You Didn’t Start Your Business to Be the Admin

You started your business with vision. With purpose. With the kind of fire that said, I know I’m meant to do meaningful work in the world.

You didn’t start your business to answer every email, schedule every call, update every document, and upload every podcast file at 10 PM on a Tuesday night while staring at a tab of untouched client work and wondering how you’re supposed to “scale.”

But here you are.

Somewhere along the way, the business you built for freedom and fulfillment became a never-ending to-do list. And while it’s grown, so have the tasks, the tools, and the mental tabs you’re keeping open.

This isn’t a failure. It’s a signal. A very real and important one: you’ve hit the point where support is no longer optional.

It’s time to stop doing it all yourself.

And that probably means hiring your first Virtual Assistant.

If your shoulders just tensed a little, I get it. I know how overwhelming that leap can feel. What do you even delegate? Where do you find someone? How do you trust that the investment will be worth it?

Let’s walk through it together.

Here’s what you really need to know about hiring your first VA.

Female business owner reviewing tasks with a virtual assistant on a laptop

Step 1: Know What Kind of Support You Actually Need

This isn’t about handing over your business or hiring just because a coach told you it’s time. It’s about being honest about your energy and capacity, and starting with the tasks that are pulling you out of your zone of genius.

Begin by doing a weeklong audit. Watch yourself work. Take note of what you avoid, what you repeat, what you dread, and what takes you far too long.

Some of the most common first-delegate tasks include:

  • Email filtering and responses
  • Calendar scheduling
  • Client onboarding and setup
  • Document formatting and file organization
  • Social media scheduling and content repurposing
  • CRM updates and lead tracking

These might seem “small,” but they aren’t when you add them up. They drain your brainpower and keep you operating in reaction mode. The goal here is to protect your time for the kind of strategic work that moves your business forward.

Step 2: Get Clear on Expectations Before Hiring Your First Virtual Assistant

This part matters more than people realize.

A lot of entrepreneurs hire a VA thinking it’ll solve everything, but don’t take the time to define what success looks like. And when you’re unclear, the person you hire will be too. Even the most skilled VA can’t perform well inside a vague role.

Ask yourself:

  • What outcomes am I hiring for?
  • What hours do I need support each week?
  • What tools are we using to communicate and track work?
  • What does responsiveness look like for me?
  • How will I know this is working?

Document it. This doesn’t need to be fancy, just intentional.

When you’re clear on your expectations, you’re not only respecting your VA’s time, but you’re also setting yourself up to actually feel supported, not more overwhelmed.

Step 3: Don’t Skip the Onboarding

This is the part many people overlook. You get excited, you find the right person, and then you throw them into the deep end and hope they swim.

Support doesn’t work like that.

Hiring your first virtual assistant is the start of a working relationship, and like any relationship, it needs communication, structure, and time. A strong onboarding process is what turns a good hire into a great one.

Start with:

  • A welcome email or intro call to set the tone
  • A shared folder of tools, SOPs, passwords, and brand info
  • Clear systems for how you’ll communicate and assign tasks
  • Weekly check-ins for the first month to give feedback and stay aligned

If you’re not sure where to begin, I created a free VA onboarding guide to walk you through exactly what to do. It includes:

  • A checklist of what to prepare before you bring someone on
  • Tips for setting expectations
  • Templates you can use to streamline the process

Grab it here: How to Onboard Your VA Like a Pro

You don’t have to wing it. And you definitely don’t have to do it alone.

Step 4: Start Small, Build Trust, Then Expand

You don’t have to hand over your whole business at once. In fact, you shouldn’t.

Start with 2 to 3 core tasks that are low risk but high return. Give feedback often. Learn how each other works. Let the rhythm build naturally. As trust grows, you’ll find it becomes easier to let go of more.

What starts as a few hours a week can grow into a long-term, high-value partnership. Your VA can become someone who not only helps you run the business but protects your energy and brings new ideas to the table. But that kind of collaboration is built, not bought.

Step 5: Let Go of Perfectionism

This one’s for the high achievers, the recovering control freaks, and anyone who has ever said, “It’s just easier if I do it myself.”

Let’s get real.

Delegation is a skill. Not just for your VA, but for you too. It will feel uncomfortable at first. There may be mistakes. There will be moments where things don’t happen the way you would’ve done them. And that’s okay.

You didn’t hire someone to be a carbon copy of you. You hired them to create capacity for you.

To reclaim your time.

To protect your energy.

To help you lead the business instead of being consumed by it.

You’ll never grow if you’re gripping every single detail. You don’t have to do everything to do it well.

Hiring Your First Virtual Assistant Isn’t a Luxury. It’s a Leadership Move.

This decision is not about being “ready.” It’s about being honest with yourself. If your days are full of tasks that drain you and your vision keeps getting pushed to the back burner, then it’s time.

Hiring your first virtual assistant is a powerful shift. It’s a way of saying, “I trust myself enough to stop doing it all alone.”

You don’t need to scale to seven figures to deserve help. You don’t need to wait until burnout takes over to ask for support. You are allowed to build a business that feels sustainable now.

If you’re ready to reclaim your time and delegate with purpose, let’s talk.

Book a free consultation and I’ll help you figure out exactly what kind of support you need, what to delegate first, and how to set your VA up for success from day one.

SHARE THIS POst

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

the quiz

take the quiz

Take this quiz to discover your personalized roadmap to a well balanced business™

How can you achieve more balance in business?

get your roadmap

take the quiz

the quiz