A Practical Guide to Part-Time Help: From Virtual Assistants to AI Tools

What if you don't need a full-time hire? What if a few hours of part-time help would change your week? This episode is a live recording from Localist Lab, the free monthly marketing event series for small business owners in Birmingham. Carrie Rollwagen takes the speaker seat this time to talk about virtual assistants and AI tools and how each one can help a small business owner who is buried. Carrie covers what a virtual assistant is, how to find one, how much it costs, and what to do before they start. She shares the documents she built for her VA, the tools they use together, and the kinds of work she hands off. She also walks through the AI tools she uses for things like building decks, transcribing meetings, organizing her desktop, and turning one podcast into a dozen short reels. Whether you are thinking about hiring help for the first time or trying to figure out where AI fits, this is a practical and honest guide. 💻 Connect with Carrie Rollwagen Carrie Rollwagen is VP of Strategy at Infomedia, host of The Localist podcast and author of The Localist book. She speaks regularly on marketing for small businesses. Carrie's website: https://www.carrierollwagen.com Instagram: / crollwagen 💡 Mentioned in This Episode Virtual Savvy: https://www.thevirtualsavvy.com Time Tailored: https://www.timetailored.com OnePass (password manager): https://1password.com LastPass (password manager): https://1password.com Calendly: https://calendly.com Otter.ai (voice memo transcription): https://otter.ai Carrie's Turn One Post into Ten talk: https://carrierollwagen.com Ohm Jiu Jitsu (Russell Marbut): https://ohmjiujitsu.com Alabama Twisters: https://alabamatwisters.com 📲 Follow Carrie Rollwagen Instagram: / crollwagen Website: https://www.carrierollwagen.com LinkedIn: / crollwagen YouTube: / @crollwagen 🎧 Listen to The Localist on Spotify & Apple Podcasts Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/01dHWZx... Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast... 📌 Chapters 00:12 Welcome and introduction to Localist Lab 02:00 Why Carrie hired a VA and the calendar flashpoint 04:00 Meet Hannah, Carrie's virtual assistant 06:00 Why hire a VA instead of a full-time employee 08:00 Where to find a VA: Virtual Savvy and Time Tailored 10:00 Budgeting for a VA and what to expect to pay 12:00 Setting expectations before you hire 14:00 Why you need an agreement in writing 16:00 SOPs and protecting yourself if your VA leaves 18:00 Connecting your VA to your systems and using a password manager 20:00 Documents to create for your VA 22:00 What Hannah actually does for Carrie 24:00 Where to draw the line on personal tasks 26:00 AI assistants and where they fit in 28:00 Why AI is tricky for reactive calendars 30:00 Using AI to create boring documents quickly 32:00 Turning voice memos and handwritten notes into deliverables 34:00 Using AI to organize your desktop and screenshots 36:00 Turning one podcast into a dozen reels 38:00 Using AI for personal life optimization 40:00 VA vs. AI: which one is right for you and when to use both 45:00 Audience Q&A: What is the difference between a freelancer and a VA? 47:00 Audience Q&A: Should your VA respond to emails for you? 📢 Thanks to Our Sponsor, Infomedia The Localist is sponsored by Infomedia. They are a Birmingham-based web and digital marketing company. They help small businesses grow online. Contact Infomedia: https://infomedia.com/contact 🗓 Join Us at Localist Lab Localist Lab is a free event series for small business owners. It meets on the third Thursday of most months at Saturn in Avondale. Free tacos and coffee too. See upcoming events and register: https://infomedia.com/events 📬 Subscribe to Carrie's Newsletter Want more small business tips from Carrie? Sign up for her newsletter. Sign up here: https://gmail.us20.list-manage.com/su... Subscribe for more conversations with small business owners and entrepreneurs building strong local communities. #TheLocalist #LocalistLab #VirtualAssistant #SmallBusiness #BirminghamAlabama #Birmingham #AITools #SmallBusinessHelp #Infomedia #ProductivityTips #PartTimeHelp #SmallBiz #LocalBusiness