Episode 151: 3 Tips for Hiring a Virtual Assistant for Your Private Practice

Summary

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Private Practice Startup Podcast: Episode 151

Title: 3 Tips for Hiring a Virtual Assistant for Your Private Practice
Hosts: Dr. Kate Campbell & Katie Lemieux
Guest: Ruth Ghattao, Virtual Assistant
Date: September 1, 2019

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Episode Overview

This episode focuses on demystifying the process of hiring a Virtual Assistant (VA) for private practice owners, specifically mental health professionals. Kate and Katie are joined by their own VA, Ruth Ghattao, to share actionable advice on finding the right VA, nurturing the working relationship, and integrating a VA into practice systems. Ruth provides insights from both the assistant and business owner perspective (she started her own business inspired by the podcast!).

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Key Topics and Discussion Points

1. Ruth’s Story and Inspiration (03:10–06:22)

• Ruth has worked as a VA for Kate and Katie for nearly three years, editing podcasts and managing administrative tasks.
• Listening to practice-building content on the podcast inspired her to start an organic fruit and vegetable business in her hometown in Africa.
• She emphasizes the unique isolation of remote work, driving her to build local connections through business.

“I started... a business to supply fruits and vegetables, organic ones, in my small town and it was all inspired by the podcast.” — Ruth, (03:46)

2. Ruth’s Path to Becoming a VA (06:22–08:48)

• Ruth is a CPA and accountant by training but found the corporate routine monotonous.
• She became an assistant to her husband’s tech startup, discovering her enthusiasm for diverse administrative work.
• Ruth now runs Admin Work Outsourced, her own VA agency.

3. The Private Practice/VA Hiring Story (08:49–11:37)

• Kate and Katie found Ruth on Upwork, after a referral by Kate's husband, Brent.
• Early collaborations involved small, detail-oriented tasks, growing into a trusted, expanded role over time.
• Both parties valued an initial trial period as an “audition” to ensure mutual fit.

“I must be doing something right for me to be referred.” — Ruth, (11:20)

4. What Makes a Good VA/Employer Fit? (11:46–13:09)

• Ruth looks for employers who share her core values and prioritize clear communication.
• Compatibility in professionalism and willingness to work beyond transactional boundaries are essential.

"I try to match someone with my core values...we can have this kind of relationship beyond work per se, but also maintain the professionalism." — Ruth, (12:00)

5. Importance of Systems and Communication (13:10–16:05)

• Kate and Katie stress the significance of having clear systems and processes before hiring a VA.
• Regular communication and reviewing “what’s working and what’s not” help refine workflows and avoid blame.

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The 3 Tips for Hiring a Virtual Assistant

Tip 1: Address Your Fears & Shift Mindset

(16:08–23:43)

• Hiring remotely can be nerve-wracking due to trust and reliability concerns.
• Focus on benefits: freeing up your own time to focus on clients and business growth.
• “What if it works, not what if it doesn’t?” Take small steps; test the relationship before handing over core responsibilities.

"It's the mindset...try to get a right fit for you. It might take you three attempts. Sometimes you can get the first attempt..." — Ruth, (18:42)

• Gradually increase trust; start with low-risk tasks and build up as the relationship solidifies.
• For therapists, ensure compliance with privacy laws—sign Business Associate Agreements and document HIPAA training.

Tip 2: Experience Isn't Everything—Hire for Core Values and Attitude

(23:43–29:47)

• Don’t overemphasize VA resume experience—the right personality and attitude matter more.
• Attitude, reliability, alignment with practice values, and communication are vital.
• Skills can be trained, but core values and a teachable spirit are essential.

“[Clients should look for] someone who will take care of your business as if it's their own and not so much someone looking for a pay. …You'd rather train somebody who is less experienced if they have a can do attitude.” — Ruth, (24:14)

• Hosts share that respectful, enthusiastic communication fosters lasting, effective VA relationships.

Tip 3: Invest in Training and Systems

(29:47–34:01)

• Take time to properly train your VA—don’t just “push tasks over” and hope for the best.
• Document systems and create “how-to” videos using tools like Zoom or QuickTime for efficient onboarding and future cross-training.
• Use project management (e.g., Asana), and communication tools (Slack) to enable asynchronous global teamwork.
• Training prevents confusion and supports consistent quality, crucial for sensitive tasks like client calls.

