It's been a tough time for everyone since COVID-19 thrust itself upon us. There can't be a business or individual who hasn't been affected in some way - large or small.
Unfortunately, some businesses have been unable to survive the various lockdown periods and have shut up shop for good. Some High Street favourites have had to make the decision to streamline their empire and close down some of their outlets. There were also businesses who had only just started out on their new adventure but have been unable to gain any momentum and failed before they even began.
Whole industries (e.g. events and hospitality) are still struggling to this day with every desire to bounce back but without the financial support to achieve this. Their future is still to be decided: even if they manage to get the financial support they require to carry on once all restrictions are removed, they will be paying the price for this for many years to come.
On the flip-side, some businesses have gone from strength to strength throughout the last 18 months and their sales and profits have flourished.
But if you're not one of these companies, chances are that you're having to rethink many elements of your strategy. Your establishment may have been closed for months with no money coming in but still having the same costs going out. You may well have lost staff: how many employees have moved on to other jobs in another industry as they weren't eligible to be furloughed? Have you struggled to employ new staff when your business reopened?
All is not lost. If you're struggling to get started again because of a lack of quality people to support you, there is an amazing resource out there that you may not be aware of - Virtual Assistants! Whatever industry you work within, there is a Virtual Assistant out there for everyone. Many VAs have niche offerings (design, social media, bookkeeping, call answering, transcription) but there are plenty out there that can provide you with multiple services if you need an 'all-rounder'. And because of the excellent networks that Virtual Assistants belong to, they should all be able to recommend someone for whatever assistance you require.
Some of the benefits of hiring yourself a Virtual Assistant:
Reduce your workload – let your Virtual Assistant free up your day by taking those time-consuming tasks from you
Save you money – only pay for the time you need
Offering flexibility – whether you need a Virtual Assistant occasionally for an hour or part-time on a regular basis
Professionalism – consider your VA as an extension to your business
Reliable support – use someone hard-working, meticulous and trustworthy
Seamless assistance – your Virtual Assistant can fill the gap until you're able to secure long-term staff (if that's what you're after)
Hassle-free – there’s no need to worry about tax, N.I. payments, pensions or sick/holiday pay for your Virtual Assistant
Improve work-life balance – more time to run your business and have fun with family and friends
Space-saving – your VA works remotely so you don't need to provide office space, a desk or a PC
Confidentiality – 100% discretion and secure storage of all work undertaken
It's sad to say, that many more companies won't survive this testing time, so until your business is back to full strength, see what a Virtual Assistant can do for you.
Comments