Updated 2026: In 2009, I wrote about hiring my first full-time virtual assistant and how outsourcing transformed my productivity almost overnight. The specific membership program I used to learn outsourcing is long gone, but the principles of effective outsourcing are more relevant than ever for part-time internet entrepreneurs.
Why Outsourcing Matters for Part-Time Entrepreneurs
When you are building an internet business on the side of a full-time job, time is your most precious resource. You have maybe two to three hours per night, and some of that gets eaten by family obligations, household tasks, and the occasional need to sleep. Outsourcing lets you multiply those limited hours by having other people handle tasks that do not require your personal expertise or decision-making.
In 2009, I was running AdSense sites, affiliate sites, my own products, multiple blogs, and trying to grow all of them simultaneously. Doing everything myself was unsustainable. When I finally hired my first full-time assistant, the improvement was immediate and dramatic. I got roughly four times more output for half the cost compared to the ad hoc freelancing I had been doing previously.
The Three Outsourcing Challenges
Back then, I identified three core challenges with outsourcing that are still relevant today:
- Finding good people. The talent pool for virtual assistants and freelancers has exploded since 2009. Platforms like Upwork, Fiverr, OnlineJobs.ph, and specialized agencies make it easier than ever to find skilled help. But “easier” does not mean “easy.” You still need to vet candidates carefully, check references, and start with small test projects before committing to ongoing work.
- Training the people. This is where most outsourcing relationships fail. You cannot hand someone a vague description and expect great results. Document your processes with screen recordings and step-by-step instructions. Tools like Loom make it trivially easy to create training videos. The time you invest in clear documentation pays back exponentially.
- Keeping them busy. If you are paying someone for forty hours a week, you need to have forty hours of work planned. This requires you to think ahead about your business priorities and maintain a task queue. Project management tools like Asana, Trello, or ClickUp make this manageable even for solo entrepreneurs.
What to Outsource First
If you have never outsourced before, start with tasks that are:
- Repetitive and well-defined. Content formatting, image editing, social media scheduling, email management, and data entry are all excellent first outsourcing candidates.
- Not dependent on your unique expertise. Tasks that require your specific knowledge, voice, or decision-making authority should stay with you, at least initially.
- Time-consuming relative to their value. If you spend two hours a week on a task that someone else could do for twenty dollars, outsourcing it frees you to spend those two hours on activities that generate more than twenty dollars in value.
Outsourcing in 2026: What Has Changed
The outsourcing landscape has evolved significantly:
- AI handles many tasks that used to require a person. Content research, basic image creation, email drafting, and data analysis can often be handled by AI tools faster and cheaper than human assistants. Consider whether AI can handle a task before hiring someone for it.
- Specialized freelancers are more accessible. You can find experts in nearly any skill on freelance platforms. Need a podcast editor, a WordPress developer, or an SEO specialist? They are available on demand.
- Communication tools are better. Slack, Notion, Loom, and similar tools make it easy to collaborate asynchronously with remote workers across time zones.
- Global talent pools are deeper. Skilled virtual assistants are available from the Philippines, Eastern Europe, Latin America, and elsewhere at price points that work for small businesses.
The Bottom Line
If you are trying to build an internet business in a few hours per night, outsourcing is not optional. It is essential. Start small, document everything, and gradually hand off more tasks as you build trust with your team. The goal is to spend your limited time on the activities that only you can do: strategy, content creation, and relationship building.
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What kind of items do these virtual assistants help with?
Well, the method that is taught by these guys is to hire full time people overseas. You can find people that can do just about everything from programming to SEO to content creation, etc. Of course, cost varies as a function of experience and skill. Still, it is very affordable.
The person that I hired is a general purpose writer with decent (but not fantastic) English writing skills. I plan to use her to research and write draft content for several niche blogs to start. I also plan to teach her article marketing and other SEO stuff that I am currently not getting done myself.
But to answer your question — anything that you want.
What’s a typical hourly rate and minimum monthly payment for someone to do some website/SEO work?
@Sean — it is all over the place. You can get someone to do entry level secretarial tasks for as little as $200 USD per month (maybe less). Writers with some decent English skills cost a little more, and great writers cost more (and are harder to find). Programmers can be had for $400 USD per month and higher.
@Mark: Good to know that you are able to find external help and are happy with it. Biggest issue with outsourcing is communication. If you can get the person on phone and the person understands you it works great.
How did you go about ‘finding’ the right person? Forums? Freelancing sites?
@Jeet — I used the method that they recommended in the membership site — I found resumes that looked like a match, then I send a detailed email that specified what I was looking for and asked a few questions about skills. I gave a lot of details about the kind of work I wanted done. When I got replies, I picked the few best ones and asked them to do a “trial task.” I “hired” the best one on a 2 week trial basis. I am in that trial right now. So far so good.
I am a part time internet marketer as well, and I have been outsourcing for quite sometime. I actually found a great VA on Twitter. I also found someone on Odesk, but I used her there for a couple jobs, and then convinced her to go with me outside of their framework on a weekly basis and it has worked out well.
I think that anytime you can spend money to make money, it is well worth it, and when you are a part timer, every bit of your time is well worth any investment made wisely,
AL
@Allyn — yep. I have used people for single tasks, but I have not made the leap to full time until now. I am pretty excited about the prospect of having someone working all night while I sleep….
I’m looking to do some outsourcing for my future online ventures. As of right now I’m a full time marketer making some money but I would certainly enjoy the help!
I’ve been looking for full time writers as well. I’ve tried to hire someone from Agents of Value but the English skills weren’t as good as I wanted them to be. There are several other services available but most will have you pay $700 – $1500 per month for one writer (Philippine based).
Since the average income of someone from the Philippines is $400 a month I would rather hire one directly instead of going through a company.
Did you hire Jasmine directly or through an agency?
/Mikael
There are a lot of good VA’s in the Philippines. And its always better you do work with them instead of outsourcing it in an Indian SEO firm because Filipinos quite communicate so well. I’m optimizing my seach engine marketing for the couple of new sites that I have and most of the work I outsource it in the Philippines.