The coaching industry is rapidly growing today. For instance, in the U.S., the market size of the business coaching industry is $14.2 billion, and it is expected to increase in 2022. Coaches are busy all around, and more and more of them are realizing the benefits of handing off admin tasks to a virtual assistant for coaches.
There are many reasons why a life or business coach might hire a virtual assistant for coaches. The most important reason is that being a coach is hard work! There are always new things to learn, and keeping up with the latest coaching strategies and techniques can be a full-time job in itself.
Besides, although the coaching industry as a whole is growing, it can be challenging for small practices to strike a balance between growth and financial discipline. If you’re a business or life coach, you’ve probably struggled with one (or all) of the following.
Finding Clients – The most common challenge coaches face is finding clients. It can be tough to get your name out there, and even tougher to convince potential clients that you’re the right person to help them achieve their goals. If you’re not naturally good at marketing or networking, it can feel like an uphill battle.
Integrating Tech Solutions – The coaching industry is rapidly evolving, and new technology solutions are being developed all the time. While some coaches are excited about the possibilities of integrating these new tools into their practice, others feel overwhelmed by the choices, intimidated by the costs, and unsure of where to start.
Compassion Fatigue – One of the most difficult challenges coaches face is compassion fatigue. It’s common for coaches to pour their heart and soul into their work, only to find that it’s not reciprocated. Coaches might also find it tough to do their duties if other matters are weighing heavily on them, like finding leads or ensuring their business stays within budget.
Juggling Admin Tasks – Another common challenge coaches face is juggling admin tasks. If you’re not naturally organized, it can be tough to keep track of everything. From scheduling appointments to preparing for sessions, there’s a lot on coaches’ to-do lists, and they never seem to get fewer. In fact, the more successful a coaching practice gets, the more admin tasks they get!
Business Strategy – Finally, many coaches find it difficult to manage their finances or formulate a business strategy. This is especially true for those who are self-employed. It can be tough to stay on top of your finances and make sure you’re making enough money to live on. And if you don’t have a solid business plan, it can be difficult to grow your coaching business.
If you’re a coach who’s looking for some help, hiring a virtual assistant for coaches can be a great solution. A virtual assistant can help you with all of the tasks listed above, so you can focus on what you do best: helping your clients achieve their goals!
Virtual Assistant for Coaches: What to Know
It’s a great feeling when you grow your practice, gain more clients, and see your brand take off. But it can also be overwhelming, especially if that growth involves wearing many hats at a time. Managing all the tasks yourself will be untenable at some point, and hiring a virtual assistant for coaches will become necessary.
When you hire a VA, you’ll be able to delegate some of the tasks that are taking up your time so you can focus on your coaching business. But before you do, there are a few things you should know about working with a virtual assistant for coaches.
For starters, it’s important to understand that not all VAs are created equal. There are generalists and specialists, and each type has its own strengths and weaknesses. It’s important to know which type of VA is right for your business.
A VA is an independent contractor
You also need to understand the difference between an employee and an independent contractor. This is important because VAs are usually independent contractors, not employees. This means that they’re not subject to the same rules and regulations as employees.
When you hire an independent contractor, like a VA, expect to pay lower rates than you would pay for a full-time employee. It is because the VA’s rates do not include pension payments, non-productive bonuses, and similar benefits.
Third, you need to be clear about your expectations for the VA. What skill level are you looking for in your VA? What’s your budget for hiring an assistant? Do you have a timeline for their output, or are you looking to offload tasks on a recurring basis? The more clear you are about your needs, the easier it will be to find a VA who can deliver.
Finally, you need to have a good idea of which tasks you’re going to offload to your assistant, and how you can train them to perform these tasks in a way that meets your expectations. This is where many coaches get tripped up, because they’re not sure which tasks to delegate or how to properly train a virtual assistant.
Tasks to Offload to a Virtual Assistant for Coaches
When coaches have virtual assistants, they can let themselves think about higher-level concerns like developing their strategy. Here are the ways a virtual assistant for coaches makes their clients’ workdays smoother.
A VA for Coaches Helps Find Clients
As a busy coach, you might not have the time or energy to invest in lead generation. This is where a VA can help. A good VA will be able to take on this task and free up your time so you can focus on coaching your clients or shaping your growth strategy.
A VA can help you generate leads in a number of ways, including:
- Researching Your Target Audience
- Scraping Online Sources for Data
- Cleaning Mined Data
- Creating a Lead Magnet
- Monitoring Lead Capture Forms
A Virtual Assistant for Coaches Provides Business Support
In addition to finding clients, a VA can also provide business support. This includes tasks related to managing finances If you’re not naturally organized, a VA can help you keep track of everything. And if you don’t have a solid business plan, a VA can help you develop one.
VAs provide business support in several ways, including:
- Bookkeeping
- Organizing Receipts
- Monitoring Cash Flow
- Preparing Reports
- Sending Invoices
Virtual Assistants for Coaches Integrate Tech
Innovation is written into the coaching profession’s DNA, and one way to innovate is by launching online courses. Whether you’re looking for a small coaching platform or complete coaching solutions, it helps to launch scalable models and programming without compromising client engagement.
Coaches who are looking to leverage technology use a VA’s help in several ways, including:
- Selecting the right platform for an online course
- Building, uploading, and managing course content
- Administrative tools for contracts, payments, scheduling, etc.
- Remote communications (e.g. SMS, calls, video tools)
- Content delivery, including sharing of PDFs, images, & videos
VAs for Coaches Handle Administrative Tasks
The goal of hiring a VA is to free up your time so you can focus on coaching your clients. But to do that, you need to find a VA who is competent and trustworthy enough to handle the many tedious but necessary things you’re offloading.
Coaches typically hand off these admin tasks to their VAs:
- Maintaining social media accounts
- Replying to comments on your pages
- Drafting emails and inbox management
- Scheduling appointments
- Following up with clients
- Making travel arrangements
- Designing promotional graphics
- Booking media appearances
- Receiving and making phone calls
Regain Balance – Hire a Virtual Assistant for Coaches
In today’s coaching landscape, it’s more important than ever to have a VA on your team. A good VA can help you find clients, provide business support, integrate tech, handle administrative tasks, and free up your time so you can focus on coaching. When you have enough time for your clients, you will be less likely to experience burnout or compassion fatigue.
If you’re not sure where to start, the best thing to do is reach out to a managed VA service that specializes in finding VAs for coaches. With the help of a great agency, you can find the perfect virtual assistant for your coaching business.
When you outsource to a virtual assistant through Wing, you can be sure you’re getting the best possible service. We connect business owners and busy teams with vetted, managed, and dedicated talent, so you can be confident that your VA can take on the tasks that you assign to them. Contact us today to learn more about how we can help you find the perfect VA for you!
Aya is Wing Assistant’s blog manager. When she’s not wrangling content briefs, editing article drafts and handling on-page SEO, she is crafting messages for Wing’s other communication materials. Aya writes about SaaS startups, marketing for startups, search engine optimization, and pop culture.
