Category: Get Ahead team

When it comes to working with virtual assistants (VAs), there are all sorts of myths out there that can make it seem like more trouble than it’s worth. Fortunately these simply aren’t true, and VAs can actually provide plenty of benefits to your business.

Do you want to know more about what working with VAs is really like? Here are 5 of the biggest myths about VAs: debunked.

Myth #1: Anybody can be a VA

Many people think that, as long as you have a computer and an internet connection, you can be a VA. This might be off-putting to people looking to hire a VA, who might be concerned about working with someone unqualified, unprofessional or likely to disappear halfway through a job. Of course, this isn’t true. Being a VA is a business that requires investments of money and time, and therefore professional VAs take their work very seriously. Furthermore, VAs who work for agencies such as Get Ahead are thoroughly vetted to make sure they have the skills to reliably deliver high-quality work.

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Getting a business off the ground is a huge achievement, but after that exciting period of initial growth you might find that you start to lose momentum. This is normal for a business moving from start-up to stability, so how can you get through it and make sure that your business continues to grow?

The answer could be freelancers. Whether you’re working with individuals or an agency, freelancers, contractors and virtual assistants could be just what you need to build on your achievements and develop your business. Freelancers offer all sorts of advantages to business owners: they can be hired as and when they’re needed, they come with all the required skills, and there are plenty of excellent workers to choose from so you’re bound to find someone who’s a good fit.

Are you interested in finding out more? Here are 5 ways freelancers can help to grow your business.

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Pretty much everybody’s blogging these days, which is a really good thing.

There are many reasons why businesses should blog, from boosting their SEO rankings (because we all know just how much search engines love new content!) to raising brand awareness and positioning themselves as thought leaders.

But here’s the thing…not everybody’s sharing their blogs.

Blog-writing is only half of the equation, the other half involves sharing your posts far and wide. By doing this, businesses can increase the chances of their blogs being read, shared and commented upon.

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https://youtube.com/watch?v=3LQ0sjfz2n0

The Christmas party: love it or hate it, the end-of-year do is big business in the UK. In fact, a 2015 investigation by Eventbrite estimated that UK businesses spend an average of £1 billion per year on festive parties.

So what makes a great Christmas party, and how can you bring the whole company together for a truly memorable celebration? If you’re struggling for ideas, look no further: here are six ways to celebrate a company Christmas.

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Here at Get Ahead VA our team of virtual assistants includes experts in a wide variety of fields. From Accounting to Admin, Hootsuite to Holiday cover, Email Marketing to Excel, our VAs can add value to many aspects of your business.

In this ‘How to’ guide one of our social media management experts Jenny shares her expertise, talking about how you can avoid these 5 classic social media mistakes.

“Social media can be a hugely powerful part of your business toolkit. But it can also be a major drain on your time. It is a constantly evolving industry, with new platforms popping up or growing in popularity, and new tools being added. It can be hard to keep up and easy to make mistakes. Here are the top 5 mistakes I see businesses making, and some tips for overcoming them:

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Here at Get Ahead VA we are privileged to work with a wide variety of clients ranging from will writers to window cleaners, financial consultants to fashion designers. All of our clients are motivated and driven business owners, with clear plans for business growth. They recognise the value of outsourcing, passing onto others tasks that either they lack skills in, or tasks that drain their valuable time.

Here’s 60 seconds with one of our clients Shannon Banks from Be Leadership who was looking for a flexible way to scale up her business:

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Here at Get Ahead VA our team includes experts in a wide variety of fields. From Accounting to Admin, Hootsuite to Holiday cover, Email Marketing to Excel, our VAs can add value to many aspects of your business. In our Expert Showcase series our team deliver some of this expertise to you, with a series of ‘How to’ guides to help you get the best bang for your buck in your business.

In this guide one of our virtual assistants Melanie talks about how you can communicate and collaborate quickly and easily using a clever piece of software called CloudApp™.

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The school holidays are fast approaching – and have already started for some.  Whilst the sun might be shining (we hope!) this can feel like dark days for business owners.  For working parents, the juggle of working and managing the children can be even harder – or more expensive.  For business owners, maintaining output levels whilst staff have time off can also be a real challenge.

Here are our 5 top tips to turn any holiday headaches into halcyon days:

  1. It may sound simple but breaking down tasks into what is both ‘urgent’ and ‘important’ can be a really worthwhile exercise.  You may discover that some tasks can actually be left until September as, whilst nice to do, they are neither urgent or important.  For other tasks you can see clearly what needs to be done and when.
  2. Work as a team. Talk to your team about who needs help covering which tasks over the holiday period.  Try and engender a sense of shared ownership.  Though a particular task might not usually be an employee’s area of responsibility, would he or she have the skills to cover it on a short-term basis?  What support would they need to do it?  Can training be given before holidays begin, or handover notes issued to help whilst staff are away?
  3. Plan ahead. It is never too late to plan ahead – even if the holidays have already started.  Look at what work you have coming up and when you are likely to be on holiday or short of staff.  Consider if any orders or events can be rescheduled.  Identify any pinch points where business requirements may not match staffing or availability levels and define appropriate plans of action.
  4. Talk to your customers.  They may understand about the ‘summer squeeze’ and be prepared to wait, or work with you to address only urgent requirements.  Advise customers in advance if there will be longer delivery times or delays.  People get frustrated when situations are forced upon them with no warning, or when they feel that they don’t know what is going on.  Be open and honest about any potential issues so that you can work together in a positive manner.
  5. Don’t be afraid to ask for help. This could be from family members if you work for yourself, or outsourcing to external agencies for holiday cover.  Services may be more affordable than you think and don’t always tie you in to long-term contracts.  Find the right solution to enable you to put customer service first and maintain standards for your clients – whilst taking the break you need.

Our team of highly experienced virtual assistants are perfectly placed to assist in any aspect of your holiday cover – from admin to social media management and more.  We love to take on the tasks you don’t have time to do, don’t have the skills to do, or simply don’t want to do.  Please give us a call on 01483 332220 or email office@getaheadva.com to find out how we can help.  We pride ourselves on being the staff you don’t see, but the difference you do.

Here at Get Ahead VA we are privileged to work with a wide variety of clients ranging from will writers to window cleaners and financial consultants to fashion designers.  All of our clients are motivated and driven businesses with clear plans for growth.  They recognise the value of outsourcing, passing onto others tasks that either they lack skills in, or tasks that drain their valuable time.

Here’s 60 seconds with one of our clients Wes at independent mortgage broker Fox Davidson who came to Get Ahead VA in search of some award-winning assistance:

What situation was your business in when you came to Get Ahead VA? Our business was growing strongly.  It was three years since myself and my business partner Sarah had formed the business and we were really proud of everything we had achieved.  We were keen to enter awards to gain external recognition of our success and help fuel further growth by generating good PR.

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