Should your small business hire an employee or a Freelance Admin?
Most small business owners today know that they need administrative help but are not sure whether they should hire an employee or a Freelance Admin.
Welcome back to the GinAdmin blog. My name is Gina Koran, and I will be your hostess today as we talk about the differences between hiring an employee and working with a Freelance Admin.
So grab your favorite beverage and enjoy…
You know you need help for your small business, but…
Would it be faster to do it yourself versus having to train someone to do the tasks?
Where do you even start?
And really… do you even have ENOUGH work to keep someone busy?
Most small business owners eventually get to this point – they KNOW they need help, but is it really worth it?
And how do they know whether they should hire an employee or a Freelance Admin for their small business…or even if they need either?
Employee or Freelancer Admin?
One of the questions I get asked a lot is “What is the difference between hiring an employee and working with a Virtual Assistant?”
Check out these differences:
A Freelancer or Virtual Assistant already has their own equipment; you must provide equipment for an employee.
Freelance Admins have their own office space; you will need to provide the space and furniture for an employee.
Freelancers provide their own insurance and retirement; you (if you are going to provide them) will need to find and (at least partially) pay for these benefits for an employee.
You only pay a Freelance Admin for tasks completed or for the time they worked to complete your tasks; with an employee, you’re going to pay them for the fixed number of hours you hire them for.
Freelancers do not waste time as they have other clients that they are supporting; employees tend to take restroom breaks, lunch breaks, checking social media, texting…all on YOUR time.
Most Freelance Admins have specialized skills and will pay for enhancing those skills themselves; with an employee, you are going to pay for those additional trainings through either actually paying for courses and/or the time it takes the employee to go through that training.
Another benefit of having a Freelancer is that they can provide extra support during your busy times, as well as while others are out of the office, on vacation, etc.
So, now that you know the difference, let’s take a look at how a Freelance Admin can help you and your small business.
Time
A Freelance Admin can work as many or as little hours as you need them to.
You can also “purchase” a block of a Freelancers time for the work you need done.
One key is that finding an admin that is already familiar with your industry means less training time.
Simply show them how YOU like things done, and voila…training done.
Where do small business owners find Freelance Admins?
Today, there are SO many sites you can go to to find your perfect match.
My friend and mentor, Tawnya Sutherland over at VA Networking has a truly kick-butt Job Board where you can post your opening(s).
Tawnya also recently started a board for her massive network of VAs to list their skills, allowing business owners to search for that perfect VA!
I encourage you to head to VA Networking and see if Tawnya’s network has your match!
What can small business owners delegate to a Freelancer?
When you consider whether or not you have enough to keep someone busy, I suggest a quick test.
Take a look at your day today.
How much time are you spending…
Answering emails that ask the same questions every day.
Keeping tabs on similar businesses to see how you stack up.
Researching your industry’s standards and what’s new.
Writing a blog post to keep your clients updated on what’s going on with your small business.
Figuring out what to post on Social Media…
Then creating the wording…
And finding the perfect image.
Track your time for ONE day. One day of admin tasks.
Then figure out how much money you lose every day by focusing on those admin tasks versus your true money-making tasks.
I have a small business owner that hired me, well for many things, but one was to schedule his business’ social media posts each week.
This task takes me approximately two hours every Friday – just to schedule the posts.
That doesn’t include the additional time each week that I spend looking at his competitor’s websites and social media,
Coming up with new ideas for him to get new customers,
And creating new, exciting, eye-catching and scroll-stopping images and posts.
The literal HOURS I’ve saved him every week have allowed him to focus on expanding his marketing.
As well as other money-making areas that require his attention.
It has also allowed him to take some much-needed down-time with his family.
All because he knows he can rely on me to take care of those tasks each week.
Still not sure which, if either, is the right path for your small business?
Maybe you do not actually need an assistant yet?
You may just need to adjust a few things you are already doing to make them more efficient.
Just doing this alone may assist in saving time.
I would love to help you make the decision…
The decision on whether you should hire an employee or a Freelance Admin.
Head over to my contact page and let’s see if a Freelance Admin is the right fit for you!
As always, thanks for taking time to read my coffee-induced words.
And as a personal P.S., I want to thank those of you who have reached out and kept in touch with me about the “Life Happens” events going on here.
I appreciate all of you more than you can possibly imagine!
Until next time, my friends, stay happy, healthy and safe!
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