293: When Is It Time to Hire a Virtual Assistant? What Every CEO Needs to Know

Hiring a virtual assistant can transform your business—but only if you do it the right way.

In this episode of Call Me CEO, Camille Walker sits down with delegation and implementation specialist Rachael Davila to talk about what really makes a virtual assistant relationship work.

With over 20 years of experience in the virtual assistant industry, Rachael shares powerful insights about delegation, communication, and how business owners can prepare themselves before bringing on support.

Together they discuss the mindset shifts required to delegate effectively, how to identify the right type of VA for your needs, and the strategies that help entrepreneurs build strong, productive partnerships with their team members.

If you’ve ever wondered whether it’s time to hire a VA—or how to make it work successfully—this episode will give you the clarity you need.

Connect with Rachael:

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/extrahandsva 

Website: https://extrahandsva.com/ 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ExtraHandsVirtualAssistance

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/extrahands_va

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachaeldavila/

Are you ready for a VA? Quiz https://links.extrahandsva.com/widget/quiz/atHsHeioZb80ntoMzuCR 

Book Page: https://extrahandsva.com/heyva-book/ 

Podcast link: https://rss.com/podcasts/hey-do-i-need-a-va/ 

Podcast YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@HeyDoINeedAVAPodcast 

Connect with Camille:

• Instagram: @CamilleWalker.co
• Podcast: @CallMeCEOPodcast

Transcript

Why Women Need More Help

Rachael 0:00

Oh, in my business, I have goals and dreams and things that I want to accomplish, and I need my VA to step in and remind me that those things are important.

Delegation That Expands Your Capacity

Camille 0:19

So you want to make an impact. You're thinking about starting a business, sharing your voice. How do women do it that handle motherhood, family, and still chase after those dreams? Well, listen each week as we dive into the stories of women who know. This is Call Me CEO. Welcome back, everyone, to Call Me CEO. This is your host, Camille Walker, and here we celebrate women building businesses. And trust me when I tell you, women need more help. With businesses, a lot of times we like to be multitaskers. We want to wear all the hats. Sometimes we're clenched a little too tightly to what needs to be done and exactly how. If you identify with someone who loads the dishwasher a certain way and then someone else loads it and you think, oh no, that's not right, and you reorganize it. I'm guilty of that. I've done that. Have you done that too? Probably you have. And that's okay. It's okay to have a particular way of things that you like being done a certain way. But trust me when I tell you that the most successful women that I talk to are those who have learned to let go and also to recognize that there are people out there who can do it better than you can in certain situations of your business. Now, that doesn't mean that they need to be the decision maker. That doesn't mean that they need to be the one that's moving the needle, exactly how things be done every single day, but it does mean that your capacity for making decisions, changing direction, opening and expanding new partnerships, relationships, expansion of your business will be so much more possible if you hire out and delegate things that are happening every single day. Those menial tasks, maybe administrative, maybe customer service, whatever the thing is. So today we're going to be talking about that. And that's something that I've talked about here for a long time. If you've listened to this podcast, you know this because I have a virtual assistant course where I've taught women how to build their own virtual assistant businesses. And then on the flip end, I've helped coach women in hiring virtual assistants. And what does that look like? And what questions do you ask? Well, today I have a fellow mind like mine. This is Rachel Devila, who is an the owner or CEO of Extra Hands. She is a delegation and inflammation specialist, which that just put a title on something that I love doing, but she put it the right way. And so we are going to dig into the questions today about what are the jobs that you need to let go first? What are the things you need to organize, and even the questions you should be asking yourself before you get to the place of being ready to hire a virtual assistant? Because there is work that needs to happen prior to those decisions that need to be made. And sometimes what might surprise you is that you don't necessarily need a person to fulfill each individual role that you're needing help with. Maybe it's software, maybe it's organizing, maybe it's reducing things that aren't turning a profit. So, Rachel, thank you so much for being on the podcast today.

Rachael 3:13

Thank you, Camille. I'm excited to be here because everything you talk about, it just speaks to my soul.

