Communication. Communication. Communication! If you have got to the point of needing to out source to an in-house editor or Virtual Assistant, give yourself a pat on the back! Outsourcing will give you more time to expand your business and give you creative breathing space! Here are my 5 tools to help you:

1. Trello or any list maker. It's important to clearly let your editor/assistant what they need to do that day or week. Bullet point the jobs and verbally communicate specifics. Lists should be SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound).
   

2. Notebook Have your editor/assistant have their own notebooks for instructions and advice. Everyone remembers instructions in their own way; doodle, list making, long notes.
   

3. Loom or equivalent If like me, you are busy working whilst your editor/assistant is a busy bee themselves, then a programme like Loom can be very helpful for feedback or clarity. Whilst training my editor I would review their work, when I had time, and create a Loom video with advice and constructive feedback which they could watch before the next time I saw them. This is a tool they can also refer back to again and again.
   

4. Google Calendar As a photographer my weeks can change from doing admin to editing or shooting on location. I use google calendar with my editor/assistant to keep track of what regular days they work and any other dates that I need them. Google Calendar will send through an email which the editor/assistant will be able to respond to.
   

5. Dropbox Dropbox is useful For sharing raw images, catelogues or returning edited files. I also keep all of my branding material (think logo, brand guidelines, and personal branding images) in dropbox so that my VA and editor both have quick access to this if they need it. If you want to know more about outsourcing you can check out our online course!