I re-posted my job again andhad a handful of new responses. One seemed very good and so after a few exchanges I offered her the job. It was especially nice that I could basically take all the emails I had sent to the last guy and send them to her… simply replacing his name. So far she’s been everything my last guy wasn’t… excellent at being prompt and working when she said she would. It’s been a breath of fresh air!

Well, one of the first tasks I gave her was to write up an article about her experiences so far working online as a remote service provider / virtual assistant. I love reading these experiences because I think it’s valuable to know the people with whom I’m working and too often I only read from the boss / “buyers” perspective. Below is her article… which I was very impressed with:

“For three years, I’ve always been a “social” kind of person, preferring to establish a career that requires me to put my greatest asset into good use: “communicating”. I was the kind of person who would rather go out in the field than sit in front of the computer the whole day.  However, motherhood had changed my life and lifestyle more than I had expected and my preferences had also changed. Gone are the days of partying and dining with clients and going home late at night. So when I had the opportunity to change my career a year ago, I opted to go for something that will let me literally work closer to home, if not at home.

I’ve found my first online employer at <company>. It was a reputable real estate company in Australia and they are focused on promoting and selling houses of their affiliates. But even if they say that they are a reputable company, I have no other means of knowing if this is true or if they are legit. Working online has posted itself as a risk for me at first since it doesn’t have stability and credibility that the corporate world can give you. There are a lot of scammers that exists online. This real estate company could be a scammer but I just had a great feeling with it that I was willing to risk my stable job.  So with a great deal of courage and faith, I started working online.  And guess what, I didn’t regret it at all.

My first client was an Australian real estate company. My role in the company was a Marketing/Admin Suppor. I was in-charge of creating logos, creating brochures and other marketing collaterals, and other media kits for their new clients/affiliates. I was also in-charge of creating and sending webinar invitations and monthly newsletters. I learned a lot from them. They were the ones who encouraged me to learn about web designing with the help of Adobe Dreamweaver and learn more about social media management using Hootsuite.  It was indeed a great first online experience and I am very thankful for it.  Unfortunately, their company shut down and we had to part ways.

I also have an experience in contact generation and internet research for another client. My main role in this company was to profile companies and search for their IT contacts with the help of their corporate websites and Linkedin. I also have to provide the right email addresses and contact numbers, if applicable, of the IT contacts. We were given a target of ten companies per day with seven IT contacts each. Sometimes, guessing a contact’s email address can be tricky and frustrating but it was definitely a great online experience. Unfortunately, there was a problem with my client’s customers that he had to shut down our production.

One of my clients that I am still working for now is an online reputation and social media management company. I have used the skills that I had acquired while working for my first client in this job. The job requires me to schedule tweets and Facebook posts for their clients. I also do their monthly advertisements and post it in sites such as craigslist.com, sulit.com.ph, classifieds.ph, and the like.  I also do their social bookmarking once a month in sites such as pinterest, stumbleupon, reddit, and delicious.  This is just a part-time job though and just requires me to work for 1-2 hours per day.

Working online has opened me up to a whole new world of possibilities. It had helped me acquire new skills and develop my so-so IT knowledge. I’ve learned how to use Adobe Dreamweaver, Hootsuite, Google Docs, and Camtasia among others.

Working online has also given me the opportunity to earn a decent living without having to sacrifice the time I spend with my son and my family and work at the comforts of my own home.  With its flexible working hours, it allows me to manage my time more efficiently. 

Although there is the so-called instability of working online, the online lifestyle is working for me. I can therefore say that I, Kate Budke, has been virtual-lified.“

Anyway, back to Joseph… I was looking for someone who would help me manage a few of the sites that I own. I have had a few guys working on the same thing and some were good, but a common denominator among them is that they needed tons of hand-holding and can’t run away with projects on their own. Given the sheer number of websites I manage and the other things that I do both in my business and my personal life, I needed someone who’s a self-starter and has the initiative to manage projects after I’ve provided the direction and overall broadstroke strategy.

In the past I’ve posted my ads on oDesk, but this time I wanted to find a full-time worker and opted for a different route. I went to Manila Craigslist and posted an ad that I was hiring an online manager for my company. My original plan was to let it run for several days and cull all the applications and make a shortlist from there. However, on the first day of the ad, I got an email from Joseph which I’ve copied and pasted below:

Hi,

I saw on craigslist that you have an opening for a community manager and this is to express my interest in the said opportunity.

I believe that I am a good fit for this position because of the following skills and qualities:

– I am passionate about online communities. I have read parts of Gary Vaynerchuk’s book entitled the Thank You Economy and I do believe that the rise of online communities is not only a technological advancement, but a cultural revolution on how people interact with each other and with businesses.

