The Benefits of Virtual Assistants for Small Business Owners

In today’s remote-first world, busy entrepreneurs and executives are increasingly turning to virtual assistants (VAs) to handle routine and specialized tasks. Virtual assistants are remote professionals who provide administrative, technical, or creative support to businesses from afar. For small business owners and startup founders, VAs offer a cost-effective way to delegate busywork – from email and calendar management to marketing, content creation, customer service, and more – so leaders can focus on strategy and growth. In fact, studies show that hiring VAs can dramatically reduce costs (by as much as 78%) while boosting productivity. As remote work continues to surge (65% of professionals expect remote opportunities to grow), virtual assistants have become an essential tool for scaling businesses efficiently.

Major Benefits of Hiring Virtual Assistants

Virtual assistants deliver tangible business benefits in several key areas. Among the most important are significant cost savings, time savings and productivity gains, greater flexibility/scalability, and access to specialized skills worldwide. Below, we explore each benefit in detail.

Cost Savings and Efficiency

Hiring a virtual assistant is often much cheaper than adding a full-time employee. Studies have found that companies save between 30–50% on operational costs by using VAs instead of in-house staff. This includes savings on salary, benefits, taxes, office space, equipment, and training. For example, one report notes that bringing on a full-time U.S. employee can incur an additional 20–30% in overhead costs (benefits, training, etc.) on top of salary. In contrast, a VA typically comes as a self-equipped contractor – they often work from their own office, provide their own tools, and require no paid time off or benefits. This “pay-per-use” model means you only pay for the hours or tasks your VA actually works.

As a result, hiring a VA can immediately shrink your payroll burn rate. In one analysis, full-time VAs saved a U.S. employer more than $11,000 per year compared to hiring locally. Other sources echo this: businesses outsourcing to VAs report cost decreases averaging 30%–50%. Because VAs often work from lower-cost regions (the Philippines or India, for example), even basic remote staffing starts at just a few hundred dollars per month, versus salaries many times higher for local staff.

Moreover, VAs come pre-skilled. They eliminate or reduce the need (and cost) of onboarding and training. A VA with years of experience in, say, scheduling or social media management, can “hit the ground running” with minimal ramp-up. This saves additional expenses that a novice hire would otherwise require. Overall, outsourcing administrative support to a VA translates into leaner overhead and faster returns on your investment.

Time Savings and Productivity Boost

Time is a premium resource for executives and founders. Virtual assistants can literally give you your time back by handling administrative chores and low-value tasks. Research indicates that top executives typically spend an average of 16 hours per week on routine admin work (emails, scheduling, data entry, etc.). That’s roughly 40% of a standard workweek tied up in “busywork.” By offloading these tasks to a VA, leaders reclaim those hours for high-impact activities like strategy, sales calls, product development, and fundraising.

The impact on productivity can be dramatic. Companies report saving about 22 minutes per day for each employee who uses a VA. Across a team, that adds up quickly. In fact, studies show that letting VAs manage everyday tasks leads to a 20% average jump in overall productivity. Removing the mundane from executives’ plates also sharpens focus: Harvard Business Review found companies operating with VAs achieved a 20% productivity increase when routine tasks were delegated away from in-house staff.

In practice, a virtual assistant might filter and prioritize emails, update your calendar, book travel, generate reports, or even draft routine social posts. Every minute the business owner doesn’t spend manually performing these tasks is a minute invested in growth. One MySigrid survey noted that founders spend about 36% of their week on busywork (invoicing, scheduling, etc.), underscoring how quickly time slips away. By contrast, delegating these duties to a VA can streamline workflows and free executives to spend more time on vision-level work (the tasks that a VA cannot or should not handle).

Flexibility and Scalability

Virtual assistants offer unmatched flexibility. As your workload or business needs ebb and flow, you can scale VA support up or down instantly – something impossible with traditional hiring. For example, you might start with 10 hours per week of VA help during a quiet period, then ramp up to full-time coverage during a product launch or busy season. Many VA providers even allow pausing or reassigning staff with short notice, so you’re never locked into rigid contracts.

Because VAs work remotely, they can also provide 24/7 coverage if needed. Time zone differences can become an advantage: a “night-shift” VA can prepare your next-day tasks while you sleep, or handle customer inquiries after hours. Some agencies offer a backup team to ensure there’s always support on tap. This round-the-clock support means business owners no longer have to trade off between different geographic markets or late-night deadlines – their VA can flex to the schedule.

