Author: Julia Valdez

 

Are you on the lookout for a Mailchimp virtual assistant? 

What is Mailchimp, anyway?

Well, Mailchimp is an email marketing solutions platform that gives small businesses the tools they need to engage with their followers and grow. It combines the power of data and AI to improve your marketing strategies. The technology includes audience management features, automations, creative tools, and reporting and analytics for data supported business moves. Whether email, social media, landing pages or other advertising, they help you get in front of customers to boost engagement and conversions. 

So how does a Mailchimp virtual assistant fit into the picture? Let’s find out.

What Is a Mailchimp Virtual Assistant?

Now that we know what Mailchimp is, we can more easily define what a Mailchimp VA does. These individuals are people who have specialized expertise of the Mailchimp platform. These means they know how to navigate the platform, how all their features work and what their pricing plans include. These individuals also have email marketing experience, meaning they know both in theory and practice what these solutions can do for your business. 

So, what specific tasks can these VAs accomplish?

10 Tasks a Mailchimp VA Can Take Off Your Plate

Mailchimp Account Setup 

Off the bat, you can hire a Mailchimp virtual assistant to help you get up and running on the platform as quick as possible. They know the platform inside and out and have likely helped other clients set up their accounts and go through the process. You can even ask them for recommendations on which pricing tier to subscribe to based on your needs. 

Creating Email Lists and Segmenting Audiences 

Your virtual assistant can do the data entry work of taking your contacts and inputting their email addresses onto a spreadsheet. They also take information from any sign up forms on your website or through your contact email on your social media. From there, they can also help you identify which of your contacts are potential leads and they can sort them into specific categories that you, the business owner, have set. 

Choosing the Right Email Templates 

Mailchimp has hundreds of campaign templates to choose from, and your Mailchimp virtual assistant can certainly choose from among those options. Selecting the right email template takes experience and knowledge of what layouts are the most attractive to your customer base. Because their templates are also customizable, your VA can also edit the templates for you and create an email that both conveys the message and represents and promotes your brand effectively. 

Write Captivating Subject Lines and Preview Text 

Aside from the name of the sender, these are the first things your recipients see when they get an email from you. Your email marketing virtual assistant will likely have some content creation or copywriting knowledge. With that, they can write these lines to be both concise and captivating, and blend in cohesively with your brand tone. Some of the best people at this are those who can write preview text that both hooks attention but also leaves readers on a little cliffhanger so they are enticed to open the email. 

Mailing 

Not only can your virtual assistant help you with scheduling when emails are sent, they can also send the email for you. Because the average person already spends more than 2 and 1/2 hours answering emails, you can definitely save time by delegating the task of sending your marketing emails to someone else. 

Add Images to Emails

Well-written copy can get you places, but a well-picked-out graphic can really help break up chunks of test on an email. A good VA will know which visuals to complement your copy, drive your point home, and drive your customers to your pages. 

Manage Email Automation 

Your email marketing VA can make use of the efficient automation features of the Mailchimp platform to streamline your email campaigns. After you give them the go signal, they can create customizable triggers that activate an automation when a subscriber performs an action. Their classic automation triggers include:

• Campaign activity – sends an email when a subscriber interacts with an email campaign like when they are added to a campaign, open it, not open it, click a link, or not click any links
• Audience management – sends an email when you add someone to a campaign, when they meet the criteria to join a particular audience category, or if you add a tag to them 
• Workflow activity – target people who’ve already received emails
• Ecommerce – includes Abandoned Carts, Email Retargeting, or emails sent after purchases are made 
• Integrations – email based on custom API integrations 
• Date-based – send emails that are date specific like on birthdays 

Campaign Tracking, Reporting, and Analysis

In order to gauge the effectiveness of an email campaign, you need to know certain metrics like your open rates, click-through rates, conversion rates, unsubscribes, forwarding rates, etc. It’s a good thing Mailchimp has analytics features that your email marketing virtual assistant will know how to use to the fullest. With the help of this tool, your VA can collect metric data, create reports, and send them to you. 

Campaign Setup, A/B Testing and Monitoring

Your VA can set up your email campaigns for you. They can input all the approved copy and graphics, match them to your email list and send them out. If you’re A/B testing, they can also monitor the performance of each and report back what they find. 

Marketing Advice

The more experienced your VA, the more they can help you make sense of your data and come up with new strategies and courses of action to target specific metrics that you want to improve. Years of experience in the space with different clients and methods gives them a level of expertise that you can take advantage of. They can tell you what has and has not worked in their experience. Then they can use this to optimize your campaigns and save you valuable time and resources.

How Much Does a Mailchimp VA Cost?

As we always say, there are multiple different factors that affect the cost of outsourcing VA tasks. You need to consider the scope of work, skill level, level of experience and education. The country where they live is also a factor. Additionally, you also need to consider that a Mailchimp virtual assistant has specialized knowledge. This includes platform knowledge, email marketing knowledge, and knowledge needed to perform regular virtual assistant tasks. 

All that being said, from what we’ve seen across freelance marketplaces, the cost to hire a Mailchimp VA based on country are as follows 

• America $15-$50/hr
• Philippines $8-$40/hr
• India: $8 – $30/hr

Is It Safe to Give a Virtual Assistant Access to Mailchimp?

Some people have some reservations letting someone else manage their data, and there are some possible risks involved. 

Reputation 

Letting someone else manage your marketing or respond to emails means you are giving them the keys to your brand. If that person misrepresents your brand, that could spell trouble for your business partnerships or the way customers perceive you. 

Data security 

Anyone that needs your inbox to do their job, whether an inbox management VA or an email marketing VA, you’re giving them access to your emails. Not only that, but Mailchimp also has other data such as billing information that you may not just want anyone to have access to. 

While apprehension of the above risks is understandable, there are measures in place to mitigate them. For instance, you can hire from reputable freelance marketplaces that vet their freelancers beforehand to ensure their quality and legitimacy. You can also check their ratings and reviews on those sites to see their reputation and success rate. 

You may be concerned with the security of your account. If you are, you can set your VAs access to the Manager or Author setting. Manager limits their ability to view billing info, export audiences, or close the account. An Author can only create, edit, and delete campaigns and templates, and view reports. You can also revoke account access when your working relationship comes to a close.

Where Can You Find a Mailchimp VA?

• Mailchimp
• Upwork
• Fiverr
• HiByron
• FreeUp

What Is Outsource School?

Outsource School helps you to unlock the potential of virtual assistants and accelerate your business growth.

This is the exact system Outsource School’s founders, Nathan Hirsch and Connor Gillivan, used to go from zero to 8 figures and 40+ virtual assistants with an exit in 2019.

Since being founded in 2020, Outsource School has helped 1,000+ business owners hire 2,000+ virtual assistants for their companies.

Schedule a free sales call to learn more

Free resources you might like: 

• Outsource School Case Study: How We Scaled to 45+ VAs and 8 Figures in Revenue
• Free VA Calculator | See How Many VAs You Can Afford
• Free Training on 5 Keys to Working With VAs
• Learn Outsourcing 101 | Guides, Downloads, and Checklists

Conclusion

There you have it. You can start to level up your email marketing today with a Mailchimp virtual assistant. Save time, save money, make better campaigns, engage more, and meet your profit goals!

 

 

Want to learn more about how a graphic design virtual assistant can help your business? You’ve come to the right place!

No matter what type of business you have, you are going to use graphics sooner or later in one way or another. Whether used for advertising, branding, or engagement, graphics are a great way to hook attention and communicate your message. I mean, could you imagine if all marketing were done through text? That could get very old, very quickly. 

So, you need to create these graphics but are either not skilled in that area or don’t have enough time to spend on it. That’s where a graphic design virtual assistant comes in.

What Is a Graphic Design Virtual Assistant?

A graphic design VA is essentially a freelancer that does graphic design work remotely. They aren’t tied to a specific brand or company. This means that they tend to work on multiple different projects for multiple clients at the same time. They are artists who sell their skills to help make all sorts of images, graphics, and even animations for companies and businesses to use for branding, advertising, or for commercial sales like on products. 

From clothing to wall decor, art can be used in so many different ways. The sky is the limit for what a graphic designer can do for you. A virtual graphic designer can be industry specific with their skills. For example, one might specialize in graphics related to food. They might also have specialized tech knowledge or a specific art style. One set of skills will usually fit your brand tone more consistently than another. So, depending on your field, industry, and business-specific needs, graphic design virtual assistants can have specialties as niche as you need them to be.

20 Projects for Graphic Design Virtual Assistants

While the sky may be the limit, we’ve decided to bring it a little down to earth. We narrowed it down to 20 projects that we know a graphic designer can help you with. 

Logos 

Every company needs a logo that is eye-catching, non-generic, and recognizable. When outsourcing a logo designer, you need to make sure the person you’re hiring knows how to communicate your brand’s name and tone.

Infographics 

Infographics are a great way to summarize and communicate information visually. You can use these in report format to show investors how much your business has grown and helped customers over the years. 

Presentations 

Similar to infographics, a graphic designer can help you make presentations using PowerPoint, Canva, Google Slides, etc. Communicate your points aesthetically and engagingly. 

Web Design 

Arguably one of the most popular projects to outsource to a graphic designer, everyone wants their website to be beautiful and intuitive. This includes user interface, colors, layouts, and other graphics you might want on your site pages. When you hire, make sure your graphic designer has some experience working with a web developer so they won’t create designs that aren’t feasible or too expensive to pull off.

