7 Simple Steps to Hiring a Virtual Assistant | 016

Have you ever reached the end of the day and felt like you were busy all day, but somehow the most important work in your business didn't get done? Emails were answered, social media was posted, events were scheduled, but the work that actually moves your business forward, the building relationships, the serving clients, creating new opportunities. Somehow those got pushed to tomorrow. And if that sounds familiar, you're not alone. And for many entrepreneurs, this is the moment when we realize I cannot do everything myself anymore. That is where a virtual assistant can make a huge difference. Hi. This is Susan from The Grand connection podcast. This short bonus episode actually comes out of the last three episodes we released. And episode 13 and 14, I had the pleasure of speaking with Jessica Koch, where we talked about delegation strategies and building a collaborative culture with your virtual assistant team. Then in Episode 15, I did a deeper dive into team collaboration and the four disciplines of execution, often called 40x which focuses on how teams stay aligned and move important goals forward. After those conversations, one question kept coming up, how do you actually hire your first virtual assistant? So in this bonus episode, I want to walk through seven simple steps that can help you find and start working with a VA before we get into the steps, I want to share a little bit about my own experience with outsourcing and virtual teams. I have owned several small businesses over the years, and outsourcing has always been part of how I built and scaled them. For me, it was often easier, lower cost and much more flexible than trying to hire a full time employee for every role. It kept my overhead down and my risks lower. I actually started outsourcing offshore in the early 2000s mostly for programming and technical work. At that time, the tools were much more limited, we worked on Skype. We had email back then, and we shared

documents. We could email the documents back and forth, but collaboration required careful rules around things like file naming and version control back then, if two people edited the same document at the same time, each on their own desktop. You could end up with version seven, final. Final, really final. Version seven, 7.2 7.3 those would be saved somewhere on your desktop. And often you have a mishmash of people working on different documents and them not being the same ones. Today, it's a completely different world. The collaboration tools we have now make it incredibly easy to work with people all over the world. You can communicate clearly, manage projects and collaborate on documents in real time, and that is why I'm such a strong believer in building a virtual team model. It gives entrepreneurs the ability to stay flexible while still growing their business. Before we jump into the steps, here is something helpful to notice. Many entrepreneurs start thinking about hiring a virtual assistant when they realize they are spending a lot of time on tasks that are not their core strengths, things that take hours to complete, but are not the work that really makes you stand out. You might find yourself updating your website, formatting emails, posting content, organizing your list, scheduling meetings, doing administrative work. These tasks are important, but they may not be the activities where your unique value and expertise really shine. Delegation is not about losing control, it is about creating space so you can focus more of your time on the work that truly moves your business forward. So with that context, let me share the seven easy steps to hiring your first virtual assistant. Then we'll walk through each one. So the first one is identifying the tasks you want to delegate. Number two, write a clear job description. Three, post the job and ask for recommendations. Four, conduct interviews and screen candidates. Five, test candidates with small

projects. Six, document your systems and create SOPs, and seven, build a collaborative relationship with your team. Now it may sound like a lot, but a lot of this can be done very quickly. Now let's walk through these one by one step one, identifying the tasks start by making a list of the tasks that do not require you personally think about the different areas of your business where support could help. For example, social media, posts, email newsletters, website updates, lead generation, activities, bookkeeping, graphic design and. Illustrative work. Go through the day and think about, what are you doing, maybe over a week. Sort of keep a notepad and see, oh, these. This is all the stuff I do. These are the things I like to do. These are the things I should be doing. These are the things I could delegate. Make that list. Once you identify the broader areas, start breaking them down into specific tasks someone could help with. Now, before I share my example, there was something from my conversation with Jessica that I really appreciated. She talked about identifying tasks that will pay off right away and cover the investment you've just made. So look for things that are pulling you away from revenue generating activities, ask yourself, What am I doing that someone else could do so that I can spend more time serving clients, building relationships and growing my business? For example, a va could help with things like sharing your events or lead magnets in Facebook groups that actually brings you leads right, following up on inquiries that will move you closer to the sale. Sending invoices. We had a good laugh on that one, because many entrepreneurs are great at helping people, but somehow sending the invoice always gets delayed, and sending an invoice brings you closer to getting paid. They can also help with running orientation sessions, supporting marketing campaigns or helping with sales follow up. Think about things that help you in sales and

