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How to hire a virtual Assistant: Entrepreneur's Guide to Outsourcing

Apr 20, 2022

Finding a Virtual Assistant to work for you is one of the first, yet most important hires that you can do as an Entrepreneur. If you do not have someone on your team who you are able to assign specific duties to, you'll be wasting your time and energy doing activities that don't actually contribute to the expansion of your company.

Solopreneur vs Entrepreneur

One of the major distinctions in the "solopreneur" (someone that is only person in their business) as well as a business owner/entrepreneur is the fact that both are a group. Business owners don't have to handle all the work. They design systems and then hire individuals to take care of things for them. These are necessary steps to creating a business that continues to grow, even when they're not working.

The hiring of a team member is crucial to making transition from being a solopreneur to a business owner or, as Michael E. Gerber, creator of the most-read business publication "The E-Myth says to shift From working in your company to being a worker in your business. Being able to have other individuals on your team helps to make your life easier so that you can devote your time to activities which have the most influence on your business's your income.

In this article I'll walk you through the steps in hiring a Virtual Assistant as well as provide specific suggestions and tools that can help you to manage your virtual assistant efficiently.

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Once you hire one of your Virtual Assistant, you can take the same steps to determine additional duties to delegate, design new roles in your business and recruit more team members until you eventually hold just one position in your business which is the CEO position.

For now we'll tackle the hiring of your first Virtual Assistant.

The benefits of employing virtual employees

Whether you hire a single Virtual Assistant or build an entire virtual employees, outsourcing remote team members can have a significant impact on productivity as well as the expansion of your business.

Here are the major benefits of hiring Virtual Assistants:

  It doesn't require an office in a physical location  

Based on the location you reside in and where you live, renting an office space could be expensive. The hiring of a virtual assistant allows you to start building your workforce while keeping expenses minimal. With the exception of a few software tools for working with and managing your virtual employees the main cost for hiring virtual assistants is what you have to pay for their work.

  Virtual Assistants aren't expensive  

Virtual Assistants can be a cost-effective alternative to employing regular employees. The majority of Virtual Assistants work as independent contractors and depending on where they live the hourly rates can be substantially lower than what a local employee costs you. A virtual Assistant working in the Philippines, for example, usually costs less than half the amount the cost of a virtual Assistant in North America costs for the same tasks and responsibilities.

  It's not restricted by the local talents (hire the best of the best)  

Not every entrepreneur has access to a local talent in the form of candidates who are qualified for an exact job. A Virtual Assistant can technically work from anywhere around the globe provided they have an internet connection. Being able to work without having to employ someone locally increases your number of applicants for particular job roles dramatically.

ConvertKit Remote Team

  Delegation helps prevent burnout  

Delegating specific tasks and responsibility to others can be a significant step towards getting rid of burning out. However, there are a lot of entrepreneurs that feel they have to handle everything themselves, and that's the exact thing they are doing. This leads to very long workdays, lack of focus, feeling overwhelmed, and a lack of time to other areas of their life including exercise, hobbies, and family.

  Spend more time in zones of strength  

It is impossible to be the master of everything. Nor do you need to strive to be. Each and every job needed to manage your company (including those that you don't like or are terrible at doing! ), there are other individuals who are experts in these tasks and actually enjoy the process. The hiring of people to assist with delegating tasks lets you focus on activities that you like and that you're proficient in.

  Concentrate on high-value, revenue-generating actions  

When you employ a Virtual Assistant You free up time to concentrate on tasks which add worth to your company than the ones you delegated to your Virtual Assistant. That is, you can free up time to concentrate on tasks that have a direct effect on your earnings.

"Your most precious asset as a human (not solely a business owner) is TIME. If you're not committing to more, the more you will be focused. The greater your focus and the bigger impact you can have with your time. For this reason alone, everybody should at least employ one Virtual Assistant."
- Matthew Turner

Different types of virtual assistants

One of the most important questions you're probably asking yourself when you think about hiring a Virtual Assistant is what can they offer you?

The answer is pretty much anything.

If they've got sufficient training, experience and the right tools Virtual Assistants are able to practically do everything that does not require their presence in person, which, if you think about it can be quite a bit.

There exist different kinds of virtual Assistants. You need to determine which Virtual Assistant is best suited to the job you want to outsource.

