Video: 4 Tips for New Freelancers

Video: 4 Tips for New Freelancers

by | Dec 16, 2021 | Blog, Resources

Making the leap from a full-time job to freelancing can be intimidating. Marketing yourself?! Naming your rate?! It sounds like a LOT when you’re leaving the security of a full-time job. But if you’re passionate about working for yourself, I’m here to tell you: It’s very doable. And it’s absolutely worth the effort.

Planning ahead and putting some careful thought into your offerings, your lifestyle, and your needs can make a world of difference, setting you up for success from the start. Here are four tips to consider as you begin your freelance journey.

 

Transcript

Hi! This is Andrea from Harlow and today I want to talk about my four tips if you’re just getting started freelancing.

Making the leap from a full-time job to freelancing can be intimidating. I’ve done this four times in my career I know all the unwanted feelings that can pop up. Am I going to be good enough? Will I be able to pay my bills? Can I find clients? Freelancing is definitely hard & it’s not for everybody but if you’re passionate about getting started freelancing I’m here to tell you it’s very doable.

My first tip for you as you’re just getting started is to define your offering and find your niche. I know a lot of freelancers don’t like this advice but I will say it has served me very well in my career and I highly recommend going through this exercise. Really think about the services that you offer and what makes them unique and your offering special and what differentiates you.

Early on you might actually want to take a bunch of different types of projects to figure out what it is that you’re good at and what it is that you actually like doing but it’s really hard to be everything to everybody so getting a little bit more specific about your offering will help you find the right projects. For example, rather than going out and saying, “I’m a content writer & I’ll write any type of content for you.” Maybe you say, “I am a content writer who specializes in long-form content with a heavy research component.” That specificity is going to actually help you find those projects that are a better fit.

And as you’re thinking about niching down it doesn’t necessarily have to be a functional niche either. For example, I’m a demand gen marketer and so I don’t actually need to specify that I’m only going to focus in SEO or SEM, in fact quite the opposite. My business partner and I stayed generalists & we offered a variety of demand gen services but our niche was early-stage technology companies that were just bringing on their first head of marketing and they were looking for help for three to six months. Shorter project-based work was a great niche for us and it really helped us to find that ideal client.

That brings me to my next point which is to find your people. So, I don’t mean just your target audience here but also your community which I have found has been really really important. Freelancing can be lonely and it can be really isolating and it’s important to have people around you that you can ask for advice and help when you need it but also people around to help you celebrate your wins. There are really robust freelance communities on twitter, facebook and reddit and I highly recommend engaging there and just starting to build that community of people you can learn from.

I also want to say that other freelancers are not your competition! I highly recommend you embrace the freelance community and really look at other freelancers as a source of help & information but also potential referrals. You know, these other freelancers deeply understand what it is that you do and there are a lot of them that have prospective contacts and clients reaching out to them and they might not have the capacity so that can be a great source of business for you. I would say if you’re ever in the position where you can’t take on clients it’s always a good move to try and refer out other freelancers that maybe could use the work as well.

My third tip is to figure out your pricing. This one is really hard and obviously, we don’t have all the time in the world here to dive into all of the nuances about this. Your pricing is going to change over time, as it should, but if you’re just getting started I recommend starting by doing some research. Figure out what is average in your industry based on your skillset and your level. Next, I would sit down and do some math – first of all, what is the target income that you need to meet in order to sustain your lifestyle? Realistically how many days of the year are you going to be able to work? And don’t forget holidays don’t forget vacations and don’t forget sick days. Even though you’re a freelancer you’re still gonna be sick, unfortunately. Don’t forget your kids’ spring break- things like that.

Be really be realistic about how many days of the year you’re actually going to be able to work and then think about how many hours of the day are actually billable. It is not possible for me personally to build eight hours a day. That is just way too much. Don’t forget you also have other aspects of your business that aren’t billable – invoicing your clients, putting together a statement of work, trying to market yourself, all of that. So again, be really realistic about how many hours the day you can actually spend on client work and then that will help you back into what an hourly rate needs to be.

