Should You Hire a Lifestyle VA Yourself or Use an Agency? Here's the Honest Answer.

If you have figured out that you want help organising your personal life and are getting ready to hire a Lifestyle Virtual Assistant, your next step is searching for that perfect VA. 

The question is: should you try to find someone yourself, or work with an agency like The Lifestyle VA to find someone for you?

Here's the honest answer: the DIY route leaves you stressed, second-guessing, and potentially stuck with the wrong person after about 3-4 weeks of searching. 

Working with an agency like ours gets you effortlessly matched with the right Lifestyle VA in about a week, with zero hiring headaches and a huge amount of your precious time saved.

Let me walk you through the big differences between you doing it yourself and us doing it for you, from the time to the financial benefit.

The part everyone underestimates? How long it actually takes to find the right VA themselves

You're already juggling a full professional life, family commitments, and the personal admin that's drowning you. Now add on "become a hiring manager for your personal life" to that list and the sheer time it takes. It’s a lot. 

You'll take a stab at writing a job description (but what should you even ask for?). Post it on LinkedIn or Threads and get completely inundated by the responses, then immediately log out because it's overwhelming.

You'll sift through over 100 applications, half of which don't even meet the job description criteria (so frustrating and such a time waste). Then you'll try to conduct a few interviews. If you're hot on it, you'll want to check references and wait for them to come back. Yet more admin.

Meanwhile you'll be trying to gauge the personality fit off a 30-60 minute call, let alone make a decision and hope you got it right.

All while juggling your actual job and life.

Most people spend 2-4 weeks on this process. And here's the kicker, even after all that effort, you're still guessing. You don't know what "good" looks like. You don't know which questions reveal genuine competence versus someone who interviews well. You don't know the red flags to look for that come from actually working in this industry.

I do. Because this is literally my job.

I’ll take the hiring pressure off. Here’s what I handle while you get on with your life

When you work with me at The Lifestyle VA, I have a pre-vetted database of experienced VAs, my "virtual bench" if you like, plus those on my active team who have availability.

These aren't random people from the internet. They’re not brand new either.

They're brilliant, deeply experienced (each has a minimum of 5+ years experience) Virtual Assistants I've already screened, interviewed, and credential-checked, and some of which I have already worked with.

A host of clever, eager and naturally born problem solvers, ready to support you.

I've done the boring-but-crucial work to check them out for you: DBS clearance (especially important for our high-net-worth clients), insurance, ICO registration, references, experience verification. 

All the boxes you didn't even know needed ticking? Already ticked.

And I know what to look for. I've been doing this for over 7 years and I can easily spot the difference between someone who sounds good on paper and someone who'll actually gracefully get elbows deep into your personal life and make chaos become beautifully organised.

What takes you 2-4 weeks to fumble through? I handle in about 7 days from your discovery call to your kick-off with your new LVA.

That's weeks, days and hours of your life back. Weeks you're not spending stressed about hiring.

How effortless my matching process is for you

I don't do quick or careless matches. I'm proud to tailor each match thoughtfully to each client. You're a human with nuances, and you want to feel at home with the person supporting your personal life.

That's why you're not just a number to me. I don't just look at who's available and hope it works out. (I know other agencies that pop up at the top of a Google search do exactly this.

My reputation is golden for a reason, and your success depends on me doing better than that.)

Instead, I take time to properly understand you when we talk. Your preferences, your family's unique dynamics. What "good support" actually means to you specifically, through to how you like to communicate, what your priorities are and what your life genuinely needs.

Then I thoughtfully match you with a virtual assistant whose experience, personality, and working style fit your life. 

This isn't about filling a gap, it's about creating a long-term partnership that actually works. This is a deeply personal partnership afterall.

Some of my clients need someone incredibly proactive who anticipates needs. Others prefer someone who waits for clear direction. 

Some like their LVA to be a foodie who keeps them in the know with the hottest chefs and restaurant openings. Others want someone who's helped manage complicated renovation projects before.

There's no single one-size-fits-all. My job is to tailor the matching process to you to make sure they fit you and your life.

And if something isn't working? I've got you covered

Here's something else that matters: I don't charge separately for the matching process. It's all rolled into our hourly rate, which means if a match doesn't work out (it's rare, but it happens), I will personally re-match you at no additional cost.

If you need someone who has got skills your brilliant VA doesn't have? I won't throw the baby out with the bathwater, I can bolt on hours from another team member who can help. 

You're not stuck searching again, I've got so much talent at my fingertips.

This is the difference between working with an agency that actually cares about getting it right versus trying to navigate this alone.

Why this approach actually matters

You've probably heard stories (or lived them) about people who went to a large agency, you know, the ones that appear at the top of Google, thinking a big name would mean quality. Only to end up with underskilled, unmotivated VAs who have to handle way too many clients and therefore not deliver well.

I'm proud to pay over 80% more than the huge agencies who appear at the top of Google. It means I have the cream of the crop working for us and staying with our clients for the long term.

When you work with me you're not gambling with your personal life. You're not adding "fix my VA hiring mistake" to your already full plate.

You can actually start delegating and reclaiming your time to be with your loved ones or just take better care of yourself instead of staying stuck in an endless hiring process.

Can you afford the time it takes to self hire?

The first thing to ask yourself is how much is your time worth? You could be doing a million more important things with the time it takes to hire someone if you hand it to an expert like me.

The second thing to know is - if you're wondering about cost, here's the reality: the rates I charge as an agency are almost the same as going directly to a Virtual Assistant with the level of experience you need.

The real question isn't "Can I afford an agency?"

It's "Can I afford to waste another month trying to do this myself?"

Hiring the right support is an investment in getting your life back so you can actually enjoy what you've worked so hard to build.

And with my process? You're 7 days away from that reality, not 2-4 weeks deep in a hiring nightmare you never asked for.

Ready for some long overdue personal life support? Book a discovery call and let's get you matched with the right Lifestyle VA for your life.