When looking at expanding your virtual business, you have first make sure you have projects that will keep a person engaged, and how many hours you expect each project will take. The worst thing you can do is bring someone on board and not have enough work to keep them engaged.
After you have confirmed you have the right projects, you then need to find the right team member. All candidates should be interviewed – just as an office job would require an interview. The right person will not only have experience with the skills you are seeking, but also the ability to work on their own and take initiative in their work. You don’t want someone you have to micro-manage because this doesn’t save you any time or stress.
After you’ve brought the right person on board, you have to make sure you both have clear expectations and understand the work relationship. Team members will want to know when they will be paid, and how taxes will work out. You will want to know their typical work hours, whether they offer packages on services, and what their preferred method of communication is (this may be different from your preferred method, so remember a working relationship requires a little give and take).
Now, you’re ready to give your new team member their first project. Make sure to give clear instructions – even if you’re in a hurry! It’s very frustrating when instructions aren’t clear. Set deadlines for the project, and if you can, give the team member an idea of how long you think it will take.
Now comes the tricky part… You’re either pleased with their work, or you’re not. If you’re pleased – yay! You can continue the working relationship. What do you do when you’re not pleased? In my experience, I like to give people a second chance. I also like to ask myself – what did I contribute to this project not turning out the way I envisioned it would?
I have so much more to share! If you’re interested in learning more, I’ll be presenting Building an Effective Team for the VA Virtuosos Seminar THIS Thursday, Sept 27th at 3pm. Info here: http://vavirtuosos.com/
Dortha, I’m finding that I need to identify repeatable type projects that I can delegate. If I’m going to invest in training then I want my VA to be able to take the ball and run with it. Those are the best projects to start off with first. There is going to be a learning curve.