Introduction
Imagine being able to hand off your time-consuming tasks to someone else so you can focus on big-picture strategy. For entrepreneurs, startup owners, and busy C-level executives, this is not a fantasy – it’s exactly what a virtual assistant (VA) makes possible. Business leaders often find themselves juggling countless responsibilities, from scheduling meetings to managing emails, on top of driving growth and innovation. It’s a recipe for burnout and missed opportunities. That’s where virtual assistants come in. They serve as remote extra hands, tackling administrative and routine duties and freeing up your schedule to concentrate on what truly moves the needle for your company. In this post, we’ll explore what VAs are, the benefits they bring, how they help companies scale up, the difference between a standard VA and an executive assistant, and why embracing remote work with virtual support can propel your business to new heights.
Figure: A business leader collaborates with a remote executive assistant via video call, illustrating how virtual support fits into modern workflows. Virtual collaboration like this allows founders and executives to work seamlessly with their assistants even when they’re miles apart.
A virtual assistant is a skilled professional who provides administrative, technical, or creative support to clients remotely, typically from a home office or co-working space What is a virtual assistant what can they accomplish mysigrid. In the past, executives or entrepreneurs might hire an in-person assistant to handle phone calls, filing, and scheduling. Today, advances in technology and widespread high-speed internet mean those same support tasks can be done from anywhere in the world. In fact, rapid tech adoption and the normalization of remote work (accelerated by the pandemic) have made hiring remote assistants both practical and cost-efficient for businesses of all sizes. What is a Virtual Assistant & What Can They Accomplish?.
Virtual assistants often work as independent contractors or through agencies, so companies don’t have to provide office space or equipment. Communication with a VA is typically done via email, messaging apps, and video calls – much like you would with an in-house team member. The key difference is that a VA is not physically present in your office. This remote setup can actually be a huge advantage, giving business owners the flexibility to tap into talent from anywhere on the globe and to hire help on an as-needed basis.
What do VAs actually do? A better question might be: What can’t they do? Early-generation virtual assistants primarily handled classic administrative duties – managing calendars, answering phones, organizing paperwork, etc. Modern VAs often have diverse skill sets and can tackle a wide range of tasks depending on your business needs What is a Virtual Assistant & What Can They Accomplish?. For example, you can find VAs proficient in social media management, content creation, graphic design, bookkeeping, customer support, data entry, and more. Many entrepreneurs start by delegating routine tasks like inbox management, appointment scheduling, travel booking, and file organization to their VA. Over time, you might also entrust them with preparing meeting agendas, updating your CRM database, basic marketing outreach, or even personal errands. The role of a virtual assistant is truly adaptable – they fill in whatever gaps you have so you can run your operations more smoothly.
Importantly, because VAs typically work on a contract or part-time basis, you only pay for the time and tasks you need. You’re not on the hook for a full-time salary when the full-time workload isn’t there, and you don’t incur the usual employee costs like payroll taxes or benefits What is a Virtual Assistant & What Can They Accomplish?. In short, you get the support you need without the overhead – a compelling proposition for any cost-conscious business.
Engaging a virtual assistant can deliver substantial benefits to you and your business. Here are some of the key advantages:
One of the most strategic uses of virtual assistants is leveraging them to scale up your operations. For startups and growing companies, scaling usually comes with challenges like limited manpower, an exploding to-do list, and the need to control costs. Virtual assistants offer a smart solution to these growing pains.
When your business is in its early stages or experiencing a growth spurt, the workload can increase overnight. Suddenly there are more customer inquiries to handle, more data to process, more meetings to schedule – simply more balls in the air. Hiring full-time staff for every new function is often impractical (and expensive) for a young company. This is where VAs shine. You can quickly expand your team by bringing in one or more virtual assistants to manage the surge in work, without enduring a lengthy recruitment process or committing to permanent salaries Top 10 Businesses Leveraging Virtual Assistants For Growth. Many small business owners and startup founders have done exactly that – using virtual assistant services to delegate tasks and keep the business running smoothly during critical growth periods Top 10 Businesses Leveraging Virtual Assistants For Growth.
For example, imagine you run an e-commerce startup that’s gaining traction. Orders are doubling every month, and customer service emails are piling up. Instead of scrambling to recruit and train a full in-house support team (which could take weeks or months), you could onboard a virtual assistant in a matter of days. That VA could start handling customer emails, processing orders, managing your inventory updates, and even coordinating with suppliers. If one assistant isn’t enough, you can quickly add a second VA to cover additional tasks or different time zones. When the holiday rush or new product launch is over, you can scale back down just as easily. This elastic approach to staffing ensures that growth opportunities are met with adequate support without overstretching your core team or budget.
Not only do VAs help manage volume, but they also enable founders and executives to focus on strategic growth initiatives rather than day-to-day minutiae. It’s often said that to scale effectively, leaders need to learn to delegate – and virtual assistants make delegation much easier. By entrusting operational details to your VA, you as the founder/CEO can devote your energy to big-picture tasks like refining your product, expanding to new markets, or meeting with investors. Indeed, research shows that businesses with strong support staff see up to a 23% higher productivity at the leadership level Outsource C-Suite Executive Assistant – Lighten Your Load - Stealth Agents, because the top team is focused on high-level objectives. Put simply, having the right assistance in place can directly drive faster and more sustainable growth.