Camille 3:20

Yes, we are kindred spirits in this, where we we just want you all to succeed. And listen, it is so easy to try to take on everything ourselves. So tell us a little bit more about your business and your experience as a virtual assistant and how this developed into what you're doing now.

Rachael 3:37

So I opened my VA business in 2005, 20 years ago, before anyone knew what a virtual assistant was.

Camille 3:45

Yeah, that was really early.

Can You Receive Help

Rachael 3:47

I mean, I'd been doing virtual work. I just didn't know that it was a career that someone could do. I loved administrative stuff. And then I found the term virtual assistant. I was like, this is magic. Yes, please, more of this. And fast forward 18 years, and I hit what had been my business success goal. I was billing 80 hours a month and I was exhausted. I my hair was like it was I was exhausted. So a couple months later, a client of mine, she suggested I hire my own VA. And I was like, a VA with a VA, I don't want to run a team. I don't want to bring in work to hand off and be a team. But as I gave it more thought and really started to take myself through some of the questions that I would take a client through who was asking, hey, do I need a VA? I realized, oh yeah, there are things on my to-do list that I can hand off. And I jumped in both feet and hired my friend's high school senior who could do graphic design work. As you know, just because somebody likes to do a specific task doesn't necessarily make them a virtual assistant, thinking like a business owner and looking at it as a business versus a part-time job, a hobby, a hustle. And so I found myself really leading the relationship and feeling like where's the me for me? And it it kind of sent me down a spiral of now. I understand why clients get scared when they hire a VA that's not what they thought it was gonna be. And so I started to do the hard work of how do I show up, how do I step up into my leadership role? How do I manage my expectations and this relationship so that I can still work with this VA? And so much of that journey got put into my book because it was like, if I'm going through this, I know others are going through it. And if I can make it just a little bit easier for somebody to hire their first VA and not feel like A, they're doing something wrong, or B that it's the virtual assistant doing something wrong, but maybe the fit's not right, maybe there needs to be some deeper communication work. But to your point of what comes first, there was so much mindset work that I didn't even know was a thing until I was going through it. And it wasn't so much what tasks can I hand off, it was can I receive help? Can I ask for it? Can I let go of my perfectionism and control to allow somebody to step in to pry those things out of my hands because I'd always been the one to do it. And from a mother's perspective, it all kind of coalesced with my oldest getting his driver's license and no longer needing me to be the social director, the taxi driver, the coordinator, right? So there were so many identity shifts of if I'm not the one doing it, who am I? And that wasn't uh that wasn't a question that I associated with delegation.

Camille 7:54

That's interesting. I it really does peel back the onion because honestly, any any person I've ever talked to that has had a business, particularly women, we treat our business like a baby. And so I think it's interesting that you're drawing that parallel of letting go of your son in a way of like having him get himself where he needs to go and things he needs to do, and comparing that to a business, because very much, especially during this podcast, women will tell me this is my fourth baby or this is my third baby, or they speak to it that way. So I think you're right when saying that there's a lot of mind work and having to really take a step back of why am I holding on so tight? What are those things that I'm identifying myself with this role, even if I know that there are other people that can do it?

Rachael 8:45

Yeah, yeah. It you know, I handed off graphics first because that seemed the easiest, most aligned with what I needed the support with. But I found myself going behind my VA's back and tweaking it. And then I had to catch myself, I was the bottleneck because I was always going behind and tweaking it and then saying, okay, now it's ready, go ahead and schedule it. But then I would always have to do the tweaking. And so having to switch the mindset of, and I'm sure all your listeners have hit that point of it is faster if I do it myself, but if I don't let it go, if I don't share those changes, then those changes will always have to be made. My VA won't learn what I my voice, my brand, my style, all of those things. And once I figured that out, it felt like a a switch went off. And I I was looking at all of the ways that that kind of showed up, right? You mentioned the dishwasher and and setting that right. I handed off dinner and meals to my husband because he's home now. And I had to release grocery shopping, meal planning, the cooking, what we ate, was it healthy? Was it not like so many things that I didn't realize that I was even holding until I decided I'm going to let this go and all the things that went with it.

