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What's a Virtual Assistant?

A Virtual Assistant is a business owner who provides administrative support and specialized services to assist businesses and executives with their overflow. A Virtual Assistant can handle any task that is usually handled by an in house employee, but unlike an employee, a Virtual Assistant shares your goals to succeed in business -- we only succeed if our clients succeed.

Help!! I Need to Find a Subcontractor I Can Depend On

Congratulations! Your thriving business has been so successful that you can no longer keep up with the demands of your clients. You now have two choices: 1) start turning clients away or 2) start looking for subcontractors that you can honestly depend on. As small business owners, we invest ourselves into our business so how could we ever find someone that will have the same qualities and work ethics that have made our businesses so successful?

Develop a Model
Just as any successful business or product needs a working prototype, so too do you need a “prototype” of what your ideal subcontractor will look like. Start writing a wish list of the qualities you want that subcontractor to have: honesty, solid work ethics, skills, etc. If you are having problems with determining which qualities are important to you, take a different approach and start by deciding what it is you definitely do not want. For example, I don’t want someone that is lazy, turns in below par work and misses deadlines. From determining this you will know that you are looking for a subcontractor that works hard and produces quality projects on time.

Interview Your Candidate
You wouldn’t think of hiring a new employee without an interview, so why is it that many business owners don’t feel it is necessary when hiring a subcontractor? By interviewing your candidates, you have an opportunity to ask those tough questions that probe into the qualities of the candidate. Ask probing questions that are based on real-life experiences and ask the candidate to provide examples based on situations they have dealt with. Describe a situation where… Tell me about a time when… How would you handle…? These are all examples of probing questions. Another good idea is to have a trusted colleague interview your candidates on your behalf as well and offer their opinion. They don’t have as much at stake and are likely to give you some real honest opinions.

Give a Test
Don’t be afraid to test the waters by providing your new subcontractor a small task or project to see the results. Perhaps you have completed a project in the past that you know what the results should look like and the approximate time it should take to complete. Maybe a project needs to be complete for your business that you can have them tackle. Before you have them work on projects for your clients, it is good to have a solid understanding of the quality of work they are capable of providing.

Personality Clashes
Personalities are the key reason that most subcontractor/contractor relationships fail. Take a good long hard look at yourself and figure out what is going to work for you. If you are the type of person that finishes projects well ahead of deadlines, how will you work with someone that works better under pressure? If you are a morning person, can you work with a nighthawk? If you are single, can you work with a mother of young children? For many it works best to find someone with similar personalities and values and for others it works to find someone that is the polar opposite to you.

Get References
Last but not least, the most important step to finding a good subcontractor is to get lots of references and follow up with those references. Look at past projects they have completed and talk to others that have worked with them. The best indicator of future performance is past performance so it is very important to know how they have performed on similar projects, in similar situations and for other clients.

Now that you know the best approach to finding subcontractors, you can truly take your thriving business to the next level and ensure it continues to thrive. Don’t look at success with fear and trepidation. Look at it as the honor and joy it is meant to be. Good luck!!

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