How to Hire a Virtual Assistant for a Painting Business

Caleb:
Hello everybody and welcome back to the channel. Here today, if you’re watching on YouTube or maybe you’re listening on the road, we have a very special guest here. This is Alexis Schomer from Your Startup Operations. And today we’re going to talk a lot about how to hire a VA for your company, where to actually find this person, how to unpack this whole VA thing, and what you can actually have them do.

Why do you need this? Why is this important? We’ll get into all of that. So, Alexis, thank you so much for joining us today.

Alexis Schomer:
Yes, Caleb, thanks for having me here. Excited to be on the podcast and share more about what a virtual assistant is and how they can really help small businesses.

Caleb:
Of course. So just for those people who are listening or watching who have never heard of you before, can you give us a little intro on who you are and what you guys do?

Alexis Schomer:
Sure. I’m a serial entrepreneur. I’ve started multiple businesses, so I know what it’s like to start from the ground up using a grassroots approach and funding everything yourself. I’ve worked in healthcare technology, owned a marketing agency, and now run an operations agency.

Your Startup Operations is an ops agency that specializes in helping service-based businesses with virtual assistance and operational support. Simply put, we help founders and business owners take administrative duties off their plate.

Caleb:
Okay. And just to be clear, I know we talk a lot on this channel about painting contractors, but you guys work with pretty much any service industry. Is that correct, or do you have a specialty?

Alexis Schomer:
We specialize in home services, specifically painters, electricians, landscapers, plumbers, and similar businesses.

Caleb:
Okay, absolutely. I know this might sound like a silly question, but what exactly is a VA in your words?

Alexis Schomer:
Technically, VA stands for virtual assistant. But to make it simple, it’s a virtual office manager. It’s someone handling administrative work like answering phones, managing calendars, sending invoices, following up with clients, and handling office admin tasks. It’s work that traditionally happened in an office but can now be done virtually.

Caleb:
Where does this person usually fit in? A lot of our audience is at that stage where they’re busy, they have work, but they don’t have a full team yet. They’re still very self-employed.

Alexis Schomer:
Typically, if a business doesn’t have a CRM, that’s step one. Organization is essential. Sometimes people are using spreadsheets, which is fine, and we can train VAs on systems already in place. But best case scenario, we implement a CRM so there’s one central place for everything. It makes the process easier for the business owner, the VA, and future team members.

Caleb:
We see business owners who are too busy to train someone or who had a bad VA experience before. What do you see as the missing piece?

Alexis Schomer:
The missing piece is having an American operational expert who understands cultural norms, small business operations, onboarding, training, and quality assurance. The first three months of onboarding are critical for success.

We fill that gap by recruiting, hiring, training, and managing the virtual assistant. We speak the same language as the business owner because we’re small business owners ourselves.

Caleb:
I completely agree. A lot of people want to hire someone and expect them to know everything on day one. I’ve started making Loom videos for repeatable tasks to train my team, and that’s been huge.

So what does the training process actually look like?

Alexis Schomer:
Our process starts with recruitment. We recruit specifically for each client because every business needs something slightly different. For example, for a painting company, we look for someone with experience in that industry.

We might source 800 people to hire one. We don’t post generic job listings. We handpick candidates on LinkedIn, put them through multiple interview rounds, and then do a paid trial week with the top candidates.

During that time, I’m working with the business owner to outline what the VA will do. I learn their systems, write SOPs, and create a three-month onboarding plan that defines what success looks like

Caleb:
That makes a lot of sense, especially the part about sourcing so many candidates just to find the right fit. For painting business owners listening to this, what tasks do you usually recommend they delegate first to a VA?

Alexis Schomer:
Administrative tasks are always the best place to start. Things like answering phones, responding to emails, scheduling estimates, sending invoices, and following up with customers. Those tasks take up a lot of time, but they don’t require the business owner’s expertise.

Once those are off the owner’s plate, they can focus on sales, managing crews, and growing the business. That’s where the real leverage comes in.

