Search for assistant is crucial task
I’ve worked with dozens of assistants in my career as an entrepreneur. Some came from placement agencies, others came from advertisements I posted, and I even had some come from referrals.
None were a great fit for me – and fit is the most critical element. Assistants aren’t simply people completing administrative tasks. A great assistant is an extension of you, and in the best cases, they outperform you in certain areas. An amazing assistant is the nearest thing we have on earth to a duplication machine. Their fit allows you to get more done in your business and life.
For eight years, I searched for a great personal assistant, to no avail. But now, I’m happy to report, I’ve found an amazing assistant who has given me the ability to produce at the highest levels of my career. I didn’t find her in a traditional way, and I want to share with you the four non-conventional steps I took.
1. Figure out your areas of need.
This is key because there are now personal assistants for every area of your life. I identified the places I needed the most help by examining both what I didn’t enjoy and what I had less skill at doing. Completing payroll documentation, tracking down accounts receivable and scheduling social media posts were all things I was miserable doing. I took longer to complete these tasks and did them poorly.
2. Identify people you admire who appear to be getting a lot done.
There are thousands of people with a similar business and station in life as you who are getting a lot done with the help of assistants. Leverage them. I used social media to look for people like me who were building a small business, creating an expert personal brand and who valued personal time with family. Upon digging deeper into their profiles, the “Twin Doctors,” also known as Idries and Jamil Abdur-Rahman, rose to the top of my list. They appeared to have all the attributes I admired.
Pro tip: You can also “reverse engineer” this step by first looking for personal assistants, then researching their client base to find people you admire whose circumstances seem similar to your own.
3. Track down their personal assistants.
This seems to be the hardest step, but it’s actually the easiest. It’s only human to tell the world when we have a good thing, and social media amplifies our voices. A simple scroll through a few months of social feed of the Twin Doctors and I saw several mentions of someone they referred to as “more than a publicist.” I focused on researching that person – including their projects and areas of expertise, other clients they were working with and what I could determine of their values – through their website and social media platforms.
Pro tip: If the personal assistant doesn’t get a mention in the social feed of the client, contact the client directly. Let them know you admire their work and ask if they have an assistant. Many assistants don’t work full time, and if the client has the best intentions for their personal assistant, they will want to see them get additional work.
4. Reach out to the assistant and share your areas of need.
Cast your net wide and reach out to many candidates. In my case, I happened to have had a previous professional relationship with the Twin Doctors’ assistant, so connecting with her was easier. When you reach out to the assistant, find out if the person has demonstrated expertise in the areas of need you’ve identified and whether they are able to take on new projects.
Keep in mind that your diligence in finding the assistant doesn’t guarantee they’ll be a perfect fit for you. Whenever possible, establish a trial period so you and the assistant can evaluate the relationship. Pro tip: If you don’t have the money to cover the assistant’s fees, negotiate. They may be interested in an alternative arrangement, such as a barter or a percentage of the revenue from the project they’re working on with you.
This is exactly how I found my assistant, Dr. Renee Matthews, and when I shared this strategy with a friend, she was able to find her assistant the same way.
Remember, time is the most valuable asset you have. If you don’t have an admin, you are your admin. Start your search for a personal assistant today.
Paul C. Brunson, host of USA TODAY’s video series “Uncommon Drive,” is a serial entrepreneur with three exits and a pioneering matchmaker (yes, he is the real-life “Hitch”). He also is building a school in Jamaica. Follow him on LinkedIn or Instagram for behind-thescenes footage and insights from his interviews and travels.
The views and opinions expressed in this column are the author’s and do not necessarily reflect those of USA TODAY.