I was expecting to hire $6–$8/hr VAs who’d require heavy training. Thanks to this community, I was pointed toward more specialized, white-glove agencies that saved me time and connected me with stronger talent.

I ended up hiring through Plugg. The process was seamless and took just ~2 weeks:

Day 1: Intro call with Plugg → job posted the same day
Days 3–4: Received 3–4 pre-vetted candidates to interview
Week 2: Wrapped up internal interviews and made the hire

Plugg specializes in near-shore hires (e.g., Latin America), making time zones much easier to work with. Our new team member from Nicaragua costs a little higher than typical VA rates, she brings 7 years of social media experience and impressed us with her creativity.

For comparison, we pay $14/hr to a college intern in Hawaii—so this is a strong ROI for us: high-quality talent at ~50% the cost of an experienced U.S. hire.

Could I find cheaper talent? Sure. But I’d rather invest in strong performers than spend time managing low-cost VAs.