At The Arts VA, we want to provide the best support for our clients - and sometimes that might mean we’re not the right fit for you. We believe it’s best to be honest about what we can offer so that we can have the best working relationship. If you’re looking for a VA, here are five reasons why we may not be the right one for you.
1. You need a bookkeeper
Although there’s lots we can do to provide financial admin support, such as setting up Xero or similar software, submitting invoices and chasing payments for you, we are not qualified bookkeepers and cannot offer accounting advice.
We can have an initial chat to discover if it is actually bookkeeping that you need or whether we can assist with financial admin. This is great for small businesses who struggle to keep on top of submitting invoices and payment schedules. Our VAs have lots of experience updating and keeping track of show budgets and raising purchase orders.
2. You are not an arts-based organisation
This is not to say we do not consider working with businesses and individuals in other sectors, as our skills and experience working with the arts industry are definitely transferable in many cases.
However, we do have a niche, as do many other virtual assistants. If your business is in the legal sector, dog training, education, etc, you can find a VA who really understands your industry. That’s what we offer for the arts industry - we understand how organisations work and what they need.
3. You want a VA to work onsite
We offer remote support and have lots of knowledge about how to access details and share work securely and safely. That doesn’t mean we won’t meet you in person given the chance as we love to meet up with our clients, but we find that communicating via video calls, email, phone calls and Whatsapp works for us. You can read more about how we save our clients money by working virtually in our blog The Difference Between a PA and a VA.
4. You don’t know why you need a VA
Maybe you think you need a VA, but aren’t sure what particular tasks you want to outsource. To save us and you lots of time, it’s great if you come with ideas about what jobs you need help with, although we can discuss and work through these together.
Before you speak to us, make a list of the tasks you dread doing, are time-consuming and don’t fall within your skillset (you can get an idea of the services we offer in this blog - Top 10 Tasks to Outsource Today). After our initial call, we can discuss what ones we can help you with and what hours you need.
5. You can’t dedicate time to your VA
To get the best out of your VA, you need to work well together. This means making time to communicate with us - especially in the early days - to pass over tasks so that we’re not having to chase you, using up your valuable time.
By communicating effectively, we can make sure the hours you have paid for are filled, the tasks you need help with are completed and you’re getting the service you require.
The Arts News
Will Young is to return to his role of Willem in the Song from Far Away when it transfers from Manchester to Hampstead Theatre London. The play will run from June 28 to July 22.
Guys and Dolls has extended its run at London’s Bridge Theatre until February 24, 2024. It was previously set to run until 2 September.
Get in touch!
If you want to find out how you can work with The Arts VA, you can contact Charlie here. Did you find this blog helpful? Check out our other blogs about how to find the right VA: