The same principle can be applied to building a sustainable and flourishing business. If you’re a small business owner, then you know there are not enough hours in the day. Your business requires attention to so many details.

By the time you reply to emails, do some paperwork, and put out all the little fires that have started, your long workday is almost over. 

If you find yourself drowning in the day to day tasks of operating your business, missing valuable time with family and often wanting to throw your laptop out the window then it’s time to start searching for a Virtual Assistant (VA) ASAP.

By hiring a virtual assistant to work on repetitive daily tasks, you will have more time in your day to focus on your business and those things you do so well for your clients.

Some VA’s specialize in particular activities such as blog management, or podcast management or social media management. While others, provide a variety of services.

To help you get started, here are 10 ideas for tasks you can start delegating to a Virtual Assistant:

1. Calendar and Meeting Management

Setup appointments with leads, clients and vendors. Schedule or send out appointment reminders. Schedule special events on your calendar. Book flights and hotel reservations. Keep you accountable and on schedule for important meetings. Create itineraries.

2. Email and Communications Handling

Inbox clean up. Setup of email templates. Setup out of office replies. Setup inbox filter automations. Respond to customer inquiries.

3. Research

Data mining. Background information. Market research. Content sourcing. SEO & Keyword research. Service Providers. Travel arrangements. Trends. Influencers.

4. General Admin Tasks

Organize files and folders. Order office supplies. Create business related reports. Manage word and excel documents. Transcribe videos and voice notes. Updating CRM records when a client starts with you, or when key contacts change.

5. Data Entry and Analysis

Collect, sort and input data into whatever software you need. Digitize documents. Prepare product catalogs. Pulling reports from Google Analytics, Facebook or even your accounting software.

6. Project Management

Organize and track requirements, project progress and deadlines. Schedule preparation. Communicate project plans and requirements to the entire team. Defines project tasks and resource requirements. Set up action plans. Ensure that all team members are properly tracking time and fully documenting progress…

7. Social Media Management

Create a social media plan. Create & schedule posts to social media. Upload videos to YouTube. Manage and moderate Facebook groups. Update company information on social media platforms. Review, respond and or remove social media comments. Manage and moderate forums.

8. Customer Service

Create a document of FAQ’s. Respond to customer inquiries. Take care of payments & refunds. Perform lead follow-up. Request (and respond to) online reviews. Updating your CRM after meetings and phone conversations.

9. Financial Tasks

Create invoices. Chase unpaid invoices. Organize payment to suppliers. Record keeping and expense tracking. Bookkeeping. Help with cash flow management and budgeting.

10. Blog Management

Create content for your blog. Source blog images. Proofread blog posts. Schedule posts to blog. Setup blog tags and categories. Monitor your blog’s analytics. Moderate comments.

Now It’s YOUR Turn

For five minutes… come up with as many ideas as you can… what could YOU delegate to a virtual assistant?