How to find and use a Virtual Assistant to get ahead
2011/02/02 12:18 PM
So last weeks post inspired me. I loved hearing what people disliked doing in their business and how they handled it. The #1 way to handle their "icky tasks" was to outsource them…….which lead me to this post. It seemed to me that almost everyone was using a Virtual Assistant (VA) to help with the things they disliked as well as things that are best left to an assistant. VA's are a great choice for more than just the "having an assistant part" – you pay them on a 1099 as contract labor, instead of a W2, so you avoid payroll taxes making your dollars go further and their employment time longer! Win win for both parties.
Beside the tax benefits, (of course) are the benefits of having more time to concentrate on the things that only you can do in your business that bring in the money! I reached out to my experts to find out how they use their VA's and where they found them so you can bring one on board to help you out this year.
If you are not sure what an assistant can do for you…….make a list of all the things you do each day for a week and then put the things that ONLY you can do in one column and try to outsource the rest!
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Our luxurious body butter is handmade in small batches with plant-based and naturally derived ingredients, combined with a botanically lush blend of Italian Bergamot and pink grapefruit essential oils. Our product, free of harsh chemicals, sulfates and parabens, uses nourishing ingredients such as jojoba oil, aloe vera, shea and mango butters. We believe your daily moisturizing ritual should not only hydrate your skin but also nurture your soul.
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Hello,
Our coffee is 100% chemical-free, non-GMO, shade-grown, fairly traded, and single origin. It’s the healthiest coffee on the planet.We 3rd party test for Mycotoxins, Acrylimides, heavy metals, and Pesticides. We use small family-based farms from Nicaragua. Vendor Contact: Charles Livingston of Lifeboost Coffee | Phone: 8004791596 | Email: Lifeboostinfo@gmail.com
Designed with a classic flair, Cassiano Designs Jewelry is designed for women who love classic fashion.
Customers from all over the world love this luxury line, offered at affordable price points. The Cassiano Designs brand is respected and successful because the designs are always timeless, quality and classic. You’ll find designs made with.925 Sterling silver, Gold fill and Gold vermeil. Vendor Contact: Janelle Cassiano of Cassiano Designs | Phone: 951-440-3064 | Email: janelle.cassiano@cassianodesigns.com
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Shivani’s Kitchen makes it easy for you to experience the bold, authentic flavors of India.
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Menen Pictures Shop offers apparel, accessories and home decor, designed with original fine-art floral pictures, for the lady with a unique style. Based in New York City.
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Kushies GoPillow was invented, patented, and licensed to Kushies Baby by a mom.
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La La Leia Designs was born out of the creative mind of Jeannette Ernst. Each earring is unique to the pair and are made out of polymer clay, in Texas. They are lightweight and hypoallergenic. These pieces make a statement when worn. Vendor Contact: Jeannette Ernst of La La Leia Designs | Phone: 3616493151 | Email: lalaleiajewelry@gmail.com
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We are a luxury mutli-way apparel and accessories company, providing style for every season. Our company value is built around inspiring our customers to express their own individuality. Simply stated, every item in our line is created with the intention of providing the customer with more than one look whether they are headed to the beach, or hanging out on the ski slopes! Vendor Contact: Sharice Barnes of DELYX LTD | Phone: 8135326868 | Email: info@delyxltd.com
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Tipsy Chic’s is a DBA of our parent company IL Bere, LLC. Tipsy Chic’s’ is a Women Owned Business that’s brand encompasses a variety of gift items. “Fun Products that make Fantastic Gifts”.
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DeMure Jewelry is a high-end fashion jewelry company based off pure love & passion for jewelry. DeMure Jewelry sets out to provide high-end fashion jewelry to the customer that can be worn every day and easily transition from day to night. At DeMure Jewelry, we love making bold yet, DeMure statements with our jewelry. We enjoy putting a twist on trendy pieces with the art of stacking & layering which we believes is a combination that's keeps things lively and constantly inspiring. Vendor Contact: Teaire Lenard of DeMure Jewelry | Phone: 304-431-3943 | Email: Demurejewelrybrand@gmail.com
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There are 27 comments
Kenny says: Great uses of virtual assistants.
I have had a couple over the last couple of years. I have found them through online outsourcing marketplaces. For example, the top 3 I use are on this list: http://www.essistme.com/?outsourcing
The key is to be as specific as possible, set time limits for tasks when they give updates if they haven’t completed a project and give feedback on each completed task to better align expectations between you two.
I love VA’s so much I now teach people how to find them and walk through one task assignment with coaching clients to get them going. Now that is a win-win-win scenario!
Kenny
Big Click Syndicate LLC
http://www.KennyJahng.com
[…] about virtual assistants. I’m intrigued by this idea. I just finished reading a great blog by Sarah Shaw, of Entreprenette She always has the greatest, and timely blogs! I’ve looked into a few services online that […]
This is a jamming post! Thanks for all the ideas! I have taken careful notes–I am still looking for the right V.A. (Have let go of several…)
Dr. Barnsley Brown
President, Spirited-Solutions Professional Speaking & Coaching
http://www.spirited-solutions.com
Amen to all of you. I love the preciseness of tasks performed and the billing of my Virtual assistant. http://www.TeamDoubleClick.com is the company I use and if you should use them tell them I referred you as I think I get something for the referral. CIAO! Go Pack GO!
