When you learn how to hire a virtual assistant for entrepreneurs, you’ll be on your way to becoming a business owner. Being a business owner means that you work on your business with help from other people.
That’s unlike being a solopreneur who works for their business like an employee for the most part.
The most important thing is to learn how to hire the right team. Because not everyone will help you achieve your goals. Only the best virtual assistants will help you move from zero to a thousand or a hundred thousand in sales.
Consider the following if you want to get the right team the first time you hire an executive assistant.
Do You Need General or Specialized Assistance?
Sometimes, all you need is someone who can help you with simple daily tasks. Other times, you’ll need an expert who can perform a certain task better than everyone else.
For example, if you need help with business automation, you have to hire an executive assistant who specializes in this area. The same applies when you need help designing your website and social media graphics.
Only virtual assistants with these skills will help you perform these functions efficiently.
Therefore, analyze your business first. Note down all the tasks you need help with. Then determine the kind of person you’re going to hire to assist you to run your business.
Determine Whether You’re Going to Hire on an Hourly or Project Basis
Every executive assistant you’ll come across will have a different pricing package. Some will charge hourly while others will want to discuss a project rate.
Before choosing or dismissing anyone, understand the two pricing methods. For the hourly rate, determine the number of hours you’re willing to pay someone to help you every week or month. Then set a maximum hourly rate that you’re willing to pay.
If you choose a project pricing method, find out how much each project is worth. The best way is to approximate the number of hours it'll take. Then multiply those hours by the hourly rate you’re willing to pay to find the total cost of a project.
Remember, some assistants may use a different method to calculate the project rate. In case you’re not sure, ask them how they determine their rates so that you’re on the same page.
Create Guidelines for Your Virtual Assistant to Follow
According to Shopify, you must develop your workflow and document your process before hiring anyone to assist you. That’s because even though an assistant knows how to do something like a simple graphic, they may be using different software and processes.
It may also take longer or shorter than what you’re used to. And in some cases, the final product may be appealing but you may not accept it if it doesn’t follow the process your business uses.
For example, a graphic designer may design a good social media graphic in adobe photoshop but, you prefer it done in Canva where you store all your other graphics along with your brand identity.
Thus, you can see why it’s important to draw the path that your assistant should follow when performing various tasks for your business. You want them to do it and get it right the first time so you can both save time.
Develop a Clear Onboarding Process
We understand you may not have a clear onboarding process at the beginning, but, you should at least have a few steps laid out to welcome your executive assistant.
For example, you may send them a simple welcome email, introduce them to the rest of the team, and set aside some time to add them to all your business tools.
Other things to include in your onboarding process include:
Inform your new hires about your company’s values
Send them a contract to sign
Inform them what it takes to succeed in their new role and
Pay for their invoice if you agreed to do that before they start working
Design your onboarding process in any way that suits your business. You don’t have to stick to something that doesn’t fit within your values and culture just because it works for other businesses.
Decide How Often You’ll Conduct Meetings and Inform the VA Beforehand
As you may already know, virtual assistants are spread across the globe. That means someone will be going to bed while you’re having breakfast tomorrow. That’s why it’s important that you inform your assistant how often you’ll be meeting on Zoom, Skype, or any other platform.
Ask the assistant whether they’ll make it at that time, and if not, discuss a better time that suits both of you.
It’ll help you avoid conflicts in your working relationship, and it’ll also make things predictable. Because not everyone loves or will be ready for surprise meetings even if they are in your timezone.
Learn More About Our Executive Assistant Services
We understand your needs as a business owner, and we’re here to offer our executive assistant for all tasks related to automation and systems. Learn more about our services here and get in touch for a quick discovery session.