October 31, 2013 5 Benefits of a Virtual Assistant - for Musicians!
You know that image we all have in our heads about personal assistants? Only celebrities are busy (and rich) enough to have someone to keep them on track and book their first-class flights. Maybe you don’t see the need for an assistant - you are determined to be the DIY musician and actually believe it’s possible . But your life is feeling unbalanced, and you are finding yourself spending more time updating Facebook than working on your next album.
Hiring a personal assistant is costly for anyone, especially a musician getting their feet off the ground, but there is an option here for you - a virtual assistant. You could still be hurting yourself professionally, financially AND personally by not hiring a virtual assistant - want to know how?
Below are 5 benefits of getting a virtual assistant of your own.
1. Clear and efficient payment terms.
Virtual assistants understand that you are only paying them for the time they work on you - NOT for lunch breaks, sick-days nor vacations. Your money is 100% going to investing in you! You are not responsible for office space, office supplies, computer, etc as you would be with a regular full-time employee. Also, most VA’s work as independent contractors - this means to you that you don’t worry about insurance, benefits or taxes. Make the agreement clear and on your terms from the beginning and you’ll be set.
2. They do the ‘stuff’ you don’t want to do.
You know you should be writing a new blog post. You know you should be writing to venues or conference appearance opportunities. You might procrastinate, avoid and even all together not even start a task that you know should be done. But you would just rather tune out and practice on your instrument, spend a couple hours in the studio, and get to that next record as soon as you could. With an assistant to delegate to, those tasks are as easy as done. Bottom line - you don’t have to do stuff that you don’t want to do!
3. You’ll get organized without really trying.
Virtual assistants are all about organization, prioritizing and getting sh*t done. And the best out there are proactive and manage their time extremely well. Ever double booked yourself? Sure you have! When I start working with a musician, right off the bat I create their calendar. I share the file with them via Google Docs, as well as emailing it to them every other week. Their calendar includes performance dates, personal appointments, meetings, rehearsals and travel days. My musicians might have their own way of marking important dates down, but this allows for both of us to double check any possible future conflicts. Double bookings WILL happen with musicians handling their own schedule, but are typically avoided with 2 pairs of eyes watching. This would make any person, let alone the busy musician, more organized.
4. No training needed.
One musician I work with only hired interns before bringing me on board. I understand why she did this because you can hire them for zero to minimum wage. However, she found herself spending more time explaining and training rather than them getting the stuff she needed done, and it felt more productive for her to just do it on her own. Where she had it wrong was knowing what kind of support she needed. Yes, an assistant will cost more, but the right one will have the skills and knowledge already established and is only the best investment you can make in terms of starting your team. The time you work with them won’t be training, but delegating those tasks you don’t want to do (see no.2!) and concentrating on getting to your next show or writing the next Billboard charting hit.
5. They are real support - you’re not alone!
You might have already realized you can’t do everything yourself, so you went and hired the booker, manager and publicist to help you book shows, plan routes, plan recordings, promote your show, etc. You’re thinking, isn’t that enough? Truth is, as a musician, it might not be. An assistant’s job description is typically more flexible in the tasks they could do for you. While a publicist is hired only to promote and spread the word, or a booker is hired to book you an upcoming tour, the assistant works hand in hand with those positions, plus more. Who’s going to plan your band’s next rehearsal? Who’s going to update your mailing list after a show? Who’s going to mail out master copies to your distributor to meet a deadline while you are on the road? These sorts of things are not in a manager’s or publicist’s job description, and certainly NOT what a musician’s energy should be drained on - they should be focused on their music and building their own enterprises! With a virtual assistant, you aren’t alone anymore.
Reader Comments (20)
Where does one find a virtual assistant?
To all musicians,
I could not agree more with all of the above.
I am a Virtual Assistant, and only too willing to help.
Please see my website for further details about myself and please contact me if you feel I may be of help.
http://martinavirtualassistant.co.uk/
Until then
Martina
PS. I love music !!
So where do we find these virtual assistants?
