What is a Virtual Assistant anyway?!

Is there a part of you that is wondering what on earth a Virtual Assistant is?

Maybe you’ve seen people advertise themselves as VA and wondered what a VA even does? Perhaps you’ve shared with other business owners that you think you need help but can’t take on a member of staff and they’ve suggested you need a VA and you’re not sure what you’d gain or why you’d do it?

Let’s take a quick look at what a Virtual Assistant is in general terms and a little look at what AncoraVA do as a Virtual Assistant: 

What is a Virtual Assistant? 

The simplest definition is a Virtual Assistant is usually self employed and provides professional services which can include administrative support, technical support or creative support usually for smaller businesses. 

I’ve been working as a Virtual Assistant since June 2020 and as I’ve got to know other virtual assistants I can start by telling you that every virtual assistant will be slightly different. We all have our strengths and we all have things that we would not do, much like you as a business owner have things you’re really good at and things you put off till it REALLY needs doing. 

How can having a Virtual Assistant benefit your small business?

If you’re considering a Virtual Assistant then chances are your business is at a point where you are considering needing extra help in your business. Congratulations as that can feel like a huge milestone but also sometimes a bit daunting. 

Employing a member of staff can be an expensive and time consuming process and that is where a Virtual Assistant can be a great option for your small business. As a virtual assistant is self employed they are responsible for their own insurances, taxes, holiday pay and will often have their own contracts so there are less legal barriers. The Virtual Assistant provides their own equipment and doesn’t need an office space either. 

It can be easy to consider the negatives of bringing onboard someone to work alongside you, especially when considering the time it will take to brief them on how you do things. An easy mindset is to think you could have done the task in the time it’s taken you to show someone else what you can do and so bringing onboard a Virtual Assistant needs to be viewed with a longer term view. 

One of the processes I have set with AncoraVA is a form that I will share with you when we agree to work together which will help you to think through some of the things you are handing over to me and put down in writing helping with that transfer of knowledge from you to me. 

What services can a Virtual Assistant provide? 

As mentioned above all Virtual Assistants will offer services depending on their strengths. They will be administrative, technical and/or creative skills. 

Here at Ancora VA I can do a whole range of services including email inbox management, diary management, community management for online communities, content creation for social media, email customer services, product descriptions for physical products and services provided, brand development, project guidance and lots more. I work with both product and service based businesses so chances are there’s something I can do to help you. 

Having run my own business since 2017, and being self employed as a Virtual Assistant since June 2020, I can understand the excitement of hitting the point of needing support but also that uncertainty as you trust someone else to work inside something that you have spent time creating and building. If you are feeling the pull to bring someone else onboard in your business chances are it’s because you either are struggling with the time to do it all or you want to grow more and need more time to build or create more and this is where I can massively come and help. 

With me as a Virtual Assistant you will also gain your own personal cheerleader. I love to come alongside business owners to help their businesses to grow but I also believe it is important to help the business owner to thrive. 

What is a Virtual Assistant anyway? 

A good Virtual Assistant is some who can come and work alongside you to support you and your business to grow and thrive taking on tasks like customer services or product description leaving you more time to grow your business and create more products or services. 

If you’d like to find out more about working with me you can email sarah@ancorava.com or click on the 'Get in touch’ link.