What Is A Virtual Assistant?

A virtual assistant (VA) is any form of remote help that you contract to hand off your workload. They can operate anywhere in the world, have multiple clients, and can be hired to take on a variety of your day-to-day tasks.

A virtual assistant is a common “first hire” for many entrepreneurs, especially amongst online businesses, who don’t have the budget for a full-time employee or the time to continue doing everything themselves.

The difference between a VA and a freelancer or a traditional employee is that VAs are resourceful generalists (sometimes competent in areas like marketing communications or design) who perform tasks or routines rather than owning an entire function of your business.

And while they aren’t permanent employees, they offer an affordable way to get ongoing help running your business without any of the additional expenses of hiring a full-time person (plus their services as a contractor are often tax deductible).

Giving up control can be hard for entrepreneurs, and so taking on a VA is the perfect way to practice the soft skills of managing, delegating, and hiring on a smaller scale—all of which are essential to being a good leader.

How to Hire a Virtual Assistant?