How to Hire Virtual Assistants

Hiring Virtual Assistants (VAs) is the one thing I did in my business that I regret… not doing sooner! My VA’s are absolutely amazing and I’m a big proponent of the concept that you have to do what’s right for you and I’ll tell you why that applies here:

When I was shopping for VA’s I did what anyone would do, I hopped on google, scoured Instagram, had tons of consultations, tried hiring people for one-off tasks via Fiverr (which works really well for specific things! I’ll explain more about that below), but I needed people who could do most everything, regularly on a tight budget – wedding vendor life! I found that lots of VA’s specialize in a few things like social media or content creation which is all great, but I needed people who could do it all – I didn’t have the time to train or manage multiple people so I opted for a VA team based in the Philippines! I know what you’re thinking, why go offshore? It really came down to one factor: money. If you don’t have the budget to hire multiple stateside VAs for $30-80/hr looking overseas can be a good option. Moreover, the VA team I hired knows how to do it all which is something I really needed!
(PS This post may contain affiliate links, these links add no cost to you, but I may receive a small commission which helps me to create content like this for you!)

Don’t get me wrong, I’d love to one day hire state side help, but in reality I had to watch out for my wallet and my team especially after 2020. I know a lot of people are in the same spot, so I wanted to share this secret! The team I hired is 8point8 (tell them I sent you and use this promo code: MYONLYTEAM88), and they’re a team based in the Philippines who can do all things VA! They handle so much for me like editing my YouTube channel videos, sending client communication, some aspects of blogging, social media, Pinterest, lead gen., transcription, email campaigns, basic SEO, pitches, all that jazz! Basically anything I ask them to do, they can do it.

I know what some of you may be thinking:
Is the language barrier an issue? It’s not for the most part! Unlike America, many other countries are fluent in multiple languages.
Is it ethical labor? Absolutely! The conversion rate from USD makes it so that my VA’s are very well compensated so it’s a win/win financially!
Do they know all the same things a state-side VA would know? Yes! I haven’t run into anything they don’t know how to do or haven’t been able to learn from me with a quick Loom video.

What don’t they do? I don’t have my VA’s edit my wedding films – I have specialized and trained wedding editors to do that (you can read more about that on my blog on Outsourcing!), and for long form content, I do hire state side bloggers off of Fiverr. Fiverr is also a great resource when you need someone who is very specialized in something very technical like writing custom code on my website or writing strategic copy. If you don’t know, Fiverr is like a freelance hub where freelancers sell their services and Fiverr makes it easy to find and hire them! Of course I have personal connections who can help with things, but I don’t love mixing business and friendships – I keep it profesh!

So now the question you’ve all been waiting for… If they’re so amazing, and do so much, how much are you paying them? At the time I signed on with them and the scope of work I needed them to do for me, they charged me $15/hr! Which is an amazing deal considering a brand new, entry level VA state side starts at $30. I received quotes as low as $5/hr, but ultimately I chose 8point8 because they were a team who already knew how to do everything I wanted, their english was great, and I really liked the energy and kindness they showed me during my shopping process. Overall it’s been an amazing fit!

I’ve linked 8point8 and Fiverr below! Be sure to let 8point8 know I sent you!