Do you need a VA?
Holiday season is approaching. Whether you take an early break around Easter time to revitalise yourself at the quarterly point of the year, or you plan to do something when the kids are off for the summer holidays, the important stage is right now. You want to be planning how your business will function during your absence, so that you can switch off, relax and recharge. Do you need a VA?
In the previous post we looked at creating your ‘Dream (VA)cation Team’ and taking on that external help to give you peace of mind.
By utilising the skills of a Virtual Assistant, they can assist you in the preparational tasks for your holiday, after all, it’s not necessarily just the business related process that needs to keep momentum, it’s the day to day personal administrative duties too. There are VAs out there that specialise in personal assistance, from booking social occasions into your diary, to reminding you that your electricity bill needs to be paid.
Think about these 3 things to have in place when you go on holiday:
- Pets – When it comes to our four legged friends, winged companions or the fish in the garden pond, these guys need to eat every day. If you are not taking your additional family member(s) with you on holiday, then you need to arrange for them to be looked after. Perhaps your Virtual Assistant could help by arranging kennels or a stop at the cattery and if your dog is going to be your travel buddy, have they got their pet passport organised?
- Lights on/Lights off. This is applicable in both your home and the office. In the interests of security you want to make sure that your premises appear occupied. As technology develops a myriad of wonderful tools and apps have become available, in particular an app to turn your lights or TV on or off with the simple use of your iPhone or iPad. Need help setting that up? Ask your VA!
- Pay your bills or send out your invoices. Unfortunately, our financial commitments don’t take a holiday when we do and so we need to make sure that everything is paid on time. Nobody wants to return to a late payment letter or email when they’ve just been away and switched off from the stresses of life and work. These days most payments are taken via direct debit or standing order when it comes to regular utilities, however, what happens if you are away for 14 days and an invoice lands in your inbox requiring payment in 7? This is where having someone to check your e-mails (i.e your VA) can prove beneficial. They can take care of the necessary payments and also, going back to the business running side of things, assist with sending out your monthly invoices. If you send your client bills at the end of each calendar month, and this falls within the timescale you are away, then you want to remain consistent to your clients and of course, this leads to prompt payment.
There are many more things to think about when preparing for your holiday such as, currency, stopping the window cleaner, telling family, and looking out for deliveries… You need a holiday to get over the preparation!
The important thing is to leave for your trip with the confidence that all is taken care of and to not feel the need to constantly ‘check in’. This will lead onto our next blog post, where we look at how often you should stay in touch with your business (or Virtual Assistant) when you are away from the office. If you can’t wait for that, then you can read more of our blogs here.
It’s important to reiterate that you have worked extremely hard all year round to reward yourself with your holiday. Preparation is the key to being able to switch off, unwind and feel refreshed for your return to a smooth running office and home.
Employing staff is a whole new ball game with its own set of rules. Working with a VA is an option that a great many business people are turning to. Check out my book on How to Hire a Virtual Assistant. Available on Amazon by clicking here.
Connect with Michelle on other platforms too: Learn how you can work with Virtual Hand; how your business can grow and how you can communicate better with your audience.
