Very often, business owners will reach a place where they start to struggle, feel more stress, and have less time but don't know what to do about it. This is usually a good sign that you need extra support and a virtual assistant is a perfect place to start.

Even if you only need a VA for a short amount of time, heed the warning signs and do something about it. Here are the top 5 signs to look out for:

1. Missing opportunities because there aren't enough hours in the day

If you're watching deals slide onto and straight off your table because you just don't know how you can possibly fit more in, something has to change. Unless you only ever set out to take on a certain amount of work and have a set amount on income each week, you shouldn't be letting opportunities pass you by. The only way you can nurture a new client or land a new deal is if you hand over work that's already well established and can be taken care of by someone else. Not all opportunities will be business deals. You might be missing networking events or worse, family time and special occasions. Whatever opportunity it is you are missing, you shouldn't be. Think about how a Virtual Assistant can take some of the load from you so that these opportunities can start to stay firmly in your hands.

2. Not spending your time wisely

There are only so many hours in the day and when you're the boss, it's important those hours are spent wisely. Why on earth are you still chasing and sending invoices when this could be done by someone else, thus freeing up your time to spend on more important projects? Think about the jobs you do that really don't need to be done by you at all. Virtual assistants are very experienced and deal with a whole range of admin work that covers HR, finance, marketing, and so much more. It's more cost-effective to hire someone who can cover a multitude of work rather than a bookkeeper who may only be able to help you with finances. Hiring a VA who can cover finances and other admin work means you can delegate more work to them and spend the time you have left wisely.

3. No longer enjoying work

If you've started to dread starting your working day, this is a very dangerous sign. It won't be long before it leads to procrastination and complaints from unhappy customers. If you're not enjoying your work anymore, ask yourself why? Have you just become overwhelmed and don't know who to re-structure? More often than not, business owners find themselves burnt out with more work than they can manage, and the fear of letting go prevents them from delegating. But it's time to stop and get back into enjoying work again. Look at hiring a VA and start taking small steps with them, giving them work you are comfortable letting go of, to begin with, and then building on it gradually.

4. Plans for growth, no time for action

This is a big red sign in my opinion. You know the direction you want to go, you just don't have the time to get there. The only way you're going to action your plans is to free up your time, and the only way to do that is with some help. Plain and simple!

5. Tasks taking too long and neglecting important work

Some of the more tedious tasks you have to do will prevent you from concentrating on work that's actually really important. This can have a detrimental effect on your mental health and your business. You might have convinced yourself that those long-winded jobs can only be done by you, and to a certain extent you might be right, but could you train someone else to do it? If the answer is a realistic yes, a virtual assistant would be a great choice. VA's are like chameleons, we have to be ready for change quickly, we need to adapt at lightning speed as we switch between different clients and therefore different industries. This means we learn much quicker than most. Think about the long-winded jobs you have, the ones taking you so long that you're neglecting tasks you really aren't ready to pass on yet. Spend some time training a VA and free up that time you need back.

6. You need to fill a gap

Perhaps you have an employee who is off sick or on maternity leave. Maybe you have a one-off project that needs to be completed. A VA is a great stop-gap for a short-term need. You can usually let your VA go without any contract worries after you've used them for the time that you need. The great thing is you know where they are if you ever need them again in the future. Rather than struggling through, consider a virtual assistant for your short-term and one-off needs.

Ready to hire a virtual assistant? We offer an amazing free trial, an hour of our time to see an example of what we can do for you. Sign up for your free trial now.

#virtualassistant #business #smallbusiness #businesssupport #delegation