Here’s why hiring a Virtual Assistant for your small business is a lot cheaper than you think

Image source : Christin Hume on Unsplash

Hello business owner. Are you drowning under your never ending to-do list? Wondering how other business owners are managing to do it all themselves? I’ll let you into a secret… the business owners that look like they’ve got it altogether? They’re not doing it alone. They’ve hired a virtual assistant to support them with all the time consuming bits they don’t have headspace for.

If you’re looking to grow your business or simply sustain it, hiring a virtual assistant should be next on your to-do list and here’s why doing this is a lot more cost effective than you think.

How much does a Virtual Assistant cost compared to hiring an employee?

Virtual assistants in the UK are completely freelance. This means they set their own rates. According to the society of virtual assistants the average rate last year was £32.35 an hour, which has likely increased this year. Many virtual assistants charge much more than this depending on the specialist services that they offer.

Now I know what you’re thinking, how is this rate cheaper than hiring an admin assistant for minimum wage?

Well, it’s all to do with the hidden costs that an employee will bring to your business.

Employee hidden costs include things like :

-maternity/paternity pay
-pensions
-holiday pay

and that’s just the start of it!

The hidden costs of hiring in-house staff that most business owners overlook

So, we know that hiring in-house staff carries a lot of hidden costs in comparison to a working with a freelance virtual assistant but just how much cost does it bring? Catherine Gladwyn has put together this incredibly helpful infographic which breaks down exact numbers and figures so you can see exactly where your money is going…

To learn more about Catherine Gladwyn’s cost breakdown and see more of her useful resources, click here : https://catherinegladwyn.co.uk/verify/

Why virtual assistants deliver better value for small business budgets

First things first, as self employed business owners, us virtual assistants track all of our time and this usually means we utilise time in a very efficient way. Working with multiple clients on a weekly basis, we are very well organised and time is allocated in the best possible way. Plus it means you only ever pay for the time we have used. I personally use Toggl to track my client work but there are apps like Clockify and Myhours which do an equally good job.

Then there is the flexibility and elastic scaling that a virtual assistant brings. If you are a small business owner with a small budget, we can deliver on one off projects to suit your money needs. Need your email marketing set up? Maybe you’d like a batch of social media templates? These things take time and energy that a business owner doesn’t always have.

We can swoop in and get these projects sorted for you whilst your budget is still small.

You are not tied into a contract for a long period time, like you would be with an employee. It can be quite nervewracking delegating some of your business baby to a new person. I totally get that! Often when I start working with a new client, I will suggest working together on an ad hoc project first. This way we can :

-keep costs down for you
-your not tied into a long term contract
-we can see how we work together and see if we are a good fit

One really important cost that virtual assistants cover themselves is training and up skilling. As a virtual assistant, I am constantly educating myself by taking courses, learning about new software and technology and this is an expense I cover myself. You’re receiving specialist support and there’s no need to factor in training costs to your business budget - it’s a win win!

Plus I buy all my own tea and coffee and there’s no need for awkward small talk in the communal kitchen because all my work is completed virtually!

Photo by Jakub Żerdzicki on Unsplash

How hiring a virtual assistant can reduce your business overheads

So as you can see, working with a virtual assistant can :

-reduce your overwhelm
-give you time back
-help you with executive dysfunction
-keep you on track
-bring specialist skills to your business

By working with us, you significantly reduce your business overheads. You do this by having :

-no physical workspace costs
-no equipment costs
-no paid leave or sick pay

The Real Return on Investment of Hiring a Virtual Assistant

Hiring a virtual assistant means a significant return on investment. You reclaim your valuable time back, lower your overhead costs and increase your revenue. According to SQ magazine, business owners/managers frequently report that virtual assistants save them 10 or more hours a week - that is incredible!

But what can you do with this new reclaimed time?

So many options are available :

-take on more client work (that only you can do) and increase your income
-spend more time with your family / chance to rest and not get burnt out
-more time to learn new skills that you can bring to your business
-the chance to drink a hot cup of coffee every once in a while (very important!)

Do you feel overwhelmed just reading this? A lot of business owners feel the same and don’t know where to start. If this is you, I recently wrote a blog post about prioritising your to do list which I recommend reading.

Need a creative virtual assistant? Let’s work together!

Hi, my name is Kat and I’m a virtual assistant specialising in creative support.

Let me support you with :

-getting on top of your social media - scheduling, creating, getting a system in place
-editing your reels, tiktok videos, youtube videos
-looking after your Pinterest account and increase your website traffic
-writing and optimising your blog posts to help customers find you
-clearing up your inbox so you actually want to be in there and so much more

Take a look at my full services page here and my prices and packages page here.

Sound good?

Get in touch and let’s get your support started!