Stop Making Excuses Not to Hire an Assistant

Many executives, business owners, pastors, and entrepreneurs struggle with the difficult decision of whether or not to hire an assistant. If that’s you, I get it. There are a lot of things to consider.

As I talk to leaders working through this decision, I hear many excuses for why they don’t think they need an assistant. So, I thought I’d list out the most common excuses, and share some thoughts to consider regarding each one.

Stop Making Excuses Not to Hire an Assistant - gratisography

Excuse #1

“By the time I explain a task to an assistant, I could have completed the task myself. I just don’t have time to manage another employee.”

Consideration #1

This may be true the first couple times. But once your assistant gets the hang of how you like certain things done, you’ll find you can practically blink – and tasks will get done. Or better yet, your assistant will anticipate and get tasks done before you even think about it. A good assistant won’t require much management from you, and the little that is required will be more than worth it.

Excuse #2

“I can do everything myself. I don’t need help.”

Consideration #2

I’m sure you can do everything yourself, but do you enjoy everything you do? Does re-scheduling that meeting for the fourth time bring you joy? I doubt it. Do you like taking notes in meetings? I’m guessing not. Just because you can do something, doesn’t mean you should do it.

Excuse #3

“I can’t afford an assistant.”

Consideration #3

If you’re a small business owner, whose profit last year was $35k and that was before you paid yourself, then you’re right, you probably can’t afford an assistant.

But if you’re making $95k, and can’t seem to take your business to the next level, maybe you should consider taking a pay cut for a couple years. Seriously.

Can you live off of $65k for a couple years? I’m not saying $30k will get you a full-time assistant. In fact, I think a stellar full-time assistant is worth significantly more than that. My point is you should think about where you can cut down on your expenses to free up money to hire help.

You may have to eat at home more often and stop going to the movies so much, but if you truly enjoy what you do, it’ll be worth it.

Take a pay cut, hire an assistant – even if just part-time to start – and focus on growing your business.

Excuse #4

“My last assistant was no help and a huge waste of time. I can’t make that mistake again and I’m not looking forward to going through the hiring process.”

Consideration #4

If this is you, I’m sorry. Not many things are worse than an employee who under-performs and wastes your time. But I want to encourage you not to give up on finding a good assistant. There are thousands of assistants out there who would give anything for the opportunity to help you reach your goals. Thankfully, companies like BELAY Solutions* – who I’ll talk more about below – can take care of vetting applicants and place you with someone who fits. And if they don’t, they’ll find you a new one!

Excuse #5

“I don’t even know which tasks and projects I would delegate to an assistant.”

Consideration #5

If this is true for you, you’re certainly not alone. Many leaders know they need help. But determining which tasks to handle yourself, and which tasks you should delegate to an assistant can be a challenge. To sort out your workload, try this simple, 5-step process I write about here.

No, seriously. Go here and work through the 5 steps. Ok, now you can keep reading.

How’d you do? Do you have an idea of what tasks an assistant could take off your plate?

What Excuses Do You Make?

Have you made any of the above excuses? If so, I would ask you to consider my thoughts on each one and spend some time going over the 5-step process (I know some of you haven’t gotten to it yet, so I thought I’d remind you).

When you’re done, I believe you’ll have a clear picture as to whether or not hiring an assistant is right for you.

You Know You Need An Assistant, but Where Can You Find One?

Those of you who now know you need an assistant, you may not have any idea where to find one. That’s ok – I’m here to help!

Unless you have the budget to hire a full-time assistant, I highly recommend a virtual assistant. I could go in to a big rant as to why virtual assistants are amazing and more affordable and worth giving a shot, but I’ll save that for a separate blog post.

There are several virtual assistant outsourcing websites, but I have a hard time trusting people I don’t know. So, I wanted to recommend my friends at BELAY Solutions.* Bryan and Shannon Miles have built an amazing company and if you need virtual assistance, check them out!

The amazing people at BELAY will not only pair you with an assistant that meets your needs and personality, they will also assign a “relationship manager” to you and your assistant. This person will regularly check in with you and your VA (Virtual Assistant) to make sure things are going well. In fact, if things are going poorly, they can pair you up with a different assistant.

Let BELAY handle the interview and match-making process for you, so you can focus on what you love. Sound too good to be true? Well, it is too good and it is true! Check out BELAY Solutions today. At the very least, I suggest you reach out the them to set up a phone call so they can help you determine if you’re ready for an assistant.

So stop making excuses and go hire an assistant!

If you’d like to dig deeper into the 5-step process before you hire an assistant, contact me here for info on my coaching. I’d love to help you prep for hiring an assistant so you gain more time, energy, and success!