Anne Samoilov

Launch & Marketing Strategy & Courses For Creative Entrepreneurs

The Ultimate Guide to Hiring An Awesome Virtual Team

virtual team

Several years ago I led the successful, busy, productive, AMAZING team over at LKRsocialmedia.com for almost 3 years. Before that offline teams in animation and visual effects. I've seen it all – growing teams, flailing teams, ones that were doomed from the start. Ones that soared without even trying.

And – as I’ve been spending more and more time with entrepreneurs who want and need their own teams for launches, growing their businesses, I see lots of mistakes.  Lots of stumbling.

Lots of frustration.

Perhaps you know what I’m talking about.  You know you need help on your launch.

You go to Upwork or HireMyMom.com or ask friends and associates for referrals.
But you don’t have the best of luck.

People up and disappear during your busiest time during a launch… or in the middle of putting your product together.

Have you experienced this?

You might not get response after you hire and pay someone.

Maybe you are never quite sure if work you’re assigning is getting done.

It all pretty much sucks the life out of you.

You spend more time doling out tasks than growing your business.

So you give up and decide to do everything again on your own.

Is any of this sounding familiar?

Well – if you are ready to get the help you need, take responsibility for your business, outsource to a virtual team, then you’ve come to the right place.

Instead of writing a series of blog posts over the next 6 months, I’ve gathered some resources that will show you the way, answer your questions and help you build your team (or wait until you need one).

Each chapter contains several links to hand-picked blog posts that show exactly how and when to build an amazing team, manage them with finesse, and know how to improve team performance as your business grows.

This will be a living resource, so bookmark this page.

Are you ready to learn how to find the best people for your online team? If so, keep reading.

virtual team

Introducing: The Ultimate Virtual Team Building Resource

Here is how you get started.  Click one of the chapter links below and you’ll jump to your desired chapter… without refreshing the page. So, pick any chapter that strikes your fancy to get started.

If you like this team building resource, please remember to share it with your friends by Tweeting it.

[Tweet “Check out: The Ultimate Virtual Team Building Resource”]

Let’s get started:

Chapter 1: When to Hire

There’s nothing worse than hiring before you are ready.  Can you say money wasted? Time down the drain?  These posts will get you started and help you make the difficult decision to hire or not to hire.  You may not want to hear that you should wait to hire, but you’ll be happy you waiting, thought about it and figured out if you were indeed ready.

Chapter 2: Identifying The Best Roles To Hire First

Once you know you’re ready to hire…now comes the hard work of identifying what role or roles to fill your first.  Here are a few posts that give some unexpected ways to build your team once you’ve given yourself the green light.

Chapter 3: Should you bootstrap or hire a full-time team?

You see the gurus, hotshots, big players all seem to have these teams.  They’ve got a person handling customer service, web development, maybe 2 of each.  Sometimes it seems like you should have a team too – in order to play pro.  Or do you?  Some of the biggest names I personally know did not have a team until they were well established and making well above 6 figures. So find out what you should do – and think about your own business as a unique entity. Not everyone needs a full-time team!

Chapter 4: How to find the right + best people for the job

Now, let’s find the best people for the job.  You’ll learn what to focus on when hiring, how to use your intuition and gut instinct, and how hiring for your company will change as your company grows.

Chapter 5: Where to find the right people

This is a starting point only. Truth is – you can find amazing people next door, in your mom’s group, on your mailing list, on craigslist. Seriously, craigslist.  So, get started – read these for some first steps, but then dive in and do your own searching!

Chapter 6: How and why you should outsource

Let’s get into the reasons why you should outsource and how to get started with little to no risk.

Chapter 7: How To improve team performance

Improving your team’s performance and productivity is more than knowing how to manage people. You must understand how to interact with human beings – so they feel motivated, engaged, interested, and actually care to do a good job. It’s an art that takes time and lots practice – and even then you don’t always get it right.

Chapter 8: Managing A Virtual Team

Managing a team, the flow of work between team members, knowing when to micromanage a bit, and when to lay off… it’s all part of the fun of managing a team of people in different time zones. Virtual teams have their own little flavor and managing them takes patience, finesse, and often long hours to be present for each person!

Chapter 9: Handling Team Problems (before they happen)

Enough said, right? These posts will get you started understanding some of the common challenges of working with a virtual team and also how to hire from the start to avoid those challenges. Wanted to share a few posts dedicated to this topic – but you can find more in the managing a team chapter!

