How Can an MSP Owner Use a Virtual Assistant and Video SOPs to Transition from Working 'In' to 'On' Their Business?

As an MSP owner, are you tired of hearing you should "work ON your business, not just IN it," yet find yourself constantly swamped by the daily grind? It’s a common frustration. The good news is there’s a practical path to reclaiming your strategic time. Dan Izydorek, from Intelligent Technical Solutions, faced this exact dilemma. He transitioned from being bogged down by what he calls "tasks I despise" to a position where a new employee even asked, "Dan, do you do any work?" His secret? A highly effective system leveraging a Virtual Assistant (VA) and a unique approach to creating Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) through video. This isn't just theory; Dan shared his exact methodology, and we're breaking it down so you can learn how to implement this game-changing strategy in your MSP and finally get out of the operational weeds.

The Bottleneck: Repetitive Tasks and Email Overload

Dan candidly admits, "I despise doing repetitive tasks. I despise doing emails and so forth. It just drains at me as a person." This was the catalyst. About six years ago, with around 30 staff, he realized he needed a dedicated admin who genuinely enjoyed such work. This led to hiring a Virtual Assistant (VA) from the Philippines, a decision partly influenced by his COO's preference for someone disconnected from the physical office due to handling personal emails and sensitive information.

Dan's Core Method: Video SOPs Created by You, Documented by Your VA

The genius of Dan's system is its simplicity and efficiency in creating SOPs. "I make videos for every repetitive task I need her to do and accomplish," he explains. "It might be a task that's done once, it might be a task that's done weekly... and just by creating a video, she then writes the process for it."

• The Right Tool for Speed: Dan uses ScreenPal (a tool similar to Loom). "The reason I like it is because as soon as you hit upload, it gives you the link. It'll upload in the background. I give her the link... I'm on to my next task." This means no time wasted waiting.
• From Your Brain to Actionable Process: You record yourself doing the task, explaining your steps. Your VA watches it, extracts the necessary information, and formally documents the SOP. This ensures accuracy and frees you from tedious writing.

Step 1: What Tasks Do You Delegate First? The "Good At, Don't Enjoy" Quadrant

Feeling overwhelmed about where to start? Dan provides a clear filter: "There's tasks that everyone's good at and enjoys. There's tasks that everyone is good at but does not enjoy. I would start in that quadrant." His reasoning is crucial: "Because if you're good at it and don't enjoy it, then you can explain how to accomplish the task ... and then get it off your plate because it stresses you out." Crucially, he warns, "If you can't explain it to them, how can they be successful at it?" This means avoiding the common pitfall of delegating tasks you don't understand yourself – a mistake Dan admits to having made by being "very vague on what I wanted."

Building the System: Communication, Trust, and Iteration

Delegation is an ongoing process, not a one-off event. Dan has built a rhythm:

• Daily Sync-Ups: "We have a daily meeting. We call it a sync up... She goes, 'Dan, I didn't understand what you meant by this, so can you clarify?' And we go over it, and that's only one meeting for twenty to thirty minutes every day."
• Proactive Confirmation: "She just acknowledges in the Teams chat or email, 'I got this,' and then I'm good. Like, I don't have to follow-up with her."
• The Guiding Principles:
  • "Inspect what you expect": Ensure clarity on deliverables and success criteria.
  • "Systematize before you automate": Understand and refine the manual process before fully handing it off or trying to automate it. Dan references Elon Musk's learning here: "We should have never automated all the plants until we knew how to actually do the task."
• Full Immersion for the VA: "Have that person attend every meeting you are in... with clients, prospects, team members, and they can be act as that scribe in that meeting." Dan's VA, Pauline, even gets quick voice recordings from him during events for follow-up. This deep involvement helps the VA understand context and anticipate needs.

Addressing the Trust Factor with Remote VAs

Concerns about trusting a remote VA, possibly overseas, are common. Dan’s take is straightforward: "For me, it's just like any other employee. Anyone here in America can still disappoint you. No different than somewhere else in the world... Country doesn't matter. Interview process, same everything... We're just people." The rigor of your hiring and training process is what matters.

The Tangible Results: Reclaimed Time and Strategic Focus

The impact for Dan is significant. His VA handles emails, scheduling, SOP documentation, and action items from meetings. "She's able to actually do stuff now better than I am able to... because she's kind of refined it a lot more." The ultimate benefit? "It really helped me have more time for my family. I literally only work... 08:30 to 05:30 when I'm not on the road... and after dinner, it's all family time." This was a conscious shift, realizing that saying "yes" to a client late at night meant saying "no" to family.

Your Path to Working ON Your Business

Transitioning from working "in" your MSP to "on" it is achievable. Dan Izydorek's method of leveraging a Virtual Assistant combined with a smart video-first SOP creation process offers a clear blueprint. By identifying tasks you're good at but dislike, creating quick instructional videos, and empowering your VA to document and execute, can systematically buy back your time. Add daily sync-ups and involve your VA deeply in your workflow, and you’ll find yourself, like Dan, with more time for strategy, growth, and the personal life you deserve.