How To Hire A Virtual Assistant: 10 Steps, Plus A Legal Agreement You Can Use
Congratulations. You did it.
You found your niche, learned how to get clients, and now your business is growing.
There’s only one problem…
You’re exhausted. And you can’t keep doing everything on your own.
When you find the right assistant, it allows you to buy back your time.
When you hire the wrong assistant, or don’t onboard them correctly, it can be a disaster. Instead of buying back time, you end up wasting it.
Let’s do it right the first time, shall we?
This article will show you exactly how to hire a virtual assistant. First, we’ll discuss how much it costs to hire a virtual assistant. Then, we’ll cover how to find a VA. Finally, I’ll give you the exact process I use to hire and onboard my virtual assistants.
Table Of Contents:
Before we dive in, grab a free copy of my VA Legal Agreement* by clicking below:
How Much Does It Cost to Hire a Virtual Assistant?
There’s quite a range in what VAs charge.
It depends on where they live, what they’re doing for you, and their experience level.
For example, you could hire an inexperienced VA from the Philippines to do basic data entry for $5 per hour. But I wouldn’t recommend it. I’ve worked with less expensive VAs in the past and the bottom line is this: you get what you pay for.
If you want an excellent virtual assistant, be prepared to pay them $25-$35 per hour. This type of VA should be able to communicate directly with clients and customers. They should also be able build systems and processes themselves, instead of relying on you to delegate everything piece-by-piece. This type of VA will save you time and money in the long run.
Here’s a video about when to hire a virtual assistant for coaches and consultants:
Keep in mind that if finances are tight, you can start off small. For example, you can hire a VA for 5 hours a month at first and scale up from there. That’s only about $150 per month if you’re paying $30 per hour.
There are also companies that can provide you with a team of trained virtual assistants. So instead of hiring one virtual assistant directly, you pay the company for a certain number of hours each month. One example is Zirtual. They have set pricing plans for access to their U.S. based, college-educated assistants.
You’ll certainly save time upfront with this option, since you won’t have to find and interview your own candidates. I used one of these services when I started off and I wasn’t a huge fan. I prefer having a dedicated assistant. Someone I’ve personally vetted who will be part of my business for years.
I started working with a VA in my second year as a full-time coach. That was the year I broke 6 figures in revenue. I started at 5 hours per month using an intermediary company and worked my way up from there. These days I spend an average of $2,000 per month on a dedicated VA.
💵 Step 1: Use The “Rule Of 10” To Set Your VA Budget
In order to help you figure out how much you’re able to spend on a virtual assistant, I’ve created what I call the “Rule of 10.” This rule is most relevant for coaches and consultants, since those are main the businesses I work with.
Here’s my Rule of 10 equation:
Monthly Revenue / 10 = Monthly Budget for VA.
For example, if you make an average of $10,000 per month, you’d be able to spend $1,000 per month on a virtual assistant. If you paid that person $30/hour, that gives you about 33 hours per month, or 8 hours per week of support.
The Rule of 10 ensures that you remain highly profitable as a coach or consultant, while still valuing your time and getting the support that you need. Over the years, I’ve stuck pretty closely to this rule and kept a healthy profit margin as a result.
Another way to think about outsourcing is to figure out your hourly rate. For example, if your take-home income is $10,000 per month, and you work 40 hours per week, that works out to about $62 per hour. If you can hire someone to do a task for less than your hourly rate, you should theoretically outsource it.
In the next section, I’ll walk you through how I find my personal assistants. Then I’ll show you how I onboard them.
How to Find A Virtual Assistant (That Doesn’t Suck)
Okay, so you've decided to hire your own virtual assistant instead of simply going through a company. How do you put the word out?
Here’s the 4-step process I recommend:
📝 Step 2: Put together a job description and application
The goal of your job description is to screen out mediocre people. So be ruthless in describing what you want. In doing this, you’ll inspire the best candidates to apply.
