Jan
Running A Business From Anywhere: How A Virtual Assistant Can Help Your Business
Photo by nicdalic
Ever since Tim Ferriss’s book The 4 Hour Work-Week hit the shelves and cited outsourcing as one of the most effective ways to achieve a 4 hour work week, there’s been a lot of discussion in the blogosphere about how to do it, whether it works, whether it’s right to outsource to poorer countries blah blah blah.
My take? In the words of Richard Branson….”Screw it, let’s do it!“
At the consulting company where I used to work, outsourcing was (and still is) big business – indeed it’s one of the reasons the Indian economy took such an upturn a few years ago. There are many sides to the argument about whether outsourcing devalues both those in poorer countries and those in more expensive countries; it’s a complex economic argument that I’m not going to get into here – and I certainly wouldn’t have argued the case had I never tried it for myself.
Here’s what my own VA says about the matter (see bottom of post for her details):
“I always feel bad for those people who don’t like the idea of hiring VA’s from a third-world country just because they think that low rates equal low quality of work. If they feel that hiring someone from a third-world country charging low rates is tantamount to exploitation, my advice is why not try working with one first? Then, if you find that he/she is doing quite well, by all means, let go of that guilty feeling by paying higher 
I hope more people realize that service providers from poorer countries can afford to charge lower rates because of the low cost of living NOT the low quality of work.”
So how does a small business/solopreneur ‘do’ outsourcing?
One of the most common ways is of course to hire a virtual assistant. I currently have two VAs at the moment – not by choice but because I’m working out the notice period with my first one. Of the two options so far – one is the company in India that Tim Ferriss mentions (not such a great experience) – my current VA, an independent virtual assistant based in the Phillipines, is by far the best.
[Personal note - I'm filipina although adopted at birth hence being brought up as British - so it feels right for me to be working with someone from the Phillipines and supporting their business]
If you don’t want to have an ongoing relationship with a VA then another option for outsourcing is simply to use sub-contractors or farm out aspects of your business on an ad hoc, as-and-when you need basis to the relevant professional.
I have several coaching/consulting clients who also outsource their techy stuff to us – things like tweaking their websites/blog, setting up and managing ezines – basically all the things they could spend hours trying to figure out but know we can do in a half an hour. Some of these things I then sub-contract to someone else, so it’s a pretty neat business model.
Why outsource?
The benefits are obvious – more time to focus on the things you like doing and are good at, more time to generate new business, more time to enjoy your LIP lifestyle. But if you, like me, are a bit of a control freak and find it hard to let go of your little baby then the thought of handing over parts of your business to someone else can be a little scary.
If you (like I did) think things like…
- They won’t do it as well as I will
- It’s quicker and easier if I just do it myself
- Why pay someone else to do it when I can do it just as well myself
If you think things like that…then you, my friend, don’t have what it takes to step up to the plate as a business owner and are always destined to be a one-man band.
At least, that’s what I told myself when I was struggling to let go of the reins and hand over tasks for someone else to do. Imagine where Richard Branson would be now if he didn’t let others do their jobs but instead meddled in everything wanting to control the world himself.
Fortunately, I got over myself and have fully embraced the fact that I don’t have to do it all, that there are extremely competent people who can do things just as well as I can (if not better) and that as a LIP there are sometimes far more fun things I could be doing with my life than staring at a computer screen all day long.
Here are some of the things you could outsource:
- Writing and copywriting
- Technical tasks
- Design and illustration
- Research
- Basic marketing tasks
- Customer service calls (at least initial ones if not all of them)
Here is how a virtual assistant helps my location independent business:
- Initial research for accommodation and flights for new destinations
- Off-site marketing of my blogs and websites
- Pre-analysis for some of the consulting work I do
- Research for blog posts and articles
- Draft writing of articles
- Bidding on job bidding site when J (the husband) was looking for illustration work
- Sending out documents etc. to clients – both as a reminder to do it and to actually send them out
Where do you find a good one?
Here lies the challenge…there are a number of ways to find a VA which include:
- Using sites like Elance and Guru to post a position and wait for bidders
- can be hit and miss but perhaps better for outsourcing individual, simple tasks rather than finding a VA for an ongoing relationship. Elance currently has a competition to win $5,000 towards a VA for 2008.
- Using Virtual Assistant directories like VA4U or Alliance of UK Virtual Assistants
- some of these are ok but I found it difficult to work out which ones were independent directories versus VA network companies and it was extremely time-consuming visiting tens of websites to decide. What’s even worse is that many VAs don’t have websites and even when they do, they’re not useful at all.