Now, this isn’t to say that that has to be your hourly rate or that you should charge hourly but it gives you a baseline so then you can start to package your services and make sure that you’re hitting your minimum income threshold. I will say, as you’re thinking about your pricing whether it’s hourly, retainer-based or project-based don’t forget that it should also reflect everything that you bring to the table. So it’s not just the hours in the day it’s all of the years of experience that you have and your unique perspective – all of that stuff. Be sure to charge for that.

If you’re still unsure of what your rate should be there’s an awesome tool out there called www.saymyrate.com it’s backed by actual humans you input your information give them a couple of days and they’ll come back with what a reasonable rate actually would be for your skillset.

So my last tip for you is to put it in writing. No matter what, make sure you have a contract in place. It can be so tempting when you land the first client – say it’s your friend or maybe it’s even your old employer – to just go ahead and do the work and get the money in your bank account. Do not do that. Make sure you have a contract in place. Anyone that’s been freelancing for a while will definitely tell you a story of getting burned by not having the right contract or contract terms in place.

You can find contracts online and I highly recommend consulting a lawyer if that’s available to you. Your contract should include the scope of work and what the exact deliverables are to ensure that you’re going to get paid and then what your payment terms are. With payment terms, indicate whether you’re going to be paid upfront for the work or perhaps you’re going to invoice afterward and the terms are maybe net 15 net 30. Also, be sure to include any clause if there is a penalty for not paying on time and I highly recommend including a termination clause as well so that if needed you can get out of this contract or your customer can get out. But again, I highly recommend that you make sure that you’ve got a contract in place.

So those are my four tips for you:

1. Define your offering find your niche
2. Find your people
3. Figure out your pricing
4. Do not forget that contract

Key Elements of a Great Freelancer Contract

Key Elements of a Great Freelancer Contract

by | Dec 2, 2021 | Blog, Resources

You’ve landed a client! Please take a beat to celebrate your radness before reading on. Ready? Cool. Once festivities are complete, it’s time to talk about contracts: what they are, what they include, and how to create them. Below, we’ll answer all your essential questions about freelance contracts, so you can get to work ASAP.

It’s time to talk about contracts

What is a contract?

First, let’s clarify something: Contracts and proposals are not the same thing. Although they’re often used interchangeably, these two documents serve very different purposes. A freelance proposal acts as an extension of your pitch. It summarizes your action plan and outlines your pricing structure. It’s the step you take before sending over an official contract, and it gives potential clients the opportunity to ask questions and make changes.

A freelance contract is a legally binding agreement required to kick off a business relationship with a client. It will generally reiterate the statement of work included in the proposal, and include all the additional fine print that ensures you get paid. Contracts protect you from liability too, including terms and agreements around payment, confidentiality, intellectual property, and so on. It’s crucial because it removes ambiguity and prevents misunderstandings. Plus, it protects you in the event something bad happens.

Some freelancers do choose to combine their contracts and proposals, so if that works for you, go for it. We prefer to keep them separate, because sending the proposal first encourages a pause—you and your client can consider the scope of work and nail down the plan before proceeding to all the fine print. Plus, combining them can be a bit overwhelming.

Creating a Good Freelancer Contract

The number one rule of thumb: Be as specific as possible. Contracts are designed to protect you, but if you omit important details, they aren’t enforceable. So be thoughtful about the clauses and conditions you state. Once it’s signed by both parties and work commences, you’re on the hook for whatever you’ve promised in writing.

Here are the key elements of a good freelance contract:

  • Name the parties.
  • Include your scope of work (which is usually in the proposal).
  • Include price, payment terms, and penalties for late payment.
  • Name deadlines, especially if payment is tied to product milestones (e.g. “25% on December 10 after the first wireframe is delivered; 25% on January 5 when the landing page is live”).
  • Define copyright ownership: Who owns the IP?
  • Include a termination clause for both you and the client, stating how many days notice is required in order to end the contract.
    Include an indemnity clause.
  • Require a signature by both parties.

