I run a small business here in the US and been seriously considering bringing on a virtual assistant to help with admin work, scheduling, and maybe a little customer support. Recently, my work days are getting a bit too hectic and I’m spending more time organizing tasks than actually doing them. I have researched a few VA services and checked some freelancer profiles. Tbh, I'm finding it hard to know what’s worth the investment. If you’ve hired a VA before, how did it go? Which platform / service did you use to find VAs?
Thinking about hiring a virtual assistant
byu/SignificantRing2055 inEntrepreneur
Posted by SignificantRing2055
6 Comments
Definitely worth the investment if you’re willing to do it right. I’ve used them all. There are three levels:
Level 1: out of country like the Philippines agency
Level 2: North America educated agency
Level 3: direct hire usually North America
What level depends on what you need and how complex the work is. You don’t want to overspend but if you underspend and the tasks are too complex you’ll have issues as well.
They key is to be very clear on your own SOPs and train them properly on how you want things done. Don’t be surprised if you go through a few to get one that’s right.
After using a bunch of agencies I hired one direct and it changed my life. She’s now my executive operations and runs everything.
Full disclosure: we used to own one of the prominent VA agencies and sold it, so I know how the industry works and what you can get.
I’ve hired a number of VAs over the last 10 years. From developers to general admin work. I’ve hired through agencies and found individuals directly through sites like onlinejobs.ph. I’ve had good luck and bad.
My general tips are:
– If you want speed and are a bit less price sensitive, go with an agency who will make sure that the position is filled even if the VA leaves or isn’t living up to your expectations.
– Over communicate and document (tools like Loom are game changers here)
– Make sure you can properly train/explain what you need from them at the start, check/verify work often, then don’t be afraid to fire/replace quickly if they’re not meeting expectations. The worse thing would be getting someone who is not meeting expectations, and you keep them on for far too long because you feel bad to let them go.
VAs have been crucial for me in the past, as with lots of my other entrepreneur friends. You just gotta learn how to properly find the good ones and manage them well.
Try a few with some tasks and see which one performs the best.
I highly recommend hiring from the Philippines. They’re English speaking, highly skilled, and hard working. I have not hired myself but I know Filipino VAs do good work. I suggest hiring directly but do an assessment before hiring, e.g. short introduction of self via video (to assess communication skills), or a paid trial period.
I totally understand this I work as a VA and most of my clients came to me feeling exactly the same way. Once they delegated admin work, scheduling, and email organization, they got hours back in their day.
If you’re open to it, I can share what usually works best for first-time VA setups or even walk you through how to test it with a small trial first.
Hi! 😊 I’m a Virtual Assistant and I help small business owners like you manage admin work, scheduling, and customer support so you can focus more on running your business instead of getting buried in tasks.
I specialize in organizing workflows, managing calendars, handling emails, and providing reliable day-to-day support. If you’d like, I can share examples of how I’ve helped previous clients streamline operations and save time.
If you’re open to it, I’d love to connect and learn more about your business needs so we can see if we’re a good fit.