You’ve finally decided to hire your first virtual assistant. Congratulations! You’re about to get your life back.

But here’s the thing: I’ve seen too many business owners hire a VA, throw them into their chaos, and then wonder why it didn’t work out. The VA gets frustrated, the business owner feels like they wasted money, and everyone walks away thinking delegation doesn’t work.

The truth? It’s not that delegation doesn’t work. It’s that most people don’t prepare for it.

After working with dozens of clients as their virtual assistant, I’ve learned that the most successful partnerships start before we even have our first call. The clients who get the best results (and save the most money) are the ones who do the prep work.

So if you’re ready to hire a VA and actually make it worth your investment, here’s exactly how to prepare.

Step 1: Handle the Security Basics

Look, I’m not going to tell you to completely organize your digital life before hiring help. That’s like saying you need to deep clean your house before hiring a house cleaner.

But there is ONE thing you absolutely need to do for security reasons:

Set Up a Basic Password Manager

Get 1Password, LastPass, or Bitwarden. You don’t need to migrate every single password right now—just set it up and add the accounts your VA will need access to.

Why this matters: “The password is my dog’s name plus 123” isn’t secure, and texting passwords back and forth is how accounts get compromised.

Everything Else Can Wait

That messy Google Drive? Those undocumented processes? The 15 versions of your logo scattered across different folders?

Your VA can help you organize all of that. In fact, it’s often better to let them set up systems that work for both of you rather than trying to guess what will work best.

I once had a client with 47 Google Drives (yes, really). Instead of making her organize them all before we started, we spent our first few sessions consolidating everything together. She learned the system as we built it, and now she actually uses it.

The bottom line: Don’t let perfectionism stop you from getting help. Your VA isn’t expecting perfection—they’re expecting to help you create it.

Step 2: Define Your Priorities (The Real Ones)

This is where most people mess up. They hire a VA and say “just help with whatever needs to be done.” That’s not helpful. That’s just transferring your chaos to someone else.

The $10 vs. $100 Exercise

Make two lists:

1. $10/hour tasks: Things that don’t require your specific expertise (data entry, scheduling, basic admin)
2. $100/hour tasks: Things that do require your expertise (strategy, client calls, creative work)

Be honest about which list is longer. If you’re spending most of your time on $10/hour tasks, that’s exactly what you should hand off first.

Create a “Don’t Touch” List

Just as important as what you want help with is what you don’t. Make a clear list of things you want to handle yourself, at least initially. This might include:

• Direct client communication
• Financial decisions
• Creative strategy
• Anything you’re not ready to let go of yet

There’s no shame in keeping things you’re not ready to delegate. Just be clear about it upfront.

Step 3: Set Up Your Systems for Success

Communication Preferences

How do you want to communicate with your VA? Email? Slack? Carrier pigeon?

Decide this ahead of time and set clear expectations:

• Primary communication method (most clients prefer email or Slack)
• Response time expectations (within 24 hours is standard)
• Meeting frequency (weekly check-ins work well to start)
• Emergency contact method (for when something is truly urgent)

Project Management

You don’t need to set up a complicated system before hiring a VA. Instead, just think about how you like to work and jot down some notes:

• Do you prefer email updates or a shared platform?
• How often do you want progress check-ins?
• Do you like detailed task lists or big-picture overviews?
• Are you a visual person (like Trello boards) or prefer simple lists?

When you hire your VA, you can explore options together like Asana, Trello, ClickUp, or even just Google Sheets. Many VAs have preferences and can recommend what works best for your working style.

The goal: Make sure you’re both on the same page about how you like projects managed, not to have everything perfectly set up from day one. Otherwise, why would you need to hire a virtual assistant?

File Sharing and Access

Your VA will need access to various tools and platforms. Here’s the easiest way to handle this:

Add these accounts to your password manager:

• Google Workspace/Gmail
• Social media accounts (Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc.)
• Design tools (Canva, Adobe, etc.)
• Scheduling software (Acuity, Calendly, etc.)
• Any other business tools they’ll need

Make your VA an admin when possible: Most platforms (like Facebook Business Manager, Google Workspace, Canva for Teams) let you add team members with their own login credentials. This is always the safest option when available.

For everything else: Share through your password manager’s secure sharing feature. Never text passwords or put them in regular emails—both can be intercepted, and text messages stay in your phone forever where anyone who picks it up can see them.

Pro tip: You don’t need to give access to everything on day one. Start with the essentials and add more as needed. It’s easier to grant access than to revoke it.

Step 4: Budget and Boundaries

Know Your Numbers

Before you start interviewing VAs, know what you can afford to spend. Consider:

• Hourly rate vs. monthly retainer (retainers often provide better value)
• How many hours per week you actually need help
• Your trial period budget (expect a learning curve)

Set Clear Boundaries

Be upfront about:

• Available hours (are they expected to work evenings/weekends?)
• Scope of work (what’s included vs. what costs extra)
• Communication boundaries (when are you available for questions?)

Step 5: Plan for the Learning Curve

Here’s what no one tells you: the first month with a new VA is an investment, not an immediate time savings. You’ll spend time training, explaining, and adjusting processes. That’s normal.

What to Expect Week 1-2:

• Lots of questions (this is good!)
• Some confusion about processes
• Need for clarification on tasks

What to Expect Week 3-4:

• Fewer questions
• Better understanding of your preferences
• First real time savings

What to Expect Month 2+:

• Proactive suggestions for improvements
• Independent problem-solving
• Actual work-life balance (remember that?)

Red Flags to Avoid

Not all VAs are created equal. Watch out for:

• Unrealistic promises (“I’ll transform your business in one week!”)
• Rock-bottom pricing (you get what you pay for)
• Poor communication during the hiring process (it won’t get better)
• Unwillingness to do a trial period (good VAs are confident in their work)

Making the Investment Worth It

The average business owner who properly prepares for working with a VA sees a positive ROI within 6-8 weeks. Those who don’t prepare? They often give up after a month, convinced that delegation doesn’t work.

The difference is in the preparation.

Ready to Take the Leap?

Hiring your first VA is a big step, and it’s normal to feel nervous about it. But with the right preparation, it can be one of the best business decisions you make.

If you’re ready to stop doing everything yourself and want to explore working with a VA, I offer free 30-minute discovery calls where we’ll dive into your biggest time drains and discuss how virtual assistant support could work for your specific business.

My goal is simple: to see if we’re a good fit to work together. I’ll share exactly how I help clients like you, and you’ll get clarity on what delegating effectively actually looks like.

Because your time is worth more than you’re currently paying yourself to do admin work.

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Molli helps overwhelmed business owners reclaim their time through virtual assistant services and business support. When she’s not organizing someone’s digital chaos, she can be found drinking too much coffee and judging people’s folder naming conventions.