Creating a Solid Connection with Your Virtual Assistant for Better Business Flow
As a heart-centered business owner, balancing your online business with a life that feels meaningful and aligned is your top priority. But even with the best intentions, the day-to-day tasks of running your business can quickly become overwhelming. This is where a virtual assistant (VA) can become your secret weapon—not just to lighten your load, but to help you create more space in your business to let you really shine in your zone of genius.
But building a successful working relationship with a VA takes more than just handing off tasks. It’s about creating a partnership rooted in clear communication, trust, and mutual respect. Based on years of supporting business owners like you, I’m sharing my top tips to help you establish a stress-free, long-term working relationship with your VA.
1. Start with a Time Audit: Know Exactly What to Delegate
Before you even consider bringing a VA on board, it’s essential to get a clear understanding of where your time is going. One of the biggest revelations for many business owners is realizing how much of their day is spent on tasks that could easily be delegated. A time audit is an invaluable tool for this.
How to Conduct a Time Audit:
Track your daily tasks for at least a week, and break them into four categories:
- Love: Tasks you enjoy and that align with your business vision.
- Hate: Tasks that drain your energy and don’t leverage your strengths.
- Necessary: Tasks that are essential but don’t necessarily need you to do them.
- Useless: Tasks that are taking up your time but don’t move the needle for your business.
From this list, it becomes clear what should stay on your plate and what can be delegated. You might find that repetitive admin tasks, scheduling, and inbox management are taking up valuable mental space that could be better spent on strategic work.
Bonus Tip: Get rid of anything in the “useless” category, automate what you can (think simple tools like email automation), and delegate the rest to your VA. Read the full blog post on time audits here.
2. Onboarding Your VA: Laying the Foundation for Success
Once you’ve identified what to delegate, the onboarding process begins. Think of this as setting the stage for your VA to succeed. The better prepared you are, the smoother the transition will be.
Create SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures):
Your VA isn’t inside your head, so it’s important to give them the tools they need to replicate your processes accurately. SOPs are a great way to document recurring tasks. I’m a big fan of using Loom for this—record a quick video walkthrough of a task instead of writing out a step-by-step guide. This makes it easier for your VA to understand the nuances of how you want things done, and it saves you time!
Proactive Sharing:
Don’t keep your business vision and future plans to yourself. Share your goals with your VA so they can better align their work with your broader vision. This not only empowers them to take initiative but also fosters a deeper sense of ownership over the tasks they handle. As a VA, there’s a noticeable difference between working on scattered, constantly changing tasks and completing tasks that are aligned to a clear, focused project with a defined end goal.
Password Management:
In today’s digital world, access to tools and systems is critical. I recommend using a tool like LastPass to securely share passwords. This ensures your VA has the necessary access while reducing the risk of security concerns.
3. Clear Communication is Key
When you’re working with a VA, especially remotely, clarity is everything. Ambiguous instructions like “handle this soon” or “organize these files” can lead to confusion and frustration on both sides.
Set Clear, Specific Expectations:
Be as specific as possible when giving instructions. Instead of saying “I need these call recordings saved,” try “Please save these call recordings to my Google Drive in the ‘Call Recordings’ folder by the end of the week. Create subfolders for each client’s recordings and then organize the files in each client’s folder by date.” This leaves much less room for misinterpretation and ensures the task is completed the way you have it in mind, plus also provides your expected timeframe for completion.
Define Deadlines Properly:
One of the most common breakdowns in a VA relationship comes from misunderstood timelines. Set clear, realistic deadlines with specific dates, and take into account your VA’s turnaround time. The more specific you can be with your tasks and deadlines, the more clarity your VA will have.
Schedule Regular Check-ins:
A weekly or bi-weekly meeting is essential to ensure everything stays on track. This meeting serves many purposes: it gives you the chance to share the bigger picture with your VA, discuss upcoming projects, address any issues, and create personal touchpoints. Strong communication builds trust, and over time, if your VA can gain an understanding of your larger projects, there’s a better chance they’ll be able to start anticipating your needs, which is the true magic of a successful partnership.
4. Building Trust: Let Your VA Do Their Job
One of the hardest things for business owners to do is let go. If you’ve hired a VA, that means you trust their skills and judgment. But sometimes, it’s hard to fully let go and the tendency to micromanage creeps in, which can hinder your VA’s ability to settle into their role (and in turn, take things off of your plate!).
Give Your VA Room to Succeed:
Once you’ve provided clear instructions and communicated deadlines, trust your VA to do the work. Micromanaging not only increases stress for both parties, but it also takes away from the purpose of delegating in the first place. When you step back, you give your VA the space to problem-solve and manage tasks on their own, which leads to greater efficiency in the long run.
Feedback is a Two-Way Street:
Your VA can’t read your mind. Regular, honest feedback is essential to make sure tasks are being completed the way you want them, but this feedback should go both ways. Encourage your VA to share their thoughts on the process—what’s working well, what could be streamlined, and where they need more clarity. Building this level of trust early on fosters a strong, long-term working relationship.
5. Set Healthy Boundaries: Protect Your Time and Theirs
Setting boundaries is critical for a stress-free working relationship with your VA. As someone who values mindful flow and avoiding burnout, you already know how important it is to create clear guidelines for communication and task management.
Define Working Hours and Availability:
It’s important to know your VA’s working hours and turnaround time. It can be equally as helpful for your VA to be aware of when you typically work. For example, let your VA know that you’ll check Slack once in the morning and once in the afternoon, and they can expect a response from you within 24 hours. This helps both of you manage expectations and maintain a healthy work-life balance.
Respect Deadlines and Turnaround Times:
Give your VA realistic timelines for completing tasks. Just like you, they need time to focus on their work. Setting a reasonable turnaround time for new task requests (like 2 business days) can reduce stress for both you and your VA, reducing the chance of mistakes and feeling rushed.
Bringing a virtual assistant into your business can be the key to growing without burning out. But this relationship, like any good partnership, requires time, clear communication, and mutual respect. By following these steps—conducting a time audit, onboarding effectively, communicating clearly, and setting healthy boundaries—you can build a relationship with your VA that supports both your business growth and your personal well-being.
Ready to delegate and simplify your business? Book a consultation today and let’s create a plan to help you focus on your zone of genius.