– I am a seasoned writer. I have been writing professionally for 7 years now and been writing for the web for five years. My brand of writing is always unique, compelling, relevant and useful. This entails tons of creativity, a strategic and business-oriented mindset and a penchant for research.

– I’m a good project manager. I once served as an Account Director for one o the biggest PR firms in the country and served as the lead for numerous marketing projects.

– Learning new skills and tools excites me.

– I do have an experience in forum moderation and management, although I still have a lot to learn. But I guess my advantage here is I’m very conversant and people-oriented. I am keen on how people speak online and take these cues in order to keep the conversation going and keep the community engaged.

Thanks for your time and looking forward to being part of your team.

Regards,

Joseph

He also sent a Dropbox link to his resume and best samples of his writing. I have to say that the thing that caught my attention the most in his cover letter is when he name-dropped Gary Vaynerchuk. For all of you who are not familiar with the internet marketing industry, GaryVee is the preeminent name in social media marketing and has authored several critically acclaimed books. He transformed his family’s wine business into a multi-million dollar empire by using videos, even before podcasting became popular. In short, GaryVee is a social media demi-god and for Joseph to know his work and influence is a testament that he is very much aware of the best practices in online marketing.

Joseph’s resume said he has six years of professional writing experience which I thought would be super advantageous for me because one of the things that I’ve been wanting to do is to create an editorial calendar for my sites. This will also come handy because one of the most effective channels in which I reach and engage my visitors is through e-newsletters.

But the main “come on” in Joseph’s resume that I really liked is his strong project management skills. I needed someone onboard who can turn ideas into projects and see them through completion. Joseph, according to his resume, was an Account Director in a huge PR firm in the Philippines. Account directorship entails a lot of project management skills and having someone with strong end-to-end project management experience is someone whom I believed will help me grow my company and my online communities.

After a couple of emails and after answering a few of my questions, I decided to offer Joseph the position. That’s roughly 27 hours after he sent me his initial response to my ad. Next thing, I found myself sending Joseph’s first day’s pay via PayPal and scheduling a chat with him.

Sounds like a rushed hiring decision? Well, there are times that you just know if a guy is a perfect fit for the position, the company and for your work personality. During his first day, Joseph was able to deliver contents for a newsletter for one site and for someone who’s not familiar with the topic, I’d say he did a fantastic job. Just had a few pointers to help him craft future newsletters on the same topic.

Unfortunately, a couple of days after I hired Joseph, Typhoon Haiyan — the strongest storm of 20013 and one of the strongest typhoons in history — made landfall in the Philippines and caused massive devastation. Luckily, Joseph’s area was not hit, but he had friends from the areas that were ravaged by Typhoon Haiyan. He sent me an email that he needed a few days off to compose himself and shrug off some of the negative energies.

Joseph is 7,138 miles away, but I have a lot of faith that he’ll be right by my side virtually as we take my virtual assistant hiring to the next level!

(Guest post by Mrs. Outsourced)

My husband and I recently returned from a trip to Costa Rica.  I LOVE that outsourcing allows us so much freedom to travel and explore!  We flew into San Jose and then stayed in Jaco and Playa Langosta before flying back home after two weeks.  We had an incredible time seeing wildlife – gorgeous, brilliant flying Macaws, howler monkeys, sloths, crabs (everywhere!) – and experiencing another mode of life.  We were amazed at how many people they fit on bikes there – and how they ride and walk in the streets with cars passing whenever/wherever they please.  Traffic laws there are more like suggestions than rules.  We loved the simple food found at the “Soda Tipico” stands all over – kind of like our “cafes”.  Our favorite thing to eat was a breakfast dish called “Gallo Pinto” or “painted/spotted rooster” which is just reheated white rice with red or black beans, sauteed onions, cilantro, and Salsa Lizano (kind of like a taco sauce).  Usually it is served with fried plantains (SO good) and scrambled eggs.  Occasionally cheese bread accompanies the dish.

We paid moderate prices for beachfront vacation rentals with two bedrooms (we traveled with another couple) and both places we stayed had security guards all night, groundskeepers, and housekeepers.  While the food prices were surprisingly similar to the states – in the grocery stores as well as the restaurants, we found that the cost of labor in Costa Rica is SUPER low.  The guards are typically paid $2/hour and keep watch all night to deter petty theft, which is quite common there.