“When you've done something over and over again... it's muscle memory. …It's easier for you to teach somebody else...” — Ruth, (29:56)

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Memorable Quotes & Timestamps

• “I was able to start that business and now it's running... born out of this podcast for sure.” — Ruth, (04:46)
• “The VA is really looking for someone who also holds your core values. ... Anyone can do tasks, but really to be invested in people.” — Katie, (27:34)
• “Do what you must and whatever else, delegate it. Give it to somebody to help you out.” — Ruth, (35:29)
• “People stay with people because of the relationship, not because of the job or what they get paid.” — Katie, (37:43)
• “I'm talking about fears. I better get over this fear...” — Ruth, (38:35)

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Additional Insights

• Be clear about time zones and working hours when hiring globally.
• Use written/walkthrough documentation and how-to videos to empower the VA and reduce repeated training.
• For sensitive practice roles (like answering phones), provide extensive, structured training.
• Treat your VA and support team well: bonuses, shared wins, and relationship-building lead to better retention and collaboration.

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Useful Resources & Tools Mentioned

• Upwork: Primary platform for hiring VAs
• Fiverr: For one-off or specialized tasks (not recommended for general VA roles)
• Google Drive, Asana, Slack, Zoom, QuickTime: Team organization and training tools
• Therapist-Specific VA Companies: Frances Harvey’s My Solution Services, Uriah Guilford’s Productive Therapist
• Business Associate Agreements/HIPAA documentation: For VAs dealing with confidential information

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Actionable Takeaways for Private Practice Owners

• Start small and assess compatibility before giving access to sensitive systems.
• Document every process you want to delegate; create detailed how-to guides or screen recordings.
• Hire for attitude, not just experience—your VA will represent your brand to clients.
• Build in regular communication checkpoints (“What’s working, what’s not?”) to proactively solve problems.
• Treat your VA as part of your team—respect, clear communication, and shared values go a long way.

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• [03:10] Ruth’s story and inspiration for starting a business
• [06:22] Ruth’s professional background and path to VA work
• [08:49] How the hosts and Ruth started working together
• [11:46] What Ruth looks for in an employer
• [13:10] The importance of systems
• [16:08] Tip #1: Overcoming fears and shifting mindset
• [23:43] Tip #2: Hire for attitude and values, not just experience
• [29:47] Tip #3: Importance of training and documentation
• [34:01] Addressing time zone and communication challenges with international VAs
• [35:29] Ruth’s final advice on delegation
• [36:20] Hosts’ favorite tools and closing thoughts

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Final Thoughts

This episode offers a practical, heartfelt guide for private practice owners considering or preparing to hire a VA. Kate, Katie, and Ruth illustrate the value of building relationships based on mutual respect, clear processes, and shared purpose—making delegation a tool for scaling both business impact and personal fulfillment.

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Transcript

[A]

Welcome to the Private Practice Startup podcast where we help ambitious private practitioners across the globe to brand themselves and grow their dream practices. We chat with successful private practitioners, business coaches, and marketing experts, bringing you tons of practice building Ninja tips. Visit privatepracticestartup.com for awesome resources, attorney approved private practice paperwork, and our signature marketing E course. Here are your co hosts, Dr. Kate Campbell and Katie Lemieux. Hey there, Start Nation. Welcome back to another episode of the Private Practice Startup podcast. We're really excited about this episode, as we often actually usually are, because we have awesome and amazing guests and we really hope that you feel the same. Today's guest is our very own virtual assistant, Ruth Ghattao, and comes to us all the way from Africa. And we've been working with her, I think Ruth what? A little bit. Two years now?

[B]

Going to three years.

[A]

Wow, that's amazing. And we absolutely love Ruth and we thought it'd be really cool to bring you guys what it takes to have a VA from the VA's perspective. So we're going to be talking about three tips for hiring a VA for your private practice. But before we do that, we hope that you guys joined us last week as we did a reverse interview. So that's usually when someone else either comes on the podcast or we have some type of video and the person would be interviewing us. So on that one, our friend Ernesto Segas Mundo invited me to have a conversation called what if I don't want to be a therapist anymore? So there we talk about our vulnerabilities, our struggles, our authenticities of really making a shift away from the therapy field. And, you know, if you're kind of in the same boat, you might want to listen to that podcast if you're brand new here. We want to say welcome. We are welcoming you with open arms and we're so happy that you're part of our Startup Nation family. We have a gift for you. We want to just give you this. We have nothing and, you know, not asking for anything in return. We just want to be a support for you. And the G is our A to Z cheat sheet. The essentials for building and growing your dream practice. Head over to private practicestartup.com head over to the Resources tab and there you will see your gift waiting for you, along with five days of practice building emails to support you on your journey. So without further ado, let's talk about three tips for hiring a VA for your private practice. Ruth is a virtual assistant who is passionate about helping therapists improve productivity increase Profitability and eliminate stress associated with the repetitive admin task. Have to say she is fantastic. And no, she is not for hire for anyone else.

[B]

Just saying.

