One piece of advice I hear over and over again about running a business is that you should be working on your business and not in your business. This was the primary message of The E-Myth Revisited and stressed in Virtual Freedom.
Ducker has you work on three lists early on in his book to help with this focus:
- Tasks you don’t like doing
- Tasks you don’t know how to do
- Tasks you feel you shouldn’t be doing
There are many tasks you, as a business owner, must do to keep the business running. That doesn’t mean that as a business owner you have to do all the tasks yourself. Also, you don’t have to have someone come into an office to work. Ducker points out that there are many skilled people around the world who could take on your project and complete it. This will allow you to work on your business.
I have been working on a project and nibbling away at it for months. The project is something that is important to the business, but it has not risen to the point of being essential. I am now getting that task completed by hiring a virtual assistant.
Virtual Freedom is 279 pages long arranged into seven major sections as well as a bonus section. Each section has smaller chapters of only a few pages each. The major sections include:
- Finding and hiring your virtual staff
- Training your virtual staff
- Managing your virtual staff
- The big question: Stay local or go overseas?
- The next level: Building your virtual team
- The case for content
- Time to get started
Virtual Freedom has a wealth of information that will help make your job easier as you hire a virtual assistant to help make your job easier. Ducker outlines seven different job categories of typical virtual assistants. It includes typical duties and pay expectations.
One of the most important parts of the book was how to train your virtual staff. Ducker provides many tips for making your training clear and easy to use so that your virtual assistants will be successful.
Throughout the book, Ducker included case studies. These case studies highlight what others have done to hire and use virtual assistants. You can find lots of great tips through these examples.
At the end of the book, there is a resource section that shares a wealth of great links. These resources include finding and hiring virtual staff, training tools and resources, communication tools, document sharing, payment processors, online marketing tools, social media tools, image tools, and suggested reading so you can be as successful as possible with your virtual assistant staff.
Virtual Freedom helped me put thoughts into action. I have been sitting on the fence thinking about hiring a virtual assistant but with this book, I have gone out and actually pulled the trigger. Getting help for your business will make it possible for you to move your business to the next level. It allows you to do those tasks which you do not have the time to do. It is worth looking into being able to hire somebody to make your life easier. If you’re thinking about hiring even for a small project, consider reading Virtual Freedom.
I would like to add, this book will provide great guidance even if you are using physical staff.
Related Reading
- Book Review: The 4-Hour Workweek
- Book Review: The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don’t Work and What to Do About It
- Book Review: Rise of the Youpreneur: The Definitive Guide to Becoming the Go-to Leader in Your Industry and Building a Future-Proof Business
- Book Review: Panic Proof: How the Right Virtual Assistant Can Save Your Sanity and Grow Your Business
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