Starting a new business means doing an investment first and gaining the advantage later. Hiring the right person with the right skills and experience can be a daunting task especially when you are just a start up.
That is why hiring virtual assistants becomes a better option than hiring permanent or full-time employees. You can either choose experienced freelancers with great knowledge in their area or go with a talent outsourcing agency.
A Virtual Assistant(VA) is an independent contractor who performs various administrative or technical services as per their expertise. They can provide services from the office(if they are a part of a company) or home(if they are freelancing).Their assistance can help in running the startup in a better manner.
But what services require a Virtual Assistant?
As Cameron Herold said, “Delegate or outsource everything except the stuff you’re good at. It allows you to focus on the tasks you’re amazing at.”
There are various activities that can be outsourced, and if we may say, almost everything. However, as the quote says, one must perform the services in which they excel. When you start a business, you must define your interest areas and areas where you already have expertise. You may have a person or two as well to support you. So, define the areas where you and your team will be working and hire a virtual assistant for the rest of the necessary services.
Why should a Virtual Assistant be an Entrepreneur’s first hire?
With time, hiring virtual assistance services are becoming more common. Whether it’s real estate, e-commerce or IT business, all these businesses may require virtual assistants for their work. However, what makes a Virtual Assistant the first choice of an entrepreneur?
It’s not that they are hired for free or at lesser cost, because more experience can mean a higher pay to them. Here’s why:
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To maintain accuracy standards
Most entrepreneurs hire VA services for the tasks they themselves can’t perform with accuracy. Hiring a big team and paying full-time employees can become a burden on pockets. Moreover, most of the team members might not have experience as experienced individuals often prefer going for established firms. Therefore, to ensure accuracy and quality standards, a Virtual Assistant is a better choice.
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To put tasks in order
It is obvious that the entrepreneur has a plan in mind while starting a business. However, the most hectic thing while starting a business could be bringing tasks in order. For this, it is possible that you might need assistance from a consultant or advisory service provider.
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To assist in building a team
The core team of any business should be reliable in order to grow. An entrepreneur CANNOT make a compromise with this at any cost as it can harm the company’s growth in the long term. Therefore, hiring a Virtual Assistant with recruitment and hiring specialization can help you in finding the right skills for your company.
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To bring experience
As a new business in the market, it is not easy to hire experienced employees without a name or goodwill. However, this doesn’t mean that you have to start with inexperienced individuals. Hiring a Virtual Assistant can bring higher knowledge and skill set to table as they have experience spread across various industries and countries.
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To save additional costs
The entrepreneurs do not have to pay various employee benefits to the virtual assistants they hire. Extra charges like employee insurance, provident funds, conveyance fee, and so on are not applicable on VA services. This means they can save a lot of money which is crucial at the early stages of a business startup.
These are just some of the various reasons for why a virtual assistant should be the first hire by an entrepreneur. Cost saving or not depends on the tasks and skills for which they are hired. However, it must be noted that other than cost saving, an entrepreneur requires the right skill set to build their empire. Hiring a virtual assistant at the start can, thus, improve the quality of services they provide.
Virtual Assistants are not just important for the initial stages of a business but are valuable during the course of it. However, as an entrepreneur, you must know when you require one. Check out the signs that tell you when you require a virtual assistant to ensure that you don’t miss the opportunity.
Written by – Priyanka Rampal
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