Okay, you did the thing. You finally decided to hire help.
I am literally popping champagne for you. Seriously. I am so proud!
As you prep for your virtual assistant, remember that this is a huge, amazing step toward getting your life back and letting someone else carry the mental load.
But here is the thing, and I am going to be annoyingly honest with you because I care:
I have watched way too many founders hire a VA, dump a chaotic, on-fire backend onto them, and then wonder why the partnership imploded three weeks later.
You hand the VA a “Franken-system” of duct-taped processes. You spend 3x the time trying to explain it. Finally, everyone walks away thinking delegation doesn’t work.
But let me stop you right there. Delegation does work. The problem is simply that most founders don’t prep for a virtual assistant—they just hire one and hope for the best.
I’ve spent years walking into this exact kind of operational chaos. I know for a fact that the most successful partnerships start before you even have your first call.
So, if you’re ready to actually make this investment worth it, here is how to prep for your virtual assistant effectively (without having to clean your entire digital house first).
Step 1: The Only “Tech Prep” You Must Do Right Now
Look, I am NOT going to tell you to deep clean your entire Google Drive as you prep for your virtual assistant. That is like cleaning your house before the house cleaners come—it’s a procrastination trap.
Your VA is here to help you organize that messy backend! That is literally what you are paying them for.
But there is ONE thing you absolutely need to handle for security and sanity:
Set Up a Basic Password Manager.
Get 1Password, LastPass, or Bitwarden. Seriously, stop texting passwords. Stop putting them in a random Slack message that gets buried. Stop using your cat’s birthday as the master key.
When you prep for your virtual assistant, this is the first boundary you set. It demonstrates that you value their time and professionalism. They should not have to chase you for a dozen separate login details just to post one Reel.
Pro-Tip: You don’t need to migrate every single password right now. Just add the accounts your VA will need access to right away (Email, CRM, Social Scheduler). Everything else can wait.
Step 2: Prep Your Priorities (Be Honest, Not Vague)
The biggest mistake causing burnout? Hiring help and saying, “Just help with whatever needs to be done.”
Okay, but what needs to be done? That isn’t delegation; that’s just transferring your mental load to someone else.
To properly prep for your virtual assistant, use the Impact vs. Expertise Exercise:
- List 1: Low-Impact Admin (The Drudgery) Data entry, scheduling, formatting blogs, basic inbox triage. These tasks are necessary, but they don’t require your genius. Delegate this first.
- List 2: High-Impact Genius (The Money) Strategy calls, creative development, final high-stakes decisions. Keep this.
Create a “Don’t Touch” List Part of your prep is defining what you aren’t ready to let go of yet. Is your inbox your baby? Fine. Write it down: “I will handle direct client emails for the first 90 days.” This prevents awkward conversations later and sets clear boundaries from Day 1.
Step 3: Prep Your Communication (Don’t Overthink It)
You don’t need a perfectly functioning project management system before you hire someone. That’s why you’re hiring them!
But as you prep for your virtual assistant, you do need to decide how you want to work together. If you’re already struggling with context-switching, do not set up a workflow that pings you constantly.
Decide the Rules of Engagement:
- Primary Method: (I recommend Slack for quick questions, Email for big updates).
- Response Time: (Within 24 hours is standard).
- Meeting Rhythms: Start with a 30-minute weekly check-in. This creates accountability and ensures nothing slips through the cracks.
A Note on Tools: Don’t panic and try to build a complex ClickUp dashboard this weekend. Just jot down notes about your preferred style. Your operational partner will help you build what’s figure-out-able. They will find what works best for your brain, not just what’s trendy.
Step 4: Prep for the Learning Curve (It’s an Investment)
I won’t lie: The first month with a new VA is an investment of time, not an immediate time-saver.
If you don’t prep for your virtual assistant mentally, you will get frustrated in Week 1.
- Weeks 1–2: Expect questions. Expect to explain things. You might feel like you’re creating more work. Hang in there.
- Month 2+: The questions slow down. The proactive suggestions start. The ROI kicks in.
The founders who stick with the prep see results in 6–8 weeks. The ones who dump their chaos on a new hire usually quit after a month because they convinced themselves delegation “doesn’t work.”
Ready to Trade Overwhelm for Operational Calm?
Hiring your first operational partner is a big step. You’re finally letting go of the need to remember everything.
If you are trying to prep for a virtual assistant but feel stuck because your backend is a disaster zone, let’s fix that first.
I offer a Game Plan Call specifically for this.
In this 90-minute live session, we work together to map your current backend chaos. We design an aligned workflow that actually works with your brain, clarify exactly what to implement now, and identify what to delegate later.
You’ll walk away knowing exactly how to prep for your virtual assistant with a process you can trust—so you don’t have to hold all the details in your head anymore.
Book Your Game Plan Call ($297)
Because your time is worth way more than you’re currently paying yourself to stress over admin. Let’s get that backend handled.