marketing, that will bring you closer to getting a sale. When you delegate those kind of activities, you are not just saving time. You are actually supporting the growth of your business. Sometimes the fastest way to grow your business is not doing more yourself, by getting the right support around you. One example that comes to mind was the early days of the grand connection. When we first started growing the community, I was doing almost everything myself, and often it's good for you to do it yourself, because then you know what needs to be done, right, and you can actually work with somebody and delegate that right? So I was setting up all the events, I was creating the social posts, I was scheduling the social media, I was writing the emails, I was sending the newsletters, all of it, all of the marketing, and I was absolutely overwhelmed. There were times when I barely felt like I had time to sleep. That was the moment I realized something had to change. There are only so many hours in a day, and unfortunately, cloning yourself is still not a reliable business strategy. So I started getting help, and I got my first VA for the grand connection, and once I began delegating those kinds of tasks, it freed up so much time and energy, time that I could focus on strategy, partnerships and building relationships, and those are the things that really help a community grow. Step two, write a clear job description so you've done your brain dump. You've made a big list over the last week, things you aren't good at, things you don't like to do, things that take you far longer than someone else. I have many of these. Then think about things that are and are not your core strengths. You're going to have a really big, big, big list right now, and you're going to need to figure out how to organize this. I like to put it into different buckets. Some possible starting points are marketing, admin and business development. You could include sales in that

one. Now you want to put them into these different groups and get it a bit more organized, and then start prioritizing. You most likely can't find someone that does everything well. So this is where having two to three part time VAs can be very helpful, and you may want to hire different people for different tasks. My team has different people for marketing, admin and programming, and over time, I've gotten specialists for SEO, video editing, marketing automation. I have a person that specializes in go high level. I have another person for AI automation and various programmers of various skills. So for your first VA, I recommend thinking about what are the easiest tasks to delegate that you want to get help with first and that hopefully bring you more sales right away, and create a job description for that first, a clear job description includes things like the types of tasks, tools that they're going to need to have skills in, or can learn approximate hours that you want to hire them for in a month. You can start off small and say that this will increase over time a pay range and the preferred time zones that you want to work in. Another thing to think about is the general qualities you may want to look for in a virtual assistant

And anyone on your team. You can include some of these in your job description. You can also look for them in your interview and look for them in the first tasks when you do a test project with some of them. A highly organized and able to manage multiple tasks, strong communicator, especially in written communication, a proactive problem solver, who can suggest solutions, detail oriented, catching even small mistakes that I make before they become bigger problems. I'm very happy when people find my mistakes, and that's something that is part of the culture too, to make it very open and easy for people to share with you when they find a mistake or want to give feedback, reliable and consistent with deadlines. That's super important with my bigger projects, with my clients, comfortable learning new tools and systems and able to follow processes and SOPs. Clearly, I like to find people who can write SOPs too, because when they can write them, they generally know how to follow them, train them, and they're super organized. And I'm always looking for a positive and collaborative attitude. You might also mention, if you value someone who's self directed, able to work, independently, curious and willing to learn, and comfortable asking questions when something is unclear, willing to learn and good communication skills are so important nowadays. Now when it comes to writing the job description, one thing I find very, very helpful is looking at other job descriptions. So go to some job boards and get some ideas. You can even use AI tools to help draft it and edit it at the end. So now that you have your job description ready, you can post the opportunity. That's Step three, post the job. But something that often works even better is to start asking your network. This is a perfect grand ask at a grand connection event. Simply say, I'm looking for a great virtual assistant to help me with creating a lead magnet and setting up a sales funnel using go

high level. Do you know someone you would recommend? Remember to make it clear and detailed enough that the right person comes to mind, and many entrepreneurs find their best assistance through referrals. I know I have. Step four is conducting the interviews. Now is the time to schedule a few conversations with a few candidates that stayed out. Jessica shared a great idea in Episode 13. She sometimes does group interviews, which allows her to see how candidates communicate and interact. She also looks at things like responsiveness, attitude and willing to learn in the call and your intuition is going to matter here too. An interview can be as simple as a zoom get together, where you ask questions to get to know them. A few helpful interview questions come to mind. First, start with a few questions that help you understand their background and their experience. For example, can you tell me about the kinds of clients you enjoy working with most, and what type of tasks do you enjoy doing as a virtual assistant? I usually will ask, What do you think you're best at? Then ask a couple of questions about communication and problem solving, because those are so critical when working remotely, for example, if you're unsure how to complete a task, what do you usually do and how do you usually keep clients informed about progress on a project? Another good question is about organization. You could ask, How do you stay organized when working with multiple clients? Now here are two questions I especially like, because they reveal a lot about how someone thinks. One is, what kind of clients do you do your best work with this answer often tells you whether they value communication, clarity, collaboration or independence. You learn a lot. And another great one is, if you could take one task completely off a busy entrepreneur's plate, what would it be that question often shows how they think about supporting business growth. And of course, always finish with what

