When a Virtual Assistant is Most Helpful

A Virtual Assistant (VA) can be a valuable asset at any stage of a startup, but there are two key points where they can be particularly helpful.

1. Developing a Proof of Concept

In the early stages of a startup, a VA can be used to short-circuit the product development process. Instead of building a fully automated solution from day one, you can use a VA to manually handle tasks that would otherwise require a significant amount of coding.

This "human-powered" approach allows you to:

• Get to market faster: You can launch a bare-bones version of your product and use a VA to handle the backend processes.
• Test your idea with less risk: You can validate your product idea without investing hundreds of hours in building a fully automated solution.
• Iterate more quickly: You can make changes to your product and processes much more quickly when you are not tied to a complex codebase.

This is a form of agile business development, where you use a combination of software and human processes to get to market quickly and to learn from real customer feedback.

2. After Your Product Launch

Once your product has launched, a VA can be used to handle the ongoing administrative tasks that are a necessary part of running a business. This can include:

• Level 1 email support
• Sales inquiries
• Live chat
• Directory submissions
• Minor HTML tweaks
• Keyword research
• Link building
• Following up on canceled subscriptions
• Running month-end reports

By outsourcing these tasks to a VA, you can free up your time to focus on the high-value activities that will grow your business, such as developing new features and expanding your marketing efforts.