Outsourcing is a hot topic on this podcast. I can barely finish one episode without speaking about it because it’s truly changed my life – not to be dramatic. You deserve to learn more about this and hear more about it in an episode completely dedicated to it. Outsourcing is important for your growth and your sanity. If you’ve ever felt like hiring a virtual assistant isn’t an option for you, whether because of fear or thinking you can do everything better yourself, this episode will help you combat those 2 very limiting beliefs.
In the latest episode of All Angles Photography Podcast, my own personal virtual assistant, Sarah Crum, and I will be chatting about all things outsourcing to a virtual assistant. If you’ve ever wondered how a VA can uplevel your biz, we chat about it all. From tasks they can take on, marketing areas of importance, Pinterest, when it’s time to outsource, general onboarding process, how to find a VA, bad experiences, and more; we truly don’t hold back. Get ready to revolutionize your business!
A virtual assistant can take on literally anything you need. There are 2 types of virtual assistants in the industry, generalized VAs and topic experts. Topic experts are going to have service based packages where you’ll know exactly what deliverables you’re getting with each package. You’re paying for their expertise more so than their time. With general VA’s, you pay for their time, which is where the “literally anything” part of that sentence comes in. You pay them for hours of doing whatever you need done that week.
It can be hard to think up what even needs done, so Sarah thought up a list to get you brainstorming about what you may need to outsource.
If it doesn’t bring you joy, outsource it. Even if your VA doesn’t know how to do something, it’s highly likely they will learn for you.
VAs are SUCH an asset, but it’s one of those things that you don’t realize until you do it. Speaking from personal experience, I was the person who was like, “I know how to do these tasks better than someone else, so I’ll just do it all!”. But now, Sarah does so much for me and does some things better than I would have even thought to do them.
Content marketing can often feel like a lot of moving parts, so I wanted to ask Sarah what her thoughts are on what platform is the most important. Here are some of her thoughts (if you want to hear more in depth head over to the episode to listen in):
“There really isn’t one that is the end all be all. It all works together.
As online business owners, we normally spend more time in Instagram. It’s a short game where you are going to see real time results and be able to quickly pivot. Blogging, email marketing, and Pinterest on the other hand are more of a long game. They are SO valuable for your business, but it can take up to 6 months or longer to see real life results on these platforms.” If you outsource all of this to a VA right now, it will still take you at least 6 months to see those results. The more you put it off, the more you put off those results even more.
According to Sarah: if she HAD to start somewhere though, she’d start with Instagram. Go back and listen to episode 3 to learn more on how to make the most out of Instagram!
Let’s start this section off with saying, you’re NEVER going to feel ready to hand over a part of your business to someone else especially if you’ve been burned in the past.
BUT according to Sarah some ways you can start realizing you might need a little bit of help are: “When stuff keeps getting pushed to the end of your to do list every week. When you want to start doing something in your business, but don’t have the time to do it or learn it. OR if you just feel like your time could be better spent elsewhere.”
Don’t be afraid to start small though! Even just taking a few things off of your plate helps you to be able to just take a deep breath at the end of the day or week. The sooner you start, the sooner you’ll start seeing the results.
The expense is definitely a thing, we get it. But if you look at the grand scheme of it all, your VA ends up paying for themself!
Most people need to outsource, but not everyone is fully ready. At the end of the day, you need to take a look at your business and say, “What am I doing that is moving the needle?” AND “What do I need help to do to move the needle to scale my business?”. Those two answers will tell you exactly what and when you need to outsource.
There are definitely scammers and bad VAs out there so it can be hard to trust someone new especially when you have been burned in the past. Sarah gives some bomb tips on how to find a virtual assistant that fits your brand and decreasing the risk of finding someone who isn’t trustworthy. To sum up all of her wisdom into a general rule of thumb: most virtual assistants can do most things for you, but you want to get to know them as a human first. If you don’t vibe with them then 1 it isn’t as fun and 2 they won’t give you their best work. You want someone who makes your business their baby too!
Listen in to hear her tips and tricks on how to find the perfect virtual assistant for your brand!
Onboarding doesn’t have to be super scary. There is definitely a learning period with any new VA, but with communication and kindness the process is normally so easy and fun!
Onboarding for everyone can look a little different. But Sarah goes over a general outline that most VAs will follow, so tune into this episode hear more on the specifics.
This is just the tip of the iceberg of all the info we talk about in this episode. It’s JAM PACKED with tips, tricks, and girl talk; we truly don’t hold back. It was SUCH a joy to have Sarah on the pod and I am so excited for you guys to listen in and start leveling up your business with the right people on your side! If you have any questions for either of us, both of our instagrams are linked below. You know you are always welcome in my DMs and Sarah is always happy to answer any questions you have (just let her know I sent you!).
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