Are you looking to hire a small business virtual assistant?
Well, you’ve come to the right place!
My name is Connor Gillivan. I’m an entrepreneur and small business owner that has hired 100s of virtual assistants for my companies.
I’ve seen the impact that a virtual assistant can have on your business and how it can help free up your time to work on growth, instead of operations and mundane tasks.
In this article, we’ll cover:
- What Is a Small Business Virtual Assistant?
- 30 Tasks a Small Business Virtual Assistant Can Take On
- Where Can You Find a VA For Your Small Business?
- How Much Does a Small Business VA Cost?
By the end of the article, you should have a strong grip on what a small business VA is, what they can do for your business, and how you can go about hiring one.
Let’s dive into it!
What Is a Small Business Virtual Assistant?
So, you’re running a business all on your own, and it’s taking up all of your time, energy, and probably your sanity too.
You’re feeling overwhelmed and struggling to keep up with everything.
That’s where a small business virtual assistant comes in.
Think of a virtual assistant as your own personal superhero who can handle all the tasks you don’t have time for.
They’re a remote worker who can help you with anything from email management to social media to bookkeeping. They’re like a jack-of-all-trades, but for your business.
The beauty of a virtual assistant is that you don’t have to worry about office space or equipment.
They work from their own office, so you don’t need to provide a computer, desk, or anything else.
And you only pay for the hours they work, which can be a real lifesaver for a small business owner like you.
Plus, you get the added bonus of having someone to bounce ideas off of, and someone who can offer a fresh perspective on your business. They’re like a sounding board, but one that can actually do things for you too.
So, to sum it up, a small business virtual assistant is like having a magical unicorn on your team.
They’re there to help with all the stuff you don’t want to deal with, and they do it all from their own office.
They’re a true lifesaver for a busy digital entrepreneur like yourself!
Does that make sense?
Now let’s get more specific and talk about what they can actually help your small business with.
As you look at the 30 tasks below, here’s also a video that shows how an entrepreneur hired virtual assistants and built his business to 7 figures with them:
30 Tasks a Small Business Virtual Assistant Can Take On
As you start to think about how a small business virtual assistant can help you free up your time, consider these 30 tasks:
- Email management: Sorting, responding to, and filtering emails from various email accounts.
- Social media management: Scheduling posts, creating content, monitoring analytics, and responding to comments.
- Customer support: Responding to customer inquiries, complaints, and feedback through email or social media.
- Administrative tasks: Organizing files, scheduling meetings, and managing calendars.
- Data entry: Entering and managing data in spreadsheets, databases, or other systems.
- Bookkeeping: Keeping track of finances, invoicing, and managing expenses.
- Website maintenance: Updating and managing website content, fixing broken links, and managing web hosting.
- Content creation: Writing blog posts, creating infographics, or recording videos.
- Research: Conducting research on various topics, compiling reports, or summarizing findings.
- Online reputation management: Monitoring brand mentions and responding to reviews on third-party sites.
- SEO optimization: Researching keywords and optimizing website content for search engines.
- Graphic design: Creating social media posts, banners, or other marketing materials.
- Video editing: Editing and publishing videos for social media or YouTube.
- Affiliate management: Managing and communicating with affiliate partners.
- Influencer outreach: Reaching out to influencers and managing relationships.
- Newsletter management: Creating and sending newsletters to subscribers.
- Event planning: Organizing and coordinating events, webinars, or online workshops.
- Project management: Managing projects and coordinating tasks among team members.
- Content marketing: Developing and executing content marketing strategies.
- Lead generation: Identifying potential customers and nurturing leads.
- Sales funnel management: Developing and optimizing sales funnels.
- Ad management: Creating and managing online ad campaigns.
- Analytics tracking: Setting up and monitoring website and social media analytics.
- Customer segmentation: Organizing customer lists into segments for more targeted marketing.
- E-commerce management: Managing online store inventory, orders, and shipping.
- Product listing optimization: Optimizing product listings on e-commerce platforms for better search results.
- Virtual event management: Planning and executing virtual events such as webinars, workshops, or online conferences.
- Chatbot creation: Creating and maintaining chatbots for customer support or lead generation.
- Podcast editing: Editing and publishing podcasts for distribution on various platforms.
- Market research: Conducting research on industry trends, competitors, and customer behavior to inform business decisions.