- Asking around your network for recommendations
- one of the most effective ways of getting someone who is good but not much use if no-one in your network uses one.
How to get the most out of working with a VA
Getting the most out of a VA depends upon how effective you are as a manager so if you’ve never managed anyone in your life, then these are some useful tips.
#1 Be clear and direct
Communication is everything, particularly when you’re working ‘virtually’ by email or phone with someone you’ve never met. There may also be language barriers so don’t assume that everything you write or say will be perfectly understood. Always ask your assistant to clarify any points they don’t understand and, if necessary, get them to repeat the task back to you in their own words to ensure they’ve understood it.
#2 Set & share expectations
When you’re trying to describe a task to a VA and you have a clear idea in your mind of what you’re expecting…tell them. If you’re expecting a spreadsheet list to include certain columns/headings tell them this. I always include “expected results” in my emails to my VAs so they know what kind of results I’m expecting to see.
#3 Use a template
So that I don’t have to remember what details to give my VA each time I task them with something, I set up a template in my email folder which reminds me to give them as full a brief as possible. It includes the following:
Task Summary:
Task Deadline:
Expected Duration:
Task Details:
Expected Results:
#4 Remember they’re a person too
It’s easy to think of your VA as someone who is just at your beck and call, to do your bidding as you wish. It’s even easier to do this if they’re halfway around the world and you’ve never met them and don’t know them. Never forget this though…they’re a person too with their own families, lives and businesses to run.
If issues arise and their service hasn’t been as efficient as usual, before you go off on a rant or consider ditching them for a new one, take a moment to consider what may be behind this dip and whether they’re in some sort of difficulty. You could even try asking them if they need any help.
Good virtual assistants are like a good investment – they’re hard to find and ultimately make you money! Take care of them as well as they take care of you.
UPDATED: Unfortunately I no longer work with Alfa, my former VA so will no longer respond to requests for her details.
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Have started using Amazon’s MTurk recently and just signed up for eLance. It is soooooooo hard to let go but have to face the reality that this is the way to go.
Yet another of your great posts. Thanks
Hi there,
I have been working with a team from GetFriday and they have been literally doing a lot of work and now I’ve put in some systems, some of the work has reduced and as a result, the price goes up. The more hours you have, the lower the cost. Up to $4 an hour at times.
Could you please send Alfa’s details please?
Thanks,
Kavit
Great post. I just subscribed, and am looking forward to digging a bit deeper with your content! I used to have a great VA, but lost contact with him (he was from India). Lots of steady and fluid work on my end and would love to get Alfa Mercado contact info! Thanks so much!
Hi Lea,
Thanks for the great post! After reading 4HWW and doing some research here and there, I started working with a VA firm called Ask Sunday, about a month ago. It has been an amazing experience.
With that said, I am intrigued by the idea of developing a working relationship with one to two VAs at most vs. a whole company of them. Would you kindly share Alfa’s info with me, or with any VAs that she recommends if she if too backed up?
Best Regards,
Drew
Hi,
great post. I’d love to have alfa’s information to find out more. Most or all of my friends are working for corporate companies and are not really into entrepreneurship at this point in their lives so I don’t have many people I can ask for referrals for things like VA’s etc.. so sites and people I meet through these communities and blogs are great! Thank you so much and i hope to talk more to you about your businesses and ideas! Please shoot me an email with information when you get a chance.
Hello,
I’d love your VA’s contact information. Thanks for the post!
Best,
Kathleen
GREAT post! This couldn’t come at a better time, i am looking for a VA right now. I would love your VA’s contact!
Cheers,
Cindy
Nice post.
I’m new to your blog but think I’ll hang around a while….I am in California and use VAs, well actually run a series of efforts designed around a not for profit in Sri Lanka. One of the issues that has come up for me involves payment.
It may sound behind the times (and often is), but the location of the businesses make PayPal transfers difficult so I have to pay by bank transfer. This in itself costs $35 per transfer so it’s more economical to bulk pay, if you trust your team. It’s a mighty fine line.
Any words on how to pay your VA? Also, I’d love to have her info too.
Best,
Sean
I really enjoy your blog. I find it both inspiring and quite practical.
I’ve had very positive experiences on Elance. Clarity and communication help a project go smoothly, but most important is to engage with every provider as your peer. Not as “your” worker.
My respect for each person’s abilities and consideration for their time is genuine. I believe that if you can bring a Golden Rule attitude to the VA relationship, all other questions of commerce and power fall to the side.
Currently, I work with different people on a project to project basis. However, I’m interested in exploring a longer-term assistant. Could you please forward me Alfa’s contact information?