Your freelance contract won’t cover everything, so your client may ask you to sign a non-disclosure agreement (NDA), a non-compete, or a data protection agreement (DPA) as well. What you sign is always up to you. Just be sure to communicate clearly about what the expectations are. And read the fine print before signing! Unlike every other online contract we mindlessly agree to—you didn’t read your cell phone company’s contract either, did you?—this one is super important, and has very real legal implications. So pop on your reading glasses and get to it.

Have additional questions about how to create a freelance contract? Not sure where to start? It never hurts to contact a lawyer. We’re huge fans of Brittany Ratelle. A talented lawyer for creatives, Brittany can help get your business legally legit without all the confusion and painstaking Googling. Give her a shout if you’re in need of support.

If you’re a Harlow user, you can also use our contract template to make sure you’re covering your bases. You can sign up to use the product here. 

 

42 Freelancers to Follow on Twitter Today

42 Freelancers to Follow on Twitter Today

by | Dec 1, 2021 | Blog, Resources

Having a thriving community can make all the difference as a freelancer. When you put time and energy into building your network, it can reward you tenfold. The freelancers you connect with and learn from are experiencing the same highs and lows as you. They can comfort you on the tough days, inspire you on the best days, and swap notes and funny stories in between.

Since Twitter is such a thriving spot to connect with other freelancers, we thought we’d give you a starting list of awesome humans to follow. These people are tweeting about freelancing on the reg, and we’ve learned a ton just from following them.

Follow these awesome freelancers on Twitter for tips, ideas, and real-talk about freelance life!

1. Nia Gyant (@optimized3x) tweets about freelancing and how to create effective messaging for your business and your clients.

2. Kat Boogaard (@kat_boogaard) tweets about freelance tips and resources. She offers a weekly newsletter with job leads and great content to help you expand your business.

3. Kaleigh Moore (@kaleighf) tweets about how to write well and freelance smarter. She specializes in writing for retail, eCommerce, and related SaaS, and offers content team scaling consulting services.

4. Emma Siemasko (@EmmaFayeS) writes about managing a freelance business, and helps brands “tell real stories from real people.” She creates case studies, long-form content, and web copy, in addition to coaching freelance writers.

5. Matthew Gattozzi (@MatthewGattozzi) tweets about content, social media, and his life as an entrepreneur. He creates photo and video content for direct-to-consumer brands.

6. Codi Johnson (@Codishaa) tweets about social media marketing and helps small business owners and entrepreneurs elevate their social media strategy.

7. Tom Basgil (@TomBasgil) tweets about social media, lead gen, and freelancing insights. He helps “regular folks become successful freelancers,” offering social media freelance services.

8. Rosemary Egbo (@rosemaryegbo) tweets about content creation and how to write well. As a content writer and strategist, she creates and distributes content to help businesses grow.

9. Kaitlyn Arford (@kaitarford) tweets about publishing and writing and her life as an award-winning freelance journalist.

10. Sara Beam (@itssarabeam) tweets about CRM design and sales enablement, and helps companies strengthen their customer relationship management processes as a CRM consultant.

11. Meira Gebel (@MeiraGebel) tweets about how to get started and make money as a freelancer. She helps freelancers get paid through OutVoice Pay, which offers payment solutions for publishers and the freelancers they hire.

12. Chauntelle JN LEwis (@cjnlewis_) tweets about Diversity and Inclusion (D&I), corporate culture, and community, and works as a D&I consultant and Inclusive Communities Manager.

13. Allison Grinberg-Funes (@agracefulgrin) tweets about web and UX writing, marketing, and novels, and works as a freelance writer and “idea catalyst.”

14. Laura Smith (@ellastcomms) tweets about copywriting and branding, and offers freelance copywriting services, including charity copywriting, small business copywriting, branding, and a copywriting course.

