5 min read

5 min read

Rayyan Khan

Rayyan Khan

Hiring Executive Assistants

How to get out of the weeds and reclaim your time

Every founder hits a point where they become the bottleneck.

If your calendar, email, and life feel chaotic—it’s time to hire an EA.

The right executive assistant doesn’t just support you. They scale you.

This is the exact system we use to find, train, and embed EAs inside fast-moving startups.

What to delegate (and what only you should do)

What to delegate (and what only you should do)

What to delegate (and what only you should do)

1. What to delegate (and what you should stop touching)

Your EA should own everything that drains your energy but doesn’t move the business forward.

We break it down:

  • $5/hour tasks: Scheduling, follow-ups, reminders, calendar blocking

  • $20/hour tasks: Inbox management, travel booking, creating docs or SOPs

  • $100/hour tasks: Strategy, hiring decisions, investor calls (this stays with you)

Great EAs take ownership. Elite EAs start thinking 2 steps ahead.

1. What to delegate (and what you should stop touching)

Your EA should own everything that drains your energy but doesn’t move the business forward.

We break it down:

  • $5/hour tasks: Scheduling, follow-ups, reminders, calendar blocking

  • $20/hour tasks: Inbox management, travel booking, creating docs or SOPs

  • $100/hour tasks: Strategy, hiring decisions, investor calls (this stays with you)

Great EAs take ownership. Elite EAs start thinking 2 steps ahead.

1. What to delegate (and what you should stop touching)

Your EA should own everything that drains your energy but doesn’t move the business forward.

We break it down:

  • $5/hour tasks: Scheduling, follow-ups, reminders, calendar blocking

  • $20/hour tasks: Inbox management, travel booking, creating docs or SOPs

  • $100/hour tasks: Strategy, hiring decisions, investor calls (this stays with you)

Great EAs take ownership. Elite EAs start thinking 2 steps ahead.

1. What to delegate (and what you should stop touching)

Your EA should own everything that drains your energy but doesn’t move the business forward.

We break it down:

  • $5/hour tasks: Scheduling, follow-ups, reminders, calendar blocking

  • $20/hour tasks: Inbox management, travel booking, creating docs or SOPs

  • $100/hour tasks: Strategy, hiring decisions, investor calls (this stays with you)

Great EAs take ownership. Elite EAs start thinking 2 steps ahead.

Where to find high-quality executive assistants

Where to find high-quality executive assistants

Where to find high-quality executive assistants

2. Where to source great executive assistants

The good ones aren’t on Fiverr. Here’s how we find them:

  • Reddit (r/assistant, r/forhire)

  • LinkedIn paid search + outbound DM sequences

  • Remote job boards (AngelList Talent, Dynamite Jobs)

  • Internal database + referrals (we’ve pre-screened 1,000+ assistants)

We don’t just find VAs—we find true partners to the founder.

2. Where to source great executive assistants

The good ones aren’t on Fiverr. Here’s how we find them:

  • Reddit (r/assistant, r/forhire)

  • LinkedIn paid search + outbound DM sequences

  • Remote job boards (AngelList Talent, Dynamite Jobs)

  • Internal database + referrals (we’ve pre-screened 1,000+ assistants)

We don’t just find VAs—we find true partners to the founder.

2. Where to source great executive assistants

The good ones aren’t on Fiverr. Here’s how we find them:

  • Reddit (r/assistant, r/forhire)

  • LinkedIn paid search + outbound DM sequences

  • Remote job boards (AngelList Talent, Dynamite Jobs)

  • Internal database + referrals (we’ve pre-screened 1,000+ assistants)

We don’t just find VAs—we find true partners to the founder.

2. Where to source great executive assistants

The good ones aren’t on Fiverr. Here’s how we find them:

  • Reddit (r/assistant, r/forhire)

  • LinkedIn paid search + outbound DM sequences

  • Remote job boards (AngelList Talent, Dynamite Jobs)

  • Internal database + referrals (we’ve pre-screened 1,000+ assistants)

We don’t just find VAs—we find true partners to the founder.

Screening EAs for clarity, trust, and ownership

Screening EAs for clarity, trust, and ownership

Screening EAs for clarity, trust, and ownership

3. How to screen executive assistants

We test for trust and thinking—not just task completion.

Our process:

  • Written prompt: Test clarity, organization, attention to detail

  • Voice/Video intro: Gauge poise, energy, communication

  • Live scenario task: “You’re managing my inbox. What do you prioritize?”

  • Trial period: Paid 1-week test with light real-world tasks

The ones who thrive don’t just complete tasks—they ask better questions.

3. How to screen executive assistants

We test for trust and thinking—not just task completion.

Our process:

  • Written prompt: Test clarity, organization, attention to detail

  • Voice/Video intro: Gauge poise, energy, communication

  • Live scenario task: “You’re managing my inbox. What do you prioritize?”

  • Trial period: Paid 1-week test with light real-world tasks

The ones who thrive don’t just complete tasks—they ask better questions.

3. How to screen executive assistants

We test for trust and thinking—not just task completion.

