Founder’s Virtual Assistant + E-Commerce, Customer Service & Social Media Operations

Luxury Fashion / Formalwear Business | Shopify + Vendoo + Customer Support + AI + Social Media | Long-Term | Milestone-Based We are a growing U.S.-based luxury formalwear business specializing in designer gowns and special-occasion fashion through a combination of retail, rentals, e-commerce and consignment. We are looking for an exceptionally organized, proactive and resourceful Virtual Assistant / E-Commerce & Operations Assistant who can become a dependable long-term member of the business. This is not a basic data-entry VA position. We need someone who can potentially help across several areas, including: * Virtual assistance * Administrative support * Customer service * Phone support * Email, text and DM management * Shopify * Vendoo * Product listings * E-commerce * Marketplace management * Social media * Content creation * AI-assisted writing and design * Canva * CapCut * Meta Business Suite * Research * Growth strategy * Staff/freelancer coordination * General business operations You do not need to