15. Masooma Memon (@inkandcopy) tweets about her journey as a freelancer, and works as a freelance writer for B2B SaaS companies.

16. Brooklin Nash (@realBrookNash) tweets about content marketing and creates “B2B content that WON’T make you sick and kill you.” The tag line should be enough for you to give him a follow.

17. Catherine Jones (@cleanslatecopy) tweets about copywriting, branding, writing, and more, and works as a freelance copywriter, brand strategist, and writing coach, helping you “write your future.”

18. Adrienne Barnes (@AdrienneNakohl) tweets about buyer personas and content strategies, offering freelance content marketing services to businesses.

19. Rachel Vandernick (@VandernickR) tweets about marketing and freelancing and offers digital strategy consulting to beauty, retail, and travel brands.

20. Wudan Yan (@wudanyan) tweets about creating a brighter world for freelancers and works as a freelance journalist, fact-checker, business coach, grant writer, and public speaker.

21. Komal Ahuja (@Komallahuja) tweets about freelancing, writing, and content marketing, working as a freelance writer for B2B SaaS brands.

22. Elise Dopson (@elisedopson) tweets about SaaS content creation, mentors freelancers, runs Help a B2B Writer, and works as a freelance writer for B2B SaaS brands.

23. Michelle Garrett (@PRisUs) tweets about small business marketing, PR, and freelance writing, and works as a freelance writer and PR consultant for B2B tech brands.

24. Tiffany Regaudie (@tregaudie) tweets about health, business, and marketing, and works as a content consultant and writer for brands in these industries.

25. Michael Keenan (@upmostmike) tweets about freelance content writing and is focused on helping other content writer grow their business. He also is half of Peak Freelance, a community for freelance writers.

26. Stefan Palios (@stefanpalios) tweets about how to create sustainable businesses and offers freelancer coaching, courses on growth and sales, and freelance writing services for businesses.

27. Megan Reyes (@megreyes_) tweets about sports marketing, social media, and branding. She is a content creator for sports media and the host of the AMPLIFIED podcast.

28. Alyssa Towns (Swantkoski) (@wordswithalyssa) tweets about productivity, personal growth, and wellness, and works as a freelance writer.

29. Dominic Kent (@DomKent) is a freelance content marketer who regularly shares tips and tricks with other freelancers. Expect everything from grammar suggestions to ways to avoid burnout.

30. Whitney Popa (@whitpopa), in her own words, is focused on building cool brands and raising good humans. She’s also one half of The Coast podcast which highlights freelancers, solopreneurs, and business owners who have chosen to create their own path.

31. Erin Booth (@ErinBoothVA) is a coach and virtual assistant who regularly tweets about how to grow your freelance business and leveraging VAs to do so.

32. Bani Kaur (@banikaur1997) is a content marketing expert that regularly tweets her advice and tips for content marketers, other freelancers, and growing B2B companies.

33. Jenni Gritters (@jenni_gritters) is a business coach for freelance creatives and one half of The Writer’s Co-op. You’ll find us regularly retweeting her posts that focus on empathy and anti-hustle culture.

34. Ankit Vora (@wordsbyankit) tweets about all things content writing and freelance. He’s always RTing and supporting other freelancers who also share marketing insights and ideas.

35. Adrienne Sheares (@AdriSheares) shares everything from social media tips to funny memes and gifs. Follow her for an authentic view of freelancing and running your own biz.

36. Sharanya (@sharanyamanola) tweets about marketing, motherhood, and writing. Follow along for tips, ideas, and funny (relatable!) thoughts on being a mom and a freelancer.

37. Melissa King (@LongLiveMelKing) is a freelance content marketer. She shares her and others’ work openly. (Thanks for the love, Melissa!)

38. Michelle Jackson (@michlovesmoney) tweets about building wealth as a female solopreneur and is the founder of the Michelle is Money Hungry Podcast where she hosts weekly financial conversations that are led with equity.

