@Flint Mitchellthis is the hottest entrant on the block: https://www.athenago.com/

Hey Flint,

I have 2 virtual assistants right now. You have a few options:

Where did you find them?

You can use a service online. Lots out there. They can be North America (more educated and no culture barrier), or over seas (less cost but less capacity for more nuanced work). I found mine by promoting a job since mine work full time for me. I got referrals.

How much do they cost?

If they are local, be prepared to spend around $40 an hour or more, especially if they work for an agency. You can get them for less, but they're not as reliable. Overseas the costs are all over but expect to pay half (sometimes less) than what you pay here.

what work do they support you with?

Anything that takes 3 or more steps, with 3 or more people, and 3 or more times, I get my assistant to do it. I try to delegate ALL admin work. The first is managing my calendar and then my email box. My assistants do everything now from marketing to research and all the paperwork I suck at. I buy back my time everywhere I can.

Do you have best practices for delegating work to them?

Create SOPs and train, train, train. The more you invest in training upfront, even if it costs a bit more, will pay off massive later on. You also have to learn to trust them. Give them responsibilities over time. Set them up to win. Manage expectations that they cannot read your mind. After a while, they become an extension of you.

Are there specific types of tasks that are optimal or suboptimal for an assistant?

Anything that can be systematized in an SOP if fair game. But don't expect them to do work beyond their education level. For example, one of my team knows book keeping, so she gets all that work. The other has a background in marketing, therefore, I adjust my expectations. I don't expect either to write me a business plan or analyze stuff they don't know anything about it.

Hope that helps!