questions do you have for me about the role great candidates almost always have thoughtful questions of their own. And one thing I'll say, from my experience is sometimes the interview process tells you as much about the client as it does about the assistant, because great virtual assistants are also deciding whether you are someone they want to work with. So clarity, good communication and mutual respect go both ways. They're interviewing you too, and when you find the right fit, a virtual assistant can become a really valuable partner in your business. They can stay with you for years, maybe a decade. AI can also be a great resource for helping you create a list of interview questions based on the role you're hiring for, and once the conversation begins, you will often find that additional questions will come up naturally during the interview. Step five is testing some small projects on a few candidates. Once you've had a few conversations and feel good about a candidate, the next step is to test the relationship before committing long term. It's often helpful to start with a small project. This gives you a chance to see. See how someone communicates, how they approach their work and how well the collaboration flows. For example, get them to create some social media content or format a lead magnet. Organizing a spreadsheet is a good one to see how detailed somebody is and if they make mistakes, drafting an email can be good or, you know, setting up that template in go high level for your email, so you'll see their design, how they organize things. Maybe ask them to write some draft copy, so you can start seeing how their content is. This helps you see how someone works before making a bigger commitment. Step six, document systems. As you begin working together, start documenting your processes. These become SOPs, or standard operating procedures. At first, it can feel faster to just do the task yourself. I've gone through this so many times, and I

remember when I first was getting started, I said, I can just do this way quicker myself. But documenting systems is one of the best investments you can make, because once a process is clear, someone else can repeat it consistently, and as we spoke about earlier in the earlier episode with Jessica, you may also be able to automate some of this and use AI or automation tools too, but first you Need to get the process clear and document it, and that creates freedom and scalability. Step seven is build a collaborative relationship. A virtual assistant is not just someone completing tasks. They were a collaborator in your business. Jessica recommends having regular team meetings so everyone stays connected. Even simple weekly or monthly check ins can make a big difference. A few simple habits can make this collaboration much stronger. Start with clear expectations about communication and priorities. Encourage your assistant to ask questions whenever something is unclear, and remember to offer feedback and appreciation as you work together. Many entrepreneurs start with just a few hours per week. As trust builds and systems improve, the role can naturally grow and over time, your assistant often becomes a valued collaborator in your business. Great teams are built through communication, trust and shared purpose. Hiring a virtual assistant is not just about getting help with tasks, it's about creating space, space for strategy, space for creativity and a space for the work that only you can do in your business. Often, those are the activities that lead to the most growth and impact, and sometimes the fastest way to grow your business is not doing more yourself, but getting the right support around you. If you are looking for a great virtual assistant, remember that community can be one of the best places to start. Come to the grand connection and share your grand ask on who you want to meet and for grand connection remembers, feel free to reach out

to me directly. I have a resource document I'm happy to share with you that includes tips for hiring a VA along with some excellent job boards and places to find great virtual assistants or chat with me after one of the events I'm running. If you're curious about the community, you are always welcome to grab a guest pass and join us for a few events. It is a wonderful way to meet new people, build meaningful relationships, and sometimes even find the right collaborators and support for your business. And before we wrap up, a quick reminder about our next episode, I'll be joined again by Ray McCauley, my Nero coach when we continue our conversation about brain network switching and how it shows up in everyday activities like conversations, presentations and creative work, it is a fascinating discussion that can really help entrepreneurs understand how their brain works when they are performing at their best. You can learn more about the neuroscience of connection Self Mastery program at Grand connection.ca. Forward slash self mastery. If you enjoyed this episode, I also encourage you to listen to the three episodes that inspired it, Episode 13 and 14, with Jessica Koch, where we talk about delegation strategies and building a collaborative VA culture. And it was a lot of fun. And episode 15, where I explore team collaboration and the four disciplines of execution. Thank you for listening to the grand connection podcast, where we explore ideas that help entrepreneurs connect, create and collaborate. See you next time you.