Author: Virtual Relief Team

How to Hire a Virtual Assistant for Your Business

Post author By Virtual Relief Team
Post date April 29, 2022
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An Entrepreneurs Blueprint to Hiring a Virtual Assistant.

It’s difficult to be successful in business on your own. A clone of yourself is something we’ve all fantasized about at some point in our lives, so that we might focus on more important things. This is why I’ve always believed that a small business owner should have a virtual assistant right from the beginning.

When you make that amazing step of starting your business, there were important things you had to make sure you completed. For example:

Obtaining your BN Number
Purchasing the right software for your business news
Opening a business bank account
Creating a comfortable office space
Have strong wifi along with back-up wifi, etc

Outsourcing a VA should be a part of that list. You can let your VA work through things you are not good at, you don’t enjoy, and don’t create revenue. Set up your business so that your virtual assistant is handling those tasks that are not revenue-producing, you will see growth right from the start.

When you continue to concentrate on earning a particular amount of money before employing a VA, it will take you longer to achieve your financial goals since you are not fully focused on the revenue-generating tasks. When you hire a VA, you won’t waste time doing tasks that don’t create income.

Benefits of Hiring a Virtual Assistants

The primary advantages of virtual assistants are:

Cost Effective. Working with a virtual assistant is the perfect solution for those who have been looking to increase their productivity but don’t want to spend money on office space, equipment or employee taxes. VA’s handle all of these things which means you only pay them for the work they complete.

A time-zone difference can benefit your work flow. If you are looking to maximize your productivity, then a time-zone difference can be useful. You might want the help of an assistant while sleeping so that all work is done on what they have accomplished or discovered and then base any future endeavors around their schedule – though this may become difficult if there needs constant communication between yourself and said person!

There’s great flexibility with VA’s. Your workload is always changing, which means you can’t afford to have too many Virtual Assistants on hand. You might need three VA’S this week and then only one next time around because their job couldn’t quite match up with what’s coming in through the door!

While a VA is great for taking care of administrative tasks, they can’t do everything. Sometimes it’s convenient to have someone run out to the bank or prepare and mail packages – but not always!

Know Your Business Needs

If you don’t know what you want, it’s hard to find a suitable assistant. When it comes to promoting your business, think about the repetitive duties that are important.

Do you merely need someone to send out emails to customers and communicate with them on social media? Or are you in need of an assistant who can help you schedule appointments and keep track of your schedule?

You may want someone to help you with the scheduling of your blog and social media postings. Perhaps you’re searching for a project manager or team leader to assist you with your virtual team. Social media tools like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn, to mention a few, may be requirements for your ideal VA.

Virtual assistants can handle a wide range of roles for you. Understanding how a VA might fit into your business strategy is key. As a result, you’ll want to hunt for a person who can support you in accomplishing your goals.

Finding a Virtual Assistant

Here are some of the top methods for finding and assessing a virtual assistant. It can be difficult to assess someone without seeing them in-person, but there’s no reason why you should not have an excellent candidate waiting on your doorstep.

When searching for a virtual assistant, consider the following strategies:

The most cost-effective method is to do it yourself. Although it might be cheaper to find your own virtual assistant, it’s also likely to take more time. When you search for a virtual assistant on your own, you’re likely to find a lot of amazingly qualified candidates, which will make it a bit harder to choose from. Remember to choose the one you believe will have a great business relationship with.

You can post your job ad on Facebook, LinkedIn and my personal favorite CAVA (Canadian Association of Virtual Assistants)
It pays to ask around! It’s not always easy to find people who are willing and able, but if you have any friends or family members that could help out then it is worth asking. They might know the perfect person for what your needs are.

Use a Canadian virtual assistant agency. There are many services that can match you up with a great virtual assistant.

Checklist Canada Inc – Toronto, ON
Assist Her – Vancouver, BC
BeeVee Professionals – Edmonton, AB
Creative Dynamic Virtual Services Ltd – Victoria, BC

Take a course. Hire, Train, and Manage Your Own Virtual Assistant is a highly recommended course on Udemy to take when you are looking to outsource a VA. This course was created by the amazing Erin Booth and it will break down every step and help you to:

Get organized
Identify your goals
Attract and hire the best VA
Create an easy onboarding process
Effectively delegate

Managing Your Virtual Assistant

This is the moment when the real work starts. It’s never easy to supervise others, but it may be considerably more difficult when you’re doing it virtually.

To ensure that you and your VA are on the same page, here are some helpful tips:

Set up communication tools that are simple and effective. Some of them are obvious, but not all of them.

An email system that reduces the chance of misunderstanding should be developed and implemented. Additionally, every conversation should be geared toward a certain assigned task.
Have a means of instant communication. There are a wide variety of chat applications and project management software out there. Make sure you have at least two systems in place in case one fails. There are a number of options, including Voxer and ClickUp, Slack and Asana.

In the beginning, give the VA simple duties that don’t need a lot of judgment from your VA. Use the communication systems you’ve built up to allocate duties to your new VA and get your feet wet more quickly.

