₹1 Lakh Store
⌘K
GETTING STARTED
FIND — Get an Idea
VALIDATE — Hit PMF (Phase 3)
UNIT ECONOMICS — First (Phase 4)
SCALE — Build to ₹1L/mo
    • Daily Ops Checklist
    • Order Processing SOP
    • Packing Station Setup
    • Dispatch Cut-Off Schedule
    • Reverse Logistics Flow
    • NDR Handling Playbook
    • Outsourcing Decision Matrix
    • Hiring First Team Member
    • Tools & Tech Stack
    • KPI Dashboard Setup
AI & AUTOMATION
ANALYTICS & DATA
FINANCE
TOOLS & CALCULATORS
RESOURCES
  1. SCALE — Build to ₹1L/mo
  3. Hiring First Team Member

08 — Operations

Hiring First Team Member

Your first hire should be the person who frees up the most of your time. For most D2C founders, that's a VA for customer service and ops.

20+

Orders/Day Trigger

When to hire first VA

₹10-20K

VA Cost (Part-Time)

4-5 hours/day

₹25-40K

VA Cost (Full-Time)

8 hours/day

10-15 hrs

Hours Saved/Week

Time freed for growth

First Hire: Operations VA

TaskCurrent Time (hrs/week)After VATime Saved
Customer Service (WhatsApp)8-10 hrs1 hr (supervise)7-9 hrs
Order Processing5-7 hrs1 hr (exceptions)4-6 hrs
COD Verification Calls4-5 hrs0.5 hr3.5-4.5 hrs
Inventory Updates2-3 hrs0.5 hr1.5-2.5 hrs
Shipping Labels & Tracking3-4 hrs0.5 hr2.5-3.5 hrs
NDR Follow-up2-3 hrs0.5 hr1.5-2.5 hrs
Social Media Responses1-2 hrs0.5 hr0.5-1.5 hrs

Where to Find VAs

Internshala
Best Value

Freshers & Interns

₹8-15K/mo for part-time

₹15-25K/mo for full-time

E-commerce experience available

Good for basic ops tasks

Post: "E-commerce Operations VA"

Hire from tier-2/3 cities

Upwork / Fiverr
Flexible

Experienced Freelancers

₹15-30K/mo for part-time

Hourly or project-based

Review ratings and history

Good for specialized tasks

Start with paid trial

Can hire from Philippines/India

WhatsApp Groups
Fast

Community Referrals

D2C founder WhatsApp groups

₹10-20K/mo typical range

Referred by other founders

Pre-vetted by community

Fast hiring (1-3 days)

Look for: D2C India groups

Hiring Checklist