[A]

She is the founder of Admin Work Outsourced, an agency of experience. Virtual assistants. Ruth has recently appointed as board member of an online professional workers association of Kenya. She is a CPA and has a BSc accounting from university of Nairobi. Ruth loves spending time with her husband Eric, cycling and hiking the mountains. Please join me in welcoming Ruth. That was a really quiet Yay.

[C]

Hi.

[B]

It's so nice to be here.

[A]

It's amazing to have you and you know, I just. Can we share the story about earlier this year we had gotten on, you know, a meeting with you. We just had a meeting before we did this podcast and Ruth actually listens to and edits a portion of our podcast and get them ready to be able to, you know, go live and things like that. And she shared with us something that was really, really touching and it really inspired us. Ruth, would you share with Start Nation?

[B]

Oh, wow. Yeah, I've been inspired by you guys and I hope we're talking about my local business.

[C]

Yes.

[B]

Oh, awesome. Yes. So I have been editing and listening to all the podcasts and you know, basically about starting a private practice and you know, I took all the, I've been taking notes and you know, how do we set up a business? And I wanted to see set up a local business and it's because I work remotely and it's a very lonely place to be. Like, you don't get to meet anyone because you have your own office at home. And so when I was looking around and I thought, you know, I can do a suppliers business and I can deal with, you know, I'm a health freak and I can just get into health products. And so I started, you know, a business to supply fruits and vegetables, organic ones, in my, you know, in my small town. And it all inspired by the podcast, all the things and taking the things that can be able to apply back home. And I was able to start that business and now it's running. I am able to employ other people and I can be able to go out there and meet new people. So yeah, that's what happened. It's a long shot of it. That's what happened.

[C]

Wow.

[B]

I'm born out of this podcast for sure.

[C]

I can remember the first time you shared that with us and we were both just so inspired by you being inspired from the podcast and creating your own business and being able to help the people in your community and Offering jobs and it's just even hearing it for a second time, it's. It's really incredible. So thank you for sharing that. Yeah, I got.

[A]

I got chills again as you shared the story and I already knew the stories and I just. Yeah, it, you know, it's like that, like, serendipitous thing. It's like you're awesome and amazing VA and for this to happen just by kind of, you know, doing the work that you do and you created this. That was really super touching for Kate and I and just. Yeah, I've shared that actual story with my chiropractor and a few others, and it was just so, like, inspiring. And, you know, there you are, far, far thousands of miles away, all the way in Africa, and you.

[B]

And I'm getting impacted.

[A]

So good, good stuff.

[B]

Yeah, thank you so much for what you do. You know, it impacts so many people around the globe. And I'm not just saying this because I work with you ladies, but yes, I know that it has impacted me in many, many ways.

[C]

That's a beautiful thing. We honestly could not do what we do without your help. And Ruth is incredible at details and very system oriented and I know we're going to talk all about that. Good stuff. So let's dive into our topic. Tell us what inspired you to become a va. Oh, wow.

[B]

Yeah. That is a very great question. Because, you know, I am a trained accountant, so. I'm an accountant. I'm a cpa. And lately I don't tell people that much because, you know, they tend to want me to do the accounting jobs, which I stepped away from. So. Yeah, so back in 2012, that is 2012 is when I stopped working corporate. And it was. It was almost coincidental how I started working as a virtual assistant. I started just an assistant to my own husband. Then he was my fiance and he started his web and software development company. And, you know, with any startup, there's a lot of moving parts and there's a lot of things that needs to be done. And, you know, he said, and I was at the point of my career life when I wanted to make a switch. I had just realized, you know, I don't like this accounting that much. I'm not even sure I'm passionate about it and I don't want to do it for the rest of my life. So I was trying to rediscover myself. And so when he said, you know what, as you're trying to do that, can you just come and help me in the setting up and running of this startup. And I started doing that, and I realized, oh, wow, I love doing this because I naturally love helping and supporting, and I didn't want to sit in an office. It was very monotonous for me to do accounting. I felt like I could do it closing my eyes. And so I wanted something new. I wanted to learn, I wanted to grow. And, you know, with being a va, you get to do a lot of different things. And so when I started doing that, I slowly started feeling like this is what I can be doing, can be helping people do the back office, because it was like, I can't do the technical stuff, but I want you to help me with the administrative stuff. So I did that, and I enjoyed and I did look back. So I started just as an assistant to him, and I grew up slowly. And when the company was stable and all that and we were able to get other people to work with him, I said, you know what? I can be able to help other people with their admin stuff, because then I get to learn and I get to get impacted like the way you're saying now I have a local business from, you know, being impacted from the work that you do. So that is the short version in a nutshell. That is how it started.

[C]

Beautiful.

