There are lots of articles written that tell you when and why you absolutely must hire a VA. They paint a picture of the time you will save and money you will make – the expensive holidays you will be able to pay for and enjoy with that incredible VA working in your business.
BUT like anything there is a time and a place to invest in working with a VA. We’ve seen many businesses absolutely transformed by using a VA, but we’ve also seen some that have fallen flat. We want to share why these things happen to help you make the best decision for your business.
7 times you really should NOT hire a VA:
- When you can’t afford the bills
Yes, sometimes you need to speculate to accumulate. Yes, if you could free up x hours of your time you could reinvest that working on your business rather than in the detail of it. But be realistic – will it make the difference, or will it be another burden to add to your list of things to worry about each month?
2. When you can’t commit to the business yourself
The best VA in the world can’t mind read (at least not on day one). They can’t fill in and do your job for you. They can be the cement in the building, but they can’t be all of the bricks. So if you’re thinking for any personal or business reason that you’re not going to be able to commit to the business, and a VA could keep things going for you then think hard about how viable that really is.
3. When you really (really) don’t know what you want to do
Different VAs have incredibly different skills – both technical and personal. That’s why we use Talent Dynamics at VIPVA to help match people together. Some VAs are techy fiends, others boast shoulders that have supported clients through tough times and incredible successes. But it needs a direction, a mission, a why, a sense of priorities to choose the right VA and to give your VA permission to assist you and transform areas of your business. Some VAs can help you get that – but ultimately it needs to be driven by you – or you’ll just go round the same circles slightly faster than you were before.
4. Because someone else has got one
As with every aspect of your business there’s a lot to be learned by understanding how other businesses operate. Whether a competitor, a business contact or a friend you may have heard how a VA transformed their business. But you need to be focused on you. Think about what you want to gain, how a VA will help your business and how it will help you. If you struggle to write the list think again. If you struggle to stop the list call for help. Now!
5. When you’re really (really) not ready to let go
There are times when you need to learn from every single hearbeat of a process. When that detailed understanding will enable you to refine, improve and grow. There are other times when you in yourself will know that you’re just that type of person who needs to have control of a specific part of your business. Pretending you’re ready to let go and then micromanaging every aspect of it is a pretty surefire way to waste money and fall out with your VA – so please, please save yourself the money and us the frustration!
6. When you’re content with exactly how things are
This can be the hardest one to admit. Social pressures mean we have to be seen to be striving for the next goal, to grow and to achieve more and more. If you’re really happy with how things are – well done! Whilst you will know that you need to keep evolving (because others will) you shouldn’t feel pressured to try and change for changes sake. Getting a VA will change the balance of the work that you do – so if the social media, the sales funnel building, the CRM work or the diary management and hotel bookings are actually things you enjoy doing then revel in it and keep going!
7. And last but not least – when you’ve got a good VA already
There are many reasons why business relationships fall down over time – having a VA is no different. Sometimes it’s because you made a bad decision, but sometimes it’s because you haven’t invested the time you need to make a success of the relationship. Before you pull the trigger and start the search check in your heart – and your sent e-mails – and think if you could have done anything differently.
Now – of course there are about 700 reasons when you should hire a VA – and if you want to learn more get in touch with us at VIP VA and we can talk more about them with you!