Caleb:
We see a lot of owners who are still answering the phone while they’re on the job site. That can be tough.

Alexis Schomer:
Exactly. If you miss a call, you might miss a job. Having someone dedicated to answering the phone and following up makes a huge difference. Even just that one change can dramatically increase booked jobs.

Caleb:
What about estimating and proposals? Is that something a VA can help with?

Alexis Schomer:
Yes, absolutely. VAs can prepare estimates and proposals as long as there’s a clear process and pricing structure. The owner can still review and approve before it’s sent out, but the prep work doesn’t need to be done by the owner.

That alone can save hours every week.

Caleb:
A lot of people worry about quality control. How do you make sure the VA is doing things correctly?

Alexis Schomer:
That’s where SOPs and training come in. We document every process and train the VA step by step. In the beginning, there’s more oversight and quality checks.

Over time, as trust is built and the VA becomes more confident, the need for oversight decreases. But quality assurance never goes away completely.

Caleb:
What systems do you typically see painting companies using, and does that matter when hiring a VA?

Alexis Schomer:
It doesn’t matter which system you use as long as there is one. We see a lot of painting companies using CRMs like Jobber or Housecall Pro, but even spreadsheets can work if they’re organized.

The VA is trained on whatever system the business is already using. The key is having everything centralized so nothing falls through the cracks.

Caleb:
What mistakes do you see painting business owners make when trying to hire a VA on their own?

Alexis Schomer:
One big mistake is hiring without a clear role defined. Another is expecting the VA to magically fix everything without proper onboarding.

People also underestimate how much time they need to spend upfront. If you don’t invest in training at the beginning, you’ll spend more time fixing mistakes later.

Caleb:
That’s definitely something we’ve seen too. For someone listening who’s on the fence, when do you think it actually makes sense to hire a VA?

Alexis Schomer:
If you’re feeling overwhelmed with admin work and it’s preventing you from focusing on growth, it’s probably time. Even if you’re not at full capacity yet, having support early can help you scale faster and more sustainably.

Caleb:
A lot of painting business owners worry about cost. How should they think about the ROI of hiring a virtual assistant?

Alexis Schomer:
That’s a great question. I always encourage business owners to think about opportunity cost. If you’re spending your time answering phones, sending invoices, or following up on emails, you’re not spending time selling jobs, managing crews, or building relationships.

A VA often pays for themselves by capturing missed calls, improving follow-up, and creating a better customer experience. Even booking one additional job a week can easily cover the cost.

Caleb:
That’s a really helpful way to frame it. What about pricing models? Do VAs usually work full time or part time?

Alexis Schomer:
It depends on the business. Some painting companies start with part-time support and grow into full-time. Others are busy enough to justify full-time help right away.

The important thing is matching the hours to the workload. We help clients figure that out so they’re not over-hiring or under-hiring.

Caleb:
What advice would you give to someone who wants to hire a VA but is worried about losing control?

Alexis Schomer:
Start small and build trust over time. You don’t need to hand everything over on day one. Delegate one or two tasks, document the process, and see how it goes.

Delegation is a skill. The more you practice it, the easier it becomes. Once you experience the relief of having support, it changes how you run your business.

Caleb:
If you could give painting business owners one piece of advice around hiring and scaling, what would it be?

Alexis Schomer:
Don’t wait until you’re burned out to get help. Build systems early, document your processes, and bring support in before you’re overwhelmed. That’s how you scale without sacrificing quality or your sanity.

Caleb:
That’s great advice. If people want to learn more about working with you or Your Startup Operations, where should they go?

Alexis Schomer:
They can visit yourstartupoperations.com to learn more or reach out to us directly through the site.

Caleb:
Awesome. Alexis, thank you so much for taking the time to come on and share this with our audience today. I think this is going to help a lot of painting business owners.

Alexis Schomer:
Thank you, Caleb. I appreciate you having me on.