Let's Hire a VA
- William Sammons
- May 11
- 3 min read
First step is admitting there is a problem. A familiar moment that every growing local business owner hits, your calendar is full, your follow-up is slipping, you've got content ideas you haven't touched in three weeks, and a CRM that's basically a digital junk drawer. You're doing the work of three people and getting the results of one...sometimes HALF a person once you factor in parent life.
That's the moment you say it out loud. "I need a VA."
Good. That's a smart move, but here's where I have gone wrong in the past when bringing someone on board; in fact, this week's blog is really for me as I bring in a VA, whether you read it and relate or not, I NEED this. I realize I need help, but then I hire the help before I build the house.
Then, when the VA does not do what I am looking for, I get frustrated, feel like I am wasting money, and move on...knowing full well it is an organizing problem, not a VA problem.
A VA without a system isn't an assistant; they're a very motivated person standing in a room with no lights, no map, and a list of tasks that only makes sense in your head. I end up spending more time explaining than they spend executing. So let's fix this.
The goal isn't to find the perfect VA. The goal is to build a business that any capable VA can walk into and run.
Here are the four things my system needs before I hand over the keys.
1. A content library they can actually find.
My past posts, best-performing content, graphics, and templates. My content lives in seven different apps, three Google Drive folders, and my camera roll, that's not a library, that's a scavenger hunt. I need to spend some time this week consolidating everything into one organized home before day one.
2. A brand voice document that sounds like you.
The VA will write captions, emails, and responses on my behalf, but if they don't know how I talk, they'll write how they talk. And suddenly your audience is wondering why I got so formal, or so casual, or so...corporate. I need to give them examples of my best work, my tone, my no-fly words, and my audience. Make it easy for them to sound like me without having to ask you every five minutes or check everything before it goes out.
3. A system and calendar they can navigate without a decoder ring.
What tools do I use? What does my weekly rhythm look like? What gets scheduled when? If the workflow only exists in my head, then it is not a scalable workflow.
4. A repeatable onboarding document.
This one is the big one for me. In the past, I have built the VA setup once, in real time, while stressed out and behind on everything. Then the VA leaves, and then I have to do it all over again. One simple onboarding doc, updated as business evolves, means the next hire takes days to get up to speed instead of weeks. I need to build it once, use it forever.
This week, we're going to walk through each of these in detail, because getting this right isn't just about being a better boss. It's about building a business that doesn't collapse every time a person leaves it.
Wednesday, we're going into the full VA-Ready Stack. Bring a notebook.
And if any of this is adding value to your business, just wait until you see all that you can accomplish at https://www.livelocalwarmmarketing.com/courses
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