50 Things I’ve Learned Working With a Virtual Assistant for 15 Months

I started with zero experience

I outsourced to a virtual assistant (VA) in April 2020. Her name’s Lou and I pay her to produce podcasts, email guests, and complete other tasks. We’ve been working together ever since.

She easily saves me 10 hours a week, and we spend less than one hour a week communicating.

Best of all? Because she lives in Vietnam, I wake up to an email detailing the tasks she’s done. I’m effectively working in my sleep!

I know it can seem intimidating. I started with zero experience, and I learned how to outsource through YouTube videos. For this reason, I know the process better than most. I’ve lived it.

Here are 50 things I’ve learned from outsourcing tasks to someone on the other side of the world.

50 Things I’ve Learned Working With a Virtual Assistant for 15 Months

1. 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.
2. Start with the end in mind. Why do you want to outsource? How will you use the extra time?
3. 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.
4. Put systems in place. One of my friends hired an assistant without any. They lasted one month.
5. You can double — even triple — your income. Paying someone to do something you can do is a waste of money, right? Not really. Once you outsource, you’ll have time to build other income streams.
6. Use onlinejobs.ph to hire a VA. I’ve had excellent experiences with this platform and so have my clients. You have to pay a fee of $69 to get full access, but it’s worth every penny.
7. Post a job that attracts quality. Here’s a link to mine. Detail the perks of working for you and what you can offer. (Note: Money isn’t everything.)
8. Ask candidates to change the subject line when they apply for your role. You’ll be amazed at how quickly you can whittle down applications.
9. You can pay less than $10/hour. If you can teach a VA new skills, they’ll be happy to work with you. I received over 40 applications for my role.
10. Create a sample project that candidates have to complete before their interview.
11. Questions are your friends. Here are some you should ask when interviewing candidates.
12. Trust your gut. Within 30 seconds of an interview, you’ll know if someone’s a right fit.
13. It’s okay to hire someone who doesn’t have the skills you’re looking for. 90% of tasks are figureoutable.
14. Confirm with your VA what their plan of action is if their internet goes down. This is common in parts of South-East Asia. Do they have a backup connection? Are there internet cafes near to where they live?
15. Lay down your expectations. I have a rulebook that my VA read through on day one. It states I have the option to let her go if she consistently misses meetings and doesn’t complete tasks. (She hasn’t!)
16. Hubstaff can help you track your VA’s time. However, it’s a little intrusive. I recommend asking your assistant to send you a monthly time report as soon as you feel comfortable not using this website-tracking tool.
17. Have trust. Most people aren’t out to get you. They want to help.
18. Communicate daily. Mistakes happen when you don’t communicate with your assistant. They’re not mind-readers.
19. Start small. You don’t have to outsource every single thing. First, offload the tasks you find yourself repeating. You can gradually hand off more and more.
20. Be generous. I give bonuses and extra training to my VA — not because I want anything. It just feels good.
21. If you want things done a certain way, write it in your documents. Let me repeat: VAs aren’t mind-readers.
22. Lead the way. We all want to work with people who take action. Be that person.
23. Double-check emails you send to your VA. Spotting mistakes now will save you going back and forth.
24. Your VA will become one of your closest allies. It’s in their interest to help you succeed. Empower them to do so.
25. Use wise.com for payments. It’s easy to use and cheaper than most providers.
26. 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.
27. Use LastPass. This lets your VA access your online 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.
28. Everyone makes mistakes. You can minimise them, though, by following my roadmap. (Shameless plug.)
29. Upskilling your assistant is the best investment you can make. I’ve saved over 520 hours in the past year.
30. You may become friends with your VA. I can’t guarantee this but it’s been my experience. I look forward to our weekly catchups!
31. You don’t have to spoonfeed. The internet is everywhere.
32. Give honest feedback. Your assistant will be less likely to make the same mistake twice, which will save you time in the long run.
33. 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
34. When you hire someone, keep your schedule as clear as possible for the first week. It will be easier to help your VA settle into the role if you haven’t got other commitments.
35. If you’re wanting to outsource tasks you can’t do, hire a professional. Use a platform like UpWork to find them. You’ll pay more per hour but you won’t have to manage them.
36. If you’re looking to hire someone for a creative project, check out Freelancer’s contest feature. You can post a job, crowdsource ideas, and pay for the best. Here’s an example I put up for my podcast artwork cover.
37. Have a weekly catch-up over Zoom. Ten to fifteen minutes should do.
38. This process is repeatable. I work with clients who’ve hired VAs using my roadmap. It’s changed their lives.
39. Google Drive is a godsend.
40. You can use an agency to hire someone, but you’ll end up paying more. Much more.
41. Outsourcing doesn’t have to cost a fortune. My VA works with me for less than $5/hour.
42. Anyone can outsource and manage effectively. Treat people fairly by doing what feels right. It’s not rocket science.
43. It’s possible to spend less than one hour a week communicating with your VA. (It’s more like 30 minutes for me and my assistant.)
44. The supply of talented VAs is only going up. You haven’t missed the boat.
45. Many assistants are extremely talented. Lou is a teacher and works for me on the side. A client of mine has just hired a designer with 15 years' experience.
46. Give your VA options. Lou is now working with one of my clients (and she’s smashing it!)
47. Start now. “Selling and outsourcing are the two skills you need to be a successful business owner.” — Gary Vee
48. It’s easier than you think. Follow these steps and take your time.
49. Tell perfectionism to f*ck off.
50. There’s never been a better time to hire a VA!

Article inspired by Tom Kuegler’s 50 Things I’ve Learned Publishing On Medium For 5 Years

Looking for outsourcing support? My ‘Outsource to a Virtual Assistant’ Udemy course has helped over 140 students to date!