App Design 

This goes hand in hand with web design as more and more consumers perform actions on their mobile devices. UI design is key in a market that is stuffed with applications that essentially perform the same function. 

Email Templates and Newsletters 

Layouts are essential when working with a limited space such as email. A designer can help you get your messages across to your subscribers in a punchy way. 

Social Media Graphics 

Your social media presence is vital for, exposure, growth, and lead generation. Your designer can help you create images and graphics needed to hook the attention of the habitual “scroller”. 

Brand Mascot 

All of the iconic brand characters like Chester Cheetah, the Kool-Aid Man or Mr. Peanut all needed to be designed. You may already have an idea in your head for your brand but a designer can bring that fantasy into real life.

Animated Images 

While animators are typically considered separate jobs, you can outsource limited animation needs to your designer. These can include a short loading animation for your site or a transition animation.

Editing 

Maybe you’re happy with the graphics you or a previous designer you’ve worked with have done but want to tweak a few things. If you have the assets, your designer can edit these for you. 

Product Packaging and Labels 

I know they say don’t judge a book by its cover however, the way that a product’s label or packaging is designed is so important to draw consumer attention. This is especially true when you are placed in an aisle with tens of other products in the same category. Aside from aesthetics, a graphic design VA can also help you with the layout of the information on the packaging.

Books 

Speaking of books, covers are actually quite important to convey information and tell you what a book is about while, yes, being pretty. Authors of any type of genre including guides or learning resources, or those who offer e-book formats should hire a graphic designer.

Ecommerce Store Front 

Why stop at a well-designed package when you can make your storefront page look just as appealing to purchase from? You can do this for your store on your site or online marketplaces to a degree. 

Art for Work Spaces 

If you need something designed to decorate your office or retail spaces, whether wall or floor art, a graphic designer can help you create visuals you can boldly display for workers or customers to see. 

Flyers and Brochures 

These are effective ways to advertise an event or summarize your offerings as a business in a concise, optimized, attractive format. Even universities use brochures to advertise their schools to students. 

Cards 

From business cards to thank you cards, and membership cards. You can promote your business, lend a personal touch, and improve customer loyalty all while being stylish and brand consistent. 

Shirt Designs 

Whether employee shirts or merchandise, a graphic design virtual assistant can help you create clothing that builds recognition, community, and sells well. 

Instructions and Manuals 

Someone has to design those inserts you get with your phone, new TV, or fridge, that you never look at twice. And hey, maybe they can help you design one that makes people more inclined to read them!

Branded Stationery 

This is more on the niche side but you’d be surprised how many companies have branded pens they use in their physical locations for employees or patrons to use. A local bank where I’m from went a step further and even changed the shape of the pen. It may not have been the most ergonomic design, but props for the brand consistency!

Other Brand Identity Stuff 

Anything from mugs to mouse pads, welcome mats, and cars – whatever floats your boat – a graphic designer can help you create brand-specific graphics you can plaster on pretty much anything.

How Much Does a Graphic Design VA Cost?

What affects graphic designer cost? 

• Type of graphic/scope of work
• Level of skill
• Level of experience
• Basis of work (per hour, per project, set rate)
• Specialized knowledge of design tools
• Country of living 
• Number of revisions 

When it comes to design you get what you pay for and generally around $15/hr is the lowest rate for entry-level designers. While the average range is between $15 to $50, some designers with more extensive portfolios could charge more than that. You can expect to receive decent quality results around the $40 to $45 mark. 

Those who charge flat rates or fixed prices can charge hundreds to thousands of dollars for a single project depending on what it is. For instance, a logo can cost about $150 whereas a basic custom website can cost upwards of $5000. 

When it comes to graphic designer cost, you need to determine which plan of payment makes the most sense for your business based on the above factors. 

Can You Hire a Graphic Design VA Part Time?

As with any profession, there are advantages and disadvantages of hiring full-time and part-time. 

Full-time Pros

• Work closer with your graphic design virtual assistant 
• Maintain a greater amount of control
• Make more revisions 
• Their focus is not split between multiple clients 

Full-time Cons

• More costly
• If you’re not making graphics constantly, they will be left with little to do at times

Part-time Pros

• Less expensive
• Makes more sense if you don’t generate a lot of graphics to warrant a full-time salary or rate 
• More efficient because there is greater pressure to produce great results in less time as a freelancer who is likely working on other projects

Cons Part-time 

• You need to communicate complete brand information accurately and completely which can be difficult if they are only working part-time
• Fewer chances for revisions and will likely cost more if many changes are made
• More difficult to form long-term partnerships because there’s no guarantee they will be available to do future design work for you

What Are the Best Sites to Hire a Graphic Designer?

Once you’ve made up your mind that you need a graphic design virtual assistant, the next step is knowing where to find one. 

Here’s a short list of 5 sites. 

• Toptal
• Upwork
• FreeUp
• 99DESIGNS
• Dribbble

How Do I Assign Projects to My Graphic Designer?

Getting your communication and collaboration tools sorted out as soon as possible will make the whole process so much smoother down the line. Using project management software like Asana or Trello to help you keep everything in order. You can track your projects, plan, schedule, organize team members, automate certain tasks, and much more. 

If you’re interested in how an Asana VA can get you more organized, head on over to that post after you’re done with this one of course!

What Is Outsource School?

Outsource School helps you to unlock the potential of virtual assistants and accelerate your business growth.

This is the exact system Outsource School’s founders, Nathan Hirsch and Connor Gillivan, used to go from zero to 8 figures and 40+ virtual assistants with an exit in 2019.

Since being founded in 2020, Outsource School has helped 1,000+ business owners hire 2,000+ virtual assistants for their companies.

Schedule a free sales call to learn more

Free resources you might like: 

• Outsource School Case Study: How We Scaled to 45+ VAs and 8 Figures in Revenue
• Free VA Calculator | See How Many VAs You Can Afford
• Free Training on 5 Keys to Working With VAs
• Learn Outsourcing 101 | Guides, Downloads, and Checklists

Conclusion

Brand color, fonts, images, graphs, websites, and more – all are things you need to consider when building your identity as a brand. These are what a graphic design virtual assistant can help you with. 

So you’ve chosen QuickBooks among some of the most recommended accounting and bookkeeping software out there. While this is certainly a good choice, a lot of work can go into connecting to this platform. A QuickBooks virtual assistant can definitely take a load off your shoulders. 

In this article, we will be discussing:

• What Is a QuickBooks Virtual Assistant (VA)?
• 5 Reasons to Hire a QuickBooks VA
• 10 Tasks to Assign to a QuickBooks Virtual Assistant
• How Much Does a QuickBooks Virtual Assistant Cost?
• Where Can You Hire a QuickBooks Virtual Assistant Online?
• How Do I Know If I Can Trust a QuickBooks VA w/ My Financials?

What Is a Quickbooks Virtual Assistant (VA)?

A QuickBooks virtual assistant is someone that has a working knowledge of the QuickBooks software. This person will most likely be a bookkeeper or an accountant who knows the platform inside and out and is well-versed in all the services that QuickBooks offers. 

5 Reasons to Hire a Quickbooks VA

1. Saves Time

There’s a lot that can go into setting up bookkeeping software. When you consider everything from getting all your accounts connected to navigating the dashboard, filling in the right fields, learning and selecting the right options, and in general figuring out how you can get the most out of your subscription tier, you’re already potentially spending hours. Those hours could be better spent on other more important things. 

Hiring a QuickBooks VA means hiring someone who has already spent those hours learning all about how this software works. They’ve been through the process so many times that they can get you set up in no time. 

2. Saves Money 

Time is money. By getting you set up quickly, they can get you started quickly. The earlier you can get a view of your financial health, the earlier you can get valuable information on your business, and the sooner you can make money-saving decisions. 

Additionally, outsourcing to a VA is less costly and also takes less time than training an in-house worker. 

3. Frees Up Your Time and Team 

One of the most popular reasons to outsource is the fact that it can free up your resources from lesser core functions and lets you focus on business growth. By hiring someone you can trust to keep an eye on accounts and books and make sure they are up to date, you can fully concentrate on product development, marketing, customer relations, and other important key areas of business. 

4. Increases Productivity

As a business owner, you can’t be dragged away from other areas of business where you are more needed. Don’t let your engine get cold because you’re too busy dealing with busywork. No need to slow down operations because you need to run reports, review transactions, or because tax season is rolling around and you need to consolidate paperwork. An accounting and bookkeeping QuickBooks VA can help you take care of that. Let them manage their area of expertise, and you, yours.  

Sure, you will have to take some time to get your VA up to speed, but in the long run, that’s a worthwhile exchange if it means you can get back in the driver’s seat and back on track. 

5. Increased Profitability/Enables Better Business Moves

Naturally, when you can focus on what you do best, you can improve what made your business successful in the first place. When you pair that with a capable VA keeping your books in order, running reports for you, and providing you with crucial insights, you can make wiser business decisions. When you know where to allocate your budget, lessen unnecessary spending in certain areas, and save money,  you are better positioned to scale your business efforts and increase your profit margins.

10 Tasks to Assign to a Quickbooks Virtual Assistant

There are a lot of tasks you can outsource to a virtual assistant. Here are 10 that a QuickBooks VA is most likely familiar with. 

Setting Up Your Account – This includes connecting your cards and banks to QuickBooks and integrating your old books into the new software from other places like Excel. 

Data Entry – This includes filling out necessary fields within the software about company information, inputting manual bookkeeping data into the software, etc.  

Reviewing Transactions – QuickBooks can automatically reconcile transactions, but some need to be categorized manually. 

