Delegation Isn’t a Shortcut: What Hiring a VA Really Costs (Before It Pays Off)

This week has been an unexpectedly revealing lesson in the true cost, both in time and money, of hiring a virtual assistant.

For the past few months, I’ve been increasingly aware that I’m leaving money on the table. Not because the opportunities aren’t there, but because I simply don’t have the time to execute everything that needs doing for my podcast, Sex Advice for Seniors. Running the podcast and maintaining its associated social channels takes up a considerable amount of time, time that is currently not reflected in the revenue I’m generating, which makes the imbalance increasingly hard to ignore.

Podcast experts, especially generous strangers on Reddit, have offered plenty of free advice on how I could increase revenue with relatively small tweaks. Right now, I have paid Substack subscribers, a couple of brand deals bringing in a few hundred dollars a month, affiliate links generating a few hundred more, and a small amount of ad revenue from Facebook Reels, YouTube, and TikTok on top of that. All of it has grown steadily over the past three years since I started the podcast on a whim, initially just because me and Peter Marriott thought it would be fun. That curiosity snowballed into a multi platform presence, that has generated hundreds of thousands of downloads, millions of views, with clear earning potential.

The problem, juggling it all alongside my other commitments, is exhausting.

So when I saw someone on Reddit offering a one week VA trial, followed by ongoing work at an affordable rate, it felt like a low risk way to test whether delegation could actually work for me. The obvious candidates were graphics, thumbnails, short form video clips, and captions, important, repeatable tasks that eat time.

Where Things Got Complicated, Fast

The first thing I learned was that my usual, haphazard way of giving instructions simply wouldn’t cut it, especially with someone for whom English isn’t a first language. This is where ChatGPT earned its keep, helping me turn scattered thoughts into a structured brief with clear tasks and outcomes.

Then came the admin overhead, granting access to Riverside.fm, Descript, Canva, and other tools. Necessary, but time consuming - especially when the software detects the VA’s IP is not in the same country as the account owner (two step authentication nightmare, anyone?).

At the same time, I decided it would be helpful to create a proper Brand Guide and a set of YouTube templates so the VA had something concrete to work from. This is where I went badly wrong.

I hired a designer on Fiverr, someone I’d worked with before on a very simple resizing job. This time, I failed to apply the same rigour I’d used with the VA brief. Within days, I was receiving images that were not just unusable, but borderline surreal. One made me look like a ghost who had wandered into the depths of hell. I told him it was scary.

The brand guide was no better, dark, moody colours that were completely at odds with the fun, informative nature of my content. Once again, ChatGPT came to the rescue, helping me rethink the colour palette and rebuild the guide from scratch in a way that actually made sense.

The lesson was painfully clear, clear objectives matter more than talent. If you don’t define what good looks like, you won’t get it, no matter how experienced the person you hire.

Three days later, I cut my losses, paid far too much for a Substack header, the only thing I was remotely happy with, and finished the rest of the work myself.

The VA Experiment, Thankfully, Redeemed Itself

Meanwhile, my trial VA got off to a strong start. His work needed refinement, but it was thoughtful, careful, and showed real potential. Encouraged, I’ve now assigned him my next podcast episode using a revised brief, this time formatted as a checklist, making expectations crystal clear.

And I’m not stopping there.

I’ve also been speaking with a podcast VA I found via LinkedIn, someone with real experience in analytics, brand partnerships, and collaborations with other podcasters, all areas I actively avoid. She’s based abroad, comes highly experienced, and I can already see how much value she’d add to what is slowly becoming a small team.

Yes, it means spending more money. But I’m increasingly convinced that with the right part time support, I can finally move faster, reach more people interested in maintaining or creating a better sex life for themselves and that the revenue will eventually catch up.

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In Summary, If You’re Going to Hire a VA

• Expect an upfront time cost. Delegation isn’t instant relief, it requires setup, documentation, and patience.

• Get your briefs right. Clear, written instructions with defined outcomes matter more than enthusiasm or experience.

• Assume nothing. Especially around brand, tone, and visuals, spell everything out.

• Use tools to support clarity. ChatGPT, checklists, and templates are not shortcuts, they’re force multipliers.

• Trial before committing. A short test period reveals far more than a portfolio ever will.

• Pay attention to where you add friction. Poor processes cost more than bad hires.

• View help as an investment, not an expense. The goal isn’t saving money, it’s buying back time and momentum.

If you’ve been thinking about hiring a VA but hesitating because it feels like more work, you’re not wrong. But done properly, it may be the only way to stop doing everything yourself, and start actually scaling.

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A Smarter Way to Stay Consistent and Focused

I hope you found this post useful. Like everything else, writing a weekly blog takes time to create and me and Mark want to make sure it adds value to your existing subscription.

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