As a successful mentor for virtual assistants (VA) and a VA herself, Gina Horkey reveals how hiring a virtual assistant can help you leverage your time and focus on the things in your business that you should be doing.

Learn how to find the right VA, how to delegate effectively, and work together for the long term. So you can get more done.

Listen now:

Listen on iTunes Listen on Stitcher

Podcast RSS Feed | Download MP3

Gina shares with us:

• What a Virtual Assistant Can Do for Your Business: Essentially, a VA can do anything for your business that can be done virtually or remotely, such as managing emails, managing client relationships, editing or writing pieces, or managing marketing campaigns. Gina suggests sitting down with a pad of paper for a week and making a list of tasks that you dread doing or procrastinate on, tasks that would be perfect to delegate.

• When to Hire a Virtual Assistant: Before you absolutely need one. Create a trial period of about two weeks where a potential VA can work on a low pressure, low risk, small task and you can test out how well you work together. This gives you time to make a good decision for both you and the VA.

• What to Look for in a Good VA: Number 1 is initiative. A good VA will spot weaknesses in your business and embrace opportunities to do things more efficiently. A good VA will always be learning about your business and your clients to help increase your return on investment.

• Where to Find a Good VA: Gina suggests first searching for people within your community who already know about your business and you know that you can work well with. Gina also offers a service that matches businesses with people from her community, who have taken her courses and she has personally vetted, based on your needs and what you are looking for.

• Make the Most Out of Hiring a VA: No matter how great VAs are, they still can't read your mind. Gina reveals how you can clearly explain what you want a VA to do, via screen casts, documenting processes, and making yourself available for questions. Part of a getting the most out of hiring a VA also consists of creating and maintaining a good working relationship with clear communication and good management, which means being available and proactive on your part.

Resources Mentioned:

• “The Top Three Reasons You Need a Virtual Assistant” by Gina Horkey, text “GetaVA” to 334444 to receive the PDF
• Hotjar: Survey management system
• Drip: Email system
• Trello: Project management system
• Basecamp: Project management solutions
• Google Drive: File sharing system
• Dave Ramsey's podcast on using the four quadrant model to focus and manage your days

Find Gina Online:

• horkeyhandbook.com
• Twitter: @horkeyhandbook