Creating and Sending Invoices – Bill customers on time and get paid on time. Customize invoices for each customer. 

Creating and Running Reports – Set up regular reporting and customize reports to fit the needs of the business. 

Set Up Payment Schedules – They can fill out the fields for recurring billing and set non-regular payment schedules for you. 

Following Up With Customers – If customers have missed payments, your QuickBooks virtual assistant can send follow-up emails. 

Bookkeeping – Your VA can track transactions and manage your books for you. 

Interpreting Financial Statements – Your bookkeeping VA can help you make sense of the numbers and assist you in making financial decisions based on reports. 

Tax prep and filing – Some virtual assistants can help you with compiling your documents and getting them ready for submission.  

How Much Does a Quickbooks Virtual Assistant Cost?

There are a few factors that go into calculating the cost of a QuickBooks virtual assistant. You need to account for the fact that they are offering specialized knowledge. Also, if you want them to also handle your bookkeeping for you, that will cost a lot more – at least a few hundred dollars a month. 

In general, the hourly rate of a virtual assistant in the U.S. is between $15 and $22. 

In the Philippines, you can probably find a VA for around $10-$12/hr. One factor that influences this number is the lower cost of living in the Philippines. 

Where Can You Hire a Quickbooks Virtual Assistant Online?

1. Upwork 

Upwork, “the world’s work marketplace” is one of the most popular and easy-to-use marketplaces out there for finding freelancers. They have three methods of finding the skills you’re looking for, namely the Project Catalog™, Talent Marketplace™, and Talent Scout™. 

2. FreeUp

FreeUp is another freelancer marketplace that offers a wide range of talent categories. Their hiring and vetting practices ensure you only get the top candidates for the job. Their “No Turnover Guarantee”  ensures you are protected even in the event the freelancer quits unexpectedly. 

3. Fiverr

As the name suggests, Fiverr is a great place to hire at any price point starting at $5. This makes it a very flexible option. Fiverr Pro is the site version that allows you access to qualified, verified, and pre-vetted freelancers. 

4. 24/7 Virtual Assistants 

They are a US-based virtual assistant business that offers services from web design to admin work and bookkeeping. Their services are cost-effective; their personnel are skilled, and they are available round the clock to help you.  

5. Zirtual

Zirtual is a team of virtual assistants that can help you manage different everyday tasks from social media management to bookkeeping. Their VA matching process entails getting to know your business and pairing you up with a person that’s the best fit for your needs. 

How Do I Know If I Can Trust a Quickbooks VA w/ My Financials?

Some people are already hesitant about outsourcing, this skepticism can get worse when finances get involved. The most common fears involve account security and security of data within QuickBooks and out. How can you be so sure the VA you hire won’t take your financial data and use it to compromise or hack other accounts? Well, fear not, because two things can prevent that from happening. 

First, QuickBooks itself has safeguards to restrict access to certain users from seeing or changing certain information. 

Second, reputable freelance marketplaces have in-depth vetting processes that ensure candidates are screened appropriately. Some of these sites also have data security guarantees. 

What Is Outsource School?

Outsource School helps you to unlock the potential of virtual assistants and accelerate your business growth.

This is the exact system Outsource School’s founders, Nathan Hirsch and Connor Gillivan, used to go from zero to 8 figures and 40+ virtual assistants with an exit in 2019.

Since being founded in 2020, Outsource School has helped 1,000+ business owners hire 2,000+ virtual assistants for their companies.

Schedule a free sales call to learn more

Free resources you might like: 

• Outsource School Case Study: How We Scaled to 45+ VAs and 8 Figures in Revenue
• Free VA Calculator | See How Many VAs You Can Afford
• Free Training on 5 Keys to Working With VAs
• Learn Outsourcing 101 | Guides, Downloads, and Checklists

Conclusion

It can be tempting to try and do all of it yourself to stay involved in all areas of business. You may also think that you can save a quick buck by refusing to delegate. However, a QuickBooks VA has several benefits that we hope has you reconsidering outsourcing this work so you can grow your business. 

Are emails bogging you down? Do you feel like you’re spending way too much time at your desk answering them? Do you feel like your inbox could use some sprucing up? Maybe you need a complete email spring cleaning! Whichever it is, it sounds to us like you’re in need of an inbox management virtual assistant. 

The good news is that you can actually hire one today!

But before you go there, we put together a few things that we think you should know about hiring an inbox management virtual assistant. In this article, we are going to be covering 

• What Is an Email Management Virtual Assistant?
• 11 Tasks to Hire an Inbox Management Virtual Assistant For
• How Much Does an Email Management VA Cost?
• What Are the Best Virtual Assistant Websites to Hire From?
• Case Study: How John Hired an Email VA & Saved 2 Hours Per Day

What Is an Email Management Virtual Assistant?

Also known as an inbox management virtual assistant, these individuals are responsible for handling your emails. Their duties involve organizing and sorting emails, creating folders and labels to categorize emails, color coding emails to make them easier to locate, and even deleting unnecessary emails or spam.

An outsourced inbox VA will even do all of this for you before you get on in the morning! This way, you can start your with a clean and beautiful inbox and avoid all the stress that unkept email will usually cause.

Now, that’s just the categorizing part of the job. You also have the replying side of things, which a more specialized email assistant can handle, too. 

When you think about all of that and the amount of time it could take you to accomplish a single day’s worth of emails, you start to see the value of hiring an email assistant. These people typically have developed efficient methods. They will implement proven processes to clean up your inbox and keep it that way. They may also use software programs, as needed and if you prefer, to help manage all the online correspondence. 

11 Tasks to Hire an Inbox Management Virtual Assistant For

1. Deleting junk emails and keeping your inbox clear of any unwanted newsletters, subscriptions, or promos. 
2. Forwarding emails to the necessary people within your team or others
3. Archiving old emails that might be useful later so you main box isn’t filled with old mail
4. Responding to emails and setting up automatic replies
5. Some email marketing like sending out mass emails such as newsletters and introductory emails to the selected list of customers
6. Managing your contact list which involves sorting contacts in order of importance or priority, categorizing them with labels (customers, business partners, suppliers, internal team, etc.), adding new contacts, and deleting old ones
7. Sorting emails in order of priority so you know which emails are urgent and which can wait 
8. Some customer support duties like answering customer inquiries 
9. Creating folders and applying labels to emails. Labels add specificity. Folders organize old and new emails for future reference.
10. Setting up filters ensuring incoming emails go into the applicable folders tidying up your main inbox
11. Answering emails about meetings and adding them to schedule 

How Much Does an Email Management VA Cost?

Virtual assistants have a range of prices depending on a number of factors such as skill level, level of experience, scope of work, specialized knowledge, length of project, are you hiring a VA full-time or a part-time VA, and what country they come from. 

If you want an inbox management virtual assistant who does only the admin side of things, then in the U.S. you’re looking at an average of $10-$12 per hour. VAs from the Philippines and India are less costly both averaging around $6-$7 per hour. 

Now if you’re looking for a VA who can also do some marketing and customer support duties, that’s going to cost you a few more dollars. In the U.S. you could be looking at anywhere between $15-$22 and in the PH and India around $10-$15. 

Again, these pricings vary depending on the scope and depth of the work. This is why negotiating rates and providing a detailed overview of the work should be done together. It’s bad form to hire someone and give them work you didn’t discuss beforehand. It’s even worse form to pile on extra work without just compensation. 

Take care of your VAs and they will take care of you. 

What Are the Best Virtual Assistant Websites to Hire From?

1. Zirtual

Zirtual is a VA platform known for its superb hiring processes and training programs to ensure VA excellence. They also have a matching process that connects you with an inbox va that is the best fit for your specific needs. 

2. Upwork 

Upwork is one of the most famous freelance marketplaces. They help connect businesses and freelancers together for better business opportunities. They have three unique methods for locating the talent you need. 

3. Onlinejobs.ph 

Known as “The Job Board for Virtual Workers in the Philippines”, Onlinejobsph allows you to exclusively hire Filipino VAs who are among the best in the business. Create a job post and let your inbox management virtual assistant come to you. 

4. FreeUp

FreeUp offers a variety of talents in several categories. Their hiring and vetting process only allows the top percentile of freelancers to ensure excellent service on their platform. Their “No Turnover Guarantee” means you are protected in a freelancer quits on the job. 

5. InboxDone

InboxDone is currently the only platform to offer VA services specializing in email management. They provide two assistants to cover for each other and adapt to your unique business needs and work style. 

Case Study: How John Hired an Email VA & Saved 2 Hours Per Day

John is a small business owner who has had a boom in business lately. In the beginning, he was able to manage customer emails and manage communication with his suppliers, accounting team, team members, and other business partners. Now, John has been falling behind on his inbox and it is slowly eating away at his time. What used to take 30 minutes turned into almost 2 hours of sorting through a mishmash of customer inquiries, business inquiries, internal communications, newsletters, and other subscriptions he doesn’t even remember subscribing to! 

His time is split between 

• marketing his products to capitalize on the recent surge
• organizing logistics
• getting on meetings with his bookkeeping team and workers
• answering emails
• developing an FAQ so he doesn’t have to answer the same question 20 times over

That’s when John decided to look for an inbox management virtual assistant, and she was a lifesaver. After orienting the VA on the situation, the VA began working. The email was even a bit more cluttered at this point. After all, it took some time to find the right VA and go through the whole onboarding process.

