As I write this, on a cold and grey January day, the sparkle and wonder of the New Year – like a crisp, fresh page in a brand new notebook – seems like a distant memory. Some resolutions may have already fallen by the wayside, and a melancholy mood may have descended upon you, but I’m here to shake you out of that morose state, and remind you that change in 2018 is still achievable and do-able, no matter what the date on the calendar!
The easiest things to change are those that require the least physical effort from you, so why not try outsourcing? By passing responsibility for essential day-to-day business tasks on to a trusted third party, you are freeing up valuable time that could easily be re-purposed for training and personal development, self-care or to grow your business – whatever you choose to do. But what exactly should you outsource?
Here’s a list of five of the most popular tasks to outsource to a Virtual Assistant:
Content – Some people are filled with inspiration for great content, but don’t have the time to commit to formalising these ideas in articles or blogs, whilst others who set aside plenty of time for creative writing are immediately struck by writer’s block… the reality is, putting pen to paper to create interesting and engaging content isn’t an easy task. Not everyone enjoys or has time for content creation for social media, blogs and website content. If you don’t, why not consider outsourcing it to someone who enjoys it and can quickly and efficiently create useful content for your business?
Invoicing – Despite it being an incredibly important business process, I’ve met very few people who actively enjoy sending out and chasing up invoices. If you are one of these people, why not consider finding an HMRC ‘Anti-Money Laundering’ registered Virtual Assistant who is happy to take this task on for you? You’ll gain valuable hours back and a more pro-active and positive approach to invoicing could help to improve cash flow in your business.
Graphic Design – Need images for marketing materials, social media or your website? If graphic design isn’t your bag and tools like Canva don’t appeal as a reasonable DIY option, why not ask for help from someone with experience of conveying brands visually in a positive, appealing and professional way? These images could be the first thing that people see when trying to learn more about your business, so make sure that they reflect your personality and professionalism. The time you save flicking through stock images and trying to add your logo and a meaningful tag-line could be far more effectively used doing something else within your business to help gain new customers or improve your skills doing things you enjoy and excel at.
Inbox Management – Do you dread logging into your emails, for fear or being drawn into the 330+ unread messages that haunt your inbox? Get professional help! Try finding a Virtual Assistant who can link your emails to your task list or effectively prioritise your emails for you so that all you have to do is implement the work. There are so many talented VAs out there who are efficiency masters, constantly working to the ‘inbox zero’ ideal – enlist their help, and spend the time you gain back developing other aspects of your business.
Holiday Cover – If you change one thing this year, let it be having a holiday where you are finally able to switch off completely from your business! It’s important to build a positive relationship of trust with the VA who will take over the day-to-day management of your business during your absence, as you’ll need to be able to relinquish your firm grip of control to someone you know will care for your business as they would their own, so I’m not suggesting that this step is taken lightly! However, you never know – the taste of freedom could encourage you to outsource a greater amount of work in the coming years, giving you a huge amount of additional time to dedicate to whatever makes you happy, personally and professionally.
So why not give outsourcing a go? Hand a task or two over to your Virtual Assistant and find out what you could do in the time it frees up! 2018 promises to be a great year, so what will you do differently? Find out more about our Global contracts here.