Camille 10:34

Yeah, it's interesting. So in terms of helping other people do this and releasing some of that with the to-dos, what are some questions that you have them ask first to identify what is it that I need to let go and how do I do this?

Rachael 10:51

So I do start with mindset. Are you ready to bring someone on? Are you ready to at least acknowledge that you have perfectionism and control issues? Because if they're not ready to admit that, um, then they won't be, they won't be able to see it when it shows up. But the handoff list usually is the first place that people start. What am I gonna hand off? How does that look? But I kind of shifted a little into what are the skills and gaps that you need or need filled beyond your task list. So a lot of my clients are ADHD and they scroll all over the place, and they really need me to do the tasks, but also to keep them accountable to their timelines, kind of create those like bowling lane buffers so they can't scroll out of the lane, but they're still on direction. And so it's learning what is important to the person and what they need in their business. What are those gaps that your VA is gonna fill? That's not just the task list, and not many people look at that or are self-aware to kind of go, oh yeah, I do need accountability. I wasn't. It came, I couldn't have told you why I did until I figured out I'm an obliger and I can meet everyone else's expectations, but my goals and my things, easy to push aside. And for so many years, my client's journey was the journey until I realized oh, in my business, I have goals and dreams and things that I want to accomplish. And I need my VA to step in and remind me that those things are important, that I want to create time and space to do it, and provide me that accountability that I needed to focus on my things, not just my client things. So those are other things that I ask clients to look at beyond just sending out the emails or social media.

Camille 13:25

Yeah, I like that you bring that up because that's something that has come up so many times when I'm helping entrepreneurs with bringing in help, is a lot of times there are so many shiny things, or we'll call them squirrels, whatever the thing is that they're like, oh, but what about this? And what about this? And I I really want to accomplish accomplish this with social media, but I really want to get that new product out, or I really want, and it goes on and on and on, which by the way, that makes you a great entrepreneur because a lot of times people that have ADHD and have lots of energy and get really excited about things, that's great. That's what makes you a visionary and so wonderful at what it is that you're doing. We need passionate people, but you need to find the opposite of you. And typically that's what a virtual assistant can be, which means that maybe they don't like to be front and center. Maybe they like to have spreadsheets and graphs and numbers and statistics and very um like steps and procedures that they love to follow. I say this because that's what I need in my life. I need someone who can come in and say, okay, well, that's a good big vision thing. And the top two things I feel like is a breakdown when I have someone who is starting with a new virtual assistant and perhaps has had a bad experience, is the vision wasn't clear. That's number one, is that that overall goal was lost somehow. Whether that was lost on their end or on your end, or it's not being discussed enough. So I love that you say that reminder of like, okay, but what is the ultimate goal? And number two is a breakdown of communication, whether that's they didn't rise to the expectation, but a lot of times it's because it wasn't clearly stated what it was that was the goal, or that there weren't enough follow-ups to create that that gap of understanding, whether it's with skill set or understanding of what it is that you want exactly. So a lot of times when I've talked to business owners about this, it's not that the person that they had was bad or that they were wrong or that the entrepreneur was wrong. It's that there was a a breakdown in one of those two things, primarily the vision and the communication. Would you agree with that?