  The General Virtual Assistant  

The most popular form that Virtual Assistant is known as an General Virtual Assistant (aka a General VA). General VAs are those who can take on the everyday tasks and routines essential to run your business , but are not focussed on increasing it.

The tasks that you would delegate to a General VA typically are specific and repetitive, such as controlling your email or travel schedule, scheduling your meetings, data entry, research, scheduling posts for social media and more.

  The Specialized Virtual Assistant  

A Specialized Virtual Assistant is an individual with a particular set of skills and is best at managing a specific procedure in your business. They can be costlier in comparison to General VAs due to the fact that they have a specialized skill set and need only minimal training from you.

tasks like client service, bookkeeping editing video, and project management, for example best suited to a Specialized VA.

  Outsourcing tasks vs. results  

With an General VA, it is best to contract out certain tasks and processes in order to give them training on how to do those tasks and process correctly.

If you have a specialized VA it is recommended to outsourcing certain results. A specialist VA will be better than you (that's why you hire them!) for the tasks and processes that are an element of their job. Because you're relying on their expertise and knowledge when it comes to specifics, explain to them how to you're doing, not how to accomplish it.

The increase in Twitter followers of 10 percent per month, as an instance, is one result. Importing blog content from Google Drive to WordPress, for example, is a task. See the difference?

How do you become the CEO of your own business

If you haven't hired a team as soon as you launched your business it's likely that you're taking on charge of a variety of tasks. That is, you're trying on many hats as a result of which your time will be divided between various tasks and obligations.

To become the CEO of your business and spend your time solely on activities the CEO needs to devote their time on You must delegate specific tasks and responsibilities to other people.

The key is simple math.

If your goal is to make more than 100,000 dollars in revenue per year such as, say that's a lot of money to meet this objective with the help of projects that will cost you around 20 dollars per hour. Unless you can work more than 5,000 hours during a twelve-month time frame (unlikely) then the numbers does not add up. It is best to focus your time on activities that have a higher hourly rate.

One reason people are reluctant to hire help is because they view hiring employees as a cost instead of an investment. If you've ever been in this mindset when hiring someone, the following procedure should help those who are.

  Find your Hourly Target Rate  

The Target Hourly Rate (THR) is the price at which your timeas CEO of your business, needs to be worth in order for you to reach your goals for income.

For calculating your Target Hourly Rate, determine each month's (or annual) budget and multiply it by the amount of hours you intend to work during that period of time.

As an example: $250,000 (annual income goal) multiplied by 2,000 (number of hours worked) equals $125 an hour

"Personally I started hiring way earlier than I thought I was ready for an assistant. And I encouraged other people to do the same. Many do not hire until they're at a specific revenue, or are in operation for during a specific time. There's no "magic" moment when hiring support makes sense and only if it allows you to be focused on the things is your best at, there's no need to go into debt to do it as well as the time you be able to be able to concentrate on the activities that bring in revenue Then it's time."
- Trivinia Barber

  Each task you perform in your business is estimated to have amount in dollar  

As an entrepreneur your duty to pinpoint the tasks which add the greatest value to your business and spend the majority of your time working on those actions. All tasks that do not meet your target Hourly Rate must be assigned to another person.

If you're struggling to meet your goals for income, I'm pretty sure it's because you're not spending sufficient time and energy on activities of high value.

  tasks of low and high worth tasks  

Low-value tasks are tasks that require your company but don't directly contribute to increasing revenue. Examples of low-value tasks include bookkeeping, customer service and project management, graphic design and editing.

Tasks with high value directly increase revenue. Examples of high-value tasks are marketing and lead generation sales, the launch of new services or new products and creating strategic partnerships and .

The quickest way to increase your income as an entrepreneur is to delegate less-valuable tasks and fill your calendar with as many high-value jobs as is possible. Use the income that you earn from tasks that are high value to cover the cost of outsourcing of tasks that are low value.

Which process or tasks to delegate

Every company has an extensive list of activities and procedures which are essential to operating the company. In order to help you determine what tasks to delegate and which you need to continue to do, begin by categorizing the activities and procedures.

  Each task and every process within your company falls into one of four groups:  

1. Things you must do Tasks that are high-value that you enjoy doing and you're actually good at.

2. Tasks that you should not complete: jobs that aren't worth your time and are not the best way to use your time, even if you're good at them or love working on these tasks. (These are the toughest to outsource!)

