to a VA because many people feel they should be doing it all, and it’s work they CAN do themselves. Below are some common challenges when you know you need to outsource.
You may be concerned that using an assistant implies you are above managing your own admin. In some ways, this is true, you have reached a point in your business where your time is too valuable to be spending hours on things that are not in your zone of genius or maximising your revenue. It’s not embarrassing or something to hide; if anything, it shows your business is heading in a positive direction of growth and change.
Finding the time means taking time from other important areas of your life. If you don’t have the time in your working hours and are having to use leisure time you are having to sacrifice something key to make that time available. That comes at a cost of less family or personal time. Of course using your “working time” to carry out your business admin takes out time you can see clients – what is your hourly client rate? Is it higher than you would be paying a VA – more than likely yes.
This is a biggie. VA rates can seem high when we are used to non-freelancer pricing. Remember you are outsourcing to another business, someone who you want to be insured and taking their business seriously, so they take yours seriously too. VAs cover their own tech costs, are insured, don’t require any additional payments i.e. National Insurance, Pension contributions etc as you would expect with an employee.
Firstly, this is unlikely. If you have got to the point of needing the support it’s likely because you’ve been getting steadily busier for a while. However, if in the unlikely event that happened, you have not employed someone, you can give notice and go your separate ways.
This is understandable, although remember that assistants are “seeing” into all their clients’ lives and are there to help you, not judge or question your private life. In the nicest possible way, they do not care or want to be nosy, they only want to help you. There are also various ways of having an assistant without them having any involvement in your personal life or even having them see your diary or inbox if you don’t want that. A separate blog on that soon!
So do a lot of people’s businesses. I see all sorts of confidential documents relating to clients, business deals, launches, and VIP brand deals well ahead of them being publicly released. Any assistant with any sense ensures complete confidentiality in everything they do. They should also be happy to sign a non-disclosure agreement if you need it for total peace of mind. Regarding personal data, you should be sharing a data processing agreement before starting work together which covers how you process data and how you expect them to so this should not be a concern. Also check your VA is registered with the ICO and insured. These are non-negotiables.