December 28, 2022
Hiring your first VA (Virtual Assistant) for your business is a big step, and it’s definitely quite scary to think of letting go of that bit of control you’ve been used to having for so long, so it’s not a decision to be taken lightly at all.
Although many business owners feel quite overwhelmed when it comes to hiring their first VA, if you have a plan in place and approach it in the right way, then it can actually be a lot easier than you think and can really work out very well for you and your business.
In this post, we’re going to share with you some tips on how to prepare for hiring your first VA so that it turns out to be a good thing for your business and not something that’s filled with stress or bad memories.
The first step to hiring a VA, or actually anyone to help you in your business is knowing what you need and want help with. The best way to do that is to write everything down. You should of course be writing down the things that you’re not so great at and that aren’t really your money-making activities. A good approach to this is to make a list of absolutely everything that needs to be done in your business on a daily basis and then split them into the things that you’re able to and like doing, and the second side should be split into the things that you want to and need to hand off to someone else.
Before you even start looking for a VA, you should already know your business systems and processes, because then you’ll find it easier to create processes that you can pass onto to your VA so they know what they’re supposed to doing to get each task done. For example, when it comes to creating your weekly newsletter, you should make a list of the process you use, like where you create the content, where the images are sourced, and the software for newsletters you use. This can then be shared in a file with your VA, or even as a video walkthrough showing how you do things in your business.
When it comes to hiring anyone in your business, you should always be doing your research so you know what kind of companies and services exist out there for you to use. This can definitely help take away some of the overwhelm that you may be feeling around deciding what kind of VA you need for your business and what you need to ask them to do.
Trust is important in all relationships, and this is no different in business relationships - so before you go and hire the first person with a fancy website, you need to do your homework and make sure that the person you’re hiring is going to be the best fit for your business. You can ask around with your business friends to have them recommend someone they’ve worked with, or you can look at past client testimonials on their website. You should also have a conversation with every person you’re considering hiring, since this is a good way to really lay out your expectations and get a feel for the person you’re considering hiring.