3. You don't wish to perform: work that you aren't a fan of and that you think somebody else would.

4. You are unable to complete You don't have the knowledge or skills in order to complete.

If you're not already made sure that you have downloaded the Outsourcing Worksheet. This table will allow you to record and categorize the tasks and processes within your company.

"The jobs you dislike doing or can't do ought to be on the highest priority of tasks to delegate. The harder tasks to part with are those you are able to do, and might be even like doing However, in reality, you shouldn't be doing them."
Nick Loper - Nick Loper

How to hire a Virtual Assistant

Virtual staff hiring for certain positions on your team can be different from for specific projects.

When you employ an individual freelancer to work on a particular project, that project has starting and expiration date. And since most freelancers have several clients, you'll not necessarily be their primary client.

When you hire a Virtual Assistant You are employing an additional team person. Although the duties you delegate to them may be different as time passes, they'll continue to play a particular role on your team. This doesn't mean that you can't find them via an online freelancer site like Fiverr or Upwork. There are numerous virtual assistants looking for tasks on these websites who will meet your requirements.

The steps for hiring an online Assistant

  Step 1: Write down the work you wish to outsource  

Begin by creating a list of each task and tasks you're planning to assign to your virtual Assistant. In the event that these tasks are ones that you already perform by yourself, write training documents (aka Standard Operating Procedures) for the tasks you're delegating. To learn how to write powerful Standard Operating Procedures, go through this tutorial.

If you're using an Specialized Virtual Assistant, document the outcomes you want for them to achieve in lieu of specific assignments or procedures.

  2. Create a job description  

After you've compiled the list of tasks you want to delegate, it's time make a job description to describe the job that will be responsible for those duties.

Tasks that require specialized skills should not be included in the description of a job for a General Virtual Assistant. All of the tasks that you assign to the General Virtual Assistant must be performed at the same level of skill and hourly rate.

Your job description should include:

  • The background information you have about your business (your business, your industry, the product you offer, and the people who are your customers or clients)
  • Education, experience, and/or skills required
  • List of responsibilities and duties
  • A list of all apps or tools they'll be using

Here's an example of an effectively written Virtual Assistant job description that was adapted from Shopify's guide to hiring Virtual Assistants:

  Step 3: Post your job description on the web.  

When you've got your job description ready, your next step is to make it available online and then begin to accept applicants. Another option is to put your job description direct to Craigslist (post within the country or city you'd like to employ in). Another alternative is using an Virtual Assistant hiring service or directory.

These are other well-known websites and directories you can utilize to search for Virtual Assistants:

"It's essential to write a detailed job descriptions so that expectations can be fulfilled on both sides. Always ask the people who I am acquainted with first for references. Virtual assistants must be able to give examples of their tasks. Talking to them on the phone is very helpful to get to know the person and determine if they are a great fit."
-- Sue Canfield

  Step 4: Review the applications and schedule interviews  

Check the resumes that come through, and set up interviews with your top five to 10 candidates. I suggest conducting videos with your best candidates. Video interviews are the next best thing than chatting to someone in person. You'll be able to tell how much you enjoy the person and can communicate with them on a video call. If someone doesn't want to conduct a video interview with you, that's an indication that they aren't interested and you ought to not employ the person.

When you are interviewing every candidate, don't only inquire about their job knowledge and experience. You should ask them about their ambitions such as their interests, hobbies, where they like to work as well as how they would like to be managed. It is also possible to request that your candidate take a the complimentary personality test. It will allow you to further understand their values, strengths, and how they function.

"We ask a very specific series of questions about character that determine how an individual would be treated by an individual. We also have "automatic disqualifiers" which remove people of our process right away based on what they have answered. We are able to avoid talking to anyone who isn't a part of our values, and not letting us get glitzy on their resume. It's saved us from so many bad hires and makes the screening process much more quickly."
- Trivinia Barber

  Step 5: Take your best candidates a test  

Before you decide to hire an individual candidate, assign the three top candidates a task to complete as a test. Choose a job that is component of their daily responsibilities regardless, and observe the way they do in the task. Asking your candidates to complete a real task will assist you in determining most qualified candidate is.

