If you are a sole trader and your business is currently growing, you might be investigating the benefits of a virtual assistant to help you with some of the admin tasks. But how do you go about deciding which tasks to hand over and how can you feel comfortable about letting go of full control of everything in your business?

How to delegate work to a VA

Brainstorm all the tasks you routinely do. Over the course of a week, make a list of all the different jobs you need to do to keep your business running. If there are additional tasks that you have not performed that week such as reconciling your bank account or content planning, make sure you add those in as well.

Categorise the tasks. Next, categorise all tasks which COULD be done by someone else using the following tags –like/dislike, quick/long, competent/incompetent, urgent/not urgent, important/not important.

Tasks you could consider delegating:

Task is lengthy and you don’t feel competent (you don’t have time to learn)

Task is easy and/or quick but you dislike it (it makes you miserable)

Task is lengthy and not urgent but you do feel competent (it’s not the best use of your time right now)

The idea is to get specialist help from someone who can fill the gaps in your knowledge or pass over the simple tasks that take you too long or you find boring to give you more time for the tasks only you can do.

Identify the key skills you need. Once you've worked out which tasks you want to delegate you can then identify the best person to help you reap the benefits of a virtual assistant.

Hire the right person. During the hiring process, consider asking your candidates to take a short test to assess their capabilities on the tasks that you plan to delegate to them. There's little point hiring a VA who’s brilliant at social media if what you really need them to do is credit control.

Have clear responsibilities. Implement a clear roles and responsibilities document for your new hire. Be clear about the number of hours you are paying them for and then stick to the agreement. If you have hired your virtual assistant to do a particular set of tasks, and then you start getting involved in those tasks, this will be frustrating for both of you.

Implement a robust communication and feedback process. Ensure that you have a robust mechanism for communicating with your Virtual Assistant. This could be via WhatsApp, Slack or other tools which enable you to keep in contact easily. Make sure that you give your Virtual Assistant clear instructions clear deadlines and don't forget to provide feedback on the service received. Most issues can be resolved by a simple chat if you are finding that things are not working as you expected.

The real benefits of a Virtual Assistant

The benefits of a Virtual Assistant are not just that your most disliked or difficult tasks are getting done, but that you also have somebody to bounce ideas off, to support you after a tough client meeting and to make suggestions for improvements. Having someone in your corner when you are a sole trader can make a big difference to your mental wellbeing and your ability to meet and exceed your customers’ expectations.

For more information on the sorts of tasks I can do for you, check out my blog ‘The What?’

If you need any more convincing of the benefits of a Virtual Assistant, have a look at this article.

I’d love to chat to you about your business and how you could benefit, so why not comment below or drop me a line at