Below the description, I have the application. This is an opportunity for the person to show their personality and demonstrate the qualities I list in the description. I do not ask for resumes and cover letters because, frankly, I don't care about them. I only care that this person has gotten the type of results I'm looking for.
This application allows me to filter through people very quickly and just delete them if they give the wrong answer. You’ll be grateful for this when you have a stack of applications to sort through.
For example, one of the questions says, "Situation: A frustrated customer just emailed asking for a refund because she can't log in to my online course. You know that all you need to do is reset her password. How would you respond?"
And then, in small letters underneath the question, it says "Please include the email you would write to this customer."
If someone responds to that question with anything other than an actual email starting with "Dear XX," it shows me that they are not detail oriented enough for the role and their application gets deleted. You'd be surprised how many people are eliminated just through this one question.
Feel free to use my description and application as a template. Just make sure to customize them to your business. That way you’ll end up with the perfect person.
For example, my application asks whether they are more like a Chef or a Baker. Bakers are precise and like to follow instructions. Chefs are more creative and follow their own rules. For this role, I want a Baker.
Once you have your description and application created, move on to Step 2.
📢 Step 3: Reach Out to Your Warm Network First
The best hires often come through referrals, so I started off by posting the job description to my personal Facebook.
The first time I did this I got a few responses, but nothing really came of it.
With my most recent assistant, I tried something new. I offered a $500 incentive for whoever referred the winning candidate. Turns out that when you bribe people…it works a lot better.
Here’s what I sent to my social media followers and my email subscriber list:
If you can help me find this person, I'll give you $500.
Let me explain...
I'm hiring for what's probably the most important role in any business: executive assistant to the CEO.
I've worked with a number of assistants over the years and the good ones have been invaluable.
They are essentially the "power behind the throne" - managing the chaos and making sure that nothing gets messed up or left behind. This frees the CEO up to operate in his or her "zone of genius."
I'm so serious about finding the right assistant that I'm offering a $500 referral bonus to anyone who refers the person that ends up getting the job. And if you don't want the money, I'll give it to a charity of your choice.
This person will be involved in two high-impact brands - EnoughFitness.com (where I help busy people lose weight and feel good about what they see in the mirror) + GregFaxon.com (where I help coaches fill their client roster and change lives).
If you love the idea of helping people unleash their potential, this will be a highly fulfilling and lucrative role for you. I'm so passionate about personal development that I give everyone who works for me up to 2 hours per month of paid time just to up-level their skills. I love to mentor my team and teach them anything I've learned that could be helpful for their career.
Preference will go to applicants who have already had at least 1-2 years experience as a virtual assistant for another business owner. But if you know someone with the perfect personality for this, feel free to have them apply.
I'm looking for someone who is:
1. Detail oriented. The type of person who frequently spends 10 minutes re-reading important emails for tone and typos.
2. HIGHLY organized. The type of person who has their book shelf sorted by color and/or author.
3. A great communicator who loves taking care of others. The type of person who's always texting their friends thoughtful messages.
Some details:
-It's a virtual position: this person will be able to work from anywhere with an internet connection
-There is unlimited opportunity for advancement: the right person could end up becoming the COO of my business
-This is a part-time role: starting at 10-20 hours per month and increasing as we develop a good working relationship
Here's the link to the full job post & application: https://www.gregfaxon.com/assistant
Know someone who might be a fit?
The deadline to apply is next Friday (January 31st)...so make sure they get their application in before then.
🤔 If you can think of someone, I'd appreciate you sharing. It could be worth $500 for you or the charity of your choice...
P.S. feel free to share this post or intro me directly via messenger to anyone you think might be a great fit.
This post resulted in some great applications. One of my former students ended up seeing referring the winning candidate.
I also sent individual emails to some of my colleagues who have worked with assistants in the past. Here's what I sent them:
Hi [Name],
I’m looking for someone proactive and detail-oriented to be my virtual assistant. To be blunt, I’m looking for a perfectionist who loves taking care of people and making sure things are done the right way.
Since you’re familiar with my business, and since it seems like you’ve developed a great team yourself, I thought you might have someone in your network who would be interested.
