For most the idea of a four hour work week seems impossible. The four hour work day, on the other hand, is certainly attainable. I've set off on the path of working just 20 hours a week. That's four hours a day from Monday to Friday. I'm not there yet, but I'm on the way. In June, I made a big decision. I hired my first virtual staff member. Virtual staff will be key to my achieving the four hour work day (and maybe one day the four hour work week).
The difference between outsourcing and virtual staff
Before we get into the process that I undertook to locate my first virtual staff member, I want to talk about the difference between outsourcing and employing virtual staff.
When you outsource you contract work to another person or business for a defined period of time or for a defined project. The freelancer might be local or foreign, virtual or not. In this case, the period of interaction is restricted to a limited period of time.
Hiring virtual staff is the same as hiring non-virtual staff. These people are not freelancers or contractors, they are staff members. The distinction is important. In hiring virtual staff you are employing a person on either a part-time or full-time basis (I recommend full-time) to work for and with you over the long-term.
Freelancers and virtual staff compared
Cost:
Hiring freelancers is generally more expensive. Often paid per hour or per task.
Virtual staff are more cost effective as they are part-time or full-time.
Flexibility:
Freelancers are often specialists.
Virtual staff can assist with a wider range of tasks.
Relationship:
Virtual staff are more likely to form a relationship based on ongoing contact.
Freelancers will move to where the work is.
Investment:
Virtual staff require training and will use the knowledge in future with their employer.
Freelancers take their knowledge with them to other contracts.
I am not suggesting that you should not hire freelancers. However, you must understand when to use a freelancer and when to use virtual staff. If, for example, you require a new logo, a freelancer will be well suited to the task. This requires a specialist. So, use freelancers for projects and virtual staff to help you with your day-to-day operations.
Finding virtual staff
My first foray into outsourcing started at Odesk. I took a look at Elance too but just didn't like the interface. At Odesk, I hired a lady to transcribe some audio. She did a decent job. This was outsourcing a project though. I offered her ongoing work as a virtual assistant but she was only interested in her specialty. We never really got to form a strong relationship.
Later, I advertised on Odesk for a full-time staff member but the response I received was not to the standard I desired.
I've also used fiverr.com for a few freelance tasks. These were article writing and SEO marketing tasks. I got what I paid for and was happy with that. However, there was no relationship to speak of. I will continue to use fiverr.com for small once-off tasks. It's well worth a look.
These days I use onlinejobs.ph. It's a great site that is dedicated to connected employers with staff located in The Philippines. For a modest fee (up to $50/month) you get access to all of the resumes in the database. Just try to hire anyone for $50! It's a steal. You can find staff who can help you with all aspects of your business (or life). There are programmers, SEO marketers, customer service reps, designers, assistants and more. This is probably the best site I've found in the last 12 months.
Why The Philippines?
Filipino tug of warBefore I got serious about hiring a virtual staff member I did a lot of research. The experts - Dan Andrews, John Jonas, Chris Ducker & Tyrone Shum - all advocated hiring only Filipino staff. I dug deeper to find out why.
It's simply a cultural thing. Filipinos are hard-working, loyal and honest. They want to work and will do a great job in order to impress their employer. Also, there is a degree of prestige in working for a foreign employer. This isn't the same attitude as you will find in prospects from the sub-continent or eastern Europe or Africa. Now, I have nothing against any of these regions. I have only even hired staff from The Philippines and North America, so I personally cannot speak of issues when hiring from elsewhere. What I can say however is that even in the responses to my search for staff, those from The Philippines stood out from the crowd.
An additional benefit for me is that The Philippines is very close to Australia. There's only a 2 hour time difference and that means I can converse with my staff in real time when required.
My first virtual employee
Jeffrey is my first employee. He is a young man from Iligan City. I found his resume on onlinejobs.ph and contacted him directly. He replied within the hour with a wonderful email. He is very passionate and has decent experience. After a couple of days of thinking, I offered him the position. Jeffrey is assisting me with traffic generation and website development and maintenance. He consistently does more than I ask. His dedication is infectious. I find myself wanting to work with as much intensity as he does.
How this helps me
Jeffrey's main tasks are:
SEO marketing
website development, and
website maintenance
This frees me up to do the things that are important to my online business development (and also the things that I like to do). I determined that my most important tasks are:
creating compelling content
developing valuable products and services
interacting with my online community
These are the only tasks that I am now completing. Jeffrey now takes care of the things that I was previously neglecting or doing badly or despising as I tried to get them done.
It's win-win
I want to make it perfectly clear that I am not just giving the shitty tasks to Jeffrey. Before hiring him I asked him what his ideal job would be. Based on his response I now provide tasks that fit his dream job. And it means I can now complete the work I like.
From a financial perspective I now have a staff member who I pay a fraction of what a less qualified local person would cost and I don't have to worry about taxes and other associated staff costs. And Jeffrey is getting paid a wage that is comparable to a good local wage. Shortly, he will get a raise and will be earning more than most of his friends.
Adam, are you really working four hours a day?
I'm well on the way to working four hours a day. It doesn't happy each and every day. At present, I work in a focused way for around four hours then I get home a fiddle around with a few bits and pieces. As I get things organised a bit more I will clearly define work and non-work times.
Today, I will work no more than four hours.
What you can do right now
Regardless of your job or your life goals, I guarantee a virtual employee can help you. There is benefit in getting assistance just for your personal life if not for your business. You may think you can't find 40 hours of work for someone. You can. And it won't cost much. Yesterday I found someone who wanted full-time work for what equated to AU$100 a month. At that price, it doesn't matter what they do for you and it doesn't matter if you only have 20 hours of work to start with.
