What is a VA and why do I need one?

A Virtual Assistant (VA) (or sometimes called a digital assistant) is someone who provides online support to entrepreneurs. They provide all sorts of services from simple administrative work, managing emails and agendas, organizing meetings and events to setting up and managing newsletters and content for social media and websites.

There a various types of VA’s which can roughly be divided into:

• Technicians (coding, tech support, maintenance, solving technical issues, research, analytics)
• Wordsmiths (copy writers, email marketing, social media)
• Social Butterflies (FB group support, customer support, social media post creation, email marketing, face of your business)
• Behind the scenes admins(automations and systems, spreadsheet, Google Docs, Dropbox, schedule systems)
• Designers (make everything beautiful, on Brand, Canva, Pinterest, sees if things look good)

However, there are many hybrid VA’s who have their own special box of tricks.

The benefits of hiring a Virtual Assistant

The benefits of hiring a Virtual Assistant for small business entrepreneurs can be many:

Cost-effectiveness

Hiring a virtual assistant can be more affordable than hiring an in-house employee, as it eliminates the need for office space, equipment, and benefits. Plus you can earn more money by only doing the higher paying tasks your work requires you to do. Clients get the benefit of paying for productive time only! You don’t have to pay for an employee, but you get all the benefits of a professional with experience and expertise.

Time-saving

Delegating tasks to a virtual assistant frees up time for business owners to focus on other important aspects of their business, such as generating new leads and building relationships with clients.Different time zone often means tasks are finished while you sleep!

Flexibility

Virtual assistants can work from anywhere, at any time, which allows for greater flexibility in meeting the needs of a business. They can also be hired on a part-time or full-time basis, depending on the business’s needs. VA’s don’t just do one job, but a whole range of jobs. This gives them insights into various aspects of your business. That way, they can be a great source for feedback and spotting things you might have missed, so you can keep on improving your business.

Focus

A good VA is a figure-outer and problem solver. They know how to find things, learn new skills quickly and how to motivate themselves. This way, you can focus on plotting the broad outlines of your company and the tasks you are good at. This can lead to increased productivity and ultimately, a more successful business. Plus: you will have more time left to spend with your family or on achieving your other goals in life.

Who doesn’t want to save time & money?

Can you imagine the value of having a figure-outer VA on your team? If you even just get 10 hours with a person like that, it can be life changing. Hiring one will not only leave you less stressed, more prepared for the tasks of your core business and generally more confident, but it will also save you time & money. 

Hiring a VA is an affordable service from someone who you can connect with and who is invested in making your business better. They provide the support that business owners need to succeed, without the added stress of doing it all themselves.

Synonyms and related terms for Multipotentialite are: Polymath, Renaissance Person, Scanner (coined by the late Barbara Sher), Generalist, Multi-hyphenate & Multi-passionate.

Although Multipotentialite is a modern term, popularized by Emilie Wapnick in her 2015 TED talk, Why Some of Us Don’t Have One True Calling, the idea of someone with many passions is not new. Overall, Multipotentiality has been a characteristic of many successful and creative people throughout history.

Multipotentialites bring an interesting set of skills to the table:

1) Multipotentialites have the ability to explore a variety of interests and acquire a wide range of skills.
They are rapid and lifelong learners and their infinitely curious nature allows them to quickly pick up new skills and ideas.

2) They are creative and resourceful, finding unique ways to bring different skills together to solve problems. They are masters at contextual thinking and often come up with novel ways and innovative solutions.

3) Multipotentialites have a diverse perspective that can bring a fresh and exciting outlook to any project.
Because they are not fixed into any particular way of thinking, many Multipotentialites enjoy using their creative minds to explore various angles.

4) They often have an inspiring enthusiasm and passion for learning that can motivate and inspire others. They often empathize with a broader set of people and cultures and are often open-minded and inclusive people.

5) They are able to easily adapt and evolve, which makes them highly valuable in today’s rapidly changing world and fit well into leadership roles.

In the current economy, creativity and the rise of the Creative class are linked to divergent thinking and innovative solutions to current problems. Because new ideas can be found in the intersection of multiple fields, they would benefit from the advantages of Multipotentialites.