Why You Should Consider Hiring a Virtual Assistant (VA) – and How! [Episode 19]

Welcome to Episode 19 of the E-BusinessOnline Podcast

Host & Speaker:  Fred McKinnon

Topic:   Reasons to Hire a VA

2 Things We Are Asking Every Listener to Consider:

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Why You Should Consider Hiring a Virtual Assistant (VA) – and How!

Hello EBO’ers:

In Episode 19 we’re talking about the VALUE OF YOUR TIME and why you may want to consider hiring a Virtual Assistant (VA).  Chad Rubin, Founder of Skubana software, recently spoke at the Prosper Show in Vegas and made this statement:

How do you win in ecommerce?  Work SMARTER, not HARDER.  Learn to work SMARTER than your COMPETITION.   Not all work is created EQUAL. ”

(Chad Rubin, Skubana)

This is something that I have known to be true for many years.   I recently was forced to really consider the value of my time.   A book that I’m reading, “The Four Disciplines of Execution” was paramount in helping me juggle through the impact of my time, the worth of my time, and how to manage the “whirlwind” of life.

In this podcast I’m encouraging you (and your team) to sit down and write a note of all the tasks that you have to accomplish  – including the ones you WISH you had time for, but don’t.   Some examples from my own, personal list, included:

* screening emails

* doing product research for PL and FBA

* product listing error resolution

* adding or editing images

* social media management

* PPC management

* Google Merchant Center/Shopping management

* editing, optimizing webstores (Shopify, BigCommerce)

* doing FBA and wholesale product research

* restocking FBA inventory

There are so many other things that could come to mind (including posting relevant news about ecommerce to the E-BusinessOnline social media accounts, making show notes, etc.

As yourself this question … or as Chad Rubin said, “take inventory of your hustle”:

* What am I doing that I have NO DESIRE to do?

* What am I doing that I have NO EXPERTISE to do?

* What am I doing that I have NO KNOWLEDGE of?

* (I also like to ask, “what am I doing that is not worthy of the value of my time”.

In other words, if I can pay someone a hourly rate to do something which frees me up to accomplish something at a much higher value, this is where I need to make a change.

SOME PLACES TO HIRE:

There are a number of websites that specialize in helping you find VA’s, including (but not limited to)

* Upwork.Com

* FreeMeUp.Com

* OnlineJobs.Ph

* EasyOutsource.Com

* Various Facebook Groups

THINGS TO KNOW:

* It will take time to build trust

* It’s very important to over-communicate what work you need done