Step by step to a running arrangement
The partner may adjust the order, but the shape is usually the same.
- Submit the form. The partner contacts you to discuss the work.
- Receive and accept a written scope and quote from the partner.
- Prepare a starter pack: task list, procedures, logins and who to ask.
- Run a first week with a narrow scope and a short check-in at its end.
A short preparation list
Use this to sort out the handover before the start date.
- What tasks, in what order of priority
- How each one is done today
- Which tools hold the work
- How the assistant will get access
- What the assistant can decide alone
- What must always be approved by you or your accountant
Access, permissions and offboarding
Start with delegation. Email and calendar delegation in Google Workspace or Microsoft 365 lets an assistant work in your inbox without knowing your password. In a CRM, help desk or accounting system, add them as a user with a limited role.
For tools that only allow one login, use a password manager to share it, and keep two-factor authentication switched on. Least privilege is the guiding idea: read-only where reading is enough, and no admin rights unless a task truly needs them.
Keep a simple list of every account the assistant can reach. When the arrangement ends, work through it, remove each user, rotate any shared passwords and confirm nothing is left open.
Adjusting as you go
A remote assistant arrangement is rarely fixed. In the early weeks, tasks take longer while the assistant learns your tools and preferences. Later they speed up, and you may find room for more work in the same hours, or that fewer hours are enough.
Regular summaries make these decisions easier because you can see what time goes where. Use a check-in every week or two to talk about it. Changes to hours, coverage or scope go through the service partner, under the terms you agreed. Ending the arrangement works the same way: give the agreed notice and close off access cleanly.
Have a list of tasks you would hand over tomorrow? Send it with your tools and rough weekly hours.
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