Thanks for all your insights. Enjoy your travels in 2008.
Tim’s book really gave me a push towards trying to outsource any work that I could. I think the best way to do it is to hunker down and spend an entire day (or weekend if necessary) and get in touch with as many prospective VAs as possible. Start tasking them with appropriate work and see which ones pan out. Sure, there’s an initial cash outlay, but it’ll potentially pay big dividends down the road, as it has for me.
It’s like finding a good doctor/mechanic/web designer/writer/etc. Shop around, invest as much time as necessary upfront, then hold on to the best one(s) you find.
I’d love your VAs contact info as well, by the way. Thanks in advance!
It comes down to a question of time efficiency. I have often found that using cheaper foreign labor has lead to an increase in management time. The issue is often a language / cultural barrier.
Have you noticed a genuine time savings?
@ Shane – fortunately Alfa speaks perfect English so there’s no problem there and, as I’d always hoped to find – she’s the kind of VA I can shoot an email to and know she’ll understand where I’m coming from. I also know that if she doesn’t, she’ll ask.
When I used Get Friday, language was indeed a problem and one of the reasons I stopped using them is that it was taking up so much of my time to “manage” them and get them to do the task in the way I wanted.
Since working with Alfa I have definitely noticed time savings – particularly in one area which typically takes up a ton of my time…researching initial accommodation options for our destinations.
Last year I spent hours and hours on this – I tried it with my Get Friday VA but no joy – Alfa’s been more helpful on this front and whilst the task of making the final decision still takes me ages (altho I’m working on that process), the initial research stage is out of my hands now which saves hours.
Great article on VAs! I too have found it to be hit and miss with these services, yet am by no means considering abandoning the idea of using their services.
I’ve used the VA service listed in Four Hour Work Week, but to little avail.
Would v. much appreciate your VA’s contact details.
Love LIP perspective. I always enjoy the blog and look fwd to reading more!!
David
Hi Lea,
I hope you haven’t shot yourself in the foot by telling everyone about Alfa and also what you are paying her. If she is as good as you say she is and she works independently as a one person show then she may now be open to offers of $10 an hour.
If you read the 4HWW carefully Ferriss doesn’t give the contact details of a few of his ‘best’ VA’s for this very reason.
I’ve put together a mindmap with some strategies for using elance, I’ve used it from both sides of the fence and ahve seen what works well.
If anyone wants a copy they can e-mail me at gavin @ outsourceSuccess.com or I can give it to you and you can send it out.
Gavin
@ Gavin: This may indeed be the case with some people. It’s a good comment. I am now in full swing with Lea and the sense I get from her is she knows her limitations. It is as much as a fine balance for her as it is for us. If she charges too much she starts to compete with the local market and may lose future and existing customers. A freelance VA is in a unique position, too, and I think to this point Lea seems to be finding the right cost for her skills. Once she build out more customers and demand, when people eventually build solid relationships with her, I think she can justify the higher costs wo/losing her clients. SK
Editor’s note: I think Sean means “Alfa”, not “Lea”….I’m not Sean’s VA
Gavin – Alfa works/manages a team of VAs so it isn’t just her alone. Like Sean said, she does know her limitations and before I wrote this post, I actually emailed her and asked her if she wanted me to state her rates as $10 per hour. She said “No”, as she feels she’s not ready to charge $10 per hour which supports this view.
In all honesty, if I have shot myself in the foot, then so be it. One of my main motivations for writing the post was to help Alfa generate more business. Nothing in it for me, no kickback or anything, just a good feeling that I’ve helped out a fellow entrepreneur with their business in a way that also helps others out on the blog.
Yes Lea, mea culpa. Also to Alfa. Long day….
that’s cool I realised your intention was to help her out.
When you said she was an ‘independent person’ I took that to mean that she worked alone. What you have now said is that she has a company so that explains the difference.
Gavin
The Magic Question: How does one decide on the best VA?
Another Magic Question: is “cheap” the same as “good”? There’s an awful lot of VA work being sent to outher countries for that reason, and we’re starting to hear the nightmare stories.
The Wild West. Again.
Jeff Yablon
President & CEO
Virtual VIP
http://virtual.answerguy.com
Hi. Please forward contact details for Alfa Mercado
nice article. Outsourcing does really help a business especially when its cutting cost. It is fair to hire people overseas for outsourcing simply because you are helping them in getting a job. The more outsourcing US and Europe does. the more jobs they give to the less rich countries.
Hi Lea.