This is a great post highlighting the cost / benefit, organization / little or no training. Artists benefit greatly from organizational assistance. Someone help keep you organized, on time, and help coordinating future performances,(the additional money flowing in, is helping pay for your PA)!
One of the essential investments that help smart artists grow their creative business!
What companies do you recommend?
Great article and I'd like to add, if it's your intent to support U.S. based workers and you want to work with virtual assistants in the United States, make sure to ask the company you're thinking of hiring if they will outsource your work overseas. There are some companies that present themselves as established in one country, but they outsource your work overseas to make more money. This could be very risky when it comes to protecting your music or intellectual property.
Also be sure to ask for recent references from their current clients. If you need more tips, I'm happy to help.
Shilonda Downing, Owner
Virtual Work Team LLC
http://virtualworkteam.com
Hey guys! Thanks for the comments and sorry for my delay in response!
You can find virtual assistants at sites like odesk.com, elance.com, zirtual.com, fancyhands.com, etc.
These sites specialize in posting jobs that are virtual or give you access to a pool of virtual assistants.
Just be sure to really figure out what you will need skill wise from an assistant - don't assume they will know everything! Ask the right questions so you can get the right one!
If you enjoyed this article, sign up for my newsletter where I send more tips and stories about being a virtual assistant : http://eepurl.com/HamV1
Again, thanks for reading and hope to connect with all of you!
xoxo
Fiona Z
Thank you all for reading and for your comments! I am a virtual assistant to musicians and here to offer advice, tips and stories! Get them to your inbox by signing up for my mailbox here: http://eepurl.com/Hrz8n
Thank you!
Fiona Z
This is indeed a great article on the benefits of virtual assistants not only for corporate bosses but also for musicians. Thank you for sharing.
A VA and a musician as well here. I knew for a fact that creating music is a tedious process to get to the top. It takes a lot of hard work especially in establishing a distinct sound. Same is true with VA's: we do things straight as what our client told us or even more. What I am trying to say is that, with these two great "unlimiters" of their capacities in a partnership, wouldn't that be a call for a better music industry and a better VA business? These are two great artists on their own respective fields that should give their all. Thanks! All for music and VAship!
Which companies are the best, where we can find a trusted assistant art artists.
Hi Adam,
If you are looking for virtual assistants you can either search on the popular job sites for freelancers such as craigslist, Freelancer.com or http://www.kistaffing.com/. most of them offer good rates. havent tried one to help me with my music due to budget constraints but if you have the budget I heard its worth it.
I'm a VA and just came across this article and completely agree! Sometimes you have to think outside the box, and hiring a VA is definitely a way to help with the tasks that others don't have the time to do. Just like Fiona said, ask a lot of questions to make sure that the two of you will be a good fit!
Angi Shields
Clerical Essentials
Hi:
I may be of assistance to you. I am starting a Virtual Assistant biz and happened to see this trail of comments today. I have 27+ years administrative/Customer Relations experience and would be glad to speak with you in how I might free up time for you with such tasks as handling your emails, calendar management including appointment setting (including alerts), internet research and even help with your writing. You can contact me at Vicki-sasolutions@outlook.com.
Regards,
Vicki
If you're in need of a VA, don't hesitate to email me at mwhitely14@gmail.com
if you're a musician or creative type and need a virtual assistant, contact me at mnw.assistant@gmail.com
Hi guys! I am a virtual assistant -- I can make you a music-related website, do articles, post and update schedules of gigs, etc. I'm an amateur blues musician ;) Contact me at glennvaldezva@gmail.com for details. My fee will be very, very reasonable.
Hi guys! I am a virtual assistant -- I can make you a music-related website, do articles, post and update schedules of gigs, etc. I'm an amateur blues musician ;) Contact me at glennvaldezva@gmail.com for details. My fee will be very, very reasonable.
How is this a squarespace site?! You've ruined the beauty and visual appeal of the whole dang thing. I couldn't even make it through the article I was so distracted by all the stuff everywhere!
Whew.
Zzaj-Trax can definitely help you with this! If you have questions, please email me at rotcod@rotcodzzaj.com