Getting help in the office must include a discussion on what to pay.
What to pay an assistant is a sticky subject, but the following information may help you land on the right amount for your budget and their time.
- Hire your assistant part-time, perhaps for 6-8 hours a week to get started. This allows them to start working on short projects and for you to get to know each other. You can increase the hours as needed but, keep it under 20 hours per week for starters.
- Hire your assistant as a contract worker that can be counted as an expense on your tax return rather than an employee. This will save you a bundle. Check with your accountant on the tax benefits of a contract worker.
- Now do the math. What can you afford? I have paid between $10 and $15 an hour for the type of non-income producing work I discussed in Part One. If I have a project that requires someone with special expertise in a certain field, like IT, then I pay appropriately for the skill set—but on a short-term basis. For the kind of assistance, we have been talking about, research, cold calling potential venues, prepping marketing materials and sending them out, sending contracts, contacting the media, etc., the dollar amounts above should work well.
- Eventually, if your assistant proves to be someone who can do more and accept greater responsibility, and your confidence in their abilities grows with time, then you may consider revamping their job description.
Add Booking to Their Job:
You may begin to have them take on some gig booking responsibilities. If and when this occurs, continue to pay the hourly wage and either:
- add a percentage of the gig’s income they booked to the hourly wage, in this case perhaps 5%. Or
- pay a percentage of the gig booked OR their hourly wage – whichever is greater, and in this case, I suggest 10%.
Now if you are hiring an intern from a university who is also getting course credit for their work with you, you may be able to reduce your hourly rate. If the intern has potential to stick around for a while, paying a better rate may be just the right incentive necessary to keep them longer.
If you are hiring a Virtual Assistant who has a business up and running, you may have to pay their requested fee.
Have you had experience paying an assistant? Have you ever worked with a Virtual assistant before? What was your experience?
Leave me a comment below .
I can’t wait to hear about your success.
Thanks to Carol Ehrlich for this week’s Graphic Image. Check out her work at v360.com.
Thanks to Curfew, for providing This Month’s Biz Booster Theme Music, “Future Dance”
And for more career boosting tips, articles, books, resources, tele-seminars, online courses, visit me at Performingbiz.com
Coming: Get Great Gigs Podcast
I’ve hired VA’s for various tasks on an ongoing basis from $50-$200 a week depending on how much time/work is involved. +% for booking is a good incentive but you have to find the right person. Most of this work can be done remotely without the need to have someone local or in office which also helps keep them classified as contractors vs employees. Don’t be afraid to try several people at once on a trial basis. Clearly outline their tasks. Have them jump in for a day at no cost and see what cream rises to the top and select someone. Don’t hesitate to discontinue service if it’s not working out. You should find different people for different tasks (booking, web, graphics, consulting, scheduling.) When you find a star pay them well, treat them well. If they need time off or have scheduling issues be flexible, they’ll remember that. Even small bonuses are remembered ($20). Marking milestones of their service (monthly, biannually, yearly) or celebrating wins in your business with gifts or gift card are really good (Amazon is perfect for this.) Oh, and have the VA be your “Card” person. … Thank you, get well, birthdays, holidays. A buyer or client having surgery- email the VA their info and to send them a card. Boom, done. This generation is terrible with cards and letters. Inject this into your business and you’ll show up differently than anyone else and they’ll know you’re sincere. this person will be an extension of you. Your “office person” in many stages of a growing career is often more valuable than a “manager” which you likely don’t need or aren’t ready for.
Thanks Jamie,
Great info from one who has had the experience of using Virtual Assistance. Excellent detail and great advice. I really appreciate you taking the time to share your knowledge. Best to you,
Jeri
Many interns can not get paid and get credit from their school unless you are reimbursing them for gas or providing them a meal. Check with your University.
Thank you Chris, very helpful.
Always heard that in a true intern relationship per irs guidelines the unpaid intern isn’t permitted to add any value to the business- the example used: Dig and hole and then fill it back up. Don’t know if that’s the case but I’d read it somewhere.