Our housekeeper – who came every other day to wash dishes, clean floors, surfaces, and bathrooms in addition to making beds, changing sheets and doing laundry – was paid $25 a week, which we learned is really generous for over there.  We joked with our friends that it would be nice to hire someone to come in and cook our meals for us and then it actually ended up happening!  One of the days our housekeeper, Flor, was working, we asked her for tips on how best to prepare a native dish, Gallo Pinto, as our attempts hadn’t turned out quite right.  She told us she’d help us make it and prepared everything right then and there, cheerfully talking about how everything was done.  We talked to her about the cheese we had bought and how odd it was – it doesn’t melt at all – but she had a great idea for how to use it, along with all the other things we had yet to use from our last shopping trip.

The next day she sent her daughter and a granddaughter over to prepare huevos rancheros and 8 plates were ready and waiting for us when we returned from surfing/boogie boarding at another beach.  SO yummy.  Or “rico” as they say in Costa Rica.    We tipped Flor from our own pockets for her assistance, but I do not know that this was expected.

Another time we were able to use the hired help was when we wanted to try fresh coconut.  We asked the groundskeeper where we could find some, he found some, shelled/husked it, poured out the coconut milk and cut it up for us.  This was after he’d prepared our fresh sugar cane for us – which we got from some strangers on the beach who ran off into the jungle to find some for us with no mention of pay, though we gave them some money anyway.  The gardener came every morning to remove dead flowers/leaves from the yard, water the plants and to sweep/rake.  He cleaned up after the howler monkeys as well.  He was paid between $2-3/hour.  We tipped him as a thank-you as well.

If we visit again we will definitely do more hiring of help to prepare our meals and if relocating here, it would be a wonderful idea to hire gardening, guarding, and housekeeping help.  They will do fabulous work for not much cost to you.

A couple of weeks ago I was invited to a “Mix & mingle with ::oDesk(“a”):: entrepreneurs”.    In the invite was the following:

Swing by, have a drink, grab some grub, and enjoy an evening of:

• Networking with fellow business owners and oDesk users
• Learning from our super-user panel of experienced contractors and clients who have successfully built their business around an online workplace
• Meeting key oDesk execs, ready to answer your questions, listen to your feedback, and share cool product developments

It was a fantastic event!   I was happy to reconnect with a few of the principles of the company and also meet and learn from other ::oDesk(“a”)::  power users.  The highlight of the evening for me was the panel of 3 ::oDesk(“a”)::  users.  One of them was a young guy from Pakistan who started out as a provider on ::oDesk(“a”)::  and then eventually saved up enough money to move to the US and is now at Stanford!   He’s even evolved from an ::oDesk(“a”)::  provider to a buyer of services on ::oDesk(“a”):: !  It was great hearing from his very unique perspective!

During the panel the “moderator” said that the three best questions from the audience would get a free ::oDesk(“a”)::  tee shirt.   During the panel I asked the fellow mentioned above the following question:

“It seems that work done via virtual assistants has become commoditized to the point where one of the main differentiating factors used to choose between providers of services is price.   We know that there are many ways to compensate service providers beyond monetarily.   We also realize that many other factors influence how much a provider enjoys their job.  I’m curious, from a provider’s point of view, what can we do besides paying more money to increase the satisfaction a provider has with their job?”

There were a handful of answers that basically conveyed the same motivations and factors are the same as in-person jobs.  One main point that was emphasized was related to “job security”.   A provider really wants to know that they will have  consistent and ongoing work.   I’ve made it a point to convey to my providers that they are doing a great job and that I’d love for them to work for me indefinitely.

At the end of the discussions the panel member were asked which questions they liked best, and two of the three thought my question was one of the best… which meant FREE ::oDesk(“a”)::  tee shirt!!!

When I got home I pulled out the shirt to take a look at what I had won.   I first notiece they went with American Apparel.  A bit of a closer look at the tag and I saw the following:

“This t-shirt was sewn by 9 people in a sweatshop-free environment in Downtown LA, where they are paid fair wages and have access to healthcare and benefits”

Like any other guy, I dislike the thought of young kids working 15 hour days in terrible conditions.   With that said, I also subscribe to some aspects of the argument that many of the people who work in “sweatshops” are making more money and are possibly still in better conditions than their alternative options.   Sure, some of our friends sewing clothing in China, India, Malasia, etc. don’t have a standard of living that is even comparable to most of those in “Downtown LA”, but I’ll venture to guess that many choose to do that type of work vs. the alternatives.    For example:  work 12 hours a day in backbreaking farm work in the sun for pennies a day or work for 10 hours a day in a “sweatshop” making 10 times as much?

I believe that many buyers, and providers also subscribe to this idea.  I’d also venture to guess that the ::oDesk(“a”)::  principles and employees also believe in outsourcing to other countries and giving people the opportunity for relatively better opportunities.   This made me wonder:  Why didn’t ::oDesk(“a”)::  eat their own dogfood and outsource their shirts to another country where the costs would have almost definitely been cheaper and quality just as high?

