5 Costly Mistakes to Avoid When Hiring a Virtual Assistant

Hiring a Virtual Assistant (VA) is  a game changer for your business - saving you time, reducing your stress and allowing you to focus on growing your business. Despite the growing popularity of remote support, many business owners still ask me ‘What does a Virtual Assistant actually do?’ And more importantly, ‘How do you find the right VA without making costly mistakes?’

In this blog, I’ll break down the real value of a VA, highlight the key services we can provide and walk you through how to avoid the most common hiring pitfalls, so you can reclaim your time and work more strategically.

What Does a Virtual Assistant Do?

A Virtual Assistant provides remote support to business owners by taking over repetitive, time consuming or specialised tasks. These can include:

• Administrative tasks: Inbox and calendar management, appointment scheduling, data entry.

• Customer support: Responding to enquiries, managing CRM systems, follow ups

• Marketing assistance: Social media scheduling, content creation, email marketing

• Operations support: Invoicing, document formatting, process optimisation

• Specialist services: Bookkeeping, tech support, project management and more

By outsourcing these tasks, business owners often free up 10+ hours a week - time that can be better spent on business growth, strategy and those tasks that truly move the needle in your business.

Define the Tasks You Want to Delegate

Before hiring a VA, you need clarity on what you need help with. Start by listing the tasks that drain your time or that could be done more efficiently by someone else.

Are you struggling with admin? Falling behind on emails? Spending hours on Canva or stuck on the hamster wheel of content creation for social media posts? These are all signs it’s time to delegate.

👉 Download our free task delegation workbook here to help identify exactly what you could and should delegate to a VA.

Choose a VA With the Right Experience

Not all VAs offer the same services. Some specialise in admin support, while others may focus on tech, systems or marketing. Hiring someone with the wrong skill set can lead to misalignment and wasted time.

When searching, look for:

• Experience relevant to your industry or business model

• Testimonials or case studies

• A clear understanding of the tools and platforms you use

  
  

A VA with the right experience can hit the ground running and deliver value from day one!

Set a Realistic Budget

Virtual Assistants are available at a wide range of price points depending on skills, experience and location. While it might be tempting to choose the cheapest option, it often results in slower turnaround times, more time spent on corrections and frustration over missed expectations.

Hiring a VA is an investment. A skilled VA may cost more hourly but will get tasks done faster, better  and with less oversight - ultimately saving you more in the long run!

Spend Time Getting To Know Potential VAs 

Don’t skip the vetting process! Once you’ve shortlisted a few VA’s, set up video meetings to assess communication style, professionalism, responsiveness and their confidence in handling your specific tasks.

Set Clear Communication Expectations

Working with a VA remotely means communication is everything. From the start mutually agree your preferred communication tools (e.g., Slack, WhatsApp, email), how often updates will be shared, what your typical working hours are and how task progress will be tracked.

Setting these expectations early ensures a smooth workflow and avoids miscommunication later on.

Hiring a VA Is a Strategic Move

Bringing on a Virtual Assistant is more than a time-saver, it’s a strategic decision that can help scale your business sustainably. By delegating tasks to a trusted professional, you can focus on what you do best while knowing that the day to day operations are in safe hands.

Success starts with the right approach. Take the time to define your needs, build out your team based on expertise and build a foundation of clear communication.

If you’re ready to stop spinning plates and start focusing on growing your business sustainably, I can help you find the right VA support tailored to your business.

💬 Book a free discovery call here and let’s explore how we can free up your time, reduce your stress and move your business forward.

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