[A]

I want to kind of start back from the beginning. And actually, Kate's husband, who really is a huge support for us behind the scenes, you were actually his virtual assistant doing some bookkeeping type stuff. And he allowed us to have you. Probably bad decision on his part at the time, but he allowed us to have you. And I know that Kate and you first talked. So share with us, Kate, from your perspective doing the hiring. But Ruth, you also, as the va, how did you guys both decide, like, you, you're going to work with us?

[C]

Well, Brent, my husband, had been working with Ruth on. I don't remember what kind of task specifically, but he was. When he knew that we were getting ready to the point of expanding and needing to hire a va, he was kind of walking me through the Upwork process. And Upwork is the platform that we use to find Ruth and that we've outsourced some other tasks and worked with some other people on there as well. It's very helpful. Fiverr is also another option, but I wouldn't recommend finding a VA on Fiverr. That's for teeny, tiny tasks. So upwork was really great. And I remember talking with Brent about it, and he was saying, well, I do have. Out of all the people I'm working with, there's One person that stands out that might be good for you guys to reach out to and try a couple of specific tasks. And I remember when I had first reached out to Ruth, we had had her take care of some specific tasks and she was always handling everything so timely and very detail oriented, very communicative, and it was just a delight to work with her. And I remember asking you, you would be willing to come on as our official va. And over time, we've increased your workload, increased your hours, increased your pay, and all sorts of good things have come from it. How about from your perspective, Ruth?

[B]

Yeah, sure. Yes, I worked with Brent, your husband, and I remember those times. I also cannot remember specifically, but it was just admin things. I was working with him. And I remember one time, I think before you reached out, we had an open contract and I said, you know, I know I have been working so well, if you don't have something else I can do for this time, maybe we can put this contract on hold and maybe you can come back. And that's when I think a week later, I saw your messaging that you have been referring to to me by Brent. At that moment, I didn't know that he was your husband.

[C]

Yes.

[B]

And I was thinking I must be doing something right for me to be referred. So, yeah, so that's how it happened. And I am so thankful that I was able to talk to you and get to work with you. Yeah. And three years down the line, here we are.

[C]

Here we are. You're our angel. We are.

[B]

And you're mine.

[A]

And Ruth, as of yet, when you look to be hired by a potential employer, if you will, what is it that you look for?

[B]

Well, I look for, surprisingly, I don't just look for someone who can be able to pay me. I go beyond that. And I know I'm going to talk a little bit about that. Trying to find your right match is that I try to match someone with my core values. I always give myself a trial period, say, you know, let's just do this for a couple of weeks. And if, you know, if it doesn't work, it doesn't work. No hard feelings. Everyone goes ahead and, you know, try to find a right match. But I look for somebody who can be able to be. Because I'm professional and I'm very detailed. And, you know, with detailed people, we can get so worked up when we are not given details. And also I'm so detailed. So I'm looking for someone who can communicate with me and so that I can be able to do my job. So in terms of what I'm looking for is somebody who can be able to communicate with me and we can have this kind of a relationship that is beyond work per se, but also maintain the professionalism so that I'm doing my job, but you're also assisting me with the details so that I can be able to deliver.

[A]

Great. As you're talking about that, you know, I think of the word systems and there's an acronym for systems, which is save yourself Time, Energy, money. And it's really important because knowing the expectations. So if you're listening to this and you're a solopreneur and you're maybe not yet ready to hire a va, the way that you run your solo practice, the systems that you have in place, the processes that you do, that is really important because that's going to really help you be able to hire a virtual assistant. And that over communication is really, really. And one of the things that Kate and I do very well is when something doesn't either get done or get done right or is off, we really look at us and say there must be something wrong in the system or the communication process. It's never like the person. Right. It's not like we don't blame Ruth, you know, we don't take it out on her. And, you know, we're all human, so things get missed at times and it's really helpful. And so one of the questions when we meet with Ruth and have our meetings is we always say what's working and what's not working? Because we want to look to improve the systems. Because that helps Ruth do her job well and it helps us get what we need. So that's just a little thing that I kind of think of when we talk about some of the things that.

[C]

Are working Ruth Share with yeah, I know we're getting ready to dive into our three topics or three tips for hiring a VA for your practice, but let's go ahead and take a quick break to hear from our sponsor. First, if you're in private practice, you wear a lot of hats. And some of those hats are totally great. But some like filing taxes and running payroll, for example, not so great. That's where gusto comes in. They make payroll taxes and HR actually easy for small businesses like your private practice. Fast, simple payroll processing and benefits and expert HR support all in one place. Gusto automatically pays and files your federal, state, and local taxes so you don't have to worry about it. Plus, they make it easy for you to add on Health benefits and even 401ks for you and your team. Let them wear one of your many hats. You have so many better things to do with your time. Listeners get three months free when they run their first payroll. Try a demo and see for [e-mail] pps that's gusto.com pps there are so many ways to keep your practice organized, but TherapyNotes is by far the best. They're easy to use, secure platform, lets you not only do billing, scheduling and progress notes, but also create a client portal to share documents and request signatures. Plus they offer amazing unlimited phone support. So when you have a question, they're there so you can get help fast. Get started with TherapyNotes today, trusted by over 60,000 professionals. Go to therapynotes.com and enter promo code PPS as in Private Practice Startup and you'll get two months for free. Also, you can listen to episode 54 where we interviewed Brad Pliner and took an in depth view into their ehr.