So, here are my questions:

1. What do you think are the best ways to motivate your virtual assistants and keep them happy?
2. Why do you think ::oDesk(“a”)::  used American Apparel shirts vs. outsourcing their shirts to somewhere cheaper?

I’m still using ::oDesk(“a”):: as my primary source for talented (and inexpensive) worker bees.  At this point I feel like I’ve got a pretty solid group of individuals and am pleased with the services they provide and the quality of their work.

With that said, keep in mind that I adjust my expectations based on the amount I’m paying.   I often joke with friends that I don’t expect a $30 pizza from Little Caesars $5 Hot-N-Ready deal.   At the same time, when I do go to a fancy-smancy pizza joint with my friends and put down $30 for a pie, I expect a pretty freakin’ amazing pizza experience.   The same applies with my virtual assistants and other workers.   Where much is given, much is required!

I’ve still been focusing on many of the same tasks that I’ve been outsourcing for years, but over the past few months I’ve been moving into more unique and quality content curation, which needs to be a bigger part of my outsourcing strategy.  Great content that is organized and presented well is definitely still king!

Here is my current ::oDesk(“a”):: roster:

Main Virtual Assistant – Philippines, $3 / hour, 10 hours / week:  This VA is AMAZING!  She’s been with me for about 9 months and I couldn’t be happier.   She’s very easy to work with and understands everything I throw at her.  She’s incredibly responsive, responsible, and intelligent.  She’s prompt and detailed with communication and is super organized.   Her primary tasks are:

• Customer support responses via email
• Research
• Data Entry
• Documentation
• Image editing
• Light writing
• Light editing

She’s only part time because she has a full time job.    I’m in the process of expanding her role and her weekly hours.   I’ll have higher expectations and will also gladly give her a raise!

Here is a note I received from her a month ago:

“You’re like the coolest boss ever and I hope you know I really appreciate all the work you’ve been giving me. I love that you’re very considerate and that I can work on a flexible schedule with you. It’s really convenient. I’d love to work for you FOREVER.“

Graphic / Web Designer – Philippines, $4 / hour, as needed: I found this guy when I put out a really simple project on oDesk for a quick $5 graphic design.  I hired 3 people to do the work and his was by far the best.   His communication skills were also excellent so I offered him a position.   I’ve given him a few miscellaneous graphic tasks and a few websites to design and he’s done a fantastic job.   I’d love to give him more work, but I struggle with reviewing and managing graphic / design based projects.

Second Virtual Assistant – Bangladesh, $1.75 / hour, 5 hours / week:  Above I mentioned the graphic project I hired 3 workers to complete…  this guy was one of them.  His graphic skills were pretty poor, so I paid him and thanked him for his work.   He came back instantly asking for more design work, but I told him I didn’t have any for him.  He asked if there was any other type of VA work he could do.  He was out of work in an area where there was a TON of unemployment.  He practically begged me to hire him at a low rate just to give him something to do.  I’d been pulled down this path before with poor results, but I gave into his plea.  His communication is pretty poor and he often needs extra explanation and easy tasks, but I’ve found him to be very responsive and a good worker.   I’ve giving him a ton of data entry, research, etc. projects that don’t require absolute attention to detail but still provide great benefits to me and my business.   Some stuff I’ll have him do the grunt work on and then pass it off to my main VA.  So far, so good!

Article Writer – Philippines, $5 / article:  I posted a job on oDesk for someone to write 10 articles for $50.  I got a TON or response… like 150 applications!  I interviewed 10 people and hired three.  I gave them each 2 articles that were the same topic and 8 which were different.   One writer came out the clear winner so after paying them all I offered the best one an ongoing task which she gladly accepted.   I’m now having her write 500 – 700 word articles for $5.00 each.   They are surprisingly good and only need a tiny bit of polishing to make them sound more like “American English”.

I had a PHP programmer on staff but I hadn’t used him in ages and when I tried to reach him I couldn’t get him so I closed the job.

In addition to the ongoing “positions” above I’ve had a few one-time projects I’ve put on oDesk:

• Converting my ad server from OpenX to DoubleClick For Publishers
• Small programming projects
• WordPress theme design
• WordPress programming

At this point my biggest priority is to keep my main VA happy and give her enough, but not too much work.   Second priority is to curate great content!  So far those things are running like a mostly well-oiled-machine.  That said, I’ve learned from previous experiences with really good people “this too shall pass” and at some point I’ll be forced to find new people.   I just hope I can keep them on-board and keep them super productive!

(UPDATE – Tonight I chatted with my main VA over IM for a few hours.  She’s excited about where things are going and has committed to 2-3 hours a day, 6 days a week.  I told her I love working with her and gave her  a 30% raise!)