5 Not-So-Obvious Benefits of Hiring A Virtual Assistant

The Power of Delegation is undeniable. Yet we hesitate or avoid hiring help. Maybe these “hidden benefits” can tip the scales for you!

The benefits of delegating tasks are mostly obvious. And just in case those obvious ones aren’t?totally?obvious to you, I’ll recap those in a moment.

Yet despite the obvious benefits of delegating – or in the context of us coaches and solopreneurs, hiring virtual assistants and/or consultants – so many of us have hesitated to, or avoided, making such hires, for a number of reasons. (I recently shared the?Top 10 Signs It’s Time to Hire a VA,?and also the?Top 6 Reasons We Hesitate or Avoid Hiring a VA or Consultant?– which can without a doubt help us grow our business.)

?(A quick note: by consultant, I mean someone who specializes in a narrow area, typically technology or software. For instance, I have two go-to consultants for my WordPress websites, one for my Kajabi website and course creation, one for tricky Mailchimp issues and strategy, etc. Collectively, we can just call VAs and consultants “virtual help.”)

Anyway, given so much hesitation, overthinking, or avoidance of hiring virtual help, I thought I’d share?five NOT-so-obvious benefits?of doing so, in the hopes it’ll make a difference in your calculations and maybe help you decide in?favor?of hiring a VA or consultant – or adding an?additional?one to your team.

Delegating was a critical survival skill for me in my corporate career – but?even more so, in my own start-ups.?Most?important, beyond a survival skill, hiring virtual help has been the single most important factor in my ability to build Crusher Solutions, LLC, into a multi-six-figure coaching brand.

Yep…There’s a?reason?why?all?successful coaches delegate?like crazy. Actually,?quite a few reasons! So, let’s take a fresh look at those, starting with the more obvious ones…

1. It reduces the amount of work we do. Maybe not immediately, but over time, and often very quickly.
2. It allows us to work more on the things we do best, and what only WE can do.?
3. As such, it allows us to focus on the tasks and projects that really?power?our business.
4. It reduces stress in our lives, in part because you’re not constantly juggling in your head the many things you have to do;?and…not trying to DO them all!

And we’re not?done yet!

On to the?5 NOT-so-obvious benefits of hiring a VA or consultant, or both, or adding more…

ONE: It frees up not just more time, but?energy...

Think about the power of having more energy at any given moment during your week. I always say, time management is first and foremost about?energy?management. You can have all the time in the world, but if you have no?energy?available, you’re less likely to use that?time?wisely.

TWO: It frees up not just time and energy, but?spirit!

Think about the power of having a more positive, can-do, un-messable-with attitude on a more regular basis. When you’re NOT delegating and swamped in the weeds of your business, that’s a really gnarly mindset to be in.

But when you’re freed up and?outta?the weeds, you’re just plain happier and more excited to take on the important challenges of growing your business.

THREE: Delegation is a perfect example of a “time multiplier.”

What we delegate today creates more time for us tomorrow. Then more the next day. And the next…and just keeps on multiplying.

For instance,?a 5-minutes-a-day task that you always think, "Well, it’s only 5 minutes, so I just prefer to bang it out myself" – is NOT a 5-minute task. Multiplied by, let’s say, 250 workdays a year, it’s a?1,250-minute, or?21-hour task that costs your time, energy, and spirit!

In this way, delegation?compounds! Because those 21 hours a year are not just 21 hours you’re not spending on low-value work: they’re 21?more?hours a year you can be spending on your RGAs (revenue-generating activities)!

And those 21 hours accrue from just ONE 5-minute-a-day task. You may be spending a couple of HOURS every day doing low-value work…which amounts to over?500?hours a year!

Imagine having 500 extra hours in the coming year to work on all those business-building, and reputation-building tasks and projects you currently don’t have enough time for!

FOUR: It?saves?you money!!!!!

Yes, I know it can be hard to justify the expense of hiring virtual help. But if you make the right hire and have them doing the right tasks, it’s not an expense, but an investment. Because, let’s say your coaching rate is $100 an hour – every non-coaching or non-business-building hour of work you do is throwing money away.

And finally...

FIVE: You'll?make?more?money!!!!

By hiring a great VA or consultant, and focusing your increased time, energy and spirit on the strategic thinking, planning and execution of your long-delayed business-building projects -- you will MAKE MORE money!

Crusher Solutions, LLC, is my second major start-up, but my first?mostly-solo?effort. And after three years, I had hit a growth plateau, yet I was working harder and longer hours than ever. I had?some?virtual help, but?I decided to invest aggressively in?more?help – for anything and everything I could possibly delegate.

And in just a few years, I was able to quadruple my revenue...and importantly, dramatically increase the number of people I could serve.

Look, we all know that hiring virtual help?can be a smart move. The problem is we?tend to think only about the “hassle” of hiring help, and then default to just continuing to do things ourselves. Or leave things undone. But...

“At a certain point,?everything?that?can?be delegated?should?be; with rare exception.” - Jenny Blake, Harvard Business Review

So -- What would?you?do more of in?your?business if you could get “outta the weeds”?

Or what business scaling initiative would you be better able to pursue?

What are your thoughts on this topic? I'd love to know. Shoot me an email at?[email protected]?or DM me on Instagram?@alanpbrown.

Bless!

APB