39. Maria West (@mariabestwest) is a copywriter for parenting brands in e-commerce and tech who tweets about her freelance career and her experience being a mother to her two boys.

40. Ashley Cummings (@ashleyrcummings) shares her wisdom and lessons learned during her 11 years of freelancing on Twitter and in her weekly newsletter. If you’re looking for advice from someone who gets it, give her a follow.

41. Corrie Oberdin (@corrieoberdin) is a social strategist and content developer for organizations that prioritize sustainable social media programs. She’s always RTing and supporting other fellow freelancers.

42. Matthew Fenton (@matthew_fenton) tweets about all things branding and business planning on his personal account, and shares strategies and tips for longevity, balance, and success on his other account, @winningsolo.

Have you followed all of our friends yet? Great. Our job here is done. We hope the next time you log into Twitter, you leave feeling jazzed and inspired by all the awesome humans filling your feed.

 

Uncover the Secret to Finding Your Perfect Freelance Client

Uncover the Secret to Finding Your Perfect Freelance Client

by | Nov 30, 2021 | Blog, Resources

This guest post is contributed by Matt Saunders. Matt Saunders is a business coach for creatives. Follow along with him on Twitter or LinkedIn.

If you’ve been in the freelance community for even a short space of time, the subject of “niching down” will have appeared on your radar, probably multiple times. Some are highly skeptical, where at the other end you’ll find evangelists who don’t believe you can even have a business unless you choose a niche.

I’m firmly in the latter camp, but before you roll your eyes and click the back button on your browser, allow me to offer you my niching advice from a slightly different perspective.

Who am I and what do I know about niching?

I’m a web developer (now working as a freelancer coach) with over 15 years experience in the industry. I’m somewhat sad to report that for the majority of that time, I didn’t really make the space to deeply understand what it was that I did, let alone who I did it for. I just showed up and pushed a few buttons in the right order. But a few years ago, all that changed. Things got more serious.

After coming into contact with a small charity to support their website project, I realized that I loved seeing the impact that my work had on their service users. I found the people at the charity highly personable and genuinely enjoyed working with them. So I intentionally sought out more charities to work with, and found similar stories. A pattern emerged: I really loved helping charities with their digital needs.

So I dropped everything and built an entire website offering around this audience. What followed was my most profitable, exciting and rewarding years as a web designer. I’m now passionate about supporting other freelancers whether copywriters, programmers, photographers or whatever creative discipline you’ve chosen, to identify their niche audience to achieve similar success. Let’s dig in.

Why conventional wisdom on niching is limited

It wasn’t until two years into working with charities as a web designer that I began to examine my journey. Just what was it that brought me here? Why charities? The answer, it seemed, could be found in what I deemed to be important in life.

Conventional thinking, particularly from a profit perspective, suggests that to niche down you must look for opportunities within the market. If a new product is expected to be a hit this Christmas, you should niche into it to make big bucks. But this never really sat well with me. I’m much more interested in, well, being interested. I realized that supporting those on the front line of poverty, abuse and education was what made my heart sing! And this is what I see is missing from the lives of so many freelancers; they spend their days going through the motions, bored by their work. Their true passions lie dormant.

Here are some ways in which you can begin to turn this around. 

Uncovering your niche by looking at your values

From here on in I’m going to refer to niching as working for your ideal client community. When spoken of in this terminology, it sounds less business-y and more about something of servitude. You serve a community. And this mindset is essential if you want to build a prosperous business. Your goal is to find a community of people who share similar values to your own so you can help them.

Lean into your story

To begin uncovering your values – the things that are important to you – it helps to examine your own personal story. What events have happened in your life which have shaped who you are today? Here are some prompt questions to get you started:

  • When have I felt respected or empowered?
  • Which projects have I loved so much I would have done purely for the love of it?
  • When have I felt bored or distracted?
  • What about the world frustrates or disappoints me?
  • What are my proudest achievements?