I’ve enjoyed the services of a great VA for several years now (Janet Barclay of Organized Assistant, the same VA that Julie in #18 has working for her). Janet is as indispensible to the upkeep of the business side of my writing career as my cleaning lady is to the upkeep of my home. It’s hard to imagine now how I ever got along without my “Organized Assistant”s.
This is a really great post! I’m excited to see so many business owners taking advantage of all that we have to offer. I recently wrote a post on the benefits of partnering with a virtual assistant. Check it out: http://www.capitolbizsupport.com/5Reasons
As a Virtual Assistant myself, it is great to hear how our industry is helping and growing other businesses. If you don’t have a VA yet, get one! There are thousands of us out there, both in North America and abroad.
Nice post! This is really informative. Hiring virtual assistant is indeed a good decision. Needless to say that they are now becoming a necessity for business industry.
What a great article! It’s nice to see the many examples of what a VA can do for entrepreneurs and small businesses. I love being a VA and can’t see myself doing anything else!
[…] How to find and use a Virtual Assistant to get ahead – The … […]
Hey, That was a good post, I like it. I also found some intresting posts about virtual assistant services at http://adaywithvirtualassistan-flex-m.blogspot.com
Hey, Karen — A VA is like a personal assistant except online vs. in your own office. Because of the lack of face-to-face involvement, it becomes far more vital to specify tasks and establish good accountability systems. Having said all this, I have VAs, from around the world, and love them all! Marnie
I love this idea. Especially since I have a business and still work a 9-5. sometimes juggling both makes things slip through the cracks.
I will definitely check into this!
Thanks!
Vanessa says: I just wanted to piggy back on what some of the others have said. I am a strong advocate for Virtual Assistants. I was a little hesitant at first but now I can’t imagine not having one. I used http://www.thevirtualassistantschool.com and http://www.georgiavirtualassistants.com to build my Virtual Assistant team. If you haven’t tried a VA and you’re a small business owner, I strongly encourage it. But just like with anything else, be careful because not every VA is created equally.
Great post Sarah. I run a Virtual Placement Agency so I’m obviously a huge believer in clients outsourcing their business support needs to a VA. However it is important to find the right VA for your business and delegate effectively in order for the relationship to work from the start.
I find that sometimes I have to spend a little extra time convincing clients that are not yet sold on the idea of using a VA, this article should help with that.
Thanks so much.
Awesome post Sarah – As a Administrative Specialist/VA myself it is always my pleasure to help ideal busy entrepreneurs.
Wonderful Article Indeed, It’s helped me a lot to understand the concept, I do know the company who offer a lots of services and i am using it.
http://www.mimfinfotech.com
Very Helpful Post.Good description on how to use a virtual assistant
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As soon as you have the money……the more times you can spend on sales and marketing and designing…….the better.
[…] Shaw of The Entreprenette Gazette recently asked a number of business owners what their virtual assistants do for them and how they […]
[…] big businesses. Sarah especially loves the idea of hiring VAs. However, she advises that you only delegate the tasks you can’t […]
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Trunk shows, or Pop Ups, are a great way to get your products in stores! Having a great and successful trunk show will surely grow your brand. For starters, if you want a great trunk show, you need to promote your show. This can be done through emails and advertisements.![]()
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There are many different ways to make sure that your next trunk show is a huge success! Take these ideas to help your next event be a success.![]()
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1. Offer a low end GWP for purchases under $50![]()
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Hustle (verb) 1. To strive headstrong and voraciously towards a goal.![]()
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We've all procrastinated before, whether we like to admit it or not. We get distracted with other things and this can be a huge problem at times. We put things off till later, and one hour turns into two, two hours turns into four, and so on. While taking time to have fun and unwind from chores or work may feel wonderful at first, you'll end up stressing yourself out much more later when you try to get it all done.![]()
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So how do you stop yourself from procrastinating?![]()
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There are a couple of tips and tricks that you can use to limit yourself from procrastinating so much, these are just a few examples that can help!![]()
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• Make a list of the most important 10 things that YOU personally have to do yourself.![]()
• Make a list of the next 10 things that someone else “could” do for you if you desired to job it out. These things can usually wait a bit.![]()
• Spend the first 2 hours of your day answering email, doing any office-y things like processing orders, accounting, emails etc. Just get it out of the way. ONLY do that for the first 2 hours. (if you are like me, you got one hour done already at the crack of dawn).![]()
• Start working on your to item task list, spending one hour at a time and just keep plowing through. If you are designing that day, then just do that and don’t let other things distract you.![]()
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Hopefully these tips will give you a better way to manage your time throughout the day. If you would like to get more tips on how to limit your procrastination, visit here: sarahshawconsulting.com/procrastination-fascination/![]()
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I'm excited to be on the Amplify Your Success podcast with Melanie Benson!⠀![]()
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Tune in here: melaniebenson.com/celebrity-endorsements-podcast/![]()
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Imagine a famous celebrity showing up on Instagram, sharing how much they love your product or service. With so much noise online, finding ways to grab attention without expensive Facebook Ads is priceless marketing juice!![]()
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I join Melanie Benson, host of the Amplify Your Success Podcast, to talk about how to land celebrities and influencers who can get more eyes on your products.![]()
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