“I am a virtual assistant. I provide resources and virtual assistance to entrepreneurs and solopreneurs.”
The response I got was surprising. The normal response is usually curiosity about how I got started doing virtual work, or what type of assistance I provide, or even questions about my background. Sometimes the response centers around my lifestyle, the most popular question is whether I work in my pajamas (I don’t).
But this time, the response was a derisive laugh, almost a snort. No joke!
“Why in the world does a solopreneur need a virtual assistant? They are solo!”
There was no time to explain what a solopreneur does, but that conversation made me realize there are many interpretations, right and wrong, of a solopreneur.
If you do an online search for “What is a solopreneur?” you find this definition: a person who sets up and runs a business on their own. A look at the blog posts and articles both support and question this definition.
- A solopreneur is an entrepreneur who is developing a personal brand.
- A solopreneur has no intention of hiring employees.
- A Solopreneur will never scale to a larger business. They keep business to a manageable size.
- Solopreneurs are solely responsible for their business.
- A solopreneur provides a unique service or product. They are creating a niche for themselves.
- A solopreneur doesn’t rely on business loans or outside funding. Solopreneurs bootstrap their business.
- Solopreneurs are workers which differentiate them from entrepreneurs, who are more networkers, the face of the company.
One characteristic mentioned by most is that solopreneurs know a lot about how to run their business and wear many hats. However, to achieve growth and high-level success solopreneurs will need to outsource some areas of their business.
Let’s face it: we are all bound to the rules of time. We all have 24 hours in a day, 7 days in a week. If you are a solopreneur you know that your income producing activities need to take priority over non-incoming producing tasks. Spending your time on activities that support your business (marketing, social media, blogging, website management, email marketing, bookkeeping) instead of on the activities that produce income is a surefire path to unrealized financial goals, not to mention sleepless nights and stress!
I know many entrepreneurs and solopreneurs who are resistant to delegating tasks. I hear many objections. The most common:
- I don’t want to spend the money on help / I can’t afford it.
- I won’t have control over the project.
- I have always done that myself, I can do it better than anyone else.
All valid points of concern. If you share these concerns, it is time to rethink delegating tasks and projects to virtual assistants.
The more common tasks delegated are:
- Email Marketing: Your weekly newsletter, and autoresponders
- Social Media Marketing: Scheduling your daily posts, monitor interactions, and ads
- Customer Service: Your VA can handle routine questions and issues from your clients
- Website Design and Development: Your webmaster can handle changes and updates
- Writing & Editing: Your blog posts, newsletters, ebooks and training tools.
- Bookkeeping: To prepare monthly financial statements
- Graphics: Branded social media and blog graphics are a breeze when someone else is doing it.
Think about the time you spend each week on any of the above tasks. Let’s say you spend 4 hours a week on handling customer service emails, and 2 hours a week on social media marketing.
If you were to delegate these tasks to a VA, you could spend those 6 hours a week with clients. Let’s assume you pay your VA $20 per hour less than you earn per hour, which is an additional $120 income per week, $480 more income per month and over $6000 more income per year. Plus you have reduced your stress by not handling those tasks yourself. Win / Win!
Whether you consider yourself an entrepreneur or a solopreneur, extra income and less stress is always a good option.
Have questions about delegating? Contact me. I am happy to help.
Learn more about delegating, download this FREE Resource: The BIG Business Breakthrough
