When you are looking for a vested partner, your goal should be someone with an entrepreneurial mindset who understands what it takes to not only get up and running, but who knows how to thrive in business. While you can certainly choose an offshore call center to help manage day to day tasks, you will be missing out on the bigger part of your business success, a trusted like-minded entrepreneur.

“Which do you think will build a stronger company over time? A technically competent team of people who share no collective set of motivations, styles or goals – or – a technically competent team of people who are united by a clearly articulated set of values and expectations the CEO has both described to them and tested for during the interview process? It’s not a trick question.” Hunter Walk

Finding the right fit goes beyond technical skills or a likeable personality. It takes a certain kind of individual to start and operate a company. A degree or a previous title doesn’t make you an entrepreneur.  It also isn’t about someone who wants to turn a hobby into a 9-5 job or someone who only wants to cut a paycheck. There is more to it than that.

Owning and operating your own business requires a commitment to 24/7/365 days a year. It isn’t something you just dabble in “willy nilly.” In the beginning you may be wearing all of the hats, living and breathing every facet of the business, even in your sleep. There is no rest. No downtime.

The Entrepreneur:

• Methodical
• Courageous
• Strong time management and planning
• Organized
• Productive
• Strategic
• Critical thinker
• Insightful
• Intuitive
• Communicator
• Enthusiastic
• Problem solver
• Overly committed
• Driven
• Innovative
• Ability to pivot
• Open to change
• Ready for failure
• Readiness to begin again

These are innate qualities that you will never learn in business school.

It is what is in your head. What lives in your heart. How you survive and thrive in life.

Dan Schawbel, founder of Millennial Branding says: “To be perfectly blunt, people with hard skills are a dime a dozen. A high-school kid can probably learn most of the hard skills that would be required to do just about any job, but it’s doubtful that he or she would have the emotional maturity and people skills to make it in a Fortune 200 company.”

In the search for your virtual assistant, think about the match that is most important to you. What do you value most?

You are secure on who YOU are as well as the value and expertise you bring to your clients and the marketplace. Don’t you want and need the same type of support from your team? Someone who fully understands your needs, culture and business?

“Formal education will make you a living, self-education will make you a fortune.” Jim Rohn

Who is the best fit for your company? When interviewing your prospective virtual assistants, due diligence is a necessity. Not just a quick SKYPE interaction.

• Learn about them. Why did they get into the business? Here’s my story.
• What struggles have they faced and how did they overcome them.
• What are their goals?
• Speak with their past and current clients.
• Read their online testimonials.
• Google them: what social media platforms do they use? Is their branding consistent? What types of posts do they write? Is their blog up to date?
• What personality traits present most strongly in their online communications?
• Do you feel that they are transparent and open?

Find the real treasure, the driven entrepreneurial virtual assistant who is truly devoted to your dreams of success.

Look for a partner, not an automated task doer.