However, because she had experience, the VA was able to easily create folders for the different people John was in contact with. She created one for the accounting team, one for the internal team, one for suppliers, and one for customer inquiries. The VA also set up filters so that emails that came from any of those groups would be sorted into those folders automatically. The VA also made sure to mark those unwanted subscriptions as spam. The ones that fit the categories that John said he was interested in, she placed in a separate folder.

John instructed the VA that he wanted to keep customer records, including email interactions. So, the VA made sure that all resolved inquiries were archived and labeled as such. This made it easier for John to locate those emails and refer back to them for the development of the FAQ. 

John also mentioned that once the FAQ was finished, the email assistant could use that to answer customer inquiries. The VA, who had email marketing experience was able to help John set up an automated reply system. 

Before he knew it, John was on top of his inbox game. The emails that he needed his input on were labeled “Urgent” and the others he left to his email assistant to respond to. He is now able to focus more of his time on developing his brand. This way, he also has more opportunities to scale up his business even further. 

What Is Outsource School?

Outsource School helps you to unlock the potential of virtual assistants and accelerate your business growth.

This is the exact system Outsource School’s founders, Nathan Hirsch and Connor Gillivan, used to go from zero to 8 figures and 40+ virtual assistants with an exit in 2019.

Since being founded in 2020, Outsource School has helped 1,000+ business owners hire 2,000+ virtual assistants for their companies.

Schedule a free sales call to learn more

Free resources you might like: 

• Outsource School Case Study: How We Scaled to 45+ VAs and 8 Figures in Revenue
• Free VA Calculator | See How Many VAs You Can Afford
• Free Training on 5 Keys to Working With VAs
• Learn Outsourcing 101 | Guides, Downloads, and Checklists

Conclusion

If you want to prevent a clogged-up inbox, stop the overwhelm, or mitigate the pileup, an inbox management virtual assistant might just be the person you need to clean things up.

 

Do you need an eBay virtual assistant?

If you’re overwhelmed with work and feel like there isn’t enough time in the day, then you’re in the right place. Or, if you’re just looking to make your eBay store more manageable, an eBay virtual assistant can be a perfect fit. An eBay virtual assistant can make it feel like your store is on autopilot. This can turn it into more of a passive income stream, which leaves you free to enjoy free time and pursue other income streams as well.

18 Tasks an Ebay VA Can Help Your Store With

Here’s 18 tasks that you can quickly pass off to an eBay VA:

1. Create and manage listings for products you want to sell on eBay.
2. Optimize product titles, descriptions, and images to improve search results and sales.
3. Monitor and adjust pricing to remain competitive and maximize profits.
4. Respond to customer inquiries and provide customer support.
5. Manage and track inventory levels, ensuring you always have enough stock on hand.
6. Process orders and manage shipping logistics, including coordinating with shipping carriers and ensuring packages are sent on time.
7. Handle returns and refunds in a timely and professional manner.
8. Research and recommend products to sell on eBay, based on market trends and consumer demand.
9. Monitor and analyze eBay sales data to identify opportunities for growth.
10. Create and manage promotions and sales to boost sales and attract new customers.
11. Monitor and manage eBay feedback and reviews, responding to negative feedback and ensuring your reputation remains positive.
12. Research and recommend eBay tools and software to improve your business operations.
13. Manage your eBay account, including resolving account issues and ensuring compliance with eBay policies.
14. Create and manage eBay store pages, including customizing the layout and design.
15. Conduct market research to stay informed of industry trends and competition.
16. Work with suppliers and distributors to source new products and negotiate pricing.
17. Manage multiple eBay accounts or listings across different regions or languages.
18. Provide regular reports on sales performance, market trends, and other key metrics to help you make informed business decisions.

Where Can You Find Ebay Virtual Assistants Online?

A multitude of hiring websites are easily searchable online. On almost every one of them, you can find some kind of eBay virtual assistant. We do not recommend, however, that you just go and hire from the first website you see. Not all hiring platforms are created equal, and you can find yourself in a huge mess if you’re not careful about where you transact.

Our recommendations for where to hire an eBay virtual assistant include:

1. Upwork
2. Fiverr
3. Zirtual
4. Freelancer
5. Fancy Hands
6. TaskRabbit
7. Time Etc
8. Red Butler
9. MyTasker
10. 24/7 Virtual Assistant
11. PeoplePerHour 

How Much Will an Ebay VA Cost You?

The demand that businesses have for an eBay virtual assistant has increased over the past years. Because of the demand for quality service, the rates that they charge have gone up, too. A VA within the US will cost you about $30 per hour. You can outsource the work, however, and pay about $10 per hour. Of course, these are only the average rates, and what you pay will depend on your requirements. For example, if you need someone with high English proficiency, paid advertising skills, or a tone of experience, you will need to pay higher rates.

Although they are niche, eBay virtual assistant skills have different specializations and can offer a range of services. For example, some will do overall administrative tasks or inventory management for stores, whole others focus on customer service or listing optimization.

What Should You Include In Your Ebay VA Job Post?

Do not disregard the importance of having a good job post. You need to include the important details about the eBay virtual assistant that you need to find the right fit. When you take the time to add the right details, you are able to match with the right person.

Here is a list of what you should include in your job post for an eBay virtual assistant:

• Job duties and responsibilities 
• What the role entails
• Performance expectations 
• Your expected rate range
• Your preferred hiring location

Once you have the job details nicely laid out, insert some keywords into the copy. Keywords will help the right applicants find your post as they search hiring platforms for work that matches their skills and experience.

What Skills & Experience Should You Look for?

The skills and experience that you should look for depend on the specific job that you are hiring for. Here are two examples to illustrate:

First, say you are hiring an eBay virtual assistant to take care of your existing suppliers, develop relationships with new suppliers, place and track orders, and the like, then you would need the person you hire to be a good communicator, be keen with keeping schedules, and know how to calculate inventory levels and lead times to place orders with suppliers on time. This does not take a super high level of experience, but will require training if you hire a newbie. 

Second, if you are hiring for customer service, you will need some of the same skills, and some different ones, like knowledge of the platform rules governing areas like returns and refunds. You probably want someone with at least a few years of experience handling customers since it’s not something you can learn just from a script.

Tips to Onboard & Manage Your Virtual Assistant

Once you have hired the eBay virtual assistant that you see is the best fit for your needs, you must properly onboard and manage them. Here at Outsource School, we can help you with implementing a process that fits your business, plus everything else about working with a VA. We have material to help you with all the areas from writing down what you need help with as you search for the right assistant to outsource to all the way to specific management tips to make your journey of learning to outsource and work together with remote teams smoother and more rewarding.

On the surface, onboarding deals with everything that a hire needs to know about working with you and serving your business. First, you should review everything that you have put in the job post, just to make sure that the hire understands. Next, go over specifics like who they need to report to and how you expect them to communicate with you or a supervisor throughout the day and week. Have a list that you go through so you don’t miss anything. It’s important to have everything on record and that they agree with the terms of working with you.

Throughout the entire time that you work with the VA, you need to basically provide them with active support. Don’t ever just set a hire loose once they are on the payroll. Check in with them regularly to make sure that they’re doing well. Ask them to share their wins. This builds rapport and confidence. It also shows them that you care. Then, ask if they are facing any challenges so you can step in and give them some advice on how to handle those situations. A great way to deal with this without spending too much time is to have SOPs – standard operating procedures – available for hires to go through as needed. Providing team-building activities also helps a lot.

What Is Outsource School?

Outsource School helps you to unlock the potential of virtual assistants and accelerate your business growth.

This is the exact system Outsource School’s founders, Nathan Hirsch and Connor Gillivan, used to go from zero to 8 figures and 40+ virtual assistants with an exit in 2019.

Since being founded in 2020, Outsource School has helped 1,000+ business owners hire 2,000+ virtual assistants for their companies.

Schedule a free sales call to learn more

Free resources you might like: 

• Outsource School Case Study: How We Scaled to 45+ VAs and 8 Figures in Revenue
• Free VA Calculator | See How Many VAs You Can Afford
• Free Training on 5 Keys to Working With VAs
• Learn Outsourcing 101 | Guides, Downloads, and Checklists

Conclusion

If you need help to manage your eBay business, consider hiring a virtual assistant who has the specific skills and experience to meet your needs. You might have a range of requirements that make a one-size-fits-all approach unsuitable for you. When you embark on this hiring journey, remember to start by creating a thoughtful list of what you need help with, the type of person you like to work with, the intricacies of the job llike work times and pay, etc. This will inform your choice of VA in many different ways and help you find the one who will be that best fit who will alleviate stress and not create headaches for you or the rest of the team.

Looking to hire a Canva virtual assistant? 

Look no further. In this article, we’ll break down everything you need to know about VAs that know Canva.

Canva is a graphic design and publishing tool with a mission to empower the world to design. Their success as a platform is evident, being used by over 110 million people all over the world. You can create professional-looking graphics and presentations with access to hundreds of templates. 

In this post we are going to cover: 

• 20 Tasks a Canva Virtual Assistant Can Do For You
• How Much Will a Canva VA Cost?
• What Skills Should I Look for in a Canva VA?
• What Freelance Websites Are Best to Find Canva VAs?
• How Do I Interview & Choose the Right Canva Virtual Assistant?
• What Software Should I Use to Manage My Canva Projects?