  6. Offer the top candidate a test time  

Pick the ideal person for the job begin them on the trial phase (30 days, 60 or 90 days for instance). Trial periods give your Virtual Assistant additional incentive to do a great job to you knowing it could lead to a permanent role on the team. Have them complete a formal Service Agreement to avoid any issues at a later date.

How to manage your Virtual Assistant

Hiring a Virtual Assistant is only the start. Once you've added someone to your team, one of the responsibilities of the job of an administrator is to maintain a positive, professional, and mutually beneficial relationship with your staff.

  Evaluate performance  

Above all else it is important to judge the performance in Your Virtual Assistant based on their performance. For this, you must ensure that you've got clear expectations and/or important performance indicators (KPIs) in place. If they're performing to your standards, do you really care the number of coffee breaks they take throughout the day?

  Don't micromanage  

If you set clearly defined expectations for your Virtual Assistant and then examine them according to the extent to which they fulfill those requirements, then there is no need to micromanage the virtual assistants. Sure, there are applications that allow you to "spy" on your virtual assistant's computer screen or track the time they spend doing their work. These things are unnecessary when you trust and have clear expectations with your virtual Assistant. If you wouldn't like being managed by the same way you manage you Virtual Assistant, you're probably not doing things right.

  Schedule check-ins  

Make use of a communications tool like Google Workspace, Microsoft Teams and Slack to schedule quick check-ins via your virtual Assistant. Maybe this is daily in the middle or at the at the end of their day as well as every two days and even every week. Whatever works best for both of you. Use this time to make sure they know the things they're working on, and there's nothing or anyone (including your own!) that is hindering them from finishing their tasks throughout the entire day.

  Require weekly reports  

Each week, you should have the Virtual Assistant send you a summary of their activities that week. Provide them with a template to use to send you their reports. Here are some questions we recommend requiring the Virtual Assistant to answer in their weekly reports together with any particular KPIs or metrics they are responsible for tracking.

  • What tasks or projects did them complete?
  • How much time did they devote to each job or task?
  • What do they continue to work on?
  • Did they run into issues or difficulties?
  • Are they able to provide comments, suggestions or thoughts that you can use?
  • Do they require any further instruction?

  Set up a system of feedback  

Develop a culture Virtual Assistant (and any other person you collaborate with) of trust and open communications. Inspire them to discuss thoughts, inquire about issues, and provide regularly with feedback. By doing this, you will become a better leader and manager, which will help to create mutually beneficial relationships with your colleagues. We at a.m. are huge fans from Kim Scott's work Radical Candor as basis for providing and receiving feedback. going.

The best tools to outsource and manage virtual workers

The idea of hiring someone that isn't likely to have a conversation with may seem odd, with the proper tools, you can build and sustain productive and pleasant connections with your virtual employees.

The primary categories of equipment needed to effectively work together with virtual Assistants and remote team members are communication projects, management of projects, file sharing and security (password security). We've listed a selection of our top tools in each one below.

If you want to learn more about additional programs and tools to help you manage your business, you can check through our selection of .

  Communication Tools:  

  Tool for Project Management:  

  File Sharing and Security  

Employ a virtual assistant to help you focus on what is most important to you

If you're feeling tired and overwhelmed in building your enterprise, then you're not on your own. Many entrepreneurs are working long hours simply because they're not able to make the most of their time or assign tasks effectively to other people. They're suffering from what our colleague Chris Ducker, best-selling author of Virtual Freedom, calls "Superhero syndrome".

Most entrepreneurs believe they are able to do all things for themselves. Because of this belief, it's precisely what they do. What they lack in efficiency they make up in the way they work, usually at the risk of burning out.

As an entrepreneur, your job does not only consist of creating an income for yourself. This is what self-employment and freelancing serve. An entrepreneur develops systems and employs staff who manage their company for them.

A Virtual Assistant likely won't be the only person that you add to your team as you develop your business but they ought to be among the very first. The hiring of a virtual assistant can free up more time for your time to concentrate on tasks which have greater influence in your business and personal life.

"One of the things we can do to keep from exhaustion is to be better delegators. At first, it's hard to let go of the wheel, but believe me when I say that once you start letting off the steering wheel for a while then you'll be looking to employ a full-time driver sooner or sooner!"
- Chris Ducker

  This blog was originally published in May 2018. The blog was updated in April 2022.