How to choose what to outsource to a VA

A promotional blog post graphic with a blue border and light grey background. On the left, there's an angled image of a printed guide titled "How to Choose What to Outsource to a Virtual Assistant" by Emma Shergold, featuring a photo of hands typing on a laptop beside a plant, phone, and notepad. On the right, bold blue text reads: “HOW TO CHOOSE WHAT TO OUTSOURCE TO A VIRTUAL ASSISTANT,” and above it, in bright pink, “BLOG POST.” The website www.emmashergold.com appears at the bottom of the guide.

April 21, 2025 Emma Shergold Recent Posts All Posts Productivity How a Virtual Assistant can help your business in 2026 How to choose what to outsource to a VA An Introduction to Understanding CRMs 5 reasons to use a password manager Categories Operations & Systems VA ProductivityOffice Management Neurodivergence Connection Corner Newsletter I share what I’m learning about running a business – the wins, the mistakes, and admin solutions that actually work. Delivered fortnightly to your inbox. Join Connection Corner Admin-focused Coworking Sessions Join other business owners for admin focused coworking sessions that gets stuff done. Weekly 1-hour sessions. Monthly topics. Get stuff done together. Join Admin Corner Free Resources Checklist: How to choose what to outsource to a VA CRM Spreadsheet Template See all resources Work with me Whether you would like a done for you or done with you VA service, or you would like a bit of guidance to get you started, please complete my work with me form. Work with me Edit Template HOW TO CHOOSE WHAT TO OUTSOURCE TO A VA If you’re reading this, chances are you’re overwhelmed by your to-do list. You started your business to do the work you love, but somewhere along the way you became the office manager, bookkeeper, event coordinator, email marketer, and everything in between. The good news is you don’t have to do it all yourself. Many business owners struggle with the question: “What can a Virtual Assistant actually do for me?” In short, there’s likely a VA who can provide support in pretty much every area of your business that doesn’t require your specific expertise. From managing your inbox to handling your bookkeeping, updating your website to scheduling regular social media posts and emails – the tasks undertaken by VAs are far broader than most people realise. So the question isn’t whether a VA can help you – it’s figuring out which of your many tasks to delegate first. That’s exactly what this blog will help you with. It will walk you through what us Virtual Assistants can do, provide a process to identify which of your current tasks are best for you to outsource, as well as giving some tips on to implement this successfully with your VA. By the end, you’ll have a clear action plan for reclaiming your time and focusing on what you do best. Let’s start by understanding why working with a VA might be one of the best decisions you make for your business. Since bringing Emma on board as our Virtual Assistant and Bookkeeper in July 2023, the transformation of our business has been nothing short of remarkable Why outsourcing to a VA is beneficial Virtual Assistants offer three key advantages that can transform how you run your business. Firstly, we give you time freedom. By handling routine tasks, you can focus on high-value activities that only you can do, like strategic planning and client relationship building. Secondly, we’re cost-effective compared to hiring full-time employees, as you only pay for the hours you need without the overhead of benefits, office space, or equipment. Finally, we allow you to focus on what you do best – your core expertise – rather than getting bogged down in administrative tasks that use up your energy and time. Common concerns and how to overcome them Many business owners worry about losing control or whether someone else can maintain their quality standards. The key is to start with small with low-risk tasks while you build your trust with your VA, and they learn how your business works. Others fear the time investment in training, but remember that the upfront time spent documenting processes pays dividends when you’re freed from those tasks permanently. In many cases, your VA will pick up what they need to do in one or two sessions with you and write the SOP (Standard Operating Procedure) for that task as part of their hours. The cost of a VA, to some, looks like a high outgoing (especially compared to an employee’s hourly rate), however you need to remember that you’re not employing someone. If you are saving yourself 10 hours a week at your hourly rate of £60+/hour by outsourcing your admin tasks, that’s £2,600 a month that could be redirected to revenue-generating activities. WHAT MAKES A GOOD VA TASK Repetitive/routine tasks Repetitive tasks are those that are done on a daily, or very regular basis. Checking emails, especially helpdesk type inboxes that often require similar responses, entering data into databases or CRMs, or reconciling your bookkeeping are all examples of repetitive tasks. The benefit of these kind of tasks is that once your VA learns the process, we can often do it faster and more consistently than you. Tasks with clear instructions/processes These are tasks you do the same way every time, following a certain process. As well as the routine tasks above, your monthly invoice process, scheduling marketing emails, and social media posts, and coordinating events will all follow a form of process. In short, if you can write a step-by-step guide for it, it’s perfect for delegation, and if you don’t already have a documented process, your VA can probably create one for you. Non-confidential work Although your VA ‘should’ work to a level that protects anything that is confidential, you will want to build that trust with them first. Initially choosing tasks that don’t involve sensitive business information, or directly delivering your services to your clients. Generally, most operational tasks that keep your business running on a day-to-day basis are ideal for a VA. Tasks that don’t require your specific expertise While you might be the expert in your field, many surrounding tasks don’t need that expertise. Your VA doesn’t need to understand complex tax law to reconcile income and expenses in your accounting software, or know marketing strategy to schedule your blogs and marketing emails. Your VA will focus on the “doing” while you handle the “thinking” and “deciding.” Specific VA Tasks by Category Administrative