Leveling Up: My VA Hire, First Employee, and What I Learned

Dimitris Costas overcomes long-standing resistance to hiring and brings on his first virtual assistant to scale multiple businesses.

Core Decision

• Resisted hiring for months, preferring solo work, until boss Angelo audited operations and identified the missing support layer (0:00-5:59).
• Realized solo limits prevent growth and workload management.

The Hire

• Part-time VA (20 hours/week) based in the Philippines with entrepreneurship background.
• Tasks include spreadsheet work, market research, creative support for shoe business, slime business, and future ventures.

Financial Impact

• VA salary changes goals, requiring either added income (DoorDash/Uber) or direct revenue lift from the VA's output.

Major Topic: Hiring the First VA

SubtopicThe Decision to Hire

• 00:00:15 Dimitris explains the impulse to hire came after feeling stagnant across all businesses and recognizing the need to lift some load off his plate.
• 00:00:30 He cites Angelo, his boss at the real estate company, as the person who suggested hiring soon and who audited his work, concluding that the missing piece was someone working for him.
• 00:00:50 He acknowledges a personal bias toward working solo, admitting he used to push back on hiring, but realized that collaborating with others could significantly move the needle.
• 00:01:10 The turning point: needing someone to take on the workload so school and other commitments don’t fall behind; emphasis on delegation as a growth mechanism.

SubtopicThe Plan and Role of the VA

• 00:01:40 The VA will work 20 hours per week, fully virtual, focusing on spreadsheet work and creative tasks.
• 00:01:50 The scope includes a lot of market research and idea generation, leveraging the VA’s college background in entrepreneurship.
• 00:02:05 The location chosen: Philippines, with the candidate having entrepreneurship-focused studies; expectation is that this aligns with the business needs.
• 00:02:25 The VA will support multiple ventures (shoe business, slime business, and future projects), acting as a multiplier for growth.
• 00:02:40 The plan to start with SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures) created on the fly, while the VA helps document and refine processes.

SubtopicWhy Now and What Changes With This Hire

• 00:03:10 Hiring is framed as a pivotal growth moment, moving from a single-actor model to a more scalable system.
• 00:03:25 The video stresses that this is not just about more hands, but about more structure through SOPs and process improvement.
• 00:03:45 The real estate boss’s suggestion and the audit highlight a practical trigger: getting help to free up headspace for strategic work.
• 00:04:10 The speaker expects the VA to contribute ideas and market research, not just admin tasks, signaling a shift toward more strategic delegation.

SubtopicOnboarding, SOPs, and Training Plan

• 00:04:40 Onboarding is described as a gradual process; SOPs will be developed iteratively as tasks are assigned and the VA is trained.
• 00:04:55 The VA is expected to adapt and eventually improve the SOPs themselves, creating a living document that evolves with needs.
• 00:05:15 The plan to kick off in October is mentioned, with a teaser of an upcoming update video detailing end-of-year goals and progress.
• 00:05:35 The VA’s background in entrepreneurship from college is framed as a good fit for generating business ideas and doing market research.

SubtopicImpact on Goals, Revenue, and Capacity

• 00:06:00 The hiring decision will alter revenue assumptions and require a reassessment of quarterly targets, particularly to ensure the VA’s pay is covered.
• 00:06:15 The slime business is specifically mentioned as needing growth, but time constraints mean the VA should address tasks that directly contribute to revenue.
• 00:06:30 If the new workload creates shortfalls, the speaker contemplates alternative income sources (e.g., DoorDash, Uber) to bankroll the VA’s salary and stay on track for year-end targets.
• 00:06:50 The video frames this as a test of execution: can the business scale with a part-time remote assistant while maintaining personal commitments?

SubtopicAccountability, Documentation, and Next Steps

• 00:07:20 The creator emphasizes documenting the journey so viewers can learn what hiring a VA actually looks like in practice.
• 00:07:40 The plan includes sharing progress in future uploads and providing actionable insights for others considering a similar move.
• 00:08:00 A reminder of the overarching journey: from zero to a $100 million target, with this hire as a milestone along the way.

SubtopicClosing Thoughts and Call to Action

• 00:08:30 The creator asks viewers to like, subscribe, and share video suggestions, inviting the audience to join the journey.
• 00:08:50 The video frames itself as a record of growth and a means to show the impact of having help on ongoing projects.

SubtopicEndnotes and Next Updates

• 00:09:10 He previews an October start for the VA and hints at a future short-form update detailing end-of-year targets and progress.
• 00:09:25 He acknowledges that this is a pivotal moment that could lead to noticeable improvements across the channel and businesses.

SubtopicResources Mentioned (Context for the VA, Networks, and Platforms)

• Instagram: @dimitris.costas
• Discord (Join the Community): https://discord.gg/C89GdSRh3J
• eBay Shop (Costas-Shop): https://www.ebay.com/usr/costas-shop
• Slime Shop: https://vivaslimes.com/
• Mathew: Instagram @matschwer; YouTube @Mathew.Schwer

SubtopicQuick Recap of the Hiring Narrative

• The video frames hiring as both a practical necessity and a strategic multiplier, with SOPs and ongoing training central to making the VA effective.
• The decision is tied to the creator’s broader year-end targets and the need to accelerate growth across multiple ventures.
• The speaker emphasizes the value of documenting the process for accountability and learning, both for himself and his audience.

SubtopicNext Steps for Viewers

• Build your own SOPs in parallel with hiring a VA; treat SOPs as living documents.
• Consider how outsourcing could unlock time for higher-impact work and growth.
• Engage with the accountability challenge in the description: comment your #1 goal for the rest of 2025 and join the Discord to share progress.

Resources Mentioned (Expanded)

• Channel and host: Dimitris Costas
• Angelo (Real Estate Boss who advised hiring)
• Mathew Schwer (collaborator recommendations)
• End-of-year targets provided in the video description
• Platforms and social links as above

Final Note on the Deep Dive

• This analysis captures the core reasoning, plan, and expectations around hiring the first VA, the strategic role of SOPs, and the anticipated impact on growth velocity across multiple ventures. It also documents the creator’s commitment to transparency and learning through the process.

All right, what's going on everybody? I am on my next video. Now, this is episode four of the journey. The point where I actually missed one of my scheduled uploads. Well, I have a good reason for it. The good reason is that I was supposed to be hiring somebody new on Friday. We ended up having to push it back till Monday for the interview. So, that's why this video is coming out a little bit late. This is the morning after the interview. I finally hired someone for all of my business endeavors in general and I think I'm finally opening that door to growth again. I think you guys will see a huge difference in everything that I'm doing, especially on this channel, with their help.

Quotes (Notable verbatim lines)

All right, what's going on everybody? I am on my next video. Now, this is episode four of the journey.

I'm onboarding someone. October is going to be starting.

I think you guys are going to see a huge difference in what I do even on this channel just because of their help.

Resources Mentioned (Verbatim list)

• Instagram: @dimitris.costas
• Discord: https://discord.gg/C89GdSRh3J
• eBay Shop: https://www.ebay.com/usr/costas-shop
• Slime Shop: https://vivaslimes.com/
• Mathew's Instagram: @matschwer
• Mathew's YouTube: @Mathew.Schwer

End of Deep Read