Kayla Dansby
Building a support system as a creative business owner is a MUST– and one of the best people to have in your corner is a virtual assistant.
Okay, while that may not surprise you, we also deeply understand that asking for help in any area of your life, let alone your business, is difficult.
But it can also be the best move you’ve ever made!
We’re going to go out on a limb here and say that you started your business with a vision–one that led you to string together a brand that showcases your creativity and passions. You wanted to make your own schedule that aligned with your priorities and values. To have the flexibility to cultivate your own daily rhythms.
We’re here for it (and want that for all of our clients)!
But what happens when stress creeps in as you try to wear all the hats and balance all the things?
Maybe it’s that you’re buried in client work and once again push off your own content to the following day, week, or month.
Maybe your inbox is well into the hundreds and you’re not quite sure who’s still needing a reply.
Or maybe you’re feeling completely drained from administrative tasks that you just cannot make time for what you were meant to be doing all along?
Friend, let us be the first to say it happens. And even if you didn’t relate to any of those situations, chances are you still want to build a career that gives you the freedom to own the hours of your day—while remaining in your creative flow.
Enter delegation!
Delegation is an incredible tool when it comes to handing off some (many? all?) of the items on your plate to have more margin for the tasks that bring you joy and fuel your vision.
We’re going to string together all the details below on the power of delegation and how the best person to bring on board, especially one who genuinely cares about the success of your business, is…
You guessed it–a virtual assistant (VA).
Delegation is Key
What would you do if you had an extra 3 or 4 hours each week back?
Would you spend it with family, grab a coffee with a friend, finally read that book collecting dust on your shelf, hit a bucket list destination, or utilize it to complete needle-moving tasks to grow your business?
The possibilities are endless.
Imagine what that kind of intentional space could look like for you.
Take Ashley’s story for instance–she knew she had great ideas to work towards, but it was nearly impossible to implement them when she was spending 15-20 hours a week just making posts, newsletters, and blogs.
A whole pot of coffee couldn’t even touch the brain fog she endured as she desperately tried to write in a way that was both authentic and captivating. Once she chose to offload those tasks to Kayla she not only gained peace of mind but also hours to focus on her art and grow her photography business.
That’s the power of delegation.
You get to decide what you do or don’t have the bandwidth for.
But how do you decide which tasks to delegate?
We recommend starting with an audit of everything that’s on your to-do list. To delegate effectively, consider breaking every priority down to its tasks and subtasks.
Try using Jenny Blake’s method of sorting each item into one of the 6 T’s below.
- Tiny: These are the little details that don’t necessarily take up a lot of time, but still manage to sneak up on us. Tiny tasks can look like scheduling meetings or email management–deleting spam, categorizing emails based on urgency, or setting up an “Out of Office” automatic responder.
- Tedious: Tasks that are simple, but are honestly not something you want to be spending your time on. These can be uploading contacts into your email service provider (ESP) or inputting information into a spreadsheet.
- Time-consuming: These are the responsibilities that take up a big chunk of your time that you necessarily don’t like or want to do. Maybe that’s outlining monthly blogs or performing SEO keyword research.
- Teachable: Ask yourself if you can coach someone new on a process or system? If yes, it can be delegated with minimal oversight. Use these tasks as an opportunity to make a standard operating procedure (SOP) for your business.
- Terrible at: If something is not in your wheelhouse of expertise or it’s a task you dread doing, consider handing it off. What takes you 15+ hours to do may only take someone 4. Another good indicator that it’s not something you should be doing, is if it drains all of your energy.
- Time Sensitive: There’s not enough time in the day to do everything. If you have a launch coming up and need to meet a deadline, consider handing off smaller tasks as you focus on the essentials. For example, hire someone to set up an ad campaign or write social media posts as you focus on the sales page and make sure all the pieces are lined up for a launch.
By delegating tasks that no longer align with your boundaries, skillset, or capacity, you’re able to hone in on the aspects of your business that truly excite you. You’re able to set up your business in a way that reflects your values and priorities.
Now does that make you feel lighter?
We sure hope so!
Responsibilities and Expectations of a Virtual Assistant (VA)
Once you’re able to get an idea of all the items that can (and should) be delegated, you can consider bringing on a virtual assistant.
Virtual Assistants have a diverse range of skills from marketing, administrative support, email management, copywriting, social media management, SEO research, ad campaign support, and so much more.
