7 Signs You’re NOT Ready to Work with a Virtual Assistant

02/25/25 • 40 min

Episode Summary

In this episode of the Make Space for More podcast, Melissa Swink discusses the seven signs that hint at the fact that you might not be ready to work with a virtual assistant or build a team. She emphasizes the importance of recognizing personal readiness, overcoming cashflow challenges, prioritizing relationships, and establishing clear goals. The conversation also touches on the need for organization and trust in hiring processes, providing you with actionable insights to prepare for successful team building!

Key Highlights:

Building a team can make your business more enjoyable and manageable.
There are stages to hiring; you don't have to jump in fully.
You need to be ready to embrace a new role in your business.
Trust issues with delegation can stem from past experiences that need to be addressed.
Start where you are and take steps to prepare for hiring.

About Melissa:

Melissa Swink, Founder & CEO of Melissa Swink & Co., has a team of virtual assistants who provide administrative and marketing support for small businesses and non-profits.

Since 2012, Melissa and her team have helped more than 100 businesses grow through the services they offer, and she is dedicated to helping entrepreneurs create profitable, scalable businesses they love.

Her work is all about doing what works (and eliminating what doesn’t) and driving real, measurable results. Visit www.melissaswink.com to learn more!

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Episode Summary

Key Highlights:

Building a team can make your business more enjoyable and manageable.
There are stages to hiring; you don't have to jump in fully.
You need to be ready to embrace a new role in your business.
Trust issues with delegation can stem from past experiences that need to be addressed.
Start where you are and take steps to prepare for hiring.

About Melissa:

Melissa Swink, Founder & CEO of Melissa Swink & Co., has a team of virtual assistants who provide administrative and marketing support for small businesses and non-profits.

Her work is all about doing what works (and eliminating what doesn’t) and driving real, measurable results. Visit www.melissaswink.com to learn more!

Thanks for listening!

Subscribe to the podcast

If you would like to get automatic updates of new podcast episodes, you can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher. You can also subscribe in your favorite podcast app.

Leave us an Apple Podcast review

Previous Episode

5 Goals a Virtual Assistant Can Help You Achieve

Episode Summary

In this episode of the Make Space for More podcast, host Melissa Swink discusses five common goals that virtual assistants can help leaders achieve. These goals include increasing revenue, achieving work-life balance, learning new skills, improving health and wellness, and building work relationships. Each goal is explored in-depth, with practical examples of how virtual assistants can provide support, streamline tasks, and ultimately help you reach each goal.

Key Highlights:

Reverse-engineer your goals by working backward to see how you can get support to reach each of them.
Virtual assistants can help you make more money, improve your work/life balance, learn new skills, improve your health, and deepen professional relationships.

About Melissa:

Melissa Swink, Founder & CEO of Melissa Swink & Co., has a team of virtual assistants who provide administrative and marketing support for small businesses and non-profits.

Her work is all about doing what works (and eliminating what doesn’t) and driving real, measurable results. Visit www.melissaswink.com to learn more!

Thanks for listening!

Subscribe to the podcast

If you would like to get automatic updates of new podcast episodes, you can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher. You can also subscribe in your favorite podcast app.

Leave us an Apple Podcast review

Next Episode

Why Letting Go of Control is the Key to Business Growth

Episode Summary

In this episode of the Make Space for More podcast, host Melissa Swink and guest Marissa Rether (Senior VA on the Melissa Swink & Co. team) discuss the importance of building trust with virtual assistants and the challenges of letting go of control in your business. They explore the mindset shifts necessary for effective delegation, the significance of clear communication and expectations, and actionable steps to foster a successful working relationship when you’re working with a virtual team. Tune in to learn why trust leads to freedom, allowing business owners to focus on growth and scaling their operations!

Key Highlights:

Building trust with your virtual assistant is crucial for success.
Letting go of control can be intimidating but is necessary for growth.
Clear expectations help set the foundation for a successful working relationship.
Communication should be frequent and proactive to avoid misunderstandings.
Delegating tasks you dislike can free up mental energy and time.
Feedback is essential for improving the working relationship with your VA.
Establishing standard operating procedures (SOPs) can ease the delegation process.
Trusting your team allows you to focus on higher-level tasks.
Successful delegation leads to business scalability and reduced burnout.

About Our Guest:

Marissa Rether holds a BA in psychology and has spent the past decade supporting entrepreneurs and building businesses—first as a Professional Organizer and now as a Virtual Assistant. Her passion lies in system strategy, and whether she is integrating a tech stack or supporting a course launch from behind the scenes, she is always seeking opportunities to improve efficiency.

In her free time, she can usually be found on her 80-acre homestead in Northern Ontario, Canada. She enjoys reading, hiking, and, most importantly, spending quality time with her family.

About Melissa:

Melissa Swink, Founder & CEO of Melissa Swink & Co., has a team of virtual assistants who provide administrative and marketing support for small businesses and non-profits.

Her work is all about doing what works (and eliminating what doesn’t) and driving real, measurable results. Visit www.melissaswink.com to learn more!

Thanks for listening!

Subscribe to the podcast

If you would like to get automatic updates of new podcast episodes, you can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher. You can also subscribe in your favorite podcast app.

Leave us an Apple Podcast review

Make Space For More - 7 Signs You’re NOT Ready to Work with a Virtual Assistant

Transcript

Melissa Swink (00:01.528)

Hi everyone, welcome to the Make Space for More podcast where we talk strategies for growing and scaling your business in a way that's authentic and aligned for you. I'm your host, Melissa Swink, and In today's episode, we're gonna talk about seven signs that you might not be ready to work with a virtual assistant. And I would even expand virtual assistant to hire an employee or to build a team, whatever.

stage that you're at in your business or organiza