Within my career as a personal assistant, I have encountered multiple business owners who feel as though hiring a personal assistant would be the next rational step to catalyse the growth of their business. Nevertheless, they feel as though there is no need to hire a full-time contract employee or they simply do not know where to find “the one” for their company.

Any successful entrepreneur or leader of a business has mastered the skill of focusing on tasks that help to catalyse the growth of their business. The delegation of tasks is not a sign of weakness, but rather an opportunity to approach tasks proactively, enabling more time into the day for developing new systems and strategies, or establishing partnerships. Ultimately, this allows more time for family and time to dedicate yourself to a hobby.

Why delegate?

When starting up a new business it is almost natural for an entrepreneur to expect to handle everything alone, or at best, with the help of a couple of team-mates. Some examples of the basic preliminary tasks include: actually starting-up the business, answering emails, managing documents and other relevant affairs, invoicing, data entry, arranging events, managing business meetings, social media management, paperwork, managing archives, preparing sales pitches, travel management, and posting packages.

Such daily mundane responsibilities can inhibit the growth of the business as they are far too arduous.

Simultaneously, I have also encountered entrepreneurs who lack the preliminary research required and expected when turning to lawyers, accountants, marketers, or other specialists for assistance.

These issues can be avoided altogether with the help of a personal assistant. A personal assistant can, for example, assemble helpful documents for lawyers, attorneys, or the notary. An assistant can collect and prepare detailed information that then reduces the price being paid for a lawyer and their service. A personal assistant can formulate a distinct vision of the business and its values, ambitions, and affairs for a marketer’s use, or even present an accountant with systematically prepared documents and invoices. This sort of tactical approach can help You save tens of thousands of euros in the long run.

To whom to delegate?

In order to take the first step towards a more organised and care-free day at the office, one doesn’t need to hire an assistant on a full-time contract, nor a secretary, database clerk, or administrative assistant. It is much easier to use a strictly service-based personal assistant.

In the case of a professional service provider, it is usually always possible to find a mutual agreement based upon the workload and outline of the task, combined with outlined principles within how and in which conditions the task will be completed under.

I, for example, only charge the client for the time it takes me to complete the assigned tasks. In this way, the client can avoid hiring a full-time employee, especially when the workload is unstable or when the tasks are typically a one-off. This type of strategical model keeps your expenses under control, reduces any responsibilities associated with permanent employees, and helps to ease taking the plunge.