I absolutely believe in delegating.  If you’ve worked hard, been persistent and had just a tad of luck, you will reach the point where your business has grown enough that delegating becomes mandatory.  You’ll know when that point comes.  You won’t be able to handle all the work on your plate.  You are working longer hours, getting tired.  Your family starts grumbling that they don’t see enough of you or get enough of your attention.  Your spouse starts asking about plans for the week-end and you, with a dazed, far away stare, start muttering about a difficult client or a tech system that crashed.

In short, you’re no fun at all and you’re not having any fun either.  Work which was once invigorating is now becoming a series of painful tasks you hope you can complete. The diagnosis is simple. You need help.

And if it takes more convincing, recognize that, sure as the sun will come up in the morning, without help, you will burn out, your business will start a long down hill slide, and somewhere along the way down your family will start wondering if this grumbling workaholic they find themselves living with is worth putting up with at all.

So, you know.  You’ve arrived at that point where help is no long a nice idea.  Help is mandatory.

Here’s what a virtual assistant can do for you. In 10 Ways Web Businesses Can Use Virtual Assistants , Rebecca Zwar, a virtual assistant and owner of Social Web diVA offers this bit of guidance:

“The virtual assistant (VA) industry has literally exploded in the last few years. You may have heard of the very popular book, The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Richby Timothy Ferris. You might even know of a VA or two. But how do you know when you’re ready to start outsourcing?

Too many small business owners wait until they’re overwhelmed to start outsourcing, either because they feel they’re the only one who can do the job right, or because they fear it’s simply out of their budget.

The truth is that there are many tasks you’ll come across in your web-based business that do not fall within your area of expertise. The right virtual assistant will get you set up, going and on to the next task in the time it will take you to read the FAQ’s! Think of them as your virtual help-desk for developing, implementing and marketing your internet presence. So if you’ve been putting off outsourcing because you weren’t sure where to start, check out this list of 10 Ways Web Businesses can use VAs:

1. Design and maintain your blog or even website. There are many virtual assistants out there who can get you set up with an attractive and functional blog or website. And unlike traditional web designers, your VA can continue to help you with quick updates and changes, without exorbitant fees or long turn-around times.
2. Set up your ezine/newsletter. Is your time better spent generating business, or learning how to create and edit an HTML newsletter template? Your VA will set it up and send it out, without needing anything more than a text or Word file from you.
3. Manage your affiliate program. An affiliate program is a great way to increase sales for your product. But they do require some maintenance. A VA can help with writing promotional copy that draws in good affiliates, as well as manage payment schedules, promotions and more.
4. Create sales pages or landing pages. Do you have a new product, free report or teleseminar you’re promoting? Have your VA create an attractive landing page that generates lots of sign-ups.
5. Set up and manage your shopping cart. Shopping cart systems online can range from simplistic to highly complicated. It can be difficult to know which to choose, much less how to set it up for your business. Your VA can help you select the cart that’s best for you, and integrate it with your website.
6. Develop and maintain your social networking. Social networking was the buzzword online in 2008, and networks like Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter experienced phenomenal growth. The right VA can sit down to create a strategy for your social networking, and help you maintain it so it’s a time-effective, not time-consuming, form of marketing.
7. Assist with formatting audio or video. If you’re interested in podcasting or producing videos, don’t let lack of technical knowledge stop you. A virtual assistant can take raw audio or video, edit, upload and promote it for you.
8. Create professional free and paid products. Provide a simple text file to your VA, and they can help you produce a professional product to sell or give away to build your list. Or, work with a VA that offers writing services, and you won’t even have to create the product yourself!
9. Act as technical support for teleseminars, training calls, webinars, video conferences and more – If you’re not familiar with the systems you’re using, having technical issues can make you look unprofessional or worse, cost you money. Having a VA standing by to help work through any technical issues can be worth the cost just for peace of mind.
10. Finally, remember that just because you’re a web-based business doesn’t mean that you couldn’t use some administrative help. Let your VA manage your schedule through online calendars, sort through emails, screen voicemails, manage your bookkeeping, or help with whatever task you find is consuming your time and costing you money.

Virtual assistants are more than simply secretaries—they can be business partners that bring essential skills to help you manage and market your business for the best of both worlds. They’ll save you time and help make you money!”

I can tell you, I reached that point in my business and the moment you realize you need help and act on it, your business and your life will change for the better.  You will be able to take downtime to recharge and your business will be able to continue to grow without chewing up the founder in the process.

Just do it!