The old saying “work smarter not harder” is old-school to us entrepreneurs today.  Entrepreneurs are among the elite of business professionals, in my opinion.  You have to understand what drives us to take the risks we take to excel ourselves to the front lines.  And the best person to understand that is another entrepreneur.  Some people do not understand us.  It’s hard for some to comprehend the work, time and money that we invest in this “adventure” – as some call it.  But for us, it’s our livelihood.  And we look at that old saying a bit different.  We look at it like “work smarter AND work harder”.

With today’s technology it’s a rat race some days.  These technological gadgets were intended to make things easier (“smarter”) for us but instead it’s all “harder.”  Instead of stepping away from our computers and taking a break to rest, we now take our computers with us, in our hands for the most part.  We check our email, check our visitor stats to the website, configure our Facebook page, catch up on tweets, check our voicemail, redo our schedule, the list could go on.  And we’ll do this from the palm of our hand when we should be watching our son’s baseball game.

It’s important for us to quickly jump to the front lines but to do that we have to be quicker, faster, and better than our competitors.  We have to want it more than they want it.  To accomplish this, we have to work smarter and we have to work harder.  But the question is:  What’s so smart about working until 3:30 am to get up at 6:00 am and then bomb the conference call with your prospective client because you’re exhausted and pumped up on caffeine?  What’s smarter about being cranky, not getting to the gym, and not eating healthy?  Sure, we’re accomplishing the work harder part, but not the work smarter.

I like to help get the message out that there is a solution that does not require investment, it does not require contracts, and it doesn’t require time, (well I guess everything is time for us).  What would four-hour’s worth of work off your desk (per month) do for you right now?  I bet you multi-task right?  Of course you do, you have to!  It takes a lot longer to get your article submitted (the one that is going to drive all that back traffic to your site) when you’re also checking your email, website stats, and trying to remember to call your mom because it’s her birthday.  Which is most important to you?  Delegate the rest (except calling your mom, you best do that one!) to an assistant who can knock those 4-hours of work out in just about 2 ½ “billable” hours.

What I do is I create solutions so business owners, entrepreneurs like yourself, can find a balance between work and home.  You don’t have to miss that phone call to your mom, and you don’t have to bomb that sales call.  And guess what?  If you delegate the right things, you won’t need to spend much money either, and you will spare up some much needed gym time too!  (No, I’m not saying your fat!)

I am a Virtual Assistant, and there are plenty more like me out there.  Some of us have specialties, and most of us have niches.  It’s those niches that set us apart from other Virtual Assistants.  Oddly enough, there doesn’t appear to be much competition for us either, since there’s plenty of work to go around.  Some Virtual Assistants even have a wait list!

A simple $75 to $100 per month can do this.  And then you can manage your busy work- and-home life, create a healthy balance between the two, and still excel your business.  You can bet that you are eventually going to have to face the music and consider this option regardless of your circumstances now.  If you don’t have this in your think tank now, you best prepare for it.  Because if you’re going to be as successful as you want to be, then you’re going to have to hire some help.

So don’t look at $40 per hour when you consider hiring your Virtual Assistant.  (Yes, that’s our average hourly billable rates these days).  Look at the fact that we can get an astonishing amount of work done for you in just one billable hour and think $75 or $100 for the entire month, instead.  That will make things so much easier for you, and it will give you the chance to start small with it, and work big (as big as you can grow your business).

Now that’s what I consider working smarter and working harder.  Remember, you have to want this – your success – more than your competitor does!  And finding the right specialist with the right niche to your industry can also go a long ways in adding to the growth potential between you and your new Virtual Assistant, and the quality of work you can get out of them.  Plus, a better match means you get more done for you, which will lead to more potential clients around the corner.

For more information on the Virtual Assistant industry visit (my free blog article) The Guide to Hiring a Virtual Assistant at:  http://jvansicklevirtualassistant.com/virtualindustryhub/understand-the-virtual-industry/

For more information on me and my services, please visit my website at http://jvansicklevirtualassistant.com.