Not only do you want to weed out what responsibilities to give a VA, but also any expectations when working together. After all, your VA is there to support your business, giving it the time and attention it deserves.
Here are some things to keep in mind when making sure you and your VA are on the right track:
- Does your VA have excellent verbal and written communication skills?
Depending on the scope of work, you’re chatting almost daily with a remote or part-time assistant, so it’s imperative that there’s no breakdown in communication. Plus, if they’re contributing to any blogs, emails, or customer service messaging–written capabilities are a must.
- Is your VA self-motivated?
Inevitably, there’s going to be ebbs and flows in your business. You want to ensure that your VA can work ahead, prioritize essential tasks, keep deadlines top of mind, and take the initiative in asking what else they can do to help keep the momentum going.
3. Does your VA thrive in the details?
You want your VA to know your business inside and out. Their ability to have attention to detail will not only boost efficiency, but also confidence that the work is completed with professionalism and quality.
Bringing on a personal assistant to take care of day-to-day operations not only frees up your time, but also paves the way for you to work in what Gay Hendrick calls your “zone of genius”–the sweet spot of your skills, experience, passions, and creativity.
This will look different for each solopreneur. The good news is that hiring a virtual assistant can be customized to fit your needs.
Steps to Take When Making Your First (or Next) VA Hire
Are you even more in favor of hiring a VA to support your creative work?
Yay, glad to hear it!
Now that we’ve gone over delegation and the many responsibilities a VA can hold, it’s time to figure out the steps to take when hiring.
These approaches can ensure a seamless integration where you’ll feel more at ease in loosening the grip on parts of your business.
JOT DOWN OR RECORD YOUR PROCESSES
Start with writing down or recording your systems and processes. Block off intentional time in your calendar to explain exactly what you do step-by-step. We recommend screen recording tools like Loom or Zoom to capture the why or how you perform a certain task.
Even if you don’t hire anyone yet, this is a great first step in building a resource bank for your standard operating procedures (SOPs).
IDENTIFY THE JOBS YOU WANT THE VA TO COMPLETE
Second, go back to those tasks you’ve identified as ones you want to delegate. From there, write out the specifics of what you’re needing accomplished.
You get to choose the exact duties you want your VA to do and when to do them. For instance, many solopreneurs just want extra support for a seasonal launch. Others know that they never want to write another blog post again and are happy to give it over indefinitely.
Remember, there’s no one-size-fits all here.
SCHEDULE A DISCOVERY CALL
Make sure you find the best fit with a virtual assisting company. This is where you can ask all the questions and discuss your needs.
We love to connect during our discovery calls and know that the best way to get to know one another and form an enduring relationship is to ask better questions. While we’ll go over the areas of your service based business that are in need of support, we also ask what kind of impact you want to leave behind.
We want you to feel seen, not only in what you do but in who you are. Because it’s so much more than just crossing an item off your to-do list, it’s feeling more connected with your art, values, and story.
ESTABLISH BOUNDARIES & REQUIREMENTS
Last, plan to clarify information and get into the gritty details of your processes during an onboarding call. This is where you’ll meet the virtual assistant aligned with your specific requests and contract. It’s a great place to make any necessary changes, set boundaries, or communicate expectations.
Even better, schedule 15 minute check-ins within the first couple of months working together. It’s important to continually communicate with one another as you’re still learning each other’s rhythms and where you may need to adjust to get into the best flow.
The Teammate You Now Have
Letting go of parts of your business can be challenging, we get it!
And deeply understand that you hold the vision of your brand while pouring so much of your heart and soul into it. Therefore you absolutely should be protective of it.
But hopefully now you’re feeling more ready to trust a personal assistant with the non-essentials items or processes. That way you can move out of the stickiness of the behind-the-scenes and more into those income-generating tasks.
Do you have what it takes to be and do everything for your business? Absolutely. But do you want to be spending your precious time doing so?
When you invite a virtual assistant into your plans, our hope is that it will be the game changer you need–to not feel so alone in wearing all the hats and to build a career that compliments your life.
After all, your virtual assistant is your number one teammate.
Let’s keep the conversation going, we would love to know your thoughts and experiences when working with a VA. Send us a DM, we’re always happy to chat.
In the meantime, cheers to no more “Sunday Scaries,” but productive Mondays where you finally feel like you’ve hit your groove.