Finally, hiring VAs means instant access to skillsets. If a project requires a new skill (like Spanish-language support or a bookkeeping package), you can hire a VA who already has those skills without having to train your own employee. This on-demand talent pool means your team can pivot and grow rapidly. As one MySigrid co-founder observes, saving just a few hours a week (through VA support) multiplies into invaluable extra bandwidth for innovation and problem-solving.

Access to Specialized Skills and Global Talent

Virtual assistants today come with a wide array of specialized skills. Many VAs serve as “one-stop shops” for critical business functions. For example, you can hire a VA who is experienced in content creation, social media management, graphic design, bookkeeping, or project management. According to industry data, the most in-demand VA services include customer service, marketing, and sales support. Virtually every business process can be delegated to a capable VA:

• Marketing & Content: Blog posts, email newsletters, SEO research, and social campaigns. (35% of businesses say they use VAs for content marketing tasks.)
  
  
• Customer Support: Handling inquiries, support tickets, order processing, and appointment booking. (Nearly half of companies use VAs to enhance customer service.)
  
  
• Administrative & Project Management: Calendar management, meeting prep, data entry, research, and coordinating team tasks. (VAs often help remote teams run smoothly.)
  
  
• Finance & Accounting: Invoicing, expense tracking, basic bookkeeping. (One survey notes about 27% of VAs provide financial admin support.)
  
  
• Industry-Specific Roles: Ecommerce VAs can manage inventory and orders; real estate VAs can handle listings and client communication; legal VAs help with document prep and scheduling; healthcare VAs coordinate patient calendars and records; agency VAs support digital marketing tasks – the list goes on.
  
  

Because you can hire VAs anywhere in the world, small businesses gain a global talent pool. Rather than being confined to local labor markets, you can recruit top professionals from different countries at competitive rates. A tiny startup can thus have a world-class administrative or marketing assistant from Manila or an experienced graphic designer in Poland, all without relocating or paying for visas. This global approach to staffing means the best person for each job can be hired, regardless of location. As one founder noted, with a remote-first team a company can onboard experienced pros “in a matter of days” instead of months. In short, virtual assistants open doors to skills and capacity that many small businesses wouldn’t normally afford.

Virtual Assistants vs. Traditional Staffing

One of the most common questions for entrepreneurs is how virtual assistants compare to hiring in-house staff, outsourcing, or offshoring. Here’s how a VA stacks up against other options:

• VA vs. Full-Time Employee: Hiring a VA avoids the typical costs of a full-time worker. Beyond salary, you save on benefits, office space, equipment, and training. An independent contractor VA comes fully equipped and “battle-tested” in their specialty, so you typically spend far less on onboarding. In fact, companies that replace full-time roles with VAs often cut payroll costs dramatically. The AgencyVA analysis found that even accounting for a competitive hourly rate, businesses save by not shouldering full-time overhead (health insurance, retirement, vacation pay, etc.). The tradeoff is that a VA may not be dedicated 100% to your company (unless you hire full-time remote), but for many start-ups the flexibility outweighs this.
  
  
• VA vs. Executive Assistant: An executive assistant (EA) traditionally works in-office, focused on one boss’s needs. A virtual executive assistant performs many of the same tasks – scheduling, correspondence, report prep – but does so remotely and often across multiple clients or employers. The skills are similar (advanced organization, communication, discretion), but VAs typically work from their own home/office and can adapt to different time zones. This means a virtual EA can handle urgent requests outside normal hours (for example, scheduling a 6am overseas meeting) that an in-office EA might not. In practice, some VA firms even hire ex-EAs with senior experience, offering the “human premium” of high-level support at a fraction of the cost of an on-site assistant.
  
  
• Outsourcing vs. Offshoring vs. Remote Staffing: These terms are related but different. Outsourcing broadly means contracting out a function to an external provider (which could be local or abroad). Offshoring specifically means relocating work to another country (often for cheaper labor). Remote staffing (like hiring a VA) falls somewhere in between: you hire someone abroad, but they work as your remote employee or contractor, not through a third-party firm. Remote staffing gives you more control over the individual (you manage the VA directly) while still leveraging global talent.
  
  
  • Outsourcing administrative support (via VA services or agencies) lets you focus on core business activities. You pay only for the agreed tasks and often avoid lengthy hiring processes. However, pure outsourcing (especially offshore outsourcing as in a BPO) can mean less direct oversight and potential communication friction.
    