If you do, please send this job description/application along to them:
Thank you in advance for your help,
Greg
P.S. If you have any questions for me about the position, or if I can make it easier for you to share it with your network, please hit reply and let me know.
I got a few responses to this email. One of the people who was referred ended up making the final round of my search.
💻 Step 4: Post Your Job Description on Craigslist
Yes, Craigslist. This is where one of my wonderful executive assistants came from.
I recommend posting a Craigslist job description in San Francisco, Boston, Chicago, Washington D.C., and New York City. Even if you’re looking for someone virtual, you’ll get the highest number of qualified candidates from these places.
You'll have to pay a bit for each listing, but it's a small investment for the response that you get. Simply cut and paste your job description, then link them out to your application page.
Within 24 hours, the responses will start to roll in. Try to respond as quickly as possible — the truly excellent people will be following up on multiple opportunities.
📞 Step 5: Interview 6 Candidates for 30 Mins Each
When I hired my second dedicated assistant, I generated 123 applications in two weeks.
Out of the 123 applications I received, there were 6 that stood out. I replied to those people and sent them a link to my calendar.
Then I did the interviews. In the first half of the interview, I asked about their work experience and followed up on some of their application answers. In the second half, I shared my business mission and walked them through what a typical week might look like.
If my numbers hold true for you, there will probably be 1 person that disappoints you, 3 that are just okay, and 2 that are outstanding. I want you to do three things before identifying the winner:
First, give both people a 1-2 hour test project and pay them for it. This should be the type of task they would actually be doing for you if hired. In my case, it was actually a personal research task for one of my hobbies. Take note of how they approach the project and how they communicate with you throughout it.
Second, ask for three references and try to get in touch with all of them. Ask these people for an honest assessment of the candidate's strengths and weaknesses. Any response other than, "This person is amazing" should be a red flag.
Third, schedule another appointment to speak with the final two candidates separately. Discuss any red flags that came up, either in their test project or their reference calls. And let them respond. When I did this, there were things I was concerned about with each candidate. The winning candidate was able to alleviate those concerns.
When in doubt, go with your gut. Don’t keep searching forever for the perfect person. Find someone that meets your criteria and pull the trigger.
How to Hire And Onboard A Virtual Assistant
This is where the real magic happens. It's one thing to hire someone who you know can do well, but it's a whole other thing to actually set them up for success.
Here’s the 4-step process that I went through to hire and onboard my assistant:
📆 Step 6: Start With a Test Week
At this point, you’re probably really excited about the person you’ve chosen. And they’ve jumped through a lot of hoops already. But we need to remember the old adage of “Hire slow, fire fast.”
With that in mind, here’s the email I recommend sending to your final candidate:
Hi [Name],
Thank you for taking the time to speak with me today. I appreciated your response to my concerns and our conversation made me excited about the possibility of bringing you on board. It’s clear that you have a gift for supporting others.
Here’s what I would like to propose:
Step 1: We do a one-week test, starting on the XXth and ending on the XXth. This will be an intense week and I will have high expectations for your work. You will be paid $30/hour for up to 5 focused hours.
Step 2: Based on how next week goes, we will either a) decide that we aren’t a perfect fit and cut ties graciously OR b) kick ass together and proceed to Step 3.
Step 3: If Step 2 produces stellar results, we will create a monthly retainer agreement to start on December 1st. You will start off as an independent contractor and be paid $30/hour for a mutually agreed upon number of hours.
Either of us will still be able to end this agreement after the first month, but it will give us the time to create a good working relationship and hopefully get into a really nice groove.
If you’d like to participate in the above process, reply back and let me know. I may send some prep for you tomorrow and then we’ll get started officially on XXXday!
Best,
Greg
If they reply back in agreement, it’s time to start preparing for your first week together.
☑️ Step 7: Prepare a List of Tasks Ahead of Time
What exactly should you delegate to your new assistant?
My assistant does a lot of small tasks that, when added up, actually take up a LOT of time.