20 Tasks a Canva Virtual Assistant Can Do For You

Use this list as inspiration for hiring a VA that knows Canva:

1. Create custom graphics for social media posts, blog articles, and email marketing campaigns.
2. Design and layout marketing materials such as flyers, brochures, and posters.
3. Design and format presentations for webinars, workshops, or conferences.
4. Create branded templates for social media graphics, newsletters, and other marketing materials.
5. Source and select high-quality stock images that align with your brand and message.
6. Edit and enhance photos, including resizing, cropping, and color correction.
7. Create infographics and visual content to communicate complex information or data.
8. Design eBooks, PDF guides, and other lead magnets to attract and convert website visitors.
9. Design eye-catching logos and branding elements that convey your brand identity.
10. Create custom illustrations for use in marketing materials or on your website.
11. Design eye-catching packaging for your products or services.
12. Design and create eye-catching product labels and packaging.
13. Create video and animated graphics for use in social media or marketing campaigns.
14. Create visual aids such as flowcharts and diagrams for use in presentations or reports.
15. Design custom t-shirt graphics, product labels, and other merchandise.
16. Optimize graphics and images for web use, ensuring fast loading times and improved SEO.
17. Provide guidance and training to other team members on how to use Canva effectively.
18. Manage and organize your Canva account, including uploading brand assets and templates.
19. Research and recommend new design trends, techniques, and tools to improve your Canva designs.
20. Collaborate with other team members and stakeholders to ensure that designs meet their expectations and goals.

How Much Will a Canva VA Cost?

We have discussed in the past how several factors influence the cost of hiring a virtual assistant. 

These are:

• What tasks they perform
• Scope of work
• Level of experience
• Level of expertise
• Project length
• What country they live in

There are three levels of tasks that VAs perform: basic-level tasks, specialized tasks, and expert-level tasks. For this article, we will only discuss the first two. 

Basic-level tasks involve the typical administrative work you would associate with virtual assistants like scheduling appointments, data entry, answering emails, and such. These can run from $5-$10.

Specialized tasks refer to tasks that require specialized knowledge in an industry, area of expertise, or in the use of software or tool. Specialists typically hone very particular niche skills. These can run from $10-$30+ depending on how niche the position you’re hiring for is and how much skill and experience a person need to be considered an expert in that area. 

A Canva virtual assistant can fall into both of these categories. Off the bat, you need to determine if you want to hire a virtual assistant who knows how to use Canva or if you want to hire a Canva virtual assistant. The difference lies in the scope of the work and the level of expertise and familiarity with the software. 

While an exact estimate is tricky to determine, we can look at the cost of hiring a graphic designer, which ranges from $8-$15 an hour. 

Another cost you may have to consider is whether they need to use a paid version of the software. 

Canva Account Tiers

Canva has three different tiers of service, namely:

• Free – Access to basic tools and templates
• Pro – Paid access to premium content and tools 
• Teams – Paid solution for teams of creatives to collaborate within the Canva Worksuite 

Will they need to own the software or will your business provide that? You need to consider first what tier of Canva suits your business needs. Then you can decide whether it’s worth subscribing to a higher tier or just hiring someone who offers both access to the tool and their expertise with it. 

Note: Canva Pro costs $12.99 a month and Canva Teams costs $14.99 a month. Their yearly plans have a discount, so you need to determine project length and which subscriptions and payment plans are worth it for you. 

What Skills Should I Look for in a Canva VA?

As mentioned previously, a Canva virtual assistant is essentially a graphic designer with a niche specialty in using the Canva tool. 

While you don’t necessarily need to be a graphic designer to excel at using Canva, it does help to know some design fundamentals, such as:

• Color theory
• Typography (the use of font styles)
• Layouts

You can verify the abilities of a Canva virtual assistant by looking at their portfolios (more on that later). 

What Freelance Websites Are Best to Find Canva VAs?

In our article about the best sites for finding virtual assistants, we mention sites such as Upwork, Zirtual, Fancy Hands, Fiverr, and PeoplePerHour. 

Because some of these freelance marketplaces house thousands of VAs from all over the world, you could very well find a Canva virtual assistant that both knows what they’re doing and is a good fit for your team. 

How Do I Interview & Choose the Right Virtual Assistant?

Aside from the four questions for job candidates, we suggest this interview process:

It’s important to note that before you even begin the interview process with potential candidates, you ask for their portfolio. Anyone who works in the design or artistic space must have a portfolio. A portfolio is a visual representation of the designer’s abilities and can include work they’ve accomplished for previous clients. Choose your candidates based on portfolios that appeal to your brand aesthetic.

Build Rapport

This is a valuable step in building a healthy working relationship and dispelling any awkwardness or nerves common to first-time interactions. You can ask them questions about themselves and show that you are interested in them as a person and not just in what they can do for you. 

Check Experience

Ask about their experience working with other businesses. Knowing their client and work history can give you a gauge of what they are capable of. Additionally, the way they speak about their previous clients can give you an idea of their personality and attitude. 

Check Values

Ask them about their work values. This tells you what they find important and if their values match your own as a company. Additionally, knowing what they value can also help you to cater to the needs of this person if they are to become a member of your team. 

Check Strengths

Ask them about their strengths and what they have worked on the most. Canva has design tools for photos, cards, one-page websites, video editing, t-shirt design, logos, and more. Canva Teams has collaborative solutions for marketing, sales, creatives, and more. While a good Canva virtual assistant will have experience with all of these, it’s helpful to ask which ones they would consider their strong suit. This can be done while you provide a rundown of the tasks and scope of the work you need doing. 

Negotiate Rate and Schedule

Once you’re certain their skills match your criteria and their personality fits your team, next is rate and schedule. This doesn’t always have to be a daunting step. Just make sure you explain the tasks completely and ask them what they believe is fair compensation. Remote workers can sometimes live in different time zones, so make sure this won’t be an issue that will affect the productivity of deadlines. 

After you’ve interviewed and hired your Canva virtual assistant, be sure to take them through a complete onboarding process to ensure a successful hire. 

What Software Should I Use to Manage my Canva Projects?

One of the advantages of Canva is you can manage certain aspects of projects within their own Canva Worksuite. Canva Teams allows you to both collaborate and organize your work in one place. 

You can brainstorm together on whiteboards, share ideas, provide feedback, design collaboratively, and access your most used assets in organized folders. 

However, if you’re looking for more in-depth solutions, project management software like Asana can do the trick. 

What Is Outsource School?

Outsource School helps you to unlock the potential of virtual assistants and accelerate your business growth.

This is the exact system Outsource School’s founders, Nathan Hirsch and Connor Gillivan, used to go from zero to 8 figures and 40+ virtual assistants with an exit in 2019.

Since being founded in 2020, Outsource School has helped 1,000+ business owners hire 2,000+ virtual assistants for their companies.

Schedule a free sales call to learn more

Free resources you might like: 

• Outsource School Case Study: How We Scaled to 45+ VAs and 8 Figures in Revenue
• Free VA Calculator | See How Many VAs You Can Afford
• Free Training on 5 Keys to Working With VAs
• Learn Outsourcing 101 | Guides, Downloads, and Checklists

Conclusion

Whether content, marketing, or branding, it’s obvious that the Canva tool can provide great value to a business. However, not everyone has the time to create postings or learn the entirety of the software. A Canva virtual assistant can help you tap into the full benefits this popular tool can provide your business. 

 

Looking for the best tasks for virtual assistants to help your online business? 

We know where you’re at because we were there once, too.

There’s never enough time in the day, and when you reach that point, it’s time to hire a virtual assistant.

In this post we are going to cover: 

• 25 Best Tasks for Virtual Assistants
• How Much Does a Virtual Assistant Cost?
• Can You Hire a VA Part Time?
• What Are the Best Virtual Assistant Websites to Hire From?
• How Do I Track & Pay My Virtual Assistant?
• Tips to Onboard & Manage Your Virtual Assistant

25 Best Tasks for Virtual Assistants

Here’s a starter list of 25 tasks you can hire a VA for:

1. Manage email communication with customers, clients, and partners.
2. Schedule appointments and manage your calendar.
3. Conduct research and collect data for business decisions.
4. Manage social media accounts, including posting and engaging with followers.
5. Create and manage content for your blog, website, or newsletter.
6. Monitor analytics and provide reports on website traffic and social media engagement.
7. Edit and proofread written content, such as blog posts, emails, or reports.
8. Respond to customer inquiries and provide customer support.
9. Manage your CRM system and maintain customer records.
10. Conduct market research to stay informed of industry trends and competition.
11. Manage your e-commerce website and process orders.
12. Manage your inventory and ensure stock levels are adequate.
13. Create and manage email marketing campaigns.
14. Manage your financial records and bookkeeping.
15. Manage your online advertising campaigns.
16. Conduct A/B testing for website design or marketing campaigns.
17. Generate and analyze website traffic reports using Google Analytics or other tools.
18. Manage online reviews and feedback from customers.
19. Create and manage affiliate partnerships and programs.
20. Manage your online reputation and respond to negative reviews or feedback.
21. Manage your online community, such as a forum or social media group.
22. Create and manage online events, such as webinars or product launches.
23. Manage your online listings and directories.
24. Manage your blog comments and respond to readers.
25. Research and recommend software tools or services to improve your online business operations.

How Much Does a Virtual Assistant Cost?

Now that you know about all a virtual assistant can do for you, you’re probably wondering how much it’s gonna cost you. Well, figuring out the rates of virtual assistants is dependent on several factors. 

Type and Scope of Task

As you may have already been able to tell from our list of best tasks for virtual assistants, their expertise, and the scope of what they do can vary. If you’re hiring a VA that can only do basic-level tasks like scheduling, managing appointments, and other administrative work, you will probably find a decent one between $5-$10. However, most businesses hire VAs who also have specialized knowledge. Some are software experts that can help you manage teams through productivity management software like Asana. Others can be content writers, marketing VAs, bookkeepers, graphic designers… the list goes on. 