For each question, spider diagram your answers on paper. Write down anything that comes to mind, so your diagram looks similar to the one below:

spider diagram finding the perfect client

You might find dozens and dozens of instances, but equally, there might only be a couple of answers to each question. This is okay. Take as long as you need. The next step is to ask more questions about each answer.

Uncovering a value

Each answer you give tells a little story. It gives a little more away about what makes you you. To understand this further, we must dig deeper into each facet of this story. Continue to spider your thinking across the page so you have an image similar to this:

uncovering value to find the perfect client

In the image above, we have expanded on a story (the decision to turn down a project that didn’t feel right). We leaned into the reasoning behind the decision by asking follow up questions, and this has shone light on a possible value – protecting and nurturing others.

When we understand our internal motivators, it means we can do work that satisfies them. This work keeps us engaged and interested, unlike niching down into a market sector that often fails to inspire. Go through this process over a number of days and weeks to find out what’s in your story.

The benefits of serving a community

A community does not need to be small. It doesn’t even need to be altruistic. It simply needs to align with your own values, whatever they are. These are your people. Aside from doing work that stimulates and holds your interest, you will enjoy a greater sense of wellbeing and personal accomplishment as you carry out work that you believe in.

And isn’t this the reason that we go freelance in the first place? To find greater fulfillment in our lives? To push away the 9-5, working-at-somebody-else’s-desk routine? To find freelance work that we truly enjoy?

For me, niching is what makes the freelance life great. It gives you the foundation of a real business, one that you could easily scale if you wanted. By serving a community, your marketing and messaging are simple and focused. Your impact is felt more acutely. And the people whom you help – they will offer wonderful returns in exchange for your service.

It’s time to look again at niching down. To get started finding your niche download Matt’s niching quiz.

Why You Should Use a Virtual Assistant to Scale Your Freelance Business

Why You Should Use a Virtual Assistant to Scale Your Freelance Business

by | Nov 3, 2021 | Blog, Resources

Running a freelance business keeps you busy. There’s an endless number of things you could be doing at any given time, from client work to biz-ops to marketing to accounting. For many freelancers, the idea of growing their business stalls at the thought of hiring.

Taking a one-person operation to a multi-person operation sounds hectic. Finding someone? Training them? Paying them?! When you’re used to managing everything on your own, the prospect of bringing in outside help can be scary. But the reality is if you want to grow and scale your business, bringing in extra help is necessary.

Luckily, finding help doesn’t have to be a dredge—or cost an arm and a leg. Instead of hiring a full-time or part-time employee, you can use virtual assistant services to scale your business. Many virtual assistants are freelancers themselves and, no matter what you need support with, you can likely find a virtual assistant (VA) to help.

Here’s what you need to know before welcoming a VA into your business.

If you want to grow and scale your business, bringing in extra help is necessary.

Why Hire a Virtual Assistant

First and foremost, virtual assistants help you delegate simple tasks and get back precious time that you can devote to more profitable to-dos. Some freelancers spend 50% of their time on prospecting, marketing, and administrative tasks. Sounds unbelievable, right? But if you were to break down your day hour-by-hour, you’d probably find that you spend a whole lot of time on tasks that you’d hope would actually occupy just a fraction of your day.

In addition to taking work off your plate, virtual assistants can augment your skillset, adding value significantly. Are there any tasks that you’re not so great at? Maybe it’s marketing, invoicing, or calendar management. Imagine if you could hand that off to someone else and focus on what you really enjoy and excel at? (Good news, you can!)

How to Use a Virtual Assistant

There are so many practical ways to put a virtual assistant to work. You can use them for admin work, customer service, basic accounting, marketing, and even personal life tasks, like scheduling travel or researching restaurants for dinner. Many virtual assistants specialize in specific areas, like graphic design or bookkeeping, alongside admin tasks like email and calendar management.

The first step to finding the perfect VA for your business is breaking down exactly what you do every day; right down to the nitty-gritty. In other words, be as specific as you can. Then, use the exercise I’m about to share to figure out which of those things you can take off your plate.