Chapter 10: The Art of Outsourcing/Delegation

Outsourcing requires you to be a master of delegation. That’s why these two go hand in hand.  If you can delegate, then you know how to manage a group of people…which in turn means you are ready to outsource… Read on to get some insight on why to outsource, how to do it quickly and cheaply, and the long term effect it can have on your business.

Chapter 11: 3 Awesome Teams

There is magic on the teams listed below. They pull off insane launches, world-changing events, and produce massive amounts of value for their customers and audiences on a daily basis.  Remember that each of these groups grew organically over time.

Kris Carr
Marie Forleo
Meet Edgar

BONUS

If you hate Fiverr for whatever reason – don’t read the posts listed below. I think it has merits when used correctly, but I’m more for hiring long term people who spend more than 5 minutes or less on projects.  Fiverr is a great way to get your feet wet in outsourcing and delegating.

Fiverr Outsources Your Small Jobs for $5 | Lifehacker
The Ultimate Guide to Outsourcing With Fiverr | Entreresource

Okay – what's next?

There are countless resources and perspectives on building, managing, a growing a strong virtual team.

Ready to be a better boss and hire better people for your next launch?

Make sure you check out my program Fearless Launching where we talk about hiring your launch team!

I show you how to hire only the strongest supporters you can find – and what you must do yourself to ensure you are never left high and dry during a launch.

And even that doesn’t cover it all.

Got your own favorite virtual team building resources? Link them up for us all in the comments and I'll add them to the post!

Already hired your first team members? Looking for ways to grow and nurture your team?  Check out: The Advanced Guide To Growing A Thriving Team.

This episode is brought to you by:

In my free masterclass, I will walk you through 4 phases you must complete in order to have a successful launch of your online course or coaching program. Save your spot here.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  3. annesamoilov says

    Hahah Amy! Feel free to add a post or if anyone in your audience has written articles on the topic… I want to make sure this post remains a living resource!
    xoAnne

  4. annesamoilov says

    Yay Heather! If you need help with any team issues – or even deciding who you need to hire (or if at all, let me know!)

  8. Casey says

    Anne, this is an AMAZING resource for overwhelmed small business owners thinking about or wanting to grow their businesses with outsourcing. I’ll definitely be sharing and bookmarking. Thanks!

  9. Pamela Wilson says

    Wow, Anne: you’ve outdone yourself! This is getting bookmarked and saved to GetPocket to read on my iPad.

    I just recently added a second team member, so this information is coming at a perfect time for me. So far so good, but I want to be sure it’s smooth sailing ahead, too.

    Thank you so much for putting this together. I know you’ve got loads of experience in this area, so I trust your picks and can’t wait to dig into them.

  15. Chivon says

    This is the best resource list I’ve seen for this topic! Thank you so much for compiling this. I’m in the progress of looking for someone to hire for my team so this post is so timely. Thank you!

  17. annesamoilov says

    NP – Pamela! I of course practice what I preach and had help on this from an amazing person who’s unofficially part of my team – though I am very hands on… This was a labor of love that’s taken some time to put together! Let me know if you have any questions as you go through the content! :)Anne

  19. annesamoilov says

    Candace! I’ve missed you – thanks for stopping by – always appreciate the love!

    xoAnne

  20. annesamoilov says

    Awww Nathalie! Thanks for stopping by – you know I love it when I see your comments! Glad you enjoyed it! Feel free to send me any posts you come across or that you’ve written yourself! xoAnne

  21. Artist Desiree East says

    Wow, Anne…so, SO generous of you, and once again, totally Evernoted (and sharing, sharing, sharing!) I finally finished designing my new website and transitioned from the ‘blogging for fun’ world to starting my side gig as a creative coach…very excited about all of the changes, but quite overwhelmed. I like to take things slow, and focus in, before I move on to the next step, but I have def been dreaming of hiring a VA at some point, one that can help w/the back-end of things…and then, go from there, depending on my needs. This guide will def come in handy, if and when I am ready to make that transition. Thaaaank youuuu:)

  22. annesamoilov says

    So much good news in this post Desiree! So happy you’ve taken so many steps… My advice is dont’ jump into hiring a VA for awhile. Enjoy this part of the journey!
    xoAnne

  24. Zainab FH says

    This has to be most comprehensive resource ever! I just hired someone for the first time yesterday. It was great and such a relief to give work to someone who does the same job quicker than you – Saving time, money and contributing to someone’s livelihood – it was a such a high. 🙂 Thanks Anne for your timely resource.

  25. annesamoilov says

    Yay! So glad this came at the right time for you. I can’t wait to hear more about the person you hired!