Doer Vs Collaborator Support Styles

Rachael 15:44

Very much so. Yeah, I think as the business owner, as the client, you have to know what you're looking for. I always say the client brings the what, the VA brings the how. And you know, a good virtual assistant is like your is like your co-pilot, right? They're sitting in the front seat with you, keeping an eye for all of those detours that you know, I want to go see that big ball of twine, or let's go down this, right? Uh no, we gotta, we gotta stay on track, and you can't see because you're looking out that window, I'm looking out the other side, and you're ready to turn down that street, but there's a dead end, a block. So I think that the the business owner has to have a real clear what does the outcome look like, or what do I want the outcome to look like, so that the VA can kind of keep it on track, but also have enough wherewithal that if they are gonna change directions, that they can communicate that so that the VA can go, okay, how does this align with what we were doing? Are we switching completely? Or is this another element that we might get to further down the road once we do these other things first? And that does take a lot of communication. And I think if knowing yourself, if you have that clear vision and you can speak about it, then that you can hire different types of VAs that will help you stay on track. But if you don't know that, then you need a VA who is going to ask the questions, who's going to step in and be more of that guide, that you know, a stronger co-pilot navigator that's going to keep you on tasks. So when you talk about maybe not hiring the right fit, I think it goes to that because some people think, I just need somebody to do the tasks. And I call them doers and collaborators or two kinds of EAs. Doers will be like, tell me what to do and I'll do it. And they're great when you already have those things outlined and processed, but collaborators are more like, tell me what we're doing. And I'll say, Here's what we can do, here's how this would look, here's what your is yours to do, here's what I'm gonna take off your plate. And they're more solution-focused, looking ahead, going, All right, I can see where that's gonna lead to this, and this is gonna lead to that. And neither is wrong. They're both amazing support people, but if the client thinks that they don't, if they think they have enough and they go with a doer and it's not right because they actually need that that guide, it won't work. And I think that that gets in a lot of business owners' way, they think one way, oh, I have so many hours I need, I need somebody to just do the work, but then all the ownership and leadership is on the client, and they're not ready to step into that role, or they don't know that they need to step into that role. And so then it feels like it doesn't work because they actually need somebody else to kind of lead the relationship and be like, you're still the visionary, you're still the creative, but in order to get your newsletter out, I need to have it by this point so that I can do this, so you can look at that and and keep everything on track, like you said, with the with the charts and the the uh processes and the outlines.

Delegation Without All Or Nothing

Camille 19:56

Yeah, I agree with that. That's been an interesting. There's been um a part that I will play when I bring in a virtual assistant and I will join that entrepreneur for the first month or two to help them put together like their vision and what it is that that goal is, whether they're wanting to like launch the podcast or the create that course or put together a newsletter sequence. And like you say, it's that collaborator role, but then also there's that doer role where that's not what I am in that position. That's where I bring in a VA where I'm like, okay, that's your person where you hand it off to them and they're going to do the things that you already have outlined and ready to go. I think one of the most interesting things too, if if that is well oiled and you have something, a system like that put together, is that that collaboration of minds brings responsibility and ownership back to the business owner, where if they're having to follow up and they have someone that's waiting on them to turn in the things, sometimes that alone is worth it to get the work put out, especially in terms of like social media. That can be a huge blocking point for a lot of people where they're like, I don't even know what to say or do, or I know what to say, I know what to write. I just don't really have the time to put it up there. Or something about putting it up on social media, I just get blocked. Like I just am not in a space where I want to be there for whatever reason. And having another person on your team that's like, hey, I'm unemotional about this thing. I don't, I don't care if Sally or Joe sees this, I'm just putting it up for you and I'll engage with the with the community there, and that's great. So it's interesting to evaluate that of what is that piece that you're looking for? What are the emotional components to it as well as the tactical and systematical parts to it as well.

Rachael 21:45

Yeah. And I think for a lot of business owners, they think if I hand off a task, I have to hand off everything associated with that task. And that's not true, you know, because there are elements that are uniquely Theirs to do that no matter how great a VA is, that's not their jam, that's not their right. It's the business owner's passion that got them into business in the first place. So every task has a whole list of things. And if you know what all of those things are, then the business owner can say, I like this piece and this piece. Everything else I can hand off. And I think it's not an all or nothing mentality. And I think we kind of get into that mindset, especially as women, right? Either I'm in charge of it or I'm not. And it's like, well, there's elements of everything that are yours to do, and then they're not yours to do. And that goes with your communication thing. If you can communicate, like every time I have to do this piece here, I get a squiggy feeling in my gut. Well, then let me take that off your plate. And this part energizes me. And every time I get to do this part, I am so excited. Well, then keep it. Don't hand that off to me because I don't want to do that.

unknown 23:20

Yeah.

