Is admin an uphill struggle?
Do you find that you have certain admin tasks that stay on your 'To Do' list week after week because you struggle with time or just really dislike doing them so avoid them? Or do you find your uphill struggle is actually finding time to spend with family, friends or just a having a bit of ‘me’ time because you are tackling those admin tasks on your 'To Do' list at all hours to ensure they are ticked off?
There is another way … yes really!
Just imagine if you didn’t have to do them at all … Wow, how good does that sound? I’m not saying that they don’t get done … I’m suggesting that they could be done by someone else. Small businesses and solo workers are ideal clients for a freelance pa or ‘virtual assistant’ … as they are available to support you and your business with admin tasks as and when required.
Yes, I know what you are thinking, it can take a bit of time to sort out how things will work to start with, as you have to explain how you do things, the processes of your business and the systems you use but after that, all sorts of tasks can be outsourced and done by someone else! Not forgetting that with a freelance pa you only pay for exactly the time that the freelancer is working for you! Bonus!!
It is a huge commitment to employ a personal assistant and it means you then need tasks for them to do all the time you are employing them; whether that is a couple of days a week or full time. When working with a freelance pa you can ask them to do a one-off project or a few hours a month … it is flexible to meet your requirements.
So what could a freelance pa do for you?
There really isn’t a short answer to that question, as there are so many tasks that can be outsourced and it really depends on your business.
It could be: organising meetings; travel and hotel bookings, or perhaps just researching them and leaving the bookings to you; document formatting; copywriting and proofreading; online research; dealing with your invoices and chasing those annoying unpaid ones; transcription or even your social media and blog writing … do you see what I mean, the list is endless!
BUT I have two questions for you:
are you overwhelmed by all the admin tasks you have to do, and
would it be beneficial to you, and your business, if you outsourced some of the tasks to enable you to focus on your business and the further development of it?
If your answer to one or both of the above is yes then read on ...
It is also worth noting that a freelance pa doesn’t need to be provided with office space or a computer, they have their own … oh, and did I say they are flexible and will be available just when you need them? Often a freelance pa may be an interim measure to help you as your business grows until you are ready to employ someone.
So what are you waiting for?
Why not take the next step and instead of continuing with the uphill struggle of trying to do all the business admin yourself … think about how a freelance pa could assist you, plan what tasks you might like them to do and how it will work, then contact a freelance pa to discuss how they can support you and your business.
I have found that many of my clients like to know me and so do tend to be based in the North East … this means we can meet and chat things through every now and then! Handing over admin tasks to someone else involves trust, so meeting your freelance pa can be important to build that trust and rapport. Working on your own can be a lonely business but a freelance pa can also be a sounding board for ideas that you might be considering.
Share your thoughts on using a freelance pa to assist you in your business: have you considered it, are you thinking about it as a possibility in the future? What tasks do you think a freelance pa could help you with? Would it be a range of tasks or is there one particular time-consuming admin task that you really don’t like doing or would love some support with?
Would you like to meet for a coffee and to see how I could help you? Let me know.