You can unleash your secret weapon after you have a better sense of your VA’s abilities.

Don’t be afraid to lay out your needs and deadlines expectations. Make it obvious to your virtual assistant which tasks are most important to you. Make a schedule and stick to it.

Be reasonable. You may assume that a job takes you 1 hour, but in reality it takes 2 hours to complete. Be realistic about the amount of time it will take you to complete the work you’re about to delegate. If you’ve done something multiple times, you’re going to be quicker than someone who is just learning how to do it.

Be mindful of the differences in languages. If you’re searching for a virtual assistant to work in your English-speaking business, keep in mind that your VA’s native tongue may not be English. Many words may be spelled differently by various countries. Hire your VA according to your needs.

Tasks that require a lot of expertise and skill can be tough to handle on your own. Hiring a virtual assistant is an advantage because they’re able to focus 100% into these difficult tasks, freeing up your time for other aspects in work like revenue building tasks or in your personal life.

Find a virtual assistant (VA) with the expertise you’re looking for. Afterwards, create a to-do list for the task. If you’ve hired a professional virtual assistant, you’ll be able to devote more time to the duties that really matter. Even better, your profits will improve.

Are you looking to outsource a VA for your business? Let us provide you with relief in keeping you on top of things! Click here to schedule a free relief call.

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The Most Effective Way to Manage Your Virtual Team

Post author By Virtual Relief Team
Post date April 14, 2022
No Comments on The Most Effective Way to Manage Your Virtual Team

How To Run A Successful Virtual Team.

Are you struggling to build or manage your virtual team? Being a solopreneur makes it difficult to move into a project management role. Running a successful online team is a fantastic experience for the development of a business. In the process of leading a team, it comes with many new challenges and opportunities to learn from the process.

Here are a few of the top managing strategies and methods for your online team:

Communication

Communication is number one! You can’t build a successful virtual team without communication. It is essential in managing your virtual team. Open communication is essential to a successful working environment. All members of your team should know exactly what their responsibilities are and what to anticipate from the start of the project. It’s important to find a communication style that works for everyone in the team. This will enable the team speak with one another without difficulty.

Be Open to Views and Suggestions From Your Virtual Team

While you need to be a great communicator for your online team, you also need to be open to their views and suggestions. Having this open two-way communication just creates a happier environment where your team feels heard, valued, and respected.

One or two of the amazing recommendations or ideas you get from them may astound you as well.

The biggest tip: Nobody can read your mind!

Focus on Your Virtual Team Culture

Understanding your brand’s values and fostering a positive team culture are both critical components of effectively managing strategy. Ask yourself, What is most essential to me? Do you have a vision for how your team feels?

Project Management System

To manage and run a team, there needs to be a core system… and that’s exactly where a project management system comes in. Project management software helps keep you and your team on the same page and prevents work from slipping through the cracks. Actually use the system you’ve set up! This creates a sense of responsibility and ensures that work gets done. Do research before deciding on a platform for your company.

Some of the best project management systems are ClickUp, Asana, Trello, Monday, or Ora.pm.

Discloser: Some links within this blog are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you. I will earn a commission if you click through & make a purchase.

Be Clear About Expectations

Setting clear expectations for a project, communication, and responsibility is an essential managing strategy. Be willing to provide honest criticism. Your team will grow and become better.

Ready to Have Someone Else Manage Your Virtual Team?

If you are tired of managing your team, you maybe ready for a virtual assistant that can this over for you! Click here to see my services or here to book a discovery call to see if we’d be a good fit to work together.

Creative Entrepreneur Virtual Assistant

Time Management

Five S-M-A-R-T Time Management Tips.

Finding a balance in your life is one of the most difficult things to do that is why time management is so important. It can be hard trying to juggle so many tasks at once when you are constantly being pulled towards other commitments, but if not managed well it could cause more problems than before! The key lies within finding how much time each task will take up and then deciding whether they’re worth juggling or not based on those numbers alone

Write down your goals! The most important thing to remember is that you should work smart, not hard. Make sure each goal has a specific deadline and target market for it so they can be accomplished within the time frame given is known as S-M-A-R-T.

Specific

Creating an effective plan is a great time management tip! Without a proper strategy, you may find yourself jumping from task-to-task with reduced efficiency. I always spend Sunday evening planning for my upcoming week so that there are no surprises come Monday morning. This helps me stay on top of things in order not only myself but also those who depend upon it such as my clients or even your own business.

Measurable

Planning ahead is a great time management tip because you can measure your progress along the way!

Attainable

Knowing where you want the end result of your work or project, and then making sure that every step is taken to achieve that. This makes it easier when working with others on shared goals as well.

Relevant

It’s easy to get caught up in the day-to-day routine of life and not prioritize your tasks. But this can lead you down an unhealthy path where stress levels rise, productivity decreases (and maybe even burnout!), all because we weren’t able to put our highest priority things first! Prioritize your tasks to avoid the negative effects of stress.