Finding Fit Through Communication And Chemistry

Camille 23:21

Yeah, I like that. I like that piece of advice. What are some questions that you've with the people that you're helping that you've asked that have helped people get past those blockages or those barriers to really find a good fit for them? And where do you find them? Because I feel like there's a lot of fear of like who and where? Like, and if anyone ever had a bad experience with it, that sticks with them for a long time, where they get a little bit burned, where they're like, Well, I tried that once, or I hired someone from Upwork, or I hired someone from another country, and it was just really bad communication, back and forth, or whatever the situation is. What are some success stories that you found in doing it a different way?

Rachael 24:04

So I think the questions that I ask really revolve around knowing yourself. What does communication look like? What does anger look like? How do you communicate when mistakes happen? You know, what is too much communication? What is not enough? You know, it's not just the platforms, right? Do you do you work better with email or text message or Slack or whatever? But it's I had one client who put all of her questions in capital letters in the subject line of an email. And I felt a certain way every time I saw an email, I was like, that is not right for me.

Camille 24:53

Felt like shouting. You'd see it and be like, oh no, there's a higher. Yeah.

Rachael 24:57

Why are you yelling at me? You know, but when we talked, we had great, we had great conversations. I had a client who I would say, email me what you want me to work on. And he would never because he didn't think in terms of emails. So he was a verbal processor, which is me. I'm a verbal processor. I like to talk. And my VA just takes notes and listens and is like, okay, I heard I need to do this, this, this, and this. And so I think getting to some of those core qualities in yourself, but then also what that looks like in another person, right? Do you like talking to each other? Can you can you actually have a conversation? Are you wanting a relationship with your VA or is it just transactional? What does relationship look like? Do you want them to promote your business? Are you willing to promote theirs? What does collaboration look like? There are so many elements of it is relationship. It's like dating, right? You wouldn't just go, okay, I like everything on your profile. Let's get married. You want to date them, you want to see how it goes. And there is that chemistry piece that you can't really verbalize, but you know when you feel it. And so asking what kind of things might that look like? What worked with the people that you've already worked with? What didn't? And and why? You know, do you do you get along well with really dominant people or not? Those kinds of questions are deeper qualities than can they use constant contact or go high level, right? Can they do the tasks that I want them to do? Because a VA can get your stuff done even if they're not the ones to do it, but you can't fake that chemistry piece. And so I encourage my clients to go to that deeper realm of I need somebody who is calm and soothing and is gonna ask me reflective questions about something versus you know being really hard and well, I need this, this, this, and this by this time, you know, and not everyone knows that until they're in it and they're like, Oh, that didn't feel good, oh, that feels really good. But I take them through those exercises of what worked with past co-workers, bosses, clients, you know. I mean, it can go back. We're moms, right? Even in the PTA, there are people that we like to work with and we're like, heck yeah, I'll be room mom with her. And then there are people we're like, no, you know, we've seen them on like, what is it, mean moms or bad moms, right? Where it was like the one that was like, I'm not gonna be friends with her. And it's not that there's anything wrong with the individual, but there's a feeling, a vibe, uh I get along well with this type of personality, not this one. So if you can know that, then you can ask questions around it, you can feel into it, and I think that changes the working relationship because I had one client tell me, she's like, You just get me. I feel seen, I feel heard, I feel guided, but not pushed. And that to me was amazing because I was like, it wasn't that I was doing anything different, I was just being me and how I support her, and that's what she took away from it.

Camille 29:33

How do you advise people to find a good fit, a good virtual assistant?

Rachael 29:39

Do the homework, do the pre-work, you know, ask yourself those questions and and draft some uh questions around qualities. But interview at least three or more VAs, even if the first one feels like it's love at first sight, because you'll gain some wisdom about yes, they're still right, or oh, this one felt better, this one can do more. But it's a vibe feeling, a chemistry. Um, you know, you'll feel it because you're gonna look at people that on paper do all the things you want, but there is that connection piece. I really like talking with her. We connected at this level, you know, our hobby is important. Is being a mother important, right? Because so many VAs are mothers and clients are mothers. Like, is that a connection point? Do you want it to be? Do you not want it to be? Um kind of thinking of those. I connect with one client because we're both writers, and I connect with another because you know, we're both kind of spiritual and woo-woo-y, and I love what she teaches. So I'm passionate for her and her business because I'm invested in the programs and things that she does. So I think is that important from a client perspective, is that important that your VA is interested in the subjects that you teach or work on? Um, or do you just want somebody to do the task? And those are very different places to come into the relationship.

