What I Learned From Hiring a Virtual Assistant for the First Time
I had an idea in January to build a Favorites page on my website, including affiliate links in one place like a library for me and others to use. I built the template for the page, using this for inspiration. I then stared at the screen with all of the empty boxes where images should go. I’ve been at this crossroads before: where my design skills are lacking and I wish someone with better design skills could take over the project and bring it to the finish line.
That’s when it dawned on me: what if I hired a virtual assistant to do this?
I didn’t know where to find a good virtual assistant. Would they be any good? Would the whole thing just take time to find/hire someone and in the meantime, I could just learn how to do it myself?
That’s when my next idea popped into my head: I’d find a virtual assistant and write about the process for others to learn on my blog. I couldn’t possibly be the only person who didn’t know where to start and who wondered, “Is it worth it?”
I did a Google search, or in my case a Brave search since I use the Brave browser these days. One of the first sites I found was called Free Up*.
I clicked around and that’s when I had a very clear moment of resistance:
I should just do this myself.
What if this is a huge waste of time?
Shouldn’t I just teach myself how to do this so I don’t have to rely on anyone?
What if I want to update the page in the future, will I be able to if someone does it for me?
What if this isn’t a good use of my money? Can I justify this expense?
In that moment, I noticed, “Oh hey, this is resistance. I’m not comfortable with delegating and investing money in a project and it shows.” I’ve felt this before and run away from the feeling, basically not allowing myself to conquer the skillset. So I decided it’s time for an uplevel and committed myself to finding a virtual assistant.
This must have been an incredible stroke of luck because I had the best experience hiring my virtual assistant and I’m working with him again on a new project right now. Here’s how it happened:
Step-by-Step: How I Found a Great Virtual Assistant
I created a free account on Free Up* and created my first “Job Request.”
I had a few people message me in response to this Job Request telling me their expertise and linking to their bio on Free Up. The first person who reached out was a man named Henry. He had an impressive resume and his message stood out with its professionalism and the way it mirrored the words I used in the job request. There were a few other strong applicants in the first 24 hours, but after reading three profiles, I decided to hire my first applicant, Henry.
Next, we started communicating via the messaging portal within Free Up, but something I really like about Free Up is that the platform doesn't ban us from emailing each other outside of the platform.
Another thing that stands out to me about Free Up is that their freelancers are well-vetted. It feels like a more elevated version of Upwork/Fiverr.
Once I selected Henry, I sent him a Loom video showing him the project:
From there, Henry got to work. Within 24 hours, he emailed to tell me the Favorites page was ready. I asked for two minor tweaks and then we were done. I let the Free Up Accounting Team know that they could send Henry payment and that was it!
When should you hire a virtual assistant?
I think the answer is personal to you. I decided to hire someone to complete a task that wouldn’t have worked well if I did it myself. I also asked Henry if he could share a Loom video of how he did it to teach me. So not only did the project get done, but I had someone help me uplevel my skills.
It’s time to outsource when you:
Have a task that’s outside of your zone of genius
Start to value your time more than anything and want faster results
Know that even if you tried to DIY that the results would be subpar
Want to add a touch of professionalism to your work that would be difficult to achieve on your own, i.e. DIYing your website versus hiring a professional designer who knows how to make your website convert
Are done with getting lost in the weeds and know you’re meant to free up your time for your deepest, best work that only you can create (your zone of genius)
Ask your VA to create repeatable workflows or processes
For example, for the Favorites page, I need to be able to update the page on my own. That’s why I asked him to show me how to do this myself in the future. So part of his job description was to help me make this easier for myself in the future.
Another example, Henry is currently working on a few updates to my website. He offered to make brand guidelines based on his update so that if I work with another freelancer in the future, they’ll have an easier time creating assets. This is an example of him creating work that will make my future workflow very easy. That’s a huge asset.
Hiring someone takes a small amount of admin time, but it comes with huge time benefits
One of my biggest objections was that the whole process might end up costing me time. If you use the right service, like Free Up which highly vets their freelancers, then you will hopefully have a great experience. I found that the small amount of admin work was well worth it.
Start with a one-time, fixed-rate project
This minimized stress for me and had a very clear outcome. Once I worked with Henry and had such a good experience, I hired him for a second project. Your small, one-time project can act as a trial if you both want to keep working with each other.
Hiring cheap can be expensive
Or maybe the better way to say this: being cheap can be expensive. If you want a great outcome, make sure to pay well and of course, treat everyone with so much respect.
Your VA should ideally have a skill set that you don’t have, or is able to take something off your plate that you no longer have room for
I approached this process with this attitude:
“I’m not very good at design so I’m looking for someone like Henry to help me. He has a skillset I don’t have and I can’t wait to partner up to take this project across the finish line.”
Let me know if you end up being inspired to work with a Virtual Assistant or Freelancer in your own line of work. I would love to hear from you at kasia@kasiamanolas.com.
And if you’re interested in hiring Henry, check out his portfolio here.
*This blog contains an affiliate link to Free Up to help more people find great virtual assistants. If you sign up using this link, there is no additional cost to you, but I may receive a small commission. Thank you for supporting my work!
