It’s a best kept secret! Most small business owners have their hands full and are often in constant scramble mode. This is particularly true if you are new in your business. This can lead to perpetual long hours, disorganization, things falling through the cracks and potential burnout. Not a pretty picture.

Some of us are lucky enough to have

family members or willing friends who can be pressed into service. There is also the possibility of arranging for a college intern. This requires it’s own form of organization. Still another possibility is finding a high school student who will work for minimum wage. This brings up the issues of training and trusting someone in your space, etc.

For those of us who need a better option, allow me to introduce the concept of a “virtual assistant” and how this can give you some leverage. Envision a person (or one with a team) who have made it their business to provide support services for business owners like you. They already know how to deal with contact management, social marketing, setting appointments, transcribing notes, making travel arrangements, doing research, cleaning up email, putting together a newsletter…

The point is they can do all of the things that are slowing you down and keeping you from spending more time actually doing business. Since this is their specialty they will do it better and faster than most of your other options. Yes, you need to pay them, but the money will be well spent. No need to train them or micromanage, and if you don’t have work for them they just move on to help the next client. They usually have monthly packages where you can commit to needing them for a set number of hours per month. The one thing they can’t do (unless they are local) is to come in and help with things on site like filing.

The next time you are wishing you had a clone, consider how much it is costing you to not have help.

To your business success!