Where To Find Rachel And Her Book

Camille 31:37

Yeah, I agree with that. In fact, people that have taken my program for becoming a VA, I tell them to lean into that. Like if there's something that you have a background in, previous work history, a personal hobby, interest, whatever it is, if you can niche yourself into working with that type of a client because you love it, that's where magic happens because there's already a lot of times language that work is within a world of whatever business it is. So I've had people that have gone through the program and have had a background in dentistry. And so they wanted to help with the administrative tasks of a dentist office or medicinal, or or I've had people that have done real estate and they want to help realtors, or I've had people that have done interior design or beauty. I had a person who was a beautician but then wanted to become a virtual assistant, and she helped one of my clients with a subscription box program for her salon. And so it was like a perfect blend of that. And I think that that's been the coolest thing is seeing how as many varieties as there are of businesses, there are people within the virtual assistant world who have background and interest in so many different ways. So if you have access to someone who can help connect you with someone like that, which would be me or you, we know people, that is a great way to start is to reach out to people who have access to people who know about different passions that they might have. And it takes some homework and it takes time, and that's okay. It doesn't have to be something that happens overnight. And I think that it's something I always advise people that I'm coaching that if they do bring a virtual assistant on is to know that it takes a couple of months to get in with the program and to really see if it's a good fit. So to not go in thinking, okay, in two weeks they've got to know everything about me and the ins and outs, and you know, they need to know everything that's going on. It takes time and it's an investment in your relationship and understanding the ins and outs, and that's okay too. So tell our audience where they can find you as well as the book that you have written and where they can find their own questions to ask themselves.

Rachael 33:49

Um, you can go to my website, www.extrahandsva.com. And there's a page there for my book, um, for our podcasts, which both are titled, Hey, do I need a VA? The book is available on all the the paper book is on a all the major platforms. The ebook is just on Amazon. Um, and the podcast are is on all the podcast channels.

Camille 34:19

Awesome. And you said we, do you have a partner?

Rachael 34:22

Uh there are four VAs in my podcast. We uh it's what virtual assistants want business owners to know when they're looking to find higher work with a VA. It's hey, do I need a VA? And we have a team owner in Canada, we have a techie VA, we have my assistant who's brings the newbie perspective, and then I'm the host.

Coaching Offer Reviews And Closing

Camille 34:46

Awesome. Very cool. Well, thank you, Rachel, for coming on the show and sharing all this information. It is a conversation worth having. And if you're thinking about maybe needing someone, start digging into it and ask yourself those questions. And if you're coming back with, yeah, that would give me a lot of relief. And I'm looking for that, please dig into it and know that you don't have to do things alone to grow. So that is what we'll end with. Thank you for tuning in and we will see you next time. If you listen to this episode and you're thinking, I need coaching around finding a virtual assistant, please reach out. You can find me at callmeceo podcast at gmail.com. And you can also get in touch with graduates that went from my program in 60 days to VA, who I have placed nearly every student that has ever taken my course. And I don't talk about it a ton. I wrote it seven years ago, and I'm so proud of the women that have been through that program and have helped so many entrepreneurs to grow their businesses. It's been beautiful to watch. So thank you for tuning in, and we'll make sure that we keep bringing great information for you to build your business and know, my friends, that you do not have to do it all. You are not required to wear every single hat to find success, nor do you need to be working every single hour of the day. So thank you for tuning in, and I will see you next time. Hey CEOs, thank you so much for spending your time with me. If you found this episode inspiring or helpful, please let me know in a comment in a five star review. You could have the chance of being a featured review on an upcoming episode. Continue the conversation on Instagram at callme CEO Podcast. And remember, you are the boss.