[A]

All right, Ruth, let's dive in.

[B]

Let's do this. So, yeah, the three tips of when you're hiring a va. And I know I just talked a little bit about the things that a VA is looking for when you know someone is approaching them to hire them. But I know with people in private practice, therapists, and when you're hiring for the first time, it's super scary because then you're working with someone remotely, someone is not sitting in your office, you're not even sure they're going to do the job that they are telling you they're gonna do. So it is so super scary. And you know, you can, you know, the fear can start, you know, creeping in and you have all these motifs. You're thinking, what if the work is not done? To my standard, what if I run out of job to give to my va? What if the VA disappears on me? You know, so you can think, I have given the VA work, I'm expecting it to be done and now they have disappeared. So there's a lot of fear and it's all about, it's the mindset, you know, what you just, we want to debunk the myths because it's a lot, there's a lot of myths around, you know, hiring a VA and with all those fears. But then I tend to tell people and potential clients is that think of all the benefits that you can get. You know, you're spending too much time on this administrative task when you're supposed to be, you know, just focusing on your core business and Most of the therapists out there is helping other people. Be it, you know, you're dealing with family and with your family and couples therapist or whatever sort of therapy or help that you give to your clients. That is what you're supposed to be, you know, reflecting on and that's what you, you're supposed to be doing and also growing your own business. So don't spend too much time trying to think or trying to perfect and trying to think, what if this doesn't work? What if it works? Yeah. And like I have been working with Kate and Katie for the last three years and it has been working. So, yeah, so it's shift the mindset, try to think, what can you be able to benefit? And looking at your goals five years from now, where do you want to see your business? Because you definitely need the help sooner or later. So you'd rather have the help as soon as you can before the business really grows too much. And you don't even have the time to try and find a good fit for yourself. So that is tip number one. Just, you know, get over the fear. Try and get a right fit for you. It might take you three attempts. Sometimes you can get the first attempt, but the three attempts, you can be able to get someone right for your business and right for yourself and you can be able to grow your business.

[A]

One of the things that I like, I love that you're saying that and I know on the employer end, right, there's a of lot level of trust that we need to have with our virtual assistant. And just like any other relationship, it's built over time. You have access to all of our platforms and passwords and have even, you know, been in contact with our credit cards and things like that. And you know, I like what both of you said in the beginning is there's kind of like this, you know, there's this audition, right? And in the audition is you're, you're seeing how we work together and you know, having the VA do some tasks to see how the VA does. And then over time the relationship grows and you can give more and more. And you also have to think about your own fears of kind of like letting go of those things like the passwords and things like that. But it is ultimately makes your life way easier. I know I just asked you to update a bunch of platforms because I got a new credit card because it expired. And for me to do that would take away from the things that I need to be focusing on. And it's just nice to be able to go, oh, Ruth can do that. And she's really great with the details.

[C]

It's so freeing. And it just makes such a huge difference to be able to have someone supporting you so that you can focus on those bigger roles, like whether it's helping people in therapy or working on systems or advertising or marketing or whatever you really want to focus on in your business and those tasks that can become so time consuming, that are easily outsourceable, that you can have someone take off your plate. It is just so freeing and it's immensely helpful.

[B]

Yeah, it is. And you know what? You don't need to give everything from the word go. You know, like Katie is saying is, you know, test the waters, see the level of trust. What I can be able to trust the VA with and over time is that you can be able to slowly let go and slowly give much to the va, but you don't want to give your. A lot of your personal, you know, details to a VA that you don't know about. So, yeah, just. Just take the time to nurture that relationship to a place where you can feel comfortable to let most of these things to the va. So I remember when we started and we started with, you know, a couple of hours a week, and it was, you know, I say write the list of the things you want to outsource. You know, the. The ones that you feel, you know, I don't have too much to lose on this one if she's just, you know, taking on the. You can give out maybe some data job and not the emails because the VA has not learned your language, the way you speak to your. To your, you know, to your audience and all that. So you can have a list of all the tasks that you want to give to the VA if you have the fear. And then you can give the first five, the top five of the ones that you think they're very easy. They don't need to a lot of time for you to train and just to see. Because what you're looking for is the character of the person. It's the personality. It's not even so much more about the experience because it skills. It's something that is acquired. You can be able to teach someone. But you see, character is something. It's totally a different kind of arena. You don't want to give somebody, you know, too much autonomy to things that you cannot be able to trust them with.

