I’m the type of person who asks for forgiveness rather than for permission.

I tend to jump in, before I know exactly how to make it work.

I rarely read instructions.

These were all good things helping me figure out how to outsource correctly. There was no manual when I started.  Heck, there wasn’t even OnlineJobs.ph, which makes it so much easier.

If you’re like me, you’ve likely already hired OFS.
You’ve jumped in. You’ve made mistakes. You’ve figured it out.

But a lot of people aren’t like me, so I want to simplify things so that if you haven’t yet hired someone, you can feel a bit more comfortable.

Nearly every day I hear from someone who says “I just wish I would have done this sooner!” I almost never hear “Man…I should have waited another year before hiring.”

Here’s the simple of what hiring an OFS looks like (these are normal concerns I hear):

– Posting a job isn’t right or wrong. If you’re scared about doing it wrong, just post the job. Chances of you doing it wrong is super low.  And, if you don’t find the right person, we’ll give your money back.

– Narrowing down candidates is easier than you think.  You don’t have to have a bunch of tricks. It doesn’t take a ton of time. Just ask people questions.

– The prospect of hiring someone is daunting. The prospect of continuing to run your business without help is worse.

– Taxes are a non issue. The OFS is not an “employee”. There’s no way to W2 them. You don’t send them a 1099. They’re not in the USA and you don’t have a presence in the Philippines. There’s no “withholding”, no compliance, no regulations.*

– You can’t trust the person you’re hiring any more (or any less) than if you were hiring someone in your office. The Philippines culture makes this trust way easier. But you won’t see that until you try it. (my OFS have my credit card, bank account, home address, access to my email, …)

– Paying people is easy. Use EasyPay. Or Wise. Or Paypal. Just pay people on time.

– The easiest way to start is to hire someone to do something you know how to do and can teach someone. It’s the best case scenario for you. You get something off your plate and immediately stop feeling overwhelmed. You know what to write in your job description, what skills you’re looking for, how to train, how to give feedback, what outcomes look like.  Outsource this first.
As soon as you accomplish the first thing with your new OFS you’ll see the light at the end of the tunnel. Worlds of opportunity open up. You start becoming the CEO.

– “Do what you’re good at and outsource the rest” is the worst advice I’ve ever heard. Outsource what you know how to do. It’s easy.

– You can hire full-time. You can hire part-time. You can hire hourly. You can hire per project. You can hire however you want. We don’t dictate what you can or can’t do. Just hire someone. Generally offering a full-time job with a salary is going to be better for them (and for you) in the long run.

– You hire someone after interviewing them by saying “Hey, you seem like a good fit for us, I want to offer you a job. When can you start?”  That’s it.

To some of you, this email feels like, “duh!” this is so obvious.
To others, I hope this offers you a path forward.

If you’ve been thinking about hiring an OFS but aren’t sure, the best way is to take two steps forward.  1. search resumes on OnlineJobs.ph. Look at what people can do. 2. Post a job on OnlineJobs.ph.  The rest will follow.

Everything I offer (OnlineJobs.ph, OneVAAway.com, VAsMadeEasy.com) comes with a full guarantee. If something doesn’t work out, just let us know and we’ll give your money back. We don’t want it if we don’t earn it. No hoops to jump through.

John

*Don’t listen to anything I say about taxes. I’m not an accountant or a CPA or an attorney. But…I have consulted with multiple of each. What we say is correct.