Level of Expertise

The next thing to think about is their skill level. Do you want a VA who can do dropshipping-related tasks or do you want a dropshipping VA? There is a difference in expectation and specialization. A VA who can write content for your website will cost less than a VA who can write content AND is familiar with how content ranks on search engines. 

Level of Experience 

This includes their educational attainment, training, work portfolio, and how many years they have been in the space. The rates of an entry-level VA and one who has 3 years under their belt will still vary even if they’re doing the same task and have gone to the same school. Experience leads to improved efficiency and professionalism, and that costs something. 

Project Length

VAs can charge on an hourly, monthly, or per-project basis. Naturally, the longer the project, the more you will have to pay. 

Where They Live

One of the advantages of outsourcing is that you have access to a wider talent pool in countries with lower costs of living. VAs living in these countries are more likely to have lower rates.

Can You Hire a VA Part Time?

Absolutely! Another advantage to outsourcing is the flexibility it provides businesses that either cannot afford to hire full-time workers, need minimal help, or have seasonal growth (ex. E-commerce businesses during holidays). 

We have first-hand experience hiring a part-time VA and have shared how that boosted our productivity and allowed our business to grow. 

What Are the Best Virtual Assistant Websites to Hire From?

Knowing the best tasks for virtual assistants is one thing, knowing where to find somebody that can perform those tasks well is another. 

What are some qualities of a good freelance marketplace? 

• Reputable
• Good vetting processes
• Social proof systems (reviews and ratings)
• Client support (easily contactable, assists even after you’ve hired from them)
• Access to freelancer profiles

Some of the ones we recommend include Upwork, Fiverr, TaskRabbit, 24/7 Virtual Assistants, and Freelancer. 

If you want to know more about virtual assistant sites and access the full list of our recommendations with summaries, please consider checking out our 11 Best Virtual Assistant Sites for Entrepreneurs in 2023.

How Do I Track & Pay My Virtual Assistant?

When working with virtual assistants, there are two types of tracking that need to be done: time tracking and work tracking.

Tracking hours can be tricky for a remote VA especially. Thankfully, there are several online time-tracking tools that can make your life a whole lot easier. Keep in mind that this is more often applied to VAs who charge a per-hour rate. 

When it comes to tracking work progress, communication and management are essential. Communication with and among members of a remote team is one of the biggest challenges. You need to make sure you are using tools that your new hire is familiar with so they can attend and effectively participate in team meetings. Additionally, when managing a VA, you need to be able to have an agreed channel of communication back and forth for updates, meetings, feedback, etc. 

How you pay your VA can depend on the marketplace you’re hiring from, the basis of payment (per hour or per project), and payment options discussed during the onboarding process. 

Tips to Onboard & Manage Your Virtual Assistant

Here at Outsource School, we cannot stress enough how beneficial a remote onboarding process is. It can save you a lot of headaches and heartaches associated with bad hires. Good onboarding makes managing a virtual assistant so much easier. 

Here are some useful guidelines you can follow for an effective onboarding process:

1. Be hospitable, create rapport, and make them feel at ease. 
2. Introduce them to your company’s “what” and “why” that is what your company does, its mission, vision, objectives, values, and even company culture.
3. Go through the tasks associated with the job you’re hiring for. Even if it’s all listed in the job description, it’s still important to provide a rundown and set expectations.
4. Negotiate rates, discuss payment options, and finalize the work schedule.
5. Orient them on any tools or software they need to perform their tasks. These are any preferred admin tools, management tools, communication channels, apps, etc. 
6. If they will be working closely with other members, they should get to know the team before they start getting down to business. This is an important step to break the ice and welcome them into your community. 
7. Set your deadlines, meeting schedules (if any), and milestones they can work towards.
8. Orient them on any company SOPs 
9. Be open to any questions, clarifications, or concerns they might have. 

Note: The order in which these things occur is up to your discretion. Also, onboarding is a process that can happen over several days. What’s important is that you make sure your hire is fully oriented and equipped to begin their duties. 

What Is Outsource School?

Outsource School helps you to unlock the potential of virtual assistants and accelerate your business growth.

This is the exact system Outsource School’s founders, Nathan Hirsch and Connor Gillivan, used to go from zero to 8 figures and 40+ virtual assistants with an exit in 2019.

Since being founded in 2020, Outsource School has helped 1,000+ business owners hire 2,000+ virtual assistants for their companies.

Schedule a free sales call to learn more

Free resources you might like: 

• Outsource School Case Study: How We Scaled to 45+ VAs and 8 Figures in Revenue
• Free VA Calculator | See How Many VAs You Can Afford
• Free Training on 5 Keys to Working With VAs
• Learn Outsourcing 101 | Guides, Downloads, and Checklists

Conclusion

A lot of the best tasks for virtual assistants involve management, research, marketing, and customer support/engagement. All of these tasks are crucial in operating a thriving business, however, they are very time intensive. Business owners bogged down by busy work or “work about work” can’t focus on their core processes like product and service development, branding, partnerships, etc. Customer service can be especially time-consuming. And while we aren’t saying business owners should be personally involved in building customer relationships, they can’t always be on standby when a customer needs help navigating their website. 

This is why virtual assistants are so valuable. It’s no surprise that they have grown in popularity, especially over the last few years. 

We hope this article has helped inform you about the versatile virtual assistant world. If you weren’t sure before, well, now you have a better understanding of what they do, how to navigate their rates, where to hire them, and how you can effectively integrate them into your team. 

 

Interested in hiring a dropshipping virtual assistant for your online store?

Dropshipping is a fulfillment method where a seller doesn’t hold stock on hand. They instead purchase products from a third party that holds inventory and ships to customers directly. Using the dropshipping method can save you a lot in overhead costs. However, it can be a lot of work. That’s where hiring a dropshipping virtual assistant comes in.

Whether you’re selling on Amazon, Ebay, Shopify, Etsy, or any other eCommerce marketplace, hiring a dropshipping virtual assistant can be one of the best decisions you’ll ever make.

15 Tasks You Can Outsource to a Dropshipping Virtual Assistant

A virtual assistant can help your dropshipping business perform several different tasks:

Dropshipping Preparation

• Product research: A virtual assistant can help you find profitable and trending products to add to your online store.
• Supplier research: They can also help you find reliable and trustworthy suppliers to partner with for your dropshipping business.
• Order processing: Your virtual assistant can process and fulfill customer orders, which includes verifying payment, packaging the product, and shipping it out to the customer.

Dropshipping Management

• Inventory management: They can keep track of your inventory levels and ensure that popular items are always in stock.
• Customer service: A virtual assistant can handle customer inquiries and complaints, respond to emails and messages, and provide support through live chat.
• Social media management: They can help you manage your social media accounts by creating and scheduling posts, responding to comments and messages, and running paid ad campaigns.
• Administrative tasks: Your virtual assistant can handle administrative tasks such as scheduling appointments, answering phone calls, and managing your calendar.
• Product Tracking Management: A dropshipping virtual assistant can keep a close eye on the product journey from order placement all the way to fulfillment.
• Refund and Returns Management: Your dropshipping virtual assistant can handle some post-purchase customer support tasks.

Other Tasks

• Email marketing: Your virtual assistant can help you create and send out email newsletters, promotional offers, and abandoned cart emails to help increase sales.
• Website maintenance: They can help you update your website content, images, and product descriptions, and ensure that your website is running smoothly.
• Data entry: A virtual assistant can help you enter product details and other data into your e-commerce platform, as well as organize and maintain your database.
• Product listing: They can help you create and optimize product listings to improve your search engine rankings and increase sales.
• Keyword research: Your virtual assistant can conduct keyword research to help you optimize your website and product listings for search engines.
• Competitor analysis: They can analyze your competitors’ websites and pricing strategies to help you stay competitive in the market.
• Analytics reporting: A virtual assistant can help you track and analyze your website traffic, sales data, and customer behavior to identify trends and opportunities for growth.
• Graphic design: They can help you create product images, banners, and other graphics to improve the overall look and feel of your website.

What Should You Look For In a Dropshipping VA?

1. Works Well With Others 

You obviously wouldn’t want to work with someone that has a sour attitude towards their work or towards other members of your team. Part of the process of onboarding is making sure that your remote hire is a good fit for your business not only in terms of skill, but also in terms of work culture, values, and attitude. Managing a team of remote workers is challenging, so you want to make sure your VA can communicate, collaborate, and cooperate well with the existing members of your team. 

2. Customer Service Experience

Dropshipping VAs may also interact with customers directly when answering order inquiries and handling issues with payments and returns. They may have to serve as a bridge between the supplier and the customer. As such, you want someone with a pleasing personality. They need to be able to handle all types of customers with a calm, patient, and helpful attitude. You may want to confirm the VA you are hiring has some experience in the area of customer support. 

3. Flexibility and a Wide Range of Skills

As we’ve discussed, there are a variety of tasks that can be delegated to a dropshipping virtual assistant. The main tasks involve product descriptions, product research, inventory management, customer service, data entry, and website management. While we do not recommend over-working your VA, we also recommend you to find someone who is able to handle multiple tasks with proficiency. The mark of a good virtual assistant is their flexibility and adaptability. They are able to seamlessly flip from one task to another as needed. (E.g. When a customer has an urgent issue that needs resolving quickly.) 

How Much Will Hiring a Dropshipping VA Cost?

Several factors affect the cost of hiring and maintaining a dropshipping virtual assistant. 