Our process:

  • Written prompt: Test clarity, organization, attention to detail

  • Voice/Video intro: Gauge poise, energy, communication

  • Live scenario task: “You’re managing my inbox. What do you prioritize?”

  • Trial period: Paid 1-week test with light real-world tasks

The ones who thrive don’t just complete tasks—they ask better questions.

3. How to screen executive assistants

We test for trust and thinking—not just task completion.

Our process:

  • Written prompt: Test clarity, organization, attention to detail

  • Voice/Video intro: Gauge poise, energy, communication

  • Live scenario task: “You’re managing my inbox. What do you prioritize?”

  • Trial period: Paid 1-week test with light real-world tasks

The ones who thrive don’t just complete tasks—they ask better questions.

Hiring checklist: timezone, AI tools, values, and alignment

Hiring checklist: timezone, AI tools, values, and alignment

Hiring checklist: timezone, AI tools, values, and alignment

4. Hiring checklist (our internal rubric)

English clarity (written + spoken)

Timezone alignment (3–5 hours overlap is ideal)

Tools (Notion, Slack, AI tools like ChatGPT, Trello, Gmail)

Growth mindset (do they want to learn, not just do?)

Cultural alignment (professional, proactive, values trust and growth)

We invest in EAs the same way we invest in teammates—with feedback, trust, and autonomy.

4. Hiring checklist (our internal rubric)

English clarity (written + spoken)

Timezone alignment (3–5 hours overlap is ideal)

Tools (Notion, Slack, AI tools like ChatGPT, Trello, Gmail)

Growth mindset (do they want to learn, not just do?)

Cultural alignment (professional, proactive, values trust and growth)

We invest in EAs the same way we invest in teammates—with feedback, trust, and autonomy.

4. Hiring checklist (our internal rubric)

English clarity (written + spoken)

Timezone alignment (3–5 hours overlap is ideal)

Tools (Notion, Slack, AI tools like ChatGPT, Trello, Gmail)

Growth mindset (do they want to learn, not just do?)

Cultural alignment (professional, proactive, values trust and growth)

We invest in EAs the same way we invest in teammates—with feedback, trust, and autonomy.

4. Hiring checklist (our internal rubric)

English clarity (written + spoken)

Timezone alignment (3–5 hours overlap is ideal)

Tools (Notion, Slack, AI tools like ChatGPT, Trello, Gmail)

Growth mindset (do they want to learn, not just do?)

Cultural alignment (professional, proactive, values trust and growth)

We invest in EAs the same way we invest in teammates—with feedback, trust, and autonomy.

Onboarding and management: building trust in the first 14 days

Onboarding and management: building trust in the first 14 days

Onboarding and management: building trust in the first 14 days

5. Onboarding your EA (first 2 weeks)

Week 1:

  • Setup tools, walkthrough SOPs

  • Assign 3–5 daily recurring tasks

  • 15-min check-ins for clarity + corrections

Week 2:

  • Add async tasks + deeper ownership (e.g., inbox, doc formatting, meeting prep)

  • Feedback loop: Loom recordings or weekly async reviews

  • Set weekly priorities together

The best EAs grow with you. And eventually, they start running your ops without a second thought.

5. Onboarding your EA (first 2 weeks)

Week 1:

  • Setup tools, walkthrough SOPs

  • Assign 3–5 daily recurring tasks

  • 15-min check-ins for clarity + corrections

Week 2:

  • Add async tasks + deeper ownership (e.g., inbox, doc formatting, meeting prep)

  • Feedback loop: Loom recordings or weekly async reviews

  • Set weekly priorities together

The best EAs grow with you. And eventually, they start running your ops without a second thought.

5. Onboarding your EA (first 2 weeks)

Week 1:

  • Setup tools, walkthrough SOPs

  • Assign 3–5 daily recurring tasks

  • 15-min check-ins for clarity + corrections

Week 2:

  • Add async tasks + deeper ownership (e.g., inbox, doc formatting, meeting prep)

  • Feedback loop: Loom recordings or weekly async reviews

  • Set weekly priorities together

The best EAs grow with you. And eventually, they start running your ops without a second thought.

5. Onboarding your EA (first 2 weeks)

Week 1:

  • Setup tools, walkthrough SOPs

  • Assign 3–5 daily recurring tasks

  • 15-min check-ins for clarity + corrections

Week 2:

  • Add async tasks + deeper ownership (e.g., inbox, doc formatting, meeting prep)

  • Feedback loop: Loom recordings or weekly async reviews

  • Set weekly priorities together

The best EAs grow with you. And eventually, they start running your ops without a second thought.

💡 Want help?

💡 Want help?

💡 Want help?

Whether it’s content, paid ads, community, or growth ops—this guide breaks down how we hire marketers that move the needle.

We help startups hire cracked offshore talent.

© 2025 Founders Arm. All rights reserved.

We help startups hire cracked offshore talent.

© 2025 Founders Arm. All rights reserved.

We help startups hire cracked offshore talent.

© 2025 Founders Arm. All rights reserved.

We help startups hire cracked offshore talent.

© 2025 Founders Arm.
All rights reserved.