I am a new reader of your blog and have enjoyed all of the great information. I am interested in hiring a VA. Please forward Alfa’s information when you have a chance.
Thanks!!
Tiffanii
Hi Tiffani – thanks for stopping by. I’ve just emailed you Alfa’s details.
Lea
Could you forward me Alfa’s contact information? I have been wondering about getting a VA for some time. Thanks.
Great post! I must agree that virtual assistant can help in many ways for a primary reason that they can perform multiple tasking for the client. One more thing, it’s not necessarily that you have to see each other and you know she/he will be working at the office but rather can work through online with the aid of modern technology, the can do their tasks at home as long as they are gonna sort out every thing productively.
Great post. I’ve been surfing around all afternoon and yours was the first worth stopping at. Thanks. If you haven’t gotten too many requests already, could you also forward Alfa’s info to me? And seeing as how you use her frequently, what do you see as limitations?
@Tom – thanks for the compliment
Sorry for the delay in replying, we’ve been on the move these past couple of weeks but are finally settled in our new ‘home’ for a few months. Unfortunately Alfa seems to be overloaded with clients right now and to be honest I haven’t used her in a while as communications have been sporadic. I now have another couple of people who provide VA services on an as & when needed basis but these are people who only work with my company so unfortunately I can’t share their details – sorry. If I hear of any other recommended VAs, I’ll update it here….
Hi Lea,
Not wanting to be a smart arse and say I told you so but it seems like you are adopting a different approach now and keeping the details of your Virtual Assistants close to your chest.
As Tim Ferriss Models in his book he does not reveal the company names of some of his better VA’s. It might be counter intuitive to not tell your friends about a great service or product that you have but when it comes to employees and virtual assistants you never want your best people going off and working for someone else.
Gavin
Gavin – I’m sure you’ve been waiting for the time you can say “I told you so”. Unfortunately, it’s not that time yet and the only reason I’m not sharing the details of some of the people we’re working with is that *they* don’t want me to. That, and the fact that one of them doesn’t really run a business offering their services but works solely for us.
There are some things we have never shared from our business model perspective – it’s not anyone’s business but ours – but if there are resources that I believe will help others (including help those service providers grow their businesses), then I’d rather share those than keep them close to my chest out of fear of competition. That’s simply not the way I want to live nor operate our business.
Lea
P.S. And sometimes having your best people go off and work for someone else can be a good thing if my past business experience is anything to go by.
I’m all for sharing ideas information and resources. The point i was trying to make is that when those resources are finite in nature like someones time it does not make sense to.
If you had a conventional business and were employing someone for 20 hours a week and they were fantastic it doesn’t make sense to advertise the fact that they are available,for another 20 hours per week, you might say to one friend this person is available i’d snap them up but not put an advert in your shop window and in the newspaper telling the world too.
Gavin
Gavin – that’s where our mindsets differ.
I don’t believe those resources are finite in nature – yes, an excellent resource may be hard to replace but they can always be replaced if you look hard enough. I appreciate that good people are hard to find but I’d rather not build and run a business that that is absolutely reliant on one or two key people/suppliers; it creates weak points and unnecessary business risk.
And as to your second point – if that employee wanted/needed to earn more money and I could help them do so by helping them get more work, then I would do my best to do so even if that means putting an advert up telling the world they’re looking.
If that means they get ultimately get a better offer elsewhere, then so be it, off they go and I have to replace that resource. But at the end of the day, they’re a person living their own life and I don’t want to stop them from getting more work/more income that they might need and want, just because I’m scared it will leave my business in the lurch.
In my book, it’s people first, business second. We’ll just have to agree to differ.
Lea–
I fully agree with you and thank you for sharing your details about Alfa in the beginning. It is important to look out for them as much as for them to look out for you. Being or hiring a VA entails certain personal and moral responsibilities that emerge during work with one another on a case-by-case basis. Sometimes, cost is the issue or competition, etc.
I have stopped working with Alfa for the time being as well. This recent thread has focused on the competitive aspects of working with a VA, but I don’t believe that is the problem in this specific instance. I may not know the whole story, but I think technology issues (a broken laptop), power in the country (nightly cycle downs in elctricity), and other factors are all contributing to making it difficult for Alfa to stay in the game to an acceptible level at the moment.
Without focusing on her specifically, I consider these latter factors incredibly important when interviewing new VAs. What is the country like? What subtelties might get in the way? If a VA suffers an equipment breakdown, can they afford a replacement?
My two cents…
can you please send me Alfa’s info? thanks!!
I visited this blog first time and found it very interesting and informative. Thanks for sharing such information.