    
  • Offshoring an entire operation (e.g., setting up an overseas call center) can yield huge savings on labor, but requires big investments in infrastructure and carries political/legal risks.
    
    
  • Remote staffing solutions like VA agencies offer a hybrid: you get dedicated remote staff quickly, without managing payroll or legal complications. This approach scales well for startups: you can go “remote-first” and tap into specialists on demand. In short, outsourcing to VAs is generally faster and cheaper to start with than building an offshore office, while giving you more flexibility than hiring locally.
    
    

Each model has trade-offs, but many small businesses find that a remote VA strategy hits the sweet spot of cost, control, and speed. As one expert notes, 66% of U.S. companies already outsource at least one function, and a growing number are choosing remote staffing as their outsourcing method of choice.

Choosing Between AI and Human Virtual Assistants

AI-powered assistants (like advanced chatbots or AI task tools) are also on the rise. These tools can automate routine functions – scheduling via algorithms, answering FAQs with chatbots, or generating draft content. Indeed, AI VAs are being hailed as “context-aware systems” that can elevate simple automation into full workflows. For example, an AI VA might parse your calendar and suggest optimal meeting times, or a voice-activated assistant might take quick notes during calls.

However, experts stress that AI still needs human oversight for best results. AI assistants must be carefully trained on your company’s data and context to truly work well. And crucially, AI lacks the emotional intelligence and judgment of a person. Human virtual assistants provide critical thinking, empathy, and adaptability – qualities that AI currently cannot replicate. In community management, for instance, companies find that a human VA can handle a sensitive customer complaint or recognize subtle cues, whereas an AI bot would falter.

In practice, many businesses use a hybrid approach: they employ AI tools for straightforward tasks (e.g., auto-scheduling, reminders, template responses) and rely on human VAs for everything requiring nuance, creativity or strategy. This “human + AI” model can deliver the best of both worlds. Ultimately, VAs (human or AI) are means to increase productivity. Human VAs still bring the “human premium” – a personal touch and decision-making ability – that many entrepreneurs value.

Tools and Best Practices for Managing Virtual Teams

To get the most out of virtual assistants, effective tools and processes are key. Modern teams use a suite of remote work tools for communication, project tracking, and collaboration. Popular communication platforms include Slack and Microsoft Teams for chat, and Zoom for video meetings. For project and task management, tools like Trello, Asana, ClickUp, and Airtable keep everyone on the same page. Cloud-based apps such as Google Workspace or Notion let your VA access documents and spreadsheets in real time. Using these tools, entrepreneurs can easily delegate, review, and track work.

In managing remote staff, be clear about expectations. Start with a thorough job description or task list. Use your project management tool to assign tasks with due dates and attach any relevant information. Schedule regular check-ins (daily stand-ups or weekly reviews) to maintain accountability. Encourage open communication – for instance, a VA should feel comfortable asking questions if something is unclear. Logging hours and progress in the task app helps ensure transparency. Many remote teams also use shared calendars, cloud drives, and even time-tracking software to stay organized.

Cultivating trust and a good working relationship is crucial. Successful entrepreneurs treat their VAs as part of the team: include them in planning sessions, give constructive feedback, and acknowledge their contributions. This cultural investment pays off in reliability and initiative. With the right tools and management practices, virtual assistants become seamless extensions of your business, delivering results that rival or exceed those of traditional employees.

How to Hire Your Virtual Assistant

Getting started with a VA is straightforward. Here are some steps:

1. Identify Tasks to Delegate: Start by listing all the non-core tasks consuming your time. These could be email triage, appointment scheduling, market research, bookkeeping entries, or social media posting. Prioritize tasks that are repetitive or time-consuming. The more specific you can be about responsibilities, the better match you’ll find.
   
   
2. Choose the Right Model: Decide if you need a part-time or full-time VA, and whether to hire through an agency, platform, or independently. For occasional needs, freelance marketplaces (Upwork, Freelancer) or international job sites (OnlineJobs.ph for Filipino VAs) can be good. For more reliable, vetted support, companies like MySigrid or Time etc specialize in matching entrepreneurs with executive assistants.
   
   
3. Set a Budget and Scope: Determine how many hours per week you need and at what hourly rate or fixed price. Remember to factor in that many agencies require a minimum commitment. Small businesses often start with 10–20 hours per week and adjust from there.
   
   
4. Screen Candidates Thoroughly: Interview potential VAs to assess communication skills and experience. Provide a small test assignment if possible. Check references or work samples. If using an agency, they will usually handle vetting for you.
   