Timely

This sounds like a lot, but it doesn’t have to be overwhelming! You’ll start by making sure you know when things are due. Your work will become more productive and the quality of your life improves with less worry about not getting everything done because there’s nothing left for fear or stress- just action taken as needed from now on out thanks in large part due this tip

I’ve found that one good way is setting reminders on my phone calendar months ahead so any deadlines can come across its notification light at least once every day if possible. I use ClickUp’s timer to record time used. I use this app for almost everything I do. It’s like an entire office in one place. I can plan, track and manage any type of work with project management, team management, calendars, and tasks etc. Tasks have deadlines too so it’s easy enough to set up work schedules and stay organized.

There isn’t just “one” way for anyone to stay organized with time management – what works great for someone else might fail miserably because we all have different strengths which make us unique individuals. Remember to be true to yourself and strike the finest life balance for yourself.

BONUS TIP:

Take some downtime! A self care day is a great way to avoid stress and to stay motivated

Need help with business tasks? Work with the Virtual Relief Team today! Let us assist you in keeping you on top of things!! Click here to schedule a free relief call.

Virtual Assistant Wellness Entrepreneur

Self Care Sundays For Entrepreneur’s

Post author By Virtual Relief Team
Post date February 28, 2022
No Comments on Self Care Sundays For Entrepreneur’s

The Best 7 Ways to Have Self Care Sundays For Creative Entrepreneurs.

Self Care can be practiced in many ways. The balance between business and personal life may be challenging for entrepreneurs. It might be difficult to keep up with everything if you don’t plan ahead of time. It’s critical to plan out your week in advance because this keeps everything in order and boosts productivity. When we become more conscious of our work habits and routines, it’s as if we have superpowers. The importance of taking time off for rest and relaxation cannot be stressed enough in today’s hectic world. Rest and relaxation are essential because it ensures that our clients get the best service possible. The perfect time to take care of this on your own is on Sunday!

Self Care Sundays For Creative Entrepreneurs

Make Sunday a day of self-care by examining your Sunday routines. Consider moving some tasks to another day so you have more time for yourself. Make a list of your Sunday activities, go through the list and cross off everything that isn’t needed or isn’t benefiting you anymore. Determine whether any of the remaining activities may be changed to another day. For example, if cleaning and doing housework is on Sundays, maybe it can be moved to other days of the week to give you more time for self-care?

Self Care Activities for Sunday

Self-care on Sundays isn’t much different from what you would do on any other day. For those who don’t have much time to spend on themselves throughout the course of the week, this is a good idea.

Here are some activities that can be great to do on Sundays:

Sleep In – At the very least, allow yourself this luxury on Sundays if you don’t get much sleep throughout the week. It’s time to get some shut-eye for your physical, mental, and spiritual well-being.
Have a Brunch Date with Friends – It is also possible to practice self-care by participating in a social activity you like with others. Get together with a bunch of friends and go out to brunch.
Get Away from It All – As basic as making sure you have some time to yourself on Sundays, self-care may help you feel better about yourself. You can use that time to recharge, refocus, and relax. Having time to oneself might be difficult if you spend much of your day surrounded by other people.
Find Nature-Inspired Activities – Spend time outside by going on a stroll, listening to an audiobook, or even meditating in nature. Find a relaxing and quiet setting that will motivate you to spend more time outdoors.
Make The Most of Your Creative Side – Doing something creative is a wonderful way to take care of yourself. Get creative by learning how to crochet, putting pen to paper and writing a poem or short story, or even making a painting.
Pamper Yourself for An Hour – You may not be able to devote the whole day to pampering yourself, but at the very least, make a little time for it. A massage, a facial or even a self-care night at home with goods from your local drugstore is an excellent way to relax and recharge.
Prepare for The Week Ahead – Self-care may also mean allowing yourself some downtime to recharge and get ready for the next week in a more detailed manner.

Your Sunday Routine Tips

Sunday self-care may be difficult, so here are a few additional recommendations to help you get the most out of your time on the weekend.

It Includes The Well-Being of One’s Mind, Body, and Soul.

All aspects of your life may benefit from self-care. Taking part in a variety of activities may have a positive impact on your physical, mental, and emotional well-being. Something that helps you relax, de-stress, enhances your mood and is something you really like is the ideal option for your situation.

Don’t Forget Your Sunday Routine Can Change Regularly

You don’t have to keep up with your self-care routine like journaling or meditating for an hour. It’s alright if your self-care routine changes or if your schedule changes. Reevaluate your self-care routines. As your life and the seasons change, so will your self-care practices.

A Common Mistake is Forcing Your Sunday Routine

Self-care shouldn’t add to your stress. If you force yourself to do something you don’t want to do, it won’t benefit your health. Someone’s example or reading about the advantages of self-care may inspire you. Remember that everyone is unique and will benefit in their own way.

To ease your burden on the back end of your company or day to day operations, click here to inquire about our virtual assistant services. We help entrepreneurs like you to organize, manage, and automate their businesses!

Tags At Home Spa, Self Care Tips, Self Love, Small Business Tips