On Friday, I attended a meeting of the Bay Area Consultants Network, (http://www.bacnetwork.com). Our featured presenter, Katie Gutierrez, owner of Assistant Match, (http://www.assistantmatch.com/), explained how consultants use virtual assistants to increase profits and productivity. The audience was highly engaged as evidenced by the lively exchange of questions and answers. Katie was able to dispel many common misconceptions about working with a virtual assistant. She inspired many of the sixty plus attendees to evaluate how we might be losing money by not hiring a virtual assistant. Working with a VA (Virtual Assistant), we could also get more time and balance in our lives as well.
Delegating aspects of our business that can be handled more effectively, more quickly and with less angst is quite an appealing possibility. Katie gave specific examples of how her clients have double and sometimes tripled their income by strategically handing off administrative responsibilities so they could focus on what only they can do. She likened using a VA to getting back a full two hours per day. If you multiply your billable rate (i.e. $100 per hour) by those two hours per day ($200), it is easy to see the cost benefit of using a trained expert who is billing you about $35 per hour. $200 per day times 5 workdays per week = $1000 per week less $350 paid to a VA, and you have $650 in your pocket. In a year you could earn $32,500 more than you would without paying a VA to assist you just two hours a day! You get more done and still make a profit. Better yet, you get to focus on what you love.
Katie’s own VA lives in Michigan, while Katie is in California. She answers phones, checks and routes email and many other tasks that free Katie up to work on her business. Some clients’ work with a VA on a single project, some utilize their services on a regular basis. Working with a VA you have the flexibility to adjust the number of hours as your needs change.
Using an employment service like Assistant Match reduces the risk involved in finding the right match for your needs. A quality employment service screens their employees, doing background checks and thoroughly interviewing candidates, categorizes their talents and abilities so you can find the right person for the right job.
I have a background in human resources, (a Masters of Organization and Human Resource Development plus holding the position of Director of Human Resources for Watermark and later Sutter Home Winery). I know how critical it is to match people and jobs. Working with an agency makes sense since the agency has a far greater pool of talent than I could access on my own. I utilized the services of an employment agency to help me fill the on-call and seasonal warehouse jobs while at Sutter Home. This saved the company time, money and aggravation and I ensured the jobs were filled with qualified people. Sometimes, the person we think is a good fit isn’t. The job still needs to be done. When you work with an agency, they can find a replacement for you from their other qualified candidates and minimize your down time.
What could you do with two more hours every day? Better yet, what could you do with the added income you can generate when you have two more billable hours every day?
Visit the BACN website for a summary of this meeting and for additional resources for independent professionals.
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