BEFORE HIRING A VIRTUAL ASSISTANT, DO THESE 9 STEPS
When you’re an entrepreneur, the most important thing is time. And as your business grows so does your workload.
At first, you might be excited that you have all of these clients and that your business has grown. But after some time it becomes overwhelming and before you know it you are spending more time managing your business rather than growing your business or doing the things you set out to do when you joined the entrepreneur journey. And while you can do ANYTHING, you can’t do EVERYTHING.
If you want to scale your business and have more free time in your life, then you need to start thinking about hiring a virtual assistant. But before you start posting a job ad on every Platform you can think of, here are 9 steps you should take before hiring a virtual assistant.
BEFORE HIRING A VIRTUAL ASSISTANT
1. Make a list of all the responsibilities in your business and then decide what you will outsource (This is also a great opportunity to do a time study)
Take some time to think about what are some of the things you want to delegate. I recommend delegating things that you don’t like doing so much yourself but need to get done.
For example, I mainly work with Therapists, and most therapists don’t like discussing the price with potential clients. So before booking an appointment or speaking to the therapist, I filter out potential clients. I discuss the fees with the client, explain the process to them, and book the appointment. That way the therapist only concentrates on the therapy session itself and they avoid having the uncomfortable money talk
Other therapists love writing their own blogs but hate how time-consuming it is to post them on their website, so I post their blog and make it SEO-friendly for them
Time Study? Timing yourself doing all the tasks for your business is important in this step. It kind of goes hand in hand. This will give you an idea not only of where your time is going but how long your VA should be taking in completing certain tasks.
Solopreneurs have a hard time letting go, and it’s okay, I understand, your business is like your baby. So ask yourself, what do I want to keep doing myself? And what are things I do not want to deal with that are essential for my business? you can always start delegating small things, and give more responsibilities to your Virtual Assistant once you feel more comfortable with letting go.
2. Write down all the requirements your assistant must have:
Such as being able to use a specific calendar platform
or maybe being familiar with Mailchimp or WordPress
Keep in mind some systems can be easily taught, however, there are some things you cannot teach. Such as speaking two languages, having them in the same time zone as you, or KINDNESS.
3. Write a Job Description:
Make sure your VA knows what is expected of her/him. Put this Job Description in your Ad and Give this information to them during the interview. This will help your VA know what she must do and it will give you a better understanding of what you are looking for.
4. Take a look at your budget:
Before hiring a VA make sure you can afford one.
VA prices change depending on where they are from and what kind of services they provide. VAs who specialize in something specific will charge more than a General VA.
The way VAs charge also varies, some VAs charge by the hour, others have retainer packages and others work on a project basis.
You have to figure out what you can afford and what kind of services you can get with your budget.
VAs who are overseas may charge between $3-$12 the hours, and a VA who is in the USA may charge between $15 to $50 the hour.
Keep in mind that you get what you pay for. This is not to say that you can’t find a good VA at an affordable price. But VAs who charge more also tend to have more experience.
5. Interview them:
Make sure to take the time to interview them. And get to know them a little bit, and ask for their goals.
You don’t want to hire someone who is going to leave you when they find the next big thing. If you want a long-term VA, then make sure they want to be in the VA industry long-term as well.
When I hire VAs I also make them take a personality test. I like to hire people who have the same core values as me but have different talents to offer, this brings value and diversity to my company.
6. Make Time for Training:
Most VAs already have experience, either because they have worked in the past as an office administrator or they have been in the VA business for quite some time. However, each business is different, and not all business owners are the same. You cannot expect your VA to jump in and know everything about your company.
Take the time to train her/him and show her/him how YOU like things done, explain your goals, and have a system in place that works best for your business.
Type out your system like a training manual, explain it, demonstrate it, and hand it over to her. And if time allows it, make a training video. Give your VA something she can go back to in case she gets stuck.
7. Trial Period:
Before your VA takes over, track yourself doing the work you will be delegating (If you did not do a time-study in bullet point#1, then, now is your chance). This will give you an idea of how long your VA should be taking to complete each task. At first, your VA might be a bit slow, after all, she/he is just getting to know your business. Try to remember how it was for you when you first started your company. You did not know everything right away, you probably became overwhelmed, now try to imagine taking over in the middle of things not knowing anything. Doesn’t sound so easy huh? Make sure you provide the proper training and give your VA time to adjust.
If your VA is having a hard time grasping things then look at your system, maybe the system is confusing. I recommend a 3-month trial.
BONUS Tip: Meet with your VA AT LEAST once a month if you can do once a week even better. Communication is KEY to EVERYTHING in life, including your business, so it’s important to make time and check in with your team, even if it’s only once a month.
8. Your Virtual Assistant is a very valuable asset to your company.
You might have the preconceived idea that hiring a VA will be a quick and easy process. After all, they’ll be handling mostly admin routines right? Well not quite. A surprising amount of your work will depend on them. No matter how creative or non-creative your business is, administrative tasks are what keep a business running afloat.
She also has a super important responsibility, which is to free up your time. And you know what they say, “Time is Money!”
9. Create a list of all the things you want to do with your new free time:
What will you do with all your free time?
Write down all the things you want to do with the free time your VA will bring. I recommend writing this list once you have finished writing the job description.
Once you hire a VA, give the proper training and your VA has everything under control, DO NOT MICROMANAGE! Go back to this list and start enjoying your new freedom.
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