VA

Tim Ferriss, in his book “The 4 Hour Workweek”,  strongly recommends hiring virtual assistants to do work activities that take a lot of time.

I actually tried taking his advice a year ago… and hired a “VA” to help me with my business.  The result was a disaster!  I used one of the Indian companies that Ferriss recommended and the VA was totally incompetent.

However, my business has now grown so much that there’s no way I can maintain a Hobopoet lifestyle unless I get help.  So I just hired a new VA.  This time I got a personal recommendation from another webeneur friend.   The VA is American and thus more expensive… but she’s very professional and already this is a much better experience.

What is she going to do for me?  Well, here’s a list:

• upgrade graphics on my website
• compile research for the book I’m writing and organize it by chapter
• call experts to arrange interviews (for my book and/or my lessons)
• screen and organize my emails
• manage my appointment calendar
• take care of travel arrangements (ie. flights)
• moderate comments on my blog
• edit and upload my videos

You get the idea!   By doing these things, she frees me to focus all my time and energy on doing what I love to do:  teaching, traveling, connecting, making lessons, etc…

And rather than have a wage-slave employee, I support another entrepreneur who is happy with her own business.

So yes, this VA thing can work.. you just need to be picky about who you get!