I recommend writing down any tasks you do that could be delegated. You can also look at your to-do list or calendar. Here are some examples to get you started, including conservative estimates for time spent per week on each tasks:
Client-related tasks:
Scheduling and confirming calls with friends/colleagues/clients (10 mins)
Creating and sending client agreements and other on-boarding tasks (10 mins)
Adding clients to Facebook group and welcoming them (5 mins)
Removing clients from private FB group when they expire (1-2 mins)
Sending along session recordings to clients (7 mins)
Posting prompts in client FB groups, unpin live Q+A post (5 mins)
Responding to or flag for Greg #help requests in client FB group (10 mins)
Responding to support requests or refund requests via email (10 min)
Following up on missed payments (10 mins)
Sending books to clients (5 mins)
Uploading client session recordings to Kajabi member’s area (10 mins)
Sending client portraits to artist to be made into superheroes (10 mins)
Content / marketing tasks:
Sharing weekly post on social media (2 mins)
Checking Apply page and make sure there are open calendar spots (5 mins)
Creating and maintaining a list of Greg’s networking contacts (15 mins)
Maintaining backend tech stuff and managing software subscriptions (20 mins)
Creating client case study videos and posts (60 mins)
Formatting and scheduling blog posts (30 mins)
Administrative / calendar tasks:
Scheduling a time for podcast interview/guest experts (10 mins)
Clearing my personal inbox (10 mins)
Forwarding receipts to bookkeeper (1-2 mins)
Entering KPIs into spreadsheet each week/month (10 mins)
Doing calendar management tasks (30 mins)
Conducting weekly 1:1 with Greg to debrief (30 mins)
Personal tasks:
Booking travel (30 mins)
Researching products for personal use (10 mins)
Making dinner reservations (1-2 mins)
Scheduling personal appointments like car repair and dentist (5 mins)
Finding the best service providers in my area (20 mins)
Ordering protein powder or other things from Amazon (5 mins)
If you add up all the above tasks, you have at least 5 hours per week of work. And that’s assuming you have a fully on-boarded assistant. You can see how that time would increase significantly when you start adding in more complex tasks.
For your first week, I’d suggest assigning your assistant around 5 hours of work. These days my assistant does about 15 hours per week for me — around 60 hours a month.
It’s very important that you clearly convey what is expected for each task. Since I already used Asana for my task management, it was really easy to assign things to my assistant on our first week and put instructions in the description of each task. We do 90% of our communicating in Asana.
I also recommend preparing a Google Doc that lists any important scheduling preferences, personal information, travel preferences, etc. You can use LastPass for sharing login information. This cuts down on back and forth so that you assistant can be more independent.
🔮 Step 8: Be Crystal Clear About Your Expectations
Skipping this step will guarantee resentment.
Here’s the email I send to my assistants before our test week:
Hi [Name],
Wonderful! I’m excited to start our one-week test together on XXXday.
The first thing I've done is create a list of agreements for our working relationship. This will help you be crystal clear about what's important to me for this role.
Here they are:
1. Document everything you learn. Some of the things I share are in my head, other things are in Asana or Google Docs. I'd like you to take my existing documentation and add to it (or create new documentation when applicable). For example, I might mention the format I prefer to get my itineraries in. Document it. I want everything documented so I can share my travel preferences or coffee shop and you’ll have it for next time. In addition to documenting my key processes, I want you to be constantly looking for ways to improve those processes so that they can become more efficient and/or be automated with software. Please start by documenting the VA on-boarding process we’re going through now in Google Docs. This should include the email I’m sending you now, the application/questionnaire you applied through, and an outline of each stage of the process so far.
2. Emails from me should be responded to within 2 business hours Monday-Friday, 8am-6pm Eastern. For example, under normal circumstances, if I ask you to book a dinner reservation it should be done within 2 hours. For longer term projects, just respond and tell me that you got it and send me an ETA for completion. For example, if I asked you to recommend three real estate agents, that might take longer. Just let me know that you got the email and you’re working on it.
