Let me take you back to a time when we paid for monophonic ringtones on our phones (remember those days?). It was also when I was just starting to figure out the world of outsourcing. Yes, even I was a newbie once! Back then, there wasn’t a platform like VirtualStaff.ph—a place where you could effortlessly and compliantly build and scale a team in the Philippines.
Without a platform to make things simple, I did what seemed like a good idea at the time: I asked my first VA for a referral. I figured, why not? She knows the job, so she must know someone else who could help out. Right? Well, I quickly learned that not all referrals are created equal.
The Referral That Went Wrong
So what happened? The referral, of course, ended up being a cousin or some other relative, which should have been a red flag. But me being a bit naive at the time, I hired her anyway. For the first few months, things seemed fine. Then slowly but surely, I started noticing something odd—the performance of both my VAs was slipping.
Turns out, I was being gamed. They were covering for each other, letting things slide, and suddenly, tasks weren’t getting done on time, or they were done poorly. I felt like a chump. But hey, that’s how we learn, right?
Why Asking for Referrals Isn't Always a Good Idea
This experience taught me an important lesson: don’t ask your virtual staff for referrals, especially if they know the person beforehand. In fact, it's almost always better to build a team where the staff didn’t know each other before working for you. Why? It’s simple—standards and accountability tend to drop when friends or family work together.
When staff are friends or relatives, they tend to cover for each other. One might slack off, and the other will make excuses for them. You’ll also find that they can form little cliques, which can hurt the team dynamic you’re trying to create. Trust me, this is not what you want for your business.
I’ve seen it happen to a lot of realtors, for example, who hire real estate virtual assistants. They think they’re saving time by going through referrals, but it often backfires when the quality of work starts to slip.
How VirtualStaff.ph Makes Building a Team Easy
The good news? You don’t have to go down the old-school referral route anymore. Platforms like VirtualStaff.ph make it easy for you to find the best talent. You have access to the largest selection of vetted full-time professionals in the Philippines, all in one place. No need to rely on referrals or risk hiring someone's cousin who’s not up for the job.
By building your team the professional way, you’re setting yourself up for long-term success. It allows you to create the work environment and culture that you want, not one that’s influenced by pre-existing relationships between your staff.
Why Full-Time VAs Are the Way to Go
One thing I’ve learned over the years is that hiring full-time VAs is often the best approach. You get loyalty, consistency, and accountability. If you're unsure about why this is important, check out why I hire Filipino virtual assistants full-time. It dives deeper into why having dedicated staff matters for growing your business.
Keeping Things Professional and Compliant
It’s crucial to remember that cutting corners never works out long-term. Sure, going for a quick and easy referral might seem like a shortcut, but it can bite you in the arse down the road. If you want to build a scalable and reliable team, you need to hire professionally and compliantly. This means using proper agreements, setting clear expectations, and keeping things transparent.
Over the last 15 years, I’ve seen plenty of people fall into the same trap—thinking that getting a referral or cutting corners will save time or money. But it almost always backfires. That’s why I recommend keeping a long-term perspective and doing it the right way from the start.
I’ve also seen people struggle because they didn’t account for cultural differences when hiring Filipino virtual assistants. Understanding these differences can make a huge impact on how smoothly your team operates and how they respond to your leadership.
Final Thoughts
If you’re building a team of virtual staff, my advice is simple: don’t rely on referrals, especially from your current VAs. Instead, build your team professionally using a platform like VirtualStaff.ph. By doing this, you’ll ensure your team remains accountable, performs well, and helps your business thrive.
Remember, shortcuts can be tempting, but they almost always cost more in the long run. Build your team the right way—compliantly, properly, and with a long-term mindset.
Until next time, keep hustling, but hustle smart.
