People often ask me how I get so much done and have so many things going on all the time, in addition to being a mom, wife, Labrador owner, etc. I answer that question with one word, “delegation!”  I hired an assistant last year and that’s when my business really started to take off.  At the time, I could barely afford an assistant, I was basically working to pay her, but that changed in a matter of a few months.

By having an assistant, I could transfer a lot of my workload and move my business forward much faster.   I was able to get more projects completed, implement follow up systems, and get more of my personal errands completed which alleviated a lot of stress.   By transferring responsibilities and demands of my time, from filling out school paperwork for my kids, buying and wrapping birthday party gifts, doing simple internet marketing tasks, etc., I had a lot more time to meet with networking partners, develop information products, and work on my marketing plan.

I usually recommend to my clients that they start by hiring someone just 5 hours a week.  Virtual assistants work from their home and can handle a lot of your marketing tasks such as following up with clients, copywriting, website taks, etc.   How much would your business move forward by devoting an extra 20 hours a month?  Those projects you have had on the back burner could move to the front burner in a hurry!

By outsourcing you are essentially delegating your stress!  Hiring employees is necessary for any successful business to grow.  A tool you can use when your employees work from home is oDesk.com.   This site takes random screenshots of your contractor’s computer screen so you can monitor the work being completed, and also ensure they aren’t spending time on their own Facebook page rather than posting events to your business page.

Your virutal assistant won’t be able to walk your dog, but they can reduce your to-do list so you can destress and walk your own dog.  Happy hiring!

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