How Getting a Virtual Assistant Can Help You Work Remotely

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Summer brings shorter office hours and sunny getaways, but what if you could do that all year round? There are millions of people doing just that, all without sacrificing their income. This is the power of the virtual office. Virtual offices allow digital nomads to have their home base in another country—in our case, Toronto’s downtown core.

Why have a virtual assistant?

Running your own business can be a time consuming task. You have to juggle strategy, execution, billing and client or customer service. It can all get a little overwhelming and defeats the purpose of becoming a digital nomad.

A major reason people start a virtual business is so that they can free up time to do what they want. That’s just wishful thinking when you’re handling all the details on your own. All of a sudden, you’re spending more time in front of your computer than out on the beach.

Being a new entrepreneur can also be a daunting task because you may not always have the leadership abilities you may eventually need if your business begins to scale. A virtual assistant gives you the chance to learn how to delegate and structure your work.

What can a virtual assistant do?

Virtual assistants can take a lot of tasks of your plate. We already know how much pressure you can face when running every aspect of your business alone. Delegating removes that pressure by eliminating everyday minutiae. But what can a virtual assistant actually do? They can:

  • Manage your calendar and projects
  • Schedule meetings
  • Find contact information online
  • Research and organize information
  • Email management or replying

And those are just to name a few. Many virtual assistants come with their own specialized skillset so finding the right one to help in a different area of business is great.

Where can I find a virtual assistant?

There are plenty of sites online to find high quality virtual assistants. A popular site, Upwork, is the best way forward when it comes to finding an assistant. The site even has a specific section for virtual assistants who range anywhere from about $15/hour to around $45/hour. The site also has plenty of people who work in customer service, data entry or research so if you need an assistant to fit a specific role, you’d be able to find those specifics too.

There are plenty of job boards around the internet like Indeed or LinkedIn.

Managing a virtual assistant

Overseeing employees is hard enough to do when they’re in the room, but to have a virtual assistant who works remotely is difficult. It needs a lot more communication and a lot more organization.

It’s important to properly explain what the job entails, the hours you expect them to work and deadlines they need to keep. Outline all the tasks they will be responsible for and what they need to use to accomplish those tasks. Also give them specific times they need to be available. Nothing is more frustrating than waiting for a response when something urgent comes up.

A majority of your job can actually be handled by a virtual assistant and detailed outlines. But keep in mind that this is a two-way relationship. If there’s something that your VA doesn’t understand, keep a note of it and make those adjustments as you go along. This will help save you a ton of time going forward.