   
5. Onboard Effectively: Once hired, onboard your VA by introducing them to your systems. Share any login credentials they need (via secure methods), give access to your calendar/email, and walk them through your priorities. It helps to create simple guides or checklists for routine tasks.
   
   
6. Communicate Clearly: Use your chosen tools (email, Slack, task software) to maintain daily communication. A quick morning check-in or summary email can align expectations. Over-communicate at first: clearly describe how you want tasks done, and encourage the VA to ask questions.
   
   

By following these steps and monitoring performance, you can ensure a smooth working relationship. Over time, a good VA will become more proactive, anticipating your needs before you even ask – a true force multiplier for your business.

Key Virtual Assistant Tasks for Small Businesses

Some of the top tasks entrepreneurs commonly delegate to VAs include:

• Administrative Support: Email inbox management, scheduling meetings, travel arrangements, data entry, transcription, document preparation.
  
  
• Customer Service: Responding to customer emails/chats, processing orders, follow-ups, complaint handling.
  
  
• Marketing & Content: Writing blog drafts, drafting social media posts, curating newsletters, basic graphic edits (using Canva, etc.), SEO keyword research.
  
  
• Social Media Management: Posting to Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram; commenting on engagement; tracking analytics.
  
  
• Bookkeeping & Finance: Invoicing clients, tracking receipts/expenses in QuickBooks or spreadsheets, basic payroll.
  
  
• Project Coordination: Updating project plans, following up on action items, coordinating with team members.
  
  
• Research & Data: Gathering market research, compiling competitive data, generating lists of potential leads or vendors.
  
  

Virtual assistants can also specialize by industry. For example, a VA for e-commerce might handle product listings and fulfillment; for real estate, VAs often manage MLS listings and client communications; legal professionals might use VAs for scheduling deposits or preparing documents. There are even VAs focused on executive-specific roles (sometimes called “remote executive assistants”), on social media (community managers), or on niches like digital marketing agencies. The breadth of possible tasks is large – essentially any standardized, repeatable task can likely be done by a VA, letting you (the business owner) concentrate on growth.

Boosting Business Growth and ROI

Ultimately, virtual assistants contribute directly to business growth. By saving money and time, they improve your ROI on human capital. For example, a small company that saves $1,000 per month on payroll by using VAs has an extra $12,000 a year to reinvest – perhaps in advertising, hiring a developer, or expanding inventory. Additionally, every hour of owner/CEO time recovered is an hour devoted to revenue-generating activities or long-term planning. When routine bottlenecks are cleared, companies often find projects move faster. MySigrid reports that many founders see a VA as “a pivotal turning point” – bottlenecks disappear, and the team reaches the next milestone sooner.

According to industry data, businesses that rely on virtual assistants achieve higher efficiency and profit margins. One survey found 59% of companies cite cost savings as the primary reason to use outsourced workers. Another found that 70% of medium to large firms now use VAs in some capacity – a sign that even big players count on VAs to stay competitive. By enabling small teams to operate “bigger,” VAs help level the playing field.

From a conversion standpoint, consider this: if hiring a VA frees even 10 hours a week of executive time, and the CEO’s time is valued at $200/hr (for example), that’s $1,000 in implied value regained every week. Over a year, efficient delegation to VAs can yield tens of thousands of dollars in value – far above the cost of a VA.

Next Steps: Building Your Remote Team

For entrepreneurs and business owners eager to capitalize on these benefits, the path is clear: delegate aggressively and hire smart. Virtual assistants can transform how you run your company. To get started, evaluate your workflow, identify tasks to delegate, and consider which VA model fits you best (freelance, agency, offshore).

When you’re ready, specialized platforms can help match you with the right assistant. For example, MySigrid offers a concierge matching service connecting clients with vetted, experienced VAs on flexible plans. They ensure continuity (with backup assistants) and quality (through training and oversight). Many leading VA companies provide trial periods or easy onboarding processes.

Book a consultation with MySigrid today to explore how a dedicated executive assistant can support you and your team. Their experts can answer your questions about remote staffing, compliance, and making the most of an AI-augmented human assistant. You can also connect with Paul Østergaard on LinkedIn – he is the co-founder of MySigrid and a thought-leader in remote staffing – to get insights on building a high-performance virtual team.

Embrace virtual assistance and scale your business more efficiently. By saving costs, reclaiming time, and tapping into global talent, you’ll position your company for faster growth and greater success.