If you are serious about the four hour work day, hire a virtual employee now.
The difference between outsourcing and virtual staff
Before we get into the process that I undertook to locate my first virtual staff member, I want to talk about the difference between outsourcing and employing virtual staff.
When you outsource you contract work to another person or business for a defined period of time or for a defined project. The freelancer might be local or foreign, virtual or not. In this case, the period of interaction is restricted to a limited period of time.
Hiring virtual staff is the same as hiring non-virtual staff. These people are not freelancers or contractors, they are staff members. The distinction is important. In hiring virtual staff you are employing a person on either a part-time or full-time basis (I recommend full-time) to work for and with you over the long-term.
Freelancers and virtual staff compared
Cost:
Hiring freelancers is generally more expensive. Often paid per hour or per task.
Virtual staff are more cost effective as they are part-time or full-time.
Flexibility:
Freelancers are often specialists.
Virtual staff can assist with a wider range of tasks.
Relationship:
Virtual staff are more likely to form a relationship based on ongoing contact.
Freelancers will move to where the work is.
Investment:
Virtual staff require training and will use the knowledge in future with their employer.
Freelancers take their knowledge with them to other contracts.
I am not suggesting that you should not hire freelancers. However, you must understand when to use a freelancer and when to use virtual staff. If, for example, you require a new logo, a freelancer will be well suited to the task. This requires a specialist. So, use freelancers for projects and virtual staff to help you with your day-to-day operations.
Finding virtual staff
My first foray into outsourcing started at Odesk. I took a look at Elance too but just didn't like the interface. At Odesk, I hired a lady to transcribe some audio. She did a decent job. This was outsourcing a project though. I offered her ongoing work as a virtual assistant but she was only interested in her specialty. We never really got to form a strong relationship.
Later, I advertised on Odesk for a full-time staff member but the response I received was not to the standard I desired.
I've also used fiverr.com for a few freelance tasks. These were article writing and SEO marketing tasks. I got what I paid for and was happy with that. However, there was no relationship to speak of. I will continue to use fiverr.com for small once-off tasks. It's well worth a look.
These days I use onlinejobs.ph. It's a great site that is dedicated to connected employers with staff located in The Philippines. For a modest fee (up to $50/month) you get access to all of the resumes in the database. Just try to hire anyone for $50! It's a steal. You can find staff who can help you with all aspects of your business (or life). There are programmers, SEO marketers, customer service reps, designers, assistants and more. This is probably the best site I've found in the last 12 months.
Why The Philippines?
Filipino tug of warBefore I got serious about hiring a virtual staff member I did a lot of research. The experts - Dan Andrews, John Jonas, Chris Ducker & Tyrone Shum - all advocated hiring only Filipino staff. I dug deeper to find out why.
It's simply a cultural thing. Filipinos are hard-working, loyal and honest. They want to work and will do a great job in order to impress their employer. Also, there is a degree of prestige in working for a foreign employer. This isn't the same attitude as you will find in prospects from the sub-continent or eastern Europe or Africa. Now, I have nothing against any of these regions. I have only even hired staff from The Philippines and North America, so I personally cannot speak of issues when hiring from elsewhere. What I can say however is that even in the responses to my search for staff, those from The Philippines stood out from the crowd.
An additional benefit for me is that The Philippines is very close to Australia. There's only a 2 hour time difference and that means I can converse with my staff in real time when required.
My first virtual employee
Jeffrey is my first employee. He is a young man from Iligan City. I found his resume on onlinejobs.ph and contacted him directly. He replied within the hour with a wonderful email. He is very passionate and has decent experience. After a couple of days of thinking, I offered him the position. Jeffrey is assisting me with traffic generation and website development and maintenance. He consistently does more than I ask. His dedication is infectious. I find myself wanting to work with as much intensity as he does.
How this helps me
Jeffrey's main tasks are:
SEO marketing
website development, and
website maintenance
This frees me up to do the things that are important to my online business development (and also the things that I like to do). I determined that my most important tasks are:
creating compelling content
developing valuable products and services
interacting with my online community
These are the only tasks that I am now completing. Jeffrey now takes care of the things that I was previously neglecting or doing badly or despising as I tried to get them done.
It's win-win
I want to make it perfectly clear that I am not just giving the shitty tasks to Jeffrey. Before hiring him I asked him what his ideal job would be. Based on his response I now provide tasks that fit his dream job. And it means I can now complete the work I like.
From a financial perspective I now have a staff member who I pay a fraction of what a less qualified local person would cost and I don't have to worry about taxes and other associated staff costs. And Jeffrey is getting paid a wage that is comparable to a good local wage. Shortly, he will get a raise and will be earning more than most of his friends.
Adam, are you really working four hours a day?
I'm well on the way to working four hours a day. It doesn't happy each and every day. At present, I work in a focused way for around four hours then I get home a fiddle around with a few bits and pieces. As I get things organised a bit more I will clearly define work and non-work times.
Today, I will work no more than four hours.
What you can do right now
Regardless of your job or your life goals, I guarantee a virtual employee can help you. There is benefit in getting assistance just for your personal life if not for your business. You may think you can't find 40 hours of work for someone. You can. And it won't cost much. Yesterday I found someone who wanted full-time work for what equated to AU$100 a month. At that price, it doesn't matter what they do for you and it doesn't matter if you only have 20 hours of work to start with.
If you are serious about the four hour work day, hire a virtual employee now.