• The scope of the work 
• The type of tasks
• The length of the project
• The level of experience/skill/specialization 
• The country they live in 
• Their individual rate 

The amount you would pay a VA for basic tasks will be very different from what you would pay for tasks requiring specialized knowledge. For instance, data entry is a basic-level task that costs around $4-$6 per hour. On the other hand, if you are hiring a content manager to help you keep your website updated, it can cost you between $8-$12. This can go all the way up to $20 if you need someone with a background in SEO. 

If you want someone who is proficient in most tasks related to dropshipping specifically, it can run you up to $50/hour. 

Note: Some VAs will prefer per-hour rates while others calculate their rates on a per-project basis. Keep this in mind when hiring. 

Access to a global talent pool also means access to differing rates. Hiring from a country with a lower cost of living might mean more affordable rates than outsourcing locally. 

While there are quite a few variables to consider regarding outsourced VA rates, one thing is certain. They are far more cost-effective than hiring in-house, full-time workers. With VAs you don’t have to consider worker benefits, overhead costs, or taxes. 

Where Can You Find Reliable Virtual Assistants Online?

Freelance virtual assistants are everywhere online. However, security and quality can sometimes make people hesitant. 

This is why we recommend going for verified freelance marketing and business platforms. These places make it easy for employers to find the specific talent they are looking for while also connecting skilled individuals to businesses that need them. 

Not only do these places typically vet their freelancers before allowing them to post their services on their site, but they also have social proof systems in place. These systems include freelance ratings, rankings, and reviews that you can look at to inform your hiring decisions. You can also view their profiles and see their education level, and certifications. Check their work history and see how much experience they have working with other companies in your industry. 

The freelance marketplaces we recommend are:

• FreeUp
• Upwork
• OnlineJobs.ph
• Fiverr, Fiverr Business and Fiverr Pro

Tips to Onboard & Manage Virtual Assistants

The importance of onboarding cannot be stressed enough. Onboarding helps get your dropshipping virtual assistant set up with tools and resources for the job. Not only that, but this process is where you can iron out all the essential details before the working relationship starts. 

When you are conducting remote onboarding and management, make sure you:

1. Build rapport and make them feel comfortable. 
2. Get them acquainted with your business, goals, values, and culture.
3. Set expectations
4. Provide a rundown of the tasks they will be performing. 
5. Negotiate rate and work schedule.
6. Provide the set of tools they will be working with (especially the communication channels they will be using) as soon as possible. 
7. Introduce them to team members, especially those they will be working closely with. 
8. Set deadlines and milestones
9. Set meeting schedules. 
10. Open the floor to any questions or concerns they may have.
11. Orient them on SOPs (if you have any). 

What Is Outsource School?

Outsource School helps you to unlock the potential of virtual assistants and accelerate your business growth.

This is the exact system Outsource School’s founders, Nathan Hirsch and Connor Gillivan, used to go from zero to 8 figures and 40+ virtual assistants with an exit in 2019.

Since being founded in 2020, Outsource School has helped 1,000+ business owners hire 2,000+ virtual assistants for their companies.

Schedule a free sales call to learn more

Free resources you might like: 

• Outsource School Case Study: How We Scaled to 45+ VAs and 8 Figures in Revenue
• Free VA Calculator | See How Many VAs You Can Afford
• Free Training on 5 Keys to Working With VAs
• Learn Outsourcing 101 | Guides, Downloads, and Checklists

Conclusion

A dropshipping virtual assistant can help you take full advantage of your dropshipping method. If you don’t do dropshipping yet, but are considering it, we hope this all-in-one guide will help you get started the right way. Keep focused on improving your core business offers and let your VA handle the other tasks for you. 

 

Thinking of hiring an Asana virtual assistant? 

You’ve come to the right place!

Asana is one of the best product and project management solutions out there. It offers businesses the ability to manage and organize work in one place. The founders of Asana wanted to build a platform to make work easier. They wanted businesses to not have to spend so much time doing tasks leading up to the real work needing to be done. So, they created Asana, a platform where you can coordinate with your team more easily. It also helps you get started on tasks quickly, increase productivity, reach deadlines faster, and improve overall worker satisfaction. 

With Asana you have access to a myriad of useful collaboration tools. 

• Communication tools – Talk with your team within the platform. View messages and tasks via your inbox. Create new tasks from comments made by team members. 
• Reporting tools – Send updates, set reminders, and create milestones to keep projects on track and team members on the same page.
• Various Ways to View Tasks – Asana offers flexible formats to display and share tasks including files, grid formats, to-do-lists, calendars with deadlines, bulletin-style, and your inbox to view all conversations. 

As you can see, Asana’s solutions can greatly benefit you and your business. However, not everyone has the time to learn the software and manage all of these tasks themselves. That’s where an Asana virtual assistant comes in! 

17 Ways an Asana Virtual Assistant Can Help You

The list is really endless, but here’s 17 to start with:

1. Creating new projects and tasks in Asana
2. Assigning tasks to team members
3. Setting due dates for tasks
4. Creating and managing task dependencies
5. Sending notifications and reminders to team members
6. Updating task status and progress
7. Adding comments and attachments to tasks
8. Creating project timelines and Gantt charts
9. Conducting team meetings and discussions within Asana
10. Creating and managing task templates
11. Creating custom fields to track specific data points
12. Tracking time spent on tasks and projects
13. Integrating Asana with other tools and apps
14. Generating reports and insights on team performance
15. Managing team workload and capacity
16. Providing training and support to team members on Asana
17. Implementing best practices for using Asana effectively within your organization

How Much Does A Virtual Assistant Cost?

The draw of outsourcing tasks to a virtual assistant is cost-effectiveness. Whichever way you slice it, VAs will save you money compared to hiring full-time, in-house workers. With VAs, you don’t need to worry about worker benefits, employment taxes, or overhead costs. 

Moreso, there are a few things you should know about VAs that will help you get the best bang for your buck. 

Virtual assistant is a flexible term given to people who can handle a variety of different tasks. This stretches over different industries and at different levels. As such, the price of hiring and maintaining a virtual assistant is dependent on multiple criteria. 

Tasks Performed

For an Asana virtual assistant, part of their job includes data entry, managing calendars, scheduling meetings, and other tasks related to project and team management. 

Payment Plans

Freelance virtual assistants will choose between a per-hour or a per-project payment option. The price will vary depending on which plan they prefer. 

Length of Project

Regardless of payment option, the amount of time you plan to maintain your VA will affect how much you need to pay.

Level of Experience and Expertise Needed

There are typically three tiers of tasks that virtual assistant can perform. They are: basic-level, expert-level, and specialist-level. Basic-level tasks can be performed by practically any type of virtual assistant. Expert-level requires a higher level of experience and skill within a particular industry. They are also usually hired to be strategists, planners, and consultants. Specialists are freelancers who have trained and maintained their skills in a particular field or with particular tools and software. The difficulty of mastering the software or tool may also affect how much they will charge for their services. 

Asana virtual assistants will most likely fall into the specialist-level category. They would need to have trained and mastered managing tasks and teams using the work management platform. 

A specialized virtual assistant will always put a lot of resources into mastering a particular software. They invest a lot into familiarizing themselves with a specific platform. So, expect to pay more for someone proficient in Asana than you would a general virtual assistant. 

Individual Rate

Individual rates shouldn’t normally be vastly different from one another. However, it’s a good idea to familiarize yourself with the general rate for the position you are hiring for. This way, you deal with your candidates fairly. 

A VAs individual rate will vary depending on the country you are hiring from. Keep in mind that VAs living in countries with a higher cost of living might have higher rates. 

Where Can You Find an Asana Virtual Assistant?

Freelance Marketplaces 

When hiring virtual assistants, we recommend canvassing within reliable freelance marketplaces. These marketplaces guarantee a level of vetting, quality control and security that you may not find if say you went the route of social media advertising. 

Another benefit to freelance marketplaces is access to worker profiles. Here you can view their work history, years of experience, education and certification, and even rate. 

Additionally, the existence of rating and review systems make it much easier for employers to decide. These allow employers to view verified critique given to VAs evaluating the work they have already performed for other businesses. This means you won’t be rolling the dice on someone’s claims of experience and education level. 

These marketplaces include FreeUp, Upwork, Fiverr and its variations (Fiverr Business and Fiverr Pro) and OnlineJobs.ph. 

Byron

However, since an Asana virtual assistant is a specialized type of VA, you may have a difficult time finding one in the general freelance marketplaces. That’s why we also recommend Byron. 

Byron is a platform comprised of a team of vetted US-based Asana virtual assistants. Whether small or large business, Byron can help boost productivity and handle admin and collaboration using the Asana platform. Get the support your team needs without having to m commit to hiring full-time assistants. 

Final Tips On Hiring & Managing an Asana VA

Onboard Effectively 

If we’ve said it once, we will say it again. Onboarding is crucial to the success of a partnership and essential in preventing a bad hire. This is especially true with remote teams who do not see in other in the office every day.  

From familiarizing them with the “what” and “why” of your business to clarifying the scope of the work, onboarding will make sure your hire knows about your business beyond the job description. Set clear expectations for deadlines, scheduled meetings, payout schedules, and more. 

Set Up Clear Communication Channels 

While Asana has built-in communication and collaboration tools, they do have limitations. Make sure that the tools you use for remote meetings are shared with your Asana virtual assistant. These tools will be used for updates and making sure your VA is adjusting and working well with your team. 