I’ve hired small business VAs for the majority of these tasks throughout my 10 years of being an entrepreneur.
Once you understand the power of VAs and how to find and hire them, you truly unlock a new potential in your business that you didn’t have before.
Hopefully this list just got you excited and ready to go.
Let’s now talk about where you find these amazing small business virtual assistants.
Where Can You Find a VA For Your Small Business?
Here are five popular platforms where you can find and hire a small business virtual assistant online:
- Upwork: Upwork is one of the largest freelance marketplaces online, with a diverse pool of talent available from all over the world. You can post a job listing for a virtual assistant and browse through profiles to find the right person for your business.
- Fiverr: Fiverr is another popular freelance marketplace where you can find virtual assistants for a wide range of tasks. You can browse through profiles and reviews, and hire someone for a set fee per project or per hour.
- Freelancer.com: Freelancer.com is a global marketplace for freelancers and employers, including virtual assistants. You can post a job listing and receive proposals from qualified candidates, or search for freelancers based on their skills and experience.
- Onlinejobs.ph: Onlinejobs.ph is a platform that specializes in connecting business owners with virtual assistants in the Philippines. The site has a large pool of experienced and skilled candidates, and you can hire a virtual assistant for a full-time or part-time position.
- FreeUp: FreeUp is a freelance marketplace that pre-vets thousands of virtual assistants and freelancers each month and only allows the top 1% into the network. You can post a job and get introduced to qualified applicants within 1 day.
In my experience, Upwork, OnlineJobs.ph, and FreeUp are my favorite and offer the best experience for hiring VAs.
When you’re posting a job on each platform, aim for VAs from the Philippines.
With that, let’s talk more about how much you can expect to pay for small business VAs.
How Much Does a Small Business VA Cost?
The cost of hiring a small business virtual assistant can vary depending on several factors such as:
- the country they are based in
- their experience and skills
- the specific tasks you need them to handle.
If you are hiring a virtual assistant from the Philippines, the cost is generally more affordable than hiring from other countries.
Virtual assistants from the Philippines typically charge around $4 to $10 per hour, depending on their experience and skills.
This is because the cost of living in the Philippines is lower than in the United States or other Western countries.
When hiring a virtual assistant from the United States, the cost is usually higher.
The average hourly rate for a virtual assistant in the United States ranges from $20 to $40 per hour, depending on their level of experience and the services they provide.
This is because the cost of living and wages in the United States are generally higher than in other countries.
If you are considering hiring a virtual assistant from other popular countries such as India or Pakistan, the cost is usually in the lower range, similar to the rates for virtual assistants from the Philippines.
The hourly rate for virtual assistants from these countries is typically around $5 to $15 per hour, again depending on their experience and skills.
Of course, it’s important to keep in mind that these are just general estimates and that the rates for virtual assistants can vary widely based on their qualifications, the complexity of the tasks you need them to handle, and the specific terms of your agreement.
It’s always a good idea to do your research and compare rates from several virtual assistant candidates to find the best fit for your business and budget.
It’s also important to keep in mind that virtual assistant rates depend on where you hire them from as well.
If you’re hiring from a marketplace (like the ones listed above), you’ll pay an additional marketplace fee on top of the virtual assistant’s rate.
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
Congratulations! You’ve made it to the end of our article on 30 tasks a small business virtual assistant can take on.
By now, you should have a good idea of the many ways that a virtual assistant can help you grow and manage your online business.
As you’ve seen, a virtual assistant can take on a wide range of tasks, from social media management to email marketing to bookkeeping and beyond.
Hiring a virtual assistant can help you save time, stay organized, and increase your productivity, which are all essential factors for a successful digital business.
But beyond the practical benefits, hiring a virtual assistant can also give you peace of mind and allow you to focus on the aspects of your business that you enjoy the most.
You can feel confident knowing that someone else is handling the day-to-day tasks, while you focus on the big picture and the long-term growth of your business.
So, if you’re feeling overwhelmed and overworked, consider hiring a virtual assistant to help you manage your workload and take your business to the next level.
Whether you need help with customer service, content creation, or administrative tasks, there’s a virtual assistant out there who can help.
Remember, you don’t have to do it all alone.
By outsourcing tasks to a virtual assistant, you can free up your time and energy, allowing you to focus on the things that matter most.
Good luck, and happy virtual assistant hunting!