[A]

One of the things I want to add is for many people who are listening because they are therapists as they're most likely hiring for their practice. It's really important if your virtual assistant is going to come in contact with any confidential information is that you have a business associates agreement and you also train the virtual assistant on HIPAA and really have that documentation that they've been trained and check in regards to that. And we'll put a link for the business associate agreement in the show notes page as well as if you're hiring someone in the US or if you're hiring within your country, you want to assure that you have some type of independent contractor agreement. That's what it would be here in the US Is that clearly outlays, you know, the working relationship, the expectations, the hours. And we also will put a link for that as well. Now, interestingly enough, with upwork and hiring outside of your country, there's other things with like taxes and all that stuff that gets done through the platform. So that's just something to keep in mind too, to really safeguard yourself, set up the expectations and have a clear working relationship.

[C]

Ruth, what else do you want? Go ahead, Kate. Yeah, I love your advice for number one. I think that's so helpful and I'm curious to hear what your tip number two is as well.

[B]

Oh yeah. So now you're over the fear and you know you're ready to hire. So. And tip number two is that experience is not always your right fit. Yeah. Because when people are looking for someone in a VA to hire is I see the mistake all the time saying, you know, I want the best experience and all that. Yeah. I say so because like I just touched on my first point is you're looking for someone that can share in your core values, someone who is going to align with your vision, someone who will take care of your business as if it's their own and not so much someone looking for a pay. Yeah. Because the experience one, they come at maybe a higher cost. But then you don't want someone who is not reliable. Yeah. And you don't want someone who doesn't communicate with you. Well because you know, as a va, you're working hand in hand. You're going to be working hand in hand with your va. So you don't want someone who keeps on disappearing on you. When you want some status updates, you cannot be able to get that they are not reliable. So you'd rather train somebody who is less experienced. If they have a can do attitude or they have an attitude, a teachable spirit. I say it's easy to work with such a person than the most experienced. But then they have all these, you know, an awful attitude that you cannot be able to deal with. They don't have a good, you know, customer service. They're not portraying your core values to your audience. So that's why I'm saying when you're looking for a right fit, the first thing not to go for and you know, strictly, is somebody who is super experienced. If you can get one with all the good qualities, then go ahead, it's your lucky day. But then if you can get somebody who is, who has very good qualities, they have this nice temperament that you can be able to work with. They have these, you know, they have this teamwork spirit. You can be able to work together. So because this one is going to build up to our point number three, when you're training the va, but when you're finding a right match, it's super, super important for you to be able to know your core values, and that can be reflected on your va. Gosh.

[C]

I couldn't agree with you more with what you're saying, because there's nothing more frustrating when you're. You're trying to work with someone and testing out in the beginning of a relationship. Because I've had this experience with other people that I've hired in the past, and it's very frustrating when either there's you even online, you can sense when someone has an attitude or there's pushback. And I always try and approach things very friendly and very, very communicative. And I expect that same thing, very respectful from the people that I work with as well. But it's not always out there. And to have someone that you feel very communicative keeps you informed and updates about status and is proactive in that sense. And with all those qualities that you just talked about and having the shared values, it makes a world of difference because everything else is teachable. Think about it. Because everything that you're hiring someone to come on board to take off of your plate, you've likely been doing it yourself. Unless maybe it's like building a website and you've outsourced that from the beginning and good for you if you haven't done that yourself and you've outsourced that, but for other stuff, you've been doing it and during the bootstrapping phase of your, of your practice. So you know how to train someone. It's just about having the systems in place and being able to train them. But the attitude, the connection, the level of respect and communication, that's first and foremost.

[A]

It's interesting, as I hear you talk, Ruth, like I'm sitting here, like, being reminded that you really are a mirror for what we teach in our E course in marketing. And, you know, I. Our three brand values are passion, quality, and collaboration. And really, that is you. And I love that you talk about as the VA is really looking for someone who also holds your core values. And that's so important because anyone can do tasks, but really to be invested in people. Right. It's not a company. You're really invested in what the mission is of the company. And I think one of my favorite things that you told us was that you actually fired another company that you were working for, even though you were making more money, is because you really loved what we were up to and working with us. And that, again, was so inspiring as well. I loved that meeting that we had.