  26. Sue Ann Gleason says

    Over the top amazing, Anne! I will be reading these articles and constructing my “A” team slowly and organically. Thank you for compiling this list and “seeing” our struggles as we learn how to delegate tasks and build teams that show up fully.

  27. Donna says

    I agree Amy – Insane. Just pinned it to my top blog posts, Evernote, and various other places so I don’t lose it! ha ha. Thanks Anne. I am loving your blog more and more with each post…thanks for sharing on your page Amy (though I am already subscribed…) :o)

  28. Brian Terry says

    Hi Anne – Outsourcing is how you break from the dollars for hours trap so thank you for creating such a superb resource for anyone already outsourcing or only just thinking about it.

    I like how you’ve assembled the minds of some of the most expert people in the world on the subject of outsourcing, then handed everything to us on a plate.

    You’d normally have to pay good money for this level of training. Thanks again!

  29. Alicia says

    Wow Anne, this is MEGA!

    As you know I’ve had difficulties with outsourcing and finding my right-hand-got-yer-back-team-member so this is an amazing resource to refer to while I continue my search. Thanks SO much for pulling together such a comprehensive guide (and sharing it with us :)) Yowzers…

  30. Prerna@The Mom Writes says

    This is super, Anne! You are always spot on with your tips and advice, but this tutorial is just mind-blowing.. I’m about to hire another person for our small team and this will come very handy!

  32. annesamoilov says

    Dude – you are not the only one who struggles with hiring even one person who really has your back. Let me know if you need any specific questions answered! xoAnne

  33. annesamoilov says

    Prerna! I saw your post yesterday – and then I knew you’d like this resource! I may have someone to recommend if you haven’t found your right person yet!
    Let me know!

  34. Lauren Forest says

    Anne, my friend, you always over-deliver!
    This post is a great resource in itself 🙂 Not only am I adding this to my bookmarks, it’s going onto the bookmarks “toolbar” so I can get to it fast.
    As always – xoxo,
    -Lauren

  37. Janice says

    This was an amazing find, I so appreciate this huge resource -just in time, as I’m beginning to plan my Talisman/Amulet launch. CHeers!

  41. Jason "J-Ryze" Fonceca says

    Like everyone else, I’m pretty impressed with this, Anne. What a wonderful resource to offer people.

    I’m pretty passionate about adding value, but all I can think to add for this is a brief note.

    Learning all this stuff is great, but there does exist company owners who know little-to-nothing about hiring, that still do well. It’s because they knew just enough to hire one good person: A Staffing/HR Person 🙂 — something to keep in mind, if all this incredible info isn’t for you, but even so, it could help you find your HR hire, too 😉

    Keep ryzin’!

  42. John Cosstick says

    Hi Anne,

    What an important idea! There are many solopreneurs today that will ultimately come face to face with the productivity question of whether to limit their business growth or outsource. You have hit upon the solution – outsource smart! Many people will be thankful for the work that you have done in helping them outsource without going through the stress of trial and error in refining the outsourcing process. Thank you.

    Kind regards.

    John Cosstick

  43. Jen says

    Wow – this is amazing and comes at the perfect time for me as well as I’m currently building my team. I had already hired one person who just wasn’t the right fit. Wish I had seen this first! 😉 I will be coming back to this again and again and reading all of these wonderful resources before I hire my next team member! Thank you.

  44. Laurie Rosenfeld says

    Holy cow — is this for real?! Anne, this is generosity of the Highest Order! Timing could not be better since I have a VA and an intern working with me and more to add in the coming year. Psyched to dig into this! xoxo

  45. social media says

    Do you mind if I quote a few of your posts as long as
    I provide credit and sources back to your blog?

    My blog is in the exact same niche as yours and my users would definitely benefit from some of
    the information you present here. Please let me know if this okay with you.

    Regards!

  48. annesamoilov says

    Glad you liked it – another one is coming soon taking this topic to the advanced level!

Trackbacks

  3. […] If you hate doing your bookkeeping and put it off until it becomes a massive burden, just delegate it to someone who enjoys it. Instead of wasting your time doing this task, you can delegate it to a bookkeeper for a very reasonable cost. This frees up your time to generate more business which is what really matters. People look at the most successful people in the world and see that they don’t spend their time doing tasks they hate but they assume this is a perk of being successful. In actuality, this is how you become successful. By building a team and training them properly you can essentially clone yourself. There are some things that only you can do, but most things can be done by someone who is particularly good at that specific task. You don’t need to and can’t do everything yourself. Here is a great guide to hiring a virtual team put together by Anne Samoilov. […]