Why have I hired 250 VA’s? (and what you’re missing)

A Game Changing Decision

Hey friends! Andy here,

Over the past 5 years, Nate and I have hired over 250 virtual assistants (known as VAs) for our brand. We have come to learn that our hard-working and reliable VAs have been an essential part of growing our multiple businesses, creating our systems, and building our teams. The power to positively leverage others to help scale a business in a mutually beneficial way has been one of the most enjoyable parts of my entrepreneurial journey. We have built strong bonds with our predominantly Filipino team over the past several years.

Hiring a VA: Advice From Someone Who Knows

We recognize that our overseas VA’s have helped us achieve the level of success that we currently enjoy. To help me expound on how hiring VAs for your Amazon business can boost your success, I’m turning to Absalom, our Chief Marketing Officer for reflection and advice on this topic. Abs, as we call him, is not a native of the Philippines, but has immersed himself in the culture over the last ten years through business and personal means.

Abs describes the Filipino people as very empathetic, group-oriented, dedicated, and up front about their emotions. It’s not odd for them to refer to close co-workers in the familial sense, something that may be considered ‘weird’ or inappropriate here in America. Abs considers Filipinos some of the most amazing people anywhere in the world, and I agree. Unlike Americans who score low on the Power Distance Index due to their cultural norm of individualism, Asian countries generally score high on this index as they value team work and are internally motivated to please others. Abs got his start at a BPO, or business processing outsource. These are large companies that moved into Asia to utilize the multitude of workers in that area of the world. While there, he worked in HR and became skilled in spotting the traits and characteristics of a beneficial employee. He literally interviewed and hired hundreds of employees in this role!

We’re talking about this today, because Amazon sellers who want to scale their business are probably going to find it necessary to hire a VA. At some point, you’ll need to invest your time and energy into business growth rather than some of the tasks that have been eating up your time and most likely your energy. We still routinely find super qualified VA’s at $5/hr or less – something that you just can’t easily replace!

To start, many Amazon sellers, whether private labelers or those that excel in RA or OA will need a customer service rep, a social media manager, or a listing or copywriter. Outsourcing these tasks could free up several hours a day to help you focus on scaling your business and possibly finding a better work-life balance. Don’t look at hiring a VA by what it will cost you monetarily, but consider what it will save you from an energy standpoint. We initially hired our fist VAs as customer service agents and went on to have great success utilizing their expertise for so many things, including being our main point of contact with our Asian manufacturers. This was an ideal match, as they shared the same time zone.