3. Please complete some sort of scheduling task for me in our first week together. One of the things that you will take ownership of if we continue working together is my calendar. I can advise you on a new Google calendar I would like to set up for my mastermind group. These types of tasks will involve learning my calendar preferences, which are available in the Preference Sheet in Google Docs - as are my frequent flyer numbers, favorite hotels, itinerary preferences, etc. Please familiarize yourself with this document before we start officially on Monday and add to it as we go.
4. For the first 30 days of our engagement, I would like you to write me an email at the end of each business day by 6pm Eastern. This should include four things: Things you planned to do and results you got; Total time spent that day (and running total for the month); Things to do tomorrow; Things you need assistance with/access to. If you didn’t do any work for me that day, you can simply write “Didn’t do any work for you today.” After the first 30 days we can assess whether it makes sense to continue these daily debriefs, but right now this will be an important exercise in communication and trust building for us.
Do you have any agreements that you would like to add? If so, please let me know. I’d like this relationship to be a collaborative process.
In this first week, you’ll be learning a lot on the fly. Please prioritize your work and err on the side of over-communicating.
If you have any questions, just reach out.
I'm eager to see you knock it out of the park next week.
Thank you,
Greg
Do you see how direct I’m being here? It may seem like overkill, but the truth is that you want to give your assistant the “cheat codes” to succeeding in this role. You want them to be totally clear on what you’re looking for. That way, if they don’t deliver during the test week, you can point to exactly what didn’t work for you and part ways graciously.
🚀 Step 9: Hold Your First Weekly Check-in Call
I recommend you schedule a standing, 30 minute appointment with your assistant each week. The purpose of these calls is to check in on things that happened throughout the past week and prep for the week ahead. This is a great way to batch communication and questions that would otherwise be distracting.
I recommend holding your first weekly call at the beginning of your test week and using it as an on-boarding call. You’re going to lead this first call. Your assistant should be in charge of keeping the agenda for future calls.
During the on-boarding call, talk about the systems you use to get things done. I use Asana for task management and communication. You’ll also want to give a quick overview of the coming week’s tasks.
Once you’ve held your on-boarding call, you’re off to the races. Please remember that it’s your job to clearly outline the specific outcome you want for each task you assign your assistant. If you’re used to working for yourself, effective delegation is a skill you’re going to need to learn. So whenever your assistant messes up, ask yourself, “How could I have avoided this mistake by being more clear and thorough with my communication upfront?”
You can meet less frequently as trust develops. These days, I only speak with my assistant once a quarter. The rest of our communication is in Asana.
📜 Step 10: Send Them Your Legal Agreement
Hopefully the first week goes well. Your new assistant is absolutely crushing it and you’re ready to create a new monthly agreement.
If so, make sure you let them know how much you appreciate them. They’ve jumped through a lot of hoops to get to this point.
It’s time to send them the legal agreement for your monthly retainer.
Hi [Name],
Thanks for a great first week. Since my expectation is that we’ll be working closely together for a long time, I wanted to make sure that our agreement was extremely clear. Please read the following carefully and ask me any questions you have:
[Insert agreement link]
If you’ve read and agree to the above, sign at the bottom and we’ll get started next week. If you have additions or changes that you would like to make, please let me know.
I look forward to continuing our work together!
All the best,
Greg
P.S. Please document the above agreement as your final addition to our VA On-boarding Doc.
Click the button below to get a copy of the exact agreement I send to my assistants*:
*Note: Although my agreement was reviewed by a lawyer, it should not be considered legal advice. It is a sample agreement to be adapted to your situation and state’s laws in consultation with an attorney.
Once your new assistant has signed off on the above agreement, they are officially on-boarded. Congrats!
Of course, your job as a leader isn’t done at this point. You still need to continue acknowledging what your assistant does right and providing clear feedback on what they can do differently. But you’ve done a lot of the hard work by setting a solid foundation for this new relationship.
Enjoy the extra time you’ve created for yourself and use it well.