[B]

Yeah, I had to do that because also, you know, when I'm working with you and listening to the things that you're talking to, especially when you're doing the ecosystem and the marketing ecosystem, when you're working with your ideal client, it's beyond the pain, you know, it's beyond the paycheck that you're taking home. It's how you feel. Because, you know, I'm working with private practice startup, but then I am working with you and Kate, you know, so it's about the people that I'm working with. And, you know, I looked at the list of the people I was working with, and I was thinking, I need to fire some people. I only want to keep the people that I want to work with, you know, and that's the kind of. Of flexibility that the va. The VA work gives me. But then I also know that I need to reflect this on my. On my clients. Clients, you know, so if I write an email to somebody, they just. They don't want to feel like, oh, wait, this is. This is. This is not Kate. This is not Katie. This has to be somebody else. You know, and while it has taken time for me to be, you know, totally woven into the system, so it takes time to do that. But I say if you can find the right person in terms of character and in terms of, you know, they share your core values, everything else can be taught.

[A]

Nice. So let's talk about tip three. And I know that talks about training.

[B]

Yeah, it's training. So, yeah, you have the right feet and they are teachable. And, you know, you've been spending a lot of time, like Kate was saying is that during your business bootstrapping phase, you've done a Lot of this work yourself. So you have the systems, you have the processes. Why don't you just, you know, you know, forward that to your va? Because then it saves you a lot of time and, you know, and eliminates this fear of if the job is not gonna done to my standard and the way I want it to be done, so. Because when you've done something over and over again, you know, it's muscle memory. You know, it's something that, you know you can do it in a heartbeat. And so it's easier for you to teach somebody else to be able to do that so that then you don't keep on fearing that it's not done the way you want it to be done. So take time, be patient. Because even if. Even if I'm a VA and I've worked with a lot of, you know, clients in different industries, but then I don't. I don't know your business when I'm coming to work with you. I don't know your business. So you take the time to teach me the systems that you have in place because, you know, I have an idea of what, you know, all these tasks are about. But then I have scheduled before, probably I didn't do it on Zoom. Maybe Zoom, it's something. It's a new kind of a platform that I'm gonna encounter. So just taking the time to train your VA saves you a lot of time and a lot of, you know, heartache because you don't want to just push a task to someone, and maybe they are stuck. And probably there are those days that you have traveled. You're not, you know, you cannot. You don't have access to the Internet. You can be. You. You cannot be able to answer them, you know, like so immediately. And you needed something to be done. So what. One thing that I have seen work so well when I was. When I've been working with you guys is that you always have these systems in place and how to do videos. You know, it helps so much because if it's a new. It's a new task that I'm supposed to do instead of me trying to figure out for one hour how to do it. And there's always a video or you have, you know, documented it, saying, this is the step. This is how you do it. It makes me be able to work so fast. And, you know, from there, I don't need you to, you know, keep on showing me again. So it's. Take the time to train your virtual assistant and so that they can be easily woven into your system and your processes.

[A]

We do love us some how to videos and we utilize either Zoom or I always say, is it Quick Launch or quicktime?

[C]

Quicktime.

[A]

Quicktime. And so you can actually do screen recordings so you actually demonstrate what it is that you're doing. It's kind of like your own YouTube how to for your business. And it's so easy because the other thing too is roots. Being in Africa, we're seven to eight hours difference, depending on the time changes. And sometimes it's really hard to find a time to meet. But when you're doing a how to video, you just upload it and then she can take it from there. And also too is our how to videos are accessed by the whole team. So it helps with cross training because if you know, Jessica's out or Ruth's out and someone can just jump in and they look at the how to video and the business really doesn't stop. Another great thing too is when you do have your VA doing stuff. I know recently we had you create our level up system, which is our video releases on Facebook as we answer Startup nations questions. And because you already know our systems, we can hand this over to you and you could create the system from there. So that was a really cool experience. That was something new that we've done recently with you.

[B]

Yeah, it was a pleasure to do that. You know, that's the kind of growth I'm talking about. So it's every day there's a new challenge, there's something new to learn and yeah, I'm loving it.

[A]

Nice. And anything that you. I know we're kind of getting close to time, Kate. Yeah, Kate gave us the look, the watch time look. Anything that was. Any struggles that we had initially that you would want to give advice to someone on what worked and what didn't work initially.

[B]

Okay, well, because, you know, I joined you guys when you already had systems. So I can't talk about a lot of challenges that I've had with you, like maybe the ones that I've had with other people and more. Mostly when you're working remotely. And the time difference you talked about that has been the biggest issue is when, because like right now it's nighttime my time and maybe you expecting me to be working at this time. So the expectations of, you know, the client, not, you know, having this expectation of working when you guys, it's during the day. So it has really worked so well when I'm working with you because like the way you said you can just upload, you know, A task, we have a task management software that we use. We use Asana. And you can just put up the task there with the deadlines. And I'm able to work when maybe it's during my time, so. But when. Yeah, that's a very good point. Because when you're hiring outside your own country and maybe continent, one of the things to really, you know, put into consideration is the time difference. And so that you have an expectation, if you have an expectation of the VA to work during your maybe business hours, let that be communicated well in advance so that you don't have to keep on having the collision when you're, when you're working.

