TL;DR - Hire an EA...it's like having a robotic extra arm to get more stuff done

I run a community of founders where we support their efforts to raise capital. On a separate topic, I mentioned the immense value I had gotten from hiring an overseas EA across everything I do at my company, not just fundraising support. I don't have a "must hire EA" stance when it comes to founders I advise but I"m starting to get there. The better I get at hiring and offloading tasks to extremely inexpensive resources, the more I understand how no well oiled machine of a company should be bogging down their most strategic talent with work that can be outsourced.

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There will be a more in depth dive into this topic coming but for now, draw inspiration from this podcast interview between Tim Ferris and Sam Corcos (someone I interviewed for my pod Funded)... and then read the post I shared with the Adamant Founders community below.

In particular check out the discount codes for 3 different hiring resources I recommend:

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My post on EA hiring for the Adamant Community

All, I will be curating some other information about this but for now wanted highly recommend a path forward for you all to integrate an EA into your workflows (fundraising or otherwise) and to put 3 services on your radar for finding overseas EA talent.

First, WHY

There is a ton of work that burns up your time as a startup founder that could be done by highly capable, extremely inexpensive, overseas talent.  It makes the decision to spend on what may feel like a luxury easy.  If you need any help, read the book Buy Back Your Time by Dan Martell. It’s an enjoyable read and help me get over the hump in looking for additional help.

The cost of talent

In the Philippines you can get a competent virtual assistant for $5/hr.  That’s about $800/month full time.  This might seem crazy to an American but this is actually a good wage for the country. I’ve worked with multiple people between $5-8/hr and have found them to be good at following directions and doing the job of an EA.  If you go to the $10-15 range you start getting more specialized talent and American experience.  In my experience, it’s hard to expect self-directed effort and creativity but you can get great results off of SOPs.

Sources of Talent (ranging from cheapest/most work to most expensive/least work)

1. OnlineJobs.ph - you can use a platform like Onlinejobs.ph to source your talent directly.  This takes more time and effort. You have to run a recruiting process and interview, but if you’re willing to do that, you can get an EA for $5/hr.  I’ve done this before and it’s doable.  There are many YouTube videos on the topic to help.  Here is my referral link for OnlineJobs.ph if you want to get started for FREE
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2. Get Agents - this is a service run by an ex-VC who I know. They do the recruiting and interviewing of overseas talent and charge a one time fee for that service.  There is a little more management of the talent that you’ll need to engage in but after getting a vetted option, you then have the same super low priced talent. The service has two flavors:
   • Direct Recruiting: This service involves a one-time fee of 25% of the candidate's annual salary. It's best suited for companies looking for specialized, long-term roles.
   • Dedicated Global Teams (Staffing): This is a monthly service with a fee of 30% of the candidate's monthly salary. This is ideal for companies needing an actively managed, outsourced team.
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   My referral code gets you $500 off. Just use this link to sign up!
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3. Athena - is the highest end overseas EA service I know of. This is a high touch service that trains their EAs and gives you an operating system and a training university for the assistants to ensure a high level of quality.  You mostly interact through Athena so it feels like you have a higher end assistant. It is a pricier option at $3k a month.  Based on my experience this is probably an assistant that they pay <$1k a month but train to provide good service.  This referral link will give you your first month for free.
   
   

For what it’s worth #2 is the option I’m most interested in.

I will be working on more materials to help founders utilize assistants more especially in the fundraising process but for now I hope this is helpful!

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