Chris Ducker is a serial entrepreneur,
speaker and author of Virtual Freedom:
How to Work with Virtual Staff to Buy
More Time, Become More Productive
and Build Your Dream Business. Origi-
nally from the UK, Ducker has lived in the Philippines
for 14 years, where he founded Virtual Staff Finder, the
world’s No. 1 VA matchmaking service.
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Wearing too many hats is one of the biggest problems that speakers nowadays struggle with when devel- oping their brands and businesses. So, what’s the solution? Outsource
work to a General Virtual Assistant, or GVA.
If you are unfamiliar with this term, or if you’ve
never worked with a GVA before, this is the very
first role that every “solopreneur” should fill in his
or her business. By eliminating time-consuming and
tedious tasks you usually handle on your own;
GVAs help you gain more time in your work day,
enabling you to work on your business, instead of
being trapped working in it.
Check out these 22 tasks that can
be offloaded to a GVA, so that you can
spend more time on stage, coaching
clients, consulting and building your
online business models.
Do not expect your
virtual assistant to handle all
of these tasks flawlessly from
the start. With some training,
guidance, and a little understanding and patience, you can develop a
solid and beneficial working relationship with your
GVA, just as you would with an on-site employee.
A word to the wise: GVA’s can handle a wide
variety of tasks, but you should hire specialists if
you need web developers, graphic artists, editors,
writers and others who possess specialized skills
and training.
a Real Catch 22!
Delegate Work So You Can Get Down to Business
general administrative Tasks
• Format slideshows (PowerPoint® presentations)
• Develop your database (update email or contact lists
on your CRM)
• Manage and keep track of projects between you and
your virtual team
• Organize files (Dropbox, etc.)
• Transcribe short podcasts, videos or voicemail
• Prepare simple reports (reports on weekly voicemail,
podcasts, etc.)
• Look for freelancers, such as writers and graphic artists
Social Media & email Manager
• Manage your email’s inbox and responding to basic inquiries
• Create autoresponders (Aweber, Mailchimp)
• Manage and update your social media accounts
(Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, Youtube)
• Respond to support tickets (Zendesk)
Receptionist Duties
• Handle social errands, such as ordering gifts for family
or friends
• Schedule and book travel plans
• Schedule appointments with clients
• Check up with clients and stay on top of certain occasions
(send birthday cards and thank-you notes to clients)
• Take and return calls from your clients
• Keep track of meetings and take minutes
Blog Management
• Research topics for future blog posts or newsletters
• Manage and publish posts on your blog with content
you have provided
• Reply and filter comments on your blog
• Increase links to your site by commenting on other blogs
• Join in forums and message boards to promote your business