There are two kinds of people in the workforce: people with a very specific set of skills and those who are flexible fast-learners who have the ability to accommodate and accomplish any task you throw at them often referred to as the jack of all trades.
As people venture into the world of remote assistance and virtual employees, the number 1 thing that they ask for is someone that can do anything and everything, an all-in-one virtual assistant. From a business owner's perspective, this is the ideal VA. It makes sense to hire someone incredibly skillful who is able to assist you in all kinds of scenarios, and just for the price of one employee.
Having an all-in-one VA sure is great. In fact, when you find one with such a diverse set of skills who is also committed to your company and its goals, we suggest that you hold on to that employee because they are hard to find. Being good at one thing takes effort and time, but being good at a number of different things is a gift. But at the end of the day, it would still depend on what your business exactly needs.
While it's true that these people exist, sometimes over-utilizing an employee may be a counter-intuitive move that may not lead you to the progress and growth that you hoped for. This leads to a failed impression of virtual assistance - a supposed remarkable way of service with low opportunity costs turned bad.
If doing a number of different things alone felt inefficient and counter-productive, then it only makes sense that a virtual assistant would get burnt out doing the same thing. It might work for a while, but the odds are it won't last long. In those cases, having a virtual team of VAs might be the better option for you.
That said, one isn't necessarily better than the other because each has its own set of pros and cons. On the other hand, choosing one that is better suited for your business is a whole different topic.
And how exactly would your business benefit from them? For starters, it is cost-effective. Hiring a single employee compared to an actual team is much cheaper. Sure their individual rates might be relatively higher, but it will still be a lot cheaper compared to hiring a team. Having a diverse set of skills is an asset, and this means that they are flexible and fast or even long-term learners. You are able to depend on them on projects you know nothing about and their resourcefulness allows them to be reliable even on things they don't know much about. How they operate is they study - do - and then they build a system around it. Why? Building a system lessens the burden of handling multiple tasks at once. That's great for business efficiency and organization!
Of course, all this comes with a cost because the burden of workload will fall on a single person. Sure some people work better alone, but a minor error could lead to a number of mistakes that might lead to a disaster.
The budget alone and their efficiency proves that they are best for small business or those that have just started. The traffic and workload will not be overwhelming. Once you scale, these people are very capable of being leaders. Knowing the systems and processes of basically all areas in the business gives them the ability to reach team members on what they do.
When your client volume and overall traffic are high, teams work better in dividing the tasks and building a system around them. What others lack in skill and talent, they can make up for in effort and numbers. Splitting the workload into a number of people will oftentimes be more efficient and productive. This is granted that the workflow is structured and systemized. Having more people working together also allows for differing perspectives and feedback, resulting in higher quality production. Finally, having a team around helps build morale and promotes company culture.
At the end of the day, it all comes down to which system would work better - solo vs team. Whether or not you need a dedicated team or a jack of all trades kind of employee, having a virtual assistant really is one of the best maneuvers a business owner can possibly do for his company. If done correctly, it can scale your business in unlimited ways while still having the time to venture on different interests.
We work with clients in any industry or niche. In the past, we've staffed hundreds of virtual assistants for real estate professionals, insurance agents, marketing agency founders, SaaS CEOs, podcasters, authors, and even business coaches.
We're confident that, regardless of your niche, we can help you work less, grow faster, and be happier than ever.
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