When you build a side hustle from the ground up, you do everything by yourself, nurturing each aspect of your passion project as it grows. When it’s finally time to hire your first employee and start delegating, it can feel daunting and difficult. Especially if it’s someone you’re meeting for the first time who lives thousands of miles away. While challenging, it’s better not to wait until you’re completely overwhelmed to hire a helping hand. 

As a virtual assistant specializing in creative work, Chloe Anna is an expert at organization and time management, two skills creative people often need help with. While your creativity may have gotten you this far, your business needs people like Chloe if it’s ever going to survive and thrive. 

In this episode, Charli, Haley, and Miguel talk with Chloe about everything VA-related — when it’s time to hire, what to look for, how to delegate, and why VAs can save your side hustle. 

Main takeaways

• [08:04] Find a VA you can relate to on a personal level. This is someone you’ll be entrusting with your business, and having a personal relationship can make it a better experience.
• [09:55] When interviewing VAs, it’s important to nail down their availability, and be honest with the time commitment you’re expecting.
• [17:53] Great VAs need exceptional time and project management skills, organizational skills. And if you’re doing creative work, they need an eye for art as well. 
• [20:56] A great benefit of VAs is their ad-hoc status. You can bring them into special projects or quick tasks — it’s not the same level of responsibility as hiring a full-time employee. 
• [25:37] Instagram is a great place to find VAs. 
• [29:27] Virtual assistants and personal assistants are two different things. There is some crossover, but you should not be hiring a VA to do personal tasks and remain on-call 24-7.

Connect with our hosts

• Charli Prangley
• Haley Janicek
• Miguel Pou
• Chloe Anna
  
  

Links

• Watch The Future Belongs to Creators on YouTube
• Chloe’s Website
• Chloe on Instagram
• CharliMarieTV
• The cold email that got Chloe hired
  
  

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