It’s telling that some of the fastest-growing and most successful businesses today make extensive use of virtual assistants Top 10 Businesses Leveraging Virtual Assistants For Growth. They understand that smart delegation is a key to scaling up. If you’re looking to grow your company, a virtual assistant can be a secret weapon – offering on-demand support, adaptability as you expand, and the breathing room you need to focus on the future.
By now, you might be wondering about the term “executive assistant” and how it differs from a regular virtual assistant. It’s an important distinction to understand, especially for business leaders who may need a higher level of support.
A standard virtual assistant (VA) typically handles a wide variety of tasks for one or multiple clients, usually in a task-oriented manner. For instance, a VA might spend a few hours managing your social media, updating your database, and scheduling appointments – taking direction from you on what needs to be done and when.
An executive assistant (EA), by contrast, operates at a more strategic and proactive level and is often dedicated to a single executive or team. They don’t just wait for tasks – they anticipate needs. For example, an EA will manage your calendar, ensure you have all necessary materials for meetings, handle meeting follow-ups, filter communications, and keep you on track with long-term deadlines. In effect, they become the executive’s “right hand” – fully attuned to the executive’s priorities and ways of working.
Because EAs handle high-level and often confidential matters, they tend to be highly experienced professionals. They often liaise with clients or board members on the executive’s behalf, prepare executive reports, and manage sensitive documents. Many executive assistants have years of top-level administrative experience, which means they can be trusted with significant responsibilities and exercise exceptional professionalism.
For C-level executives and founders with especially intense schedules, having a dedicated executive assistant (even virtually) can be transformative. Research shows that strong executive support can boost productivity for leadership by up to 23% Outsource C-Suite Executive Assistant – Lighten Your Load - Stealth Agents, precisely because it frees the executive to focus on critical decision-making. The CEO or executive can concentrate on leading, knowing that the EA is keeping the day-to-day on track.
Of course, not every business owner needs a full-fledged executive assistant. If your workload is manageable, a general VA might be enough. But when responsibilities expand and time becomes scarce, an executive assistant’s higher-touch support is often worth the investment.
MySigrid, co-founded by Paul Østergaard, specializes in providing premium virtual executive assistant services – you get a dedicated EA who is backed by a support team for 24/7 continuity and a broad range of expertise What is a Virtual Assistant & What Can They Accomplish?. This ensures that even if your primary assistant is unavailable, your support system remains in place and you always have reliable help to keep you organized and effective.
The rise of remote work in recent years has made virtual collaboration commonplace – and virtual assistants have directly benefited from this shift. Multiple studies confirm that employees can be just as productive (if not more so) when working remotely. In fact, one study found that remote workers were 5% more productive than those working in a physical office, and by the spring of 2022 remote worker productivity had risen to 9% higher as companies became more adept at remote work practices The Surprising Truth About Remote Work Productivity | Psychology Today. With fewer office distractions and no commute, remote team members often accomplish more in less time while enjoying a better work–life balance.
Crucially, the normalization of remote work means hiring a virtual assistant doesn’t feel like a risky experiment – it’s a natural extension of how we do business today. Managers and teams are now comfortable collaborating via email, Slack, and Zoom, whether colleagues are down the hall or across the globe. That means a talented VA can plug into your operations almost as seamlessly as someone sitting in HQ. You can assign tasks, communicate expectations, and receive deliverables through digital tools you likely already use daily.
The broad adoption of remote work (especially following the 2020 pandemic) has also made flexible arrangements a permanent fixture for many organizations. Most employees now express a desire to work from home at least part of the time, and companies have adapted accordingly. As a result, working with a remote assistant is straightforward and widely accepted. Jumping on a video call with your VA to kick off the week or using an online project board to track tasks has become business-as-usual. Many companies have even shifted to measuring results rather than hours in the office – a trend that plays to the strengths of virtual assistants, who prove their value through the quality of their output The Surprising Truth About Remote Work Productivity | Psychology Today.
In today’s competitive business environment, a virtual assistant can truly elevate your productivity and accelerate your growth. Whether you’re a startup founder looking to scale up, a busy executive trying to reclaim hours in your day, or a small business owner eager to optimize costs, a VA offers a flexible, affordable, and highly effective solution. By delegating your non-core tasks to a trusted assistant, you free yourself to focus on strategy, innovation, and leadership – the work that matters most.
If you’re ready to take the next step and leverage these advantages, consider bringing a virtual assistant on board. Take action and explore how a professional VA service can work for you.
MySigrid specializes in providing top-tier virtual executive assistant services tailored for entrepreneurs and executives. With MySigrid, you get a vetted, dedicated assistant backed by a support team, ensuring you have reliable help that can seamlessly integrate into your workflow from day one.
Ready to get started? Reach out to MySigrid to schedule a consultation and see how a virtual executive assistant could transform your daily productivity. Empower yourself with the support you deserve, and watch your business thrive with the help of a virtual assistant.