First: make a list of each area of your business and the tasks that fall within each one. For example:

  • Finance: expense tracking, invoicing, monthly reconciliation
  • Marketing: website updates, social media posting, cold outreach
  • Client work: research, scheduling, proposal management
  • Personal: groceries, appointment scheduling, travel planning

Once you have your list (remember to include everything!), decide which tasks a VA could do for you by answering these questions:

  • What do I hate doing?
  • What is something I can teach someone to do?
  • What doesn’t require my presence to get done?

Get ready to be shocked. I bet there are dozens of tasks that you hate doing, you can teach, or that don’t require you to be hands-on! And exhale—this is where the good stuff happens. Now it’s time to find someone to take those things on.

How to Find a Good Virtual Assistant

There are so many great virtual assistants out there. That can make choosing the right person overwhelming. Instead of opting for no help to avoid the overwhelm of finding someone, let’s break your search process down into three simple steps. (We love simple and easy!)

Step 1: Get Clear on Your Tasks

Go back to the list of tasks you came up with earlier and write a job ad. Remember: you want this ad to help you attract your dream VA, so imagine who that person is and put it on paper! Be specific, clear, and outline each and every task along with the traits, skills, and qualifications you’re looking for. I.E. great communication, knowledge of WordPress, etc. Here’s an example from our Twitter community.

Step 2: Determine Your Budget

There are three areas to look at when nailing down your VA budget.

The budget you can afford: While some may say “you can’t put a price on good help” your bank account may feel differently. Step one is deciding what you can reasonably spend each month. Starting slowly with a smaller budget, if that’s what you feel most comfortable with, is a great first step.

Hours you need: Now go back to that (potentially large) list of tasks and break it down into two parts: “NEED” and “WANT.” Where do you truly need support—the things that are taking time away from client work—and what would be nice to have? How many hours of work is this each month?

Estimated monthly costs: Finally, determine an estimated monthly cost based on an average hourly rate. According to UpWork the average hourly rates for VAs range from $18-$35/hour (and some cost even less while some cost more—it truly depends on the VA). You can use this range to get a general idea of how many hours you can afford and what will work within your budget.

Step 3: Search for Your Dream VA

There are so many places to find a great VA, starting with your community and immediate network. Our Harlow co-founder, Samantha, tweeted about looking for a VA and got tons of comments with recommendations! Another option is to simply reach out to other freelancers and business owners to get recommendations.

Finally, if you want to browse for options or work with an agency that can pair you with the perfect assistant for you (this sounds ideal), there are a few websites I recommend checking out:

How to Manage (and Keep!) a Good Virtual Assistant

Once you get a great VA, don’t forget about the work you need to put in to retain them! A little bit of effort and empathy can go a long way. Here are a few ways to make sure that your VA sticks around.

  • Set expectations around communication, tools to be used, and workflows. You set the pace and culture, so go ahead—step into that leadership role!
  • Create an SOP for your business so there’s total clarity on how things work. An SOP (standard operation procedure) is a step-by-step documentation for how to do various tasks within your business like onboarding a client. This is helpful because, ideally, you can simply hand the SOP over to your VA and they’ll know what to do! This makes onboarding them a breeze. You can make it even easier by using Loom to record yourself going through various steps and processes so they have a written document and video.
  • Make space in your day for checking in and asking questions as they get started. You know what it’s like to onboard with a new client, and now it’s your turn to be an understanding client yourself.
  • Give them brand guidelines, messaging docs, or anything else they need to be successful in their role. Create a list of what they’ll need before onboarding so you don’t forget anything in the process. (Reminder: you’re managing A LOT, lists make life easier!)
  • Give feedback in real-time. Emilie Given, the founder of She’s a Given, says not to wait until your next check-in to communicate that you want something done differently. Do it at that moment so the task is still fresh in their mind.

Are You Ready for a Virtual Assistant?

If you’re feeling overwhelmed with work or just ready to grow and scale your business, a virtual assistant may be the perfect addition to your team!