I am sure everyone who starts a business wants to know how much work is required to get it up and running. Part of running a business is all the work that goes on behind the scenes. Another part is all the work you do for clients. Both of these tasks will take up a lot of your time. Most people underestimate the time they need to put into non-billable hours though, and believe me, it is a lot.
As I’m working on updating my business, I realize just how many non-billable hours I am spending working on things. I spend hours a week, and sometimes per day, just researching ways to improve, or learning different things. I spend a lot of time trying to network with other VA’s as well, as they are a valuable resource for information, and it is great to share ideas.
Spending time working behind the scenes on your business pays off, and the effort is well worth it. It can seem daunting at times, but seeing success from all the hard work you put in with non-billable hours pays off with billable hours from new clients. There are so many different tasks to consider when you think of non-billable hours.
Do you have a newsletter or blog that you publish?
Where do you get your ideas from?
Have you created a contract or a website?
Have you thought about updating your website, or your contract?
Do you have rates, and guidelines set out?
Where are you networking and marketing yourself, and how are you doing that?
How do you communicate with potential clients? Ie: Checking email or phone messages
These are just a few things to think about when you perform non-billable work. Non-billable hours are vital to your business, and shouldn’t be forgotten. It takes time to build your business, get clients, and then to see some profits.
Now that I’ve worked some non-billable hours, it is time to work on the billable tasks. 🙂
Have a great day and feel free to leave your comments!
Lindsay
Calgary Virtual Assistant 