[A]

Gotcha. Awesome thing. And what do you most want our audience to take away from your message today?

[B]

Wow. Yeah. So I say that do what you must and whatever else, delegate it. Give it to somebody to help you out. You know, it'll help you keep your sanity and it will save your money. But if you want to do everything, you know, they say that you can, you can run fast when you're alone, but when you're working as a team and you have delegated things, then you can walk even further. So you don't want to just, you know, sprint and then faint. So just delegate what you cannot be able, you know, things that you, you don't like doing or things you don't have time to do and just focus on your business. And your business is to grow your business, to grow your company. So everything else that you must not do, give it to the va. Nice.

[A]

And I just want to, I just want to add. One of the mistakes I think a lot of times people make when you're talking about the training stuff is sometimes people are so excited to get stuff off their plate is they just kind of like push it over and they don't do training. And training is just so, so important is having those consistent meetings and things like that. And you know, if you are a therapist hiring, maybe a VA for your, you know, your solo company, you know, one of the things that people like to take off their plate is the phone calls. And I can't tell you how important it is to do a massive amount of training on the phone calls because that's really where you get a lot of your business from. So don't just push things off onto your va, like do a one time and expect them to get it. You really have to train. And as we close, I just wanted run down some of the solution stuff that we use to do. What we do in regards to Productivity. So we utilize the Google Drive. That is like the best thing in the world. I know that Ruth had mentioned we use Asana. We also use Slack. Ruth was hired off of Upwork. We also utilize Fiverr and we utilize Zoom as well as QuickTime. And I know that Frances Harvey has my solution services. And as well as Uriah, Guilford also has the Productive Therapist. So those are VA companies specifically for therap. Uriah is a therapist himself. So we'll put that all in the show notes as well. And you know, as from sitting on this side, one thing that I want to add is, you know, sometimes you have to really look at your financial budget and what you can afford. And one of the things that we really like to do is we like to treat our team well because they treat us well. And we like to give bonuses and we believe that, you know, it's a team effort no matter who brings in what or does what. So everyone gets a bonus and everyone wins together. And unfortunately, Ruth is not here for us to do our team nights, but we are always thinking about her in spirit. But we just got to do a team night last week. Kate, Jessica and myself and went to IPIC and just hung out and celebrated. And that stuff is just so important because that's the relationship building and, you know, people stay with people because of the relationship, not because, you know, the job or what they get paid. So those are my final thoughts in regards to this discussion. And I really love this topic. And Ruth, just so honored that you would say yes. I know at first you are a little worried and scared and is this actually your first podcast you've done?

[B]

You know, I was super anxious before and I was thinking, you know, I'm talking about fears. I better get over this fear.

[C]

You did an amazing job.

[A]

You're practicing what you preach. I love it. So I hope you guys are cheering for Ruth that she got over her fear and did this podcast with us. Startup Nation. We wanted to thank you for joining us and we really hope that this was helpful. I know I'm. I love systems. I. I always say it's like, you know, business pornography to me. So I enjoyed this podcast. I hope you guys enjoyed it as much too. Next week, we hope you guys join us for Sarah Stroup as we talk about balancing motherhood, being a wife, as well as private practice.

[C]

Let's take a moment to hear from our Startup Nation superhero shout out for this episode, which is from intimate intimacy and they say starting my own private practice. I was such a daunting task. I had some ideas and some tools, but I just didn't know where to start. This podcast helped me refocus and reconsider where I need to channel my energy. It offers resources and new ideas I never considered. This has definitely helped my perspective in Private Practice. Infinite Intimacy we are here cheering you on and so glad you're finding value for the podcast. Hope those of you who are listening are continuing to find value as well. And if you guys want to give us some love, you want to subscribe, subscribe, rate and review our show. We always appreciate hearing your feedback because that's validation for us that we are producing content. That's really what you guys are looking for. And if there's a topic that you're really longing for that we haven't had yet in our 151 topics as of Today episodes as of today, then definitely let us know, send us an email and we're happy to create that for you, Startup Nation.

[A]

As always, thank you for allowing us to inspire you from Startup to Mastery and have an awesome and inspired day. Take care everybody.

[C]

Buddy, thanks for joining us on the Private Practice Startup. Visit the private practices startup.com for awesome resources, free trainings, attorney approved private practice paperwork, and so much more. Sam.