Want to Save 30+ Hours a Week By Working With a Virtual Assistant — But Not Sure How?
Let me show you
Photo by Polina Zimmerman on Pexels
“How do you hire a virtual assistant?”
“What sort of tasks do they do for you?”
“Do you have a good VA you can recommend?”
“How do you manage logins?”
“Do you give your VA a VPN?”
I’ve been asked these questions MANY times over the past 3 years.
I get it.
Outsourcing to a virtual assistant for the first time is overwhelming.
There are so many things to consider, and you think, “How can teaching someone on the other side of the world POSSIBLY save me time!?”
That’s why I put together my outsourcing course. It’s helped hundreds of students and has made me thousands of dollars.
But I’m not here to plug my course.
I’m here to plug my assistant.
I’ll be honest; when I started working with my virtual assistant, I lucked out. That’s because Lou is an absolute gem.
And nearly three years after I hired her, she’s running her own VA agency! It’s called VA.EST, and her team can help you with everything from sales, admin, marketing, customer service, and so much more.
Checking it out might be the best thing you can do in 2024.
I was also lucky enough to guest on her podcast and share my top tips when working with a virtual assistant.
Here are some of those tips.
Don’t rush into hiring. I spent four weeks getting systems in place before posting a job. If you’ve spent years without an assistant, you can wait another month.
Start with the end in mind. Why do you want to outsource? Which tasks don’t you like doing? How will you use the extra time?
Start small. You don’t have to outsource every single thing. First, offload the tasks you find repetitive. You can gradually hand off more.
Complete and document tasks for at least two weeks before you outsource them. This means when you hire a VA, you’ll be better placed to help if they get stuck. (But don’t worry about this too much. Lou and her team can help you with this.)
Put systems in place. Someone I used to work with hired an assistant without any systems. They lasted one month.
You can double — even triple — your income. Paying someone to do something you can do is a waste of money, right? Wrong. Once you outsource, you’ll have time to build other income streams.
Trust your gut. Within 30 seconds of meeting your VA, you’ll know if they’re the right fit.
Confirm with your VA what their plan of action is if their internet goes down. Do they have a backup connection? Are there internet cafes near where they live?
Trust. Most people aren’t out to get you. They want to help.
Communicate. Mistakes happen when you don’t communicate with your assistant. They’re not mind-readers.
Your VA will become one of your closest allies. It’s in their interest to help you succeed. Empower them to do so.
Manage tasks with Asana. Asana helps teams organise, track, and manage their work. I’ve used their free plan from the beginning. Similar platforms include Monday.com and Trello.
Use LastPass. This lets your VA access your accounts without sharing login details. For example, say you want your VA to access your emails. Simple. They install the LastPass Chrome extension, and you grant them access. Now, when they go onto the relevant page, the fields will autofill.
Give honest feedback. Your assistant will be less likely to make the same mistake twice, which will save both of you time in the long run.
Be generous with praise. If your VA is doing a great job, tell them! “The difference between appreciation and flattery? One is sincere and the other insincere.” — Dale Carnegie
When you hire someone, keep your schedule as clear as possible for the first week. It’ll be easier to help your VA settle into the role if you haven’t got other commitments.
Anyone can outsource and manage effectively. Treat people fairly by doing what feels right. It’s not rocket science.
Start now. “Selling and outsourcing are the two skills you need to be a successful business owner.” — Gary Vee
It’s easier than you think. Follow this step-by-step guide and take your time.
There’s never been a better time to hire a VA!
Want help outsourcing to a virtual assistant? Drop me an email, and I’ll be happy to introduce you to Lou :)
