10 Time-Consuming Tasks Every Small Business Owner Should Outsource to a VA

As a small business owner, your time is your most valuable asset. Yet most business owners spend the majority of their working hours on tasks that don't directly generate revenue — admin, scheduling, data entry, inbox management, and dozens of other operational necessities that keep the lights on but don't grow the business.

The solution? Outsource those tasks to a virtual assistant.

Here are 10 time-consuming tasks that you should seriously consider handing over to a VA — and how a managed service like PropPerly makes the process simple, affordable, and risk-free.

1. Email and Inbox Management

The average professional spends 28% of their working week managing email. For a business owner, that number is often higher because your inbox is a mix of client communications, supplier queries, team updates, marketing messages, and spam.

A VA can triage your inbox, flag urgent messages, draft responses, unsubscribe from irrelevant lists, and ensure nothing falls through the cracks. You get a clean, organised inbox every morning without spending an hour getting there yourself.

2. Diary and Calendar Management

Scheduling meetings, rearranging appointments, handling cancellations, and managing time zones — it's a constant juggling act. A VA can take full ownership of your calendar, ensuring meetings are spaced properly, prep time is built in, and double-bookings are avoided.

They can also handle the back-and-forth of scheduling with clients and partners, so you don't waste 15 minutes on what should be a 30-second task.

3. Data Entry and Database Management

Whether it's updating your CRM, entering client details, cleaning up spreadsheets, or maintaining your contact database, data entry is essential but mind-numbingly repetitive. It's the perfect VA task — it needs to be done accurately and consistently, but it doesn't require your strategic input.

An experienced VA can handle CRM updates in systems like HubSpot, Salesforce, or Zoho, keeping your data clean and current without you lifting a finger.

4. Invoicing and Payment Chasing

Creating invoices, sending reminders, and following up on late payments are tasks that many business owners dread. They take time, feel awkward, and often get pushed to the bottom of the to-do list — which directly impacts cash flow.

A VA can generate and send invoices using tools like Xero, QuickBooks, or FreshBooks, send polite payment reminders on schedule, and escalate overdue accounts to you only when necessary. Better cash flow, less stress.

5. Social Media Management

You know you should be posting regularly on LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, or wherever your audience is. But consistently creating content, scheduling posts, engaging with comments, and monitoring analytics is a significant time commitment.

A VA can schedule posts using tools like Buffer, Hootsuite, or Later, engage with comments and messages, and compile performance reports so you can make informed decisions about your social strategy without spending hours on the platforms yourself.

6. Customer Service and Enquiry Handling

Responding to customer enquiries, handling complaints, processing returns, and answering FAQs is essential for retention but incredibly time-consuming. Every hour you spend on customer service is an hour you're not spending on business development.

A VA can manage your customer service channels — email, live chat, social media DMs — using templates and SOPs you provide. They can handle routine queries independently and escalate complex issues to you, so you only deal with the situations that genuinely need your attention.

7. Travel and Event Planning

Researching flights, comparing hotels, booking meeting rooms, organising team events, arranging conference attendance — these tasks are time-consuming and detail-heavy. A VA can research options, present you with the best choices, handle all bookings, and manage the logistics so you just need to show up.

8. Research and Competitor Analysis

Whether you need market research, competitor pricing analysis, supplier comparisons, or industry news summaries, a VA can do the legwork. They can compile the information into a clear, digestible format — saving you hours of Googling and spreadsheet work.

This is particularly valuable for business owners who need to stay informed about their market but don't have time to do the research themselves.

9. Document Preparation and Formatting

Proposals, reports, presentations, contracts, meeting minutes — the volume of documents a business owner needs to produce is staggering. A VA can format documents to your brand standards, proofread content, create presentations from your notes, and ensure everything looks professional before it goes out.

If you're spending an hour formatting a proposal that a VA could prepare in the same time, you're not using your time wisely.

10. Property and Tenant Administration

For letting agents, estate agents, and property managers, this category alone can consume entire working days. Tenant referencing, maintenance coordination, compliance tracking, inventory management, landlord updates, and portal listings — the list is endless.

PropPerly specialises in property VA services, with VAs experienced in UK property management workflows. From Rightmove and Zoopla listings to tenant communication and maintenance scheduling, a property VA can handle the operational workload that keeps you tied to your desk.

How Much Time Could You Save?

Let's be conservative. If each of these 10 tasks takes just 1.5 hours per week, that's 15 hours per week — or nearly two full working days — spent on tasks that a VA could handle for you.

Over a year, that's 780 hours. If your time is worth £50 per hour (and for most business owners, it's worth significantly more), that's £39,000 worth of your time spent on operational tasks.

A full-time managed VA through PropPerly costs from £950 per month — that's £11,400 per year. The maths speaks for itself.

Why Choose a Managed VA Service?

You could hire a freelance VA yourself, but a managed service like PropPerly removes the headaches:

Pre-vetted and experienced: Every VA is carefully selected and vetted for UK business workflows

UK-based management: A UK team oversees quality and handles any issues

Free replacement: If your VA isn't the right fit, you get a replacement within 3-5 days

Backup cover: If your VA is unavailable, PropPerly provides cover

No employment obligations: Flexible monthly terms with no NI, pension, or employment law risks

A genuine win-win: PropPerly's VAs are based overseas in countries with a lower cost of living, where they earn 2 to 3 times the local average salary. This means highly motivated, committed professionals who deliver exceptional results — a great outcome for everyone involved

PropPerly's Pricing

Part-time VA: from £550 per monthFull-time VA: from £950 per monthProperty VA (part-time): from £599 per monthProperty VA (full-time): from £999 per month

The Bottom Line

You didn't start your business to spend your days managing emails, chasing invoices, and updating spreadsheets. These tasks need to be done — but they don't need to be done by you.

A managed virtual assistant gives you back your most valuable resource: your time. And with PropPerly, you get the support of a UK-managed team that ensures quality, reliability, and continuity.

Stop doing £10-per-hour work when your time is worth £100+.

Ready to reclaim your time? Book a free discovery call at propperly.co.uk and find out which tasks you should outsource first.