Should you hire a virtual assistant or a VA agency?
There are 3 ways to bring on a virtual assistant…
and only one of them actually works.
An agency looks easy…
but it comes with traps you do not see until later.
Hiring on your own looks simple…
but it turns out to be a whole job in itself.
The third way is different from both…
and it is one most people are not aware of yet.
Here is how all 3 play out.
What is wrong with going through a VA agency?
An agency feels like the time-saving choice.
Someone else does the hiring…
and they make it sound like you are picking from a deep pool of talent…
your pick of the litter.
Here is what that picture leaves out.
None of those people know your business…
and neither does the agency.
They more or less assign someone to you…
like a dance partner you did not choose.
That virtual assistant may be a wonderful dancer…
but that does not make them the right partner for you…
for where you are in your business right now.
The bigger problem is that you are only renting.
You pay the agency a premium…
and the moment you stop, you lose your virtual assistant…
even the one you spent months training.
And because the agency is a business too…
they will sometimes move your virtual assistant to a higher-paying client.
Either way, you are only renting.
Here is the part no one talks about.
The agency has the virtual assistant sign a non-disclosure agreement…
so you never know what your virtual assistant is actually paid…
and it is often well below market value.
And here is the biggest problem of all.
The agency cannot fix your setup.
The virtual assistant they hand you…
is still dropped into your business with nothing to follow…
so they depend on you for everything…
and you are left running around…
managing the very job you wanted to hand off.
Then should I just hire someone on my own?
Hiring on your own is a whole job in itself.
You are an expert at the work you do.
Finding, hiring, and onboarding a virtual assistant…
is a whole other career…
and most owners try to squeeze it into a day…
already full of back-to-back calls.
When you finally find someone…
you start sending over a few instructions…
and you hope it works out.
It usually does not work out…
and when it goes sideways, you blame the virtual assistant.
I have watched owners go through 3 or 4 virtual assistants this way.
The person was almost never the problem.
There was just nothing for them to step into.
There is also a cost most people do not expect.
When you hire on your own…
you still have to find the person somewhere…
and that usually means an online platform.
Depending on the platform, there can be hidden fees.
The common one is a percentage the platform charges you…
on top of your virtual assistant’s pay…
every month, with no end.
I paid one platform over $10,000…
just to keep a virtual assistant for a couple of years.
What is the third way?
The third way is the Capacity Rebuild…
the setup we use at Win The Hour Win The Day.
It came out of my own years of hiring.
I was hiring virtual assistants years before most of my peers…
and I made every mistake there is.
Over time I saw how to do it better…
and I turned that into a real process.
Here is how it works.
We find and hire the right virtual assistant…
through a 12-point hiring process…
so it is not a rushed guess.
We put that virtual assistant through our Leadership Program…
so they grow into a strong, independent leader…
instead of a task-taker.
And we build the setup with you…
because finding a great virtual assistant is one thing…
and keeping them is another.
That is the whole difference.
It is not about the agency or doing it alone.
It is the process, the setup…
and the leadership built around the virtual assistant.
A team is a philosophy, not a number…
so even one virtual assistant, set up this way…
runs like a real team.
Key Takeaways
- There are 3 ways to bring on a virtual assistant, through an agency, on your own, or with a real process. Only the third works.
- With an agency you are only renting. Stop paying and you lose the virtual assistant you trained for months, and they can move that person to a higher-paying client.
- The agency does not know your business, so the fit is often wrong, and an NDA hides the pay, which is usually below market.
- Hiring on your own is a whole career in itself, and the platform you find them through often keeps charging you a percentage on top of your virtual assistant’s pay, with no end.
- The third way is a real hiring process, a leadership program that grows the virtual assistant into an independent leader, and a setup built with you. A team is a philosophy, not a number.
Want the right virtual assistant, built into a real team member?
Take the free 5 Minute Capacity Check to see where your time is going.
FAQ
Should I hire a virtual assistant or a VA agency?
Not through an agency. There are 3 ways to bring on a virtual assistant, through an agency, on your own, or with a real hiring process with a leadership program and a setup built around them, which is the way we do it at Win The Hour Win The Day. Only the third way works.
What is wrong with using a VA agency?
With an agency you are only renting. Stop paying and you lose the virtual assistant, even one you trained for months, and they can swap that person to a higher-paying client. The agency does not know your business, so the fit is often wrong, an NDA hides the pay, which is usually below market, and the person still has no setup to follow, so you are left managing.
Why do people go through several virtual assistants?
Because finding, hiring, and onboarding is a whole career they squeeze into a busy day, with no real process and no setup for the virtual assistant to step into. The person was almost never the problem.
How do I keep a virtual assistant long-term?
Find the right virtual assistant with a real process, grow them into an independent leader, and build the setup with you. Finding a great virtual assistant is one thing, and keeping them is another.
Is this just handing tasks to a virtual assistant?
No, and that is the difference. Handing off tasks keeps you the manager, still assigning and checking. The goal is a virtual assistant who leads the work, not one you hand tasks to.
How do I hire an executive assistant?
The same way you hire any great virtual assistant, with a real hiring process, proper onboarding, and a setup built around them, not by squeezing it between calls. The title executive assistant does not change what makes the hire stick.
Related reading, How Do I Know When I Actually Need a Virtual Assistant? and Hiring a Virtual Assistant the Right Way