Listen to Your VA

Remember the reason you hired an Asana virtual assistant in the first place. They know the software inside and out. They have likely worked with other companies using this platform and have developed efficient processes and methods. Be sure to listen to any suggestions they may have. Even if you are also an expert in Asana and just needed the extra help, it still benefits you to keep an open mind. At the end of the day, the final  say rests with you, but at least they would see you as an employer who takes recommendations into careful consideration.

What Is Outsource School?

Outsource School helps you to unlock the potential of virtual assistants and accelerate your business growth.

This is the exact system Outsource School’s founders, Nathan Hirsch and Connor Gillivan, used to go from zero to 8 figures and 40+ virtual assistants with an exit in 2019.

Since being founded in 2020, Outsource School has helped 1,000+ business owners hire 2,000+ virtual assistants for their companies.

Schedule a free sales call to learn more

Free resources you might like: 

• Outsource School Case Study: How We Scaled to 45+ VAs and 8 Figures in Revenue
• Free VA Calculator | See How Many VAs You Can Afford
• Free Training on 5 Keys to Working With VAs
• Learn Outsourcing 101 | Guides, Downloads, and Checklists

Conclusion

Project management is no simple undertaking. You not only have to allocate tasks, but you also need to make sure members are collaborating with each other. You need to keep people communicating and providing consistent updates so that things run smoothly and deadlines are met on time. 

An Asana virtual assistant can take that stress off your plate and ensure all your projects, and your business at large, are on the track to success. 

Are you ready to outsource appointment setting? We applaud you! We know many businesses that have benefited greatly from the decision to outsource appointment setting. This is just one of those tasks that takes up so much time and can therefore cost a whole bunch if you try to maintain it in-house.

1.  Upwork

Upwork does not demand any fees upfront to join the platform. If you want to use the system, you simply need to register. As soon as you are logged in, you can browse the available professionals on the platform and explore all the projects that they have done in the past. If you like, you can book a consultation before you decide to trust them.

When you’re ready to go, you can easily post a job – whatever project or task you are hiring for. Once that post is live, freelancers will be able to see it and apply for it. Then you can go through all the applications and see who best fits your requirements. Once you choose the person you want for the job, you can hire them. 

If you don’t want to go through the trouble of posting a job, Upwork can do the search for top talent on your behalf. You can still work with the best talent available without having to spend too much.

Many businesses choose Upwork because the low transaction rate makes this option affordable. Upwork also has been around for many years, so they have proof of quality. You can check any freelancer’s work samples and client reviews. Upwork also provides freelancer identity verification for added security.

You pay nothing until you hire someone. You can interview potential fits for the task you need done, go through rate negotiations, then pay only for the work that you approve. Upwork also protects your data and privacy, and provides round-the-clock support whenever you need it.

The average hourly rate you can expect to pay when you outsource appointment setting on Upwork ranges from $10-60. This depends on where they are located, their experience level, and skills, among other factors.

2. Onlinejobs PH

Onlinejobs PH is “The Job Board for Virtual Workers in the Philippines.” You can hire people exclusively from the Philippines on this platform. Start by either posting a job or doing a search through the available freelancers who are signed up to work through this system. Either way, you can find great talent for whatever tasks you need done.

When you proactively look for people who have the skills you need, you can catch the best talent before someone else snatches them up. Staying on the ball helps you to get a feel for what kind of talent is available. This helps you make the best decision when you’re ready to make the hire. 

When you post a job, you can focus on the specific details that you want to attract people to. This is also the time-saving option because you get the talented people to come to you rather than you spending hours looking for them. As long as you have a clear job post, you should be able to attract the perfect fits. 

Once you find a stand-out applicant, you can easily communicate with them through email and set up an interview. It works just like you were hiring in person, except you might need to learn how to do a virtual handshake! You can do everything online from meeting them to negotiating pay, setting work hours, and making sure that you are both crystal clear on your expectations.

One amazing thing about Onlinejobs PH is that you don’t even have to continue your subscription with them after you’ve made the hire. If you like, you can stick around to use Timeproof to manage your hire’s work hours and help you handle billing via EasyPay. You don’t need to worry about taxes, either.

The average rate for appointment setters on Onlinejobs PH ranges from $2-11 per hour. This depends on where they are located, their experience level, and skills, among other factors.

3. FreeUp

FreeUp has always promised “Access To The Top 1% Of Online Talent.” The FreeUp system was built on the system of internal recruitment, including pre-vetting and interviewing thousands of freelancers each week. FreeUp is one of the only freelance  marketplaces around that checks up on applicants’ skills, communication efficiency, and attitude before they are even allowed to join the platform. Of those interviewed, they allow entry to only the top 1%. This means that businesses looking to hire through FreeUp have special access to the best right off the bat.

Another key aspect of hiring through FreeUp is that you can get started within days. You don’t have to wait weeks or months to find a great fit. The system works to pair your job post with qualified freelancers on the platform who have shown aptitude and performance in the key areas that you indicated. You will get your desired number of applicants for the task or project within 24 hours. Then, you can communicate with them through the internal chat system, or through email. 

FreeUp provides concierge-level support by phone, email, and live chat, even though it’s completely free to use. There are no subscription fees, just the rate add-on that you pay only once you have hired someone. You can speak to an account manager for free if you need guidance on who to hire or what to hire for. The team can also help you get started with using the system so you can start working with a freelancer faster than ever before.

Billing is super easy on this platform. Everything, actually, is all in one place. You never have to leave the website, so you can stay safe, too. The billing system at FreeUp is crafted to make sure that everyone is on the same page with billed hours before things get crazy. They also offer a “No Turnover Guarantee,” which means that if a hire quits, FreeUp will not only work to replace them as soon as possible, but also pay for the applicable costs for the replacement.

The average hourly rate to outsource appointment setting through this marketplace ranges from $5-30 per hour. You can, however, hire more expert-level freelancers if you need more. The range depends on where the freelancers are located, their experience level, and skills, among other factors.

When you hire at lower rates, expect to work with entry-level freelancers who are good at working with businesses that already have systems and processes in place. Going a bit hire gets you more experienced freelancers who are specialized in their fields and can take over without a lot of guidance and even create systems and processes for you.

4. PeoplePerHour

Outsourcing through platforms like this one is great because you can get work done so easily. You can jump on, type in a few details, and find a few freelancer matches within minutes! PeoplePerHour offers dedicated customer service, too, with team members working around the clock.

What we love about PeoplePerHour is their money back guarantee and anti-fraud protection. You can feel safe working with this marketplace because if it doesn’t work for you, you haven’t lost at all. If it does work, you can keep going safe in the knowledge that you’re covered.

PeoplePerHour boasts about 3 million rated freelancers. This means that they have been reviewed by previous clients. These freelancers offer 8,766 skills combined. Of course, one of the top sellers is appointment setting!

The average rate for appointment setters here ranges from $10-60 per hour. This depends on where they are located, their experience level, and skills, among other factors. If you prefer to outsource appointment setting per call or booking, you can find freelancers who offer packages in 10s, 25s, etc.

5. Fiverr

Freelance talent is indeed at your fingertips when you can pay $5 here and there to get small jobs done. But Fiverr has grown a lot since those days, and you can find rate ranges and skills and project lengths to fit almost any business need. What they promise regardless of your budget, is high-quality services. They are also proud of their reputation for helping you get hiring done quickly, and being home to freelancers who get work done quickly.

Fiverr offers protected payments, every time. You will always know what you’re paying, And you only pay when you give the work your stamp of approval. You also get round-the-clock support to answer any questions you might have about the platform, the people you work with, billing, etc.

If you like Fiverr and want more, they also have the Fiverr Business option that’s created to serve teams. When you make this upgrade, you get a curated experience that offers you additional tools and benefits. One of these amazing perks is working with a customer success manager who matches you with the best talent for your project.

You won’t see hourly rates on Fiverr, just project-based pricing. The average package for appointment setters ranges from $20-175, and some go even higher. This depends on where they are located, their experience level, and skills, the scope and co,plexity of the project, among other factors. 

6. Hubstaff

Hubstaff is free. They don’t charge any fees or markups, and they don’t use any middlemen. This is an amazing selling point! On this platform, you can look over top agencies and freelancers, then get in touch with them directly. You don’t have to use Hubstaff tools, either. 

The average rate to outsource appointment setting on Hubstaff ranges from $3-30 per hour. This depends on where they are located, their experience level, and skills, among other factors. You will notice that the rates are much lower, but keep in mind that you are managing hires completely on your own. 

7. Freelancer.com

This website is known for housing the best freelancers online. It has a long track record for quality and is now the world’s largest freelance marketplace, with a talent pool of over 60 million. You can start without paying a lot since they offer free quotes and you pay only when you’re completely satisfied with the work you hired for.

To begin, you just post a job title, description, and budget. Then you wait for freelancers to bid. Most often you’ll get some within minutes. Then you can look at their previous work and reviews, and choose the best fit. Once you set milestones for the job, you can get started then pay as expectations are met. 

Freelancer.com also has recruiters who can help you hire the best fit, and managers if you need help handling your projects.

The average rate for appointment setters on Freelancer.com ranges from $5-75 per hour. This depends on where they are located, their experience level, and skills, among other factors like project scope and lead quality.

Conclusion

There’s no time like today to outsource appointment setting! Like we said at the beginning, appointment setting takes a lot of time, which can eat up a lot of resources if you try to manage it in-house. Outsourcing is an amazing solution for jobs like this, which can also be on and off. Paying someone 40 hours a week for work that may be seasonal or have different peaks throughout the week just doesn’t make sense.