Recently, I published an article written by Tracy Phaup called the Top 10 signs you Need an Assistant. Today, I thought I’d balance out the message by identifying the Top Seven Signs that You Aren’t Ready to Hire a Virtual Assistant.
1) You’re the only one who understands the vision.
When your business is new, it’s hard not to be protective of it. You are sure you are the only one who really understands what it’s all about and the beautiful future that lies ahead. And that might be true. Sometimes our ideas are still only half-formed and unclear. You know what you want but you don’t know how to articulate it.
It’s important to define your business as clearly as possible – for yourself and for others. Having a business plan, a marketing plan, a projection of growth – all of these are ways for others to see what you see, whether they are an assistant, a client, an investor or a loan officer.
If you are really struggling with articulating your vision, consider hiring a specialist to help you clarify it. The clearer you can make it for others, the more they can help you make it a reality.
Until you can accurately describe your business, you are probably going to set yourself up for frustration and miscommunication if you hire an assistant.
2) You’re the only one who can do it the way you want
It’s hard to let go of control. It can feel scary; especially when you are sure you know exactly what you want and how you want it. But sometimes it’s good to let go of control; it allows for more creativity. It enables you to use other people’s ideas.
Go ahead and describe the task in as much detail as you can: identify what you want, and when you want it, but don’t specify how you want it done.
Your assistant is an expert in knowing how to do the things you ask. He or she has done these things for multiple clients and knows what works and what doesn’t. If you take the chance to let him or her do it their way, you might find that they have a more efficient or creative way to meet your needs.
You always have control of what and when your tasks get done, but unless you can let go of some of the control of how they get done, you’re probably setting yourself up for aggravation if you hire someone else to do the work.
3) You are not sure exactly what you want
Maybe you know that you want a new web page, or an email campaign, or an accounting system, but you don’t really know the details of what you want. It’s outside of your area of expertise and experience.
You have a sense of what you want, but you can’t clearly articulate what you have in mind. If that is the case, it is doubtful that the assistant is going to be able to come up with something to suit you. You should have some idea of what you are looking for before you hire someone to build it.
You can solve this gap by collaborating with an experienced assistant who can ask insightful questions, or show you portfolios that help you identify your needs. But don’t make the mistake of jumping in and giving assignments without being able to clearly describe the outcome you are looking for.
Unless you clearly identify the outcome you are looking for, you risk paying for re-work and extra hours, as your assistant struggles to get it right.
4) You’re not ready to share
It’s okay to admit – early on your business can feel a lot like your baby – you want to do everything yourself. But just like with a baby, if you insist on doing everything yourself for very long – you will get overwhelmed and burned out. Pretty soon, what started out as fun and exciting, will turn into drudgery and stress.
Don’t get caught up in the honeymoon phase for too long – this is business after all – and you are your business’ most valued asset – you need to treat yourself with respect and care.
Be sure you really want help before you hire an assistant – otherwise you run the risk of continuing to be overly involved in the work itself, and not getting the benefit of increased time and productivity.
5) You have difficulty trusting others
Hiring an assistant may mean opening up parts of your business that make you uncomfortable. For some assignments, your virtual assistant may need access to passwords, accounts and client information. There are certainly tasks they can do that are not confidential, but if the thought of letting someone in to that level of detail makes you worried – you may not get the full benefits of using an assistant.
Until you’re really comfortable sharing confidential information, don’t hire an assistant to help with sensitive tasks.
6) You’re not sure it is a real business
Many entrepreneurs grow their businesses out of a hobby or special interest. It takes them a while for them to concede that they have a business and to treat it in a professional manner. When you can confidently refer to yourself as a businessperson, and make plans for revenue and growth, then you are ready to treat your business, as a business.
Until you are ready to admit that building your business professionally and taking it seriously is important to you, don’t bother investing in an assistant.
7) You are not yet earning any profits
While an assistant is an important person to hire soon in your business – because it enables you to focus on more of what is profitable – it is difficult to justify hiring one while you are still unprofitable.
Early on, it’s possible you can handle the workload yourself. If there is little revenue, there is probably also little book-keeping to do, and few administrative tasks to handle.
But as soon as possible, when the phone starts ringing, the receipts start piling up, and the products start needing to be shipped, hire a virtual assistant to help with the overflow, and free yourself up to do more of the value-added stuff.
Until you have some positive revenue stream from your business, you might not want to add the expense of an assistant.
In conclusion:
When done for the right reasons and at the right time, working with a virtual assistant can give you a competitive advantage. He or she can free you from routine tasks and enable you to focus on expanding your business without taking on the commitment of a full-time payroll. But, done at the wrong time or for the wrong reasons – it can end in frustration, wasted expense and even disaster.
So, before you hire one – read the signs – are you ready for an assistant?
Have you hired an assistant? Why or why not? How has it worked for you?
