What every small business needs before hiring a Virtual Assistant or Online Business Manager

Written By Giulia Iseppi

Bringing someone into your business, even part-time, is exciting. It means you’re growing. It means you’re ready for help.

But if you’ve ever found yourself saying:

“I hired someone, but I’m still answering questions all day…”
“I delegated the task, but it came back wrong…”
“It’s just easier if I do it myself…”

Then this article is for you.

Because here’s the truth: hiring a VA or an OBM doesn’t automatically solve your chaos, and for them to get it perfect can take time. To get real support, you need to build just enough structure — so someone else can confidently step in and help.

And no, you don’t have to have it all figured out before hiring (thank god, could you imagine if that was the case!). But there are a few foundational things that make the difference between frustration and actual freedom.

What to Have in Place Before You Hire

1. At Least One Repeatable Task or Process

If you’re handing off completely random admin, it’s hard for anyone to be effective. Start with one thing you do every week, something like:

  • Chasing invoices;

  • Logging materials for jobs;

  • Booking appointments;

  • Filing receipts;

  • Logging or scheduling gas safety checks.

Even if it’s just scribbled on paper, having a process that happens more than once gives your VA or OBM something solid to work from.

💡 If you're a gas engineer or builder, think about what you always end up doing late at night — that’s your first handover.

2. A way to track work (even if it’s a shared notes app)

You don’t need fancy software. You just need somewhere to:

  • List what’s been done;

  • Track what still needs doing;

  • Leave short notes or comments;

I’ve seen trades teams succeed with shared folders, WhatsApp logs, Trello boards, even ClickUp — as long as it’s consistent.

💡 An OBM (Online Business Manager) can help set this up, or adapt what you already use.

3. A communication rhythm

When there’s no check-in rhythm, every update becomes a fire drill. Even a Monday update and Friday wrap-up goes a long way. Your VA or OBM can then plan around it, rather than chase you for random updates.

Let them know:

  • When you’re usually available;

  • When they’ll hear from you;

  • When they should flag something urgent;

And keep at it! If you call to say “you don’t have time this week let’s just have a short call” for more that one week in a row, you could end up being surprised no or little work has been done for you! Feedback is important.

What if you’re not used to this?

Good news — an OBM can help build this with you. At Achievist, we take great pride in walking you not only in structuring a system that works for you, but help you build a flow - a set of habits that become second nature. You don’t need to hand over a polished system: that’s what I’m here for.

As an Organiser Extraordinaire working with construction and service businesses, I often:

  • Document how you already do things;

  • Turn your routines into checklists and templates;

  • Write up SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures) in plain English;

  • Help you test a basic workflow before we bring in more team members.

Whether you’re a builder coordinating subcontractors, or a gas engineer trying to keep up with service calls, we can build the structure around how you already work.

Real example: from inbox chaos to client flow

One of my clients — a small construction business — was juggling:

  • 5000 unopened emails in the last quarter.

  • Quotes on a notebook

  • Invoices on Microsoft Word - a recent upgrade!

  • Notes… in their head

We didn’t overhaul everything. We started with:

  • An email purge - I don’t call it “Inbox Clean-Up and Organisation” in these cases. We both know we need a deep clean…

  • A template for sending quotes;

  • A process for billing and one for recording all expenses.

  • A weekly status check;

That was enough to bring in a VA and hand over some of the admin without a breakdown.

One step at the time.

There is no need to rush a complex system before you are ready for it. And if you put together scraps of processes that you don’t use often, how many times do you think you’ll need to redo the job?

Before you hire someone, ask yourself:
- What task do I always delay or forget?
- Could someone else help me with this if they had a guide?
- What’s one thing I could write down to make that easier?

If you’ve got that, even loosely in your mind, then yes, you’re ready to get support! Start sending out feelers, and while you do so, you can start making a record of the following:

  • Why is this task important?

  • What does this task achieve?

  • What systems (phone, word, calendar, calculator, password manager access) do I use to complete this task?

  • Can I share access to these systems, or can I ask the VA if they are able/practical with doing so?

  • Record your screen while completing the task, and think how to share the video/result. Your VA or OBM will be able to transcribe this as a first task. If you are wondering how to do this, on Android and Iphone you should be able to find an option for “screen recording”. On Windows there is an app called “Screen Recorder”, while on Apple you can use Screenshot or QuickTime player. Make sure you do not record your passwords with this system. Or, if you want to try a new system, you can try Loom.

  • When you’d you like the task to be completed? How often?

  • How do you want to be updated? - Whatsapp, weekly update email, voice message, etc.

  • How do I measure the success of this endeavor?

Thinking of hiring support, but unsure where to start?
I help trades and service businesses get their first workflows, templates and comms systems in place — so you’re ready to delegate without drama.

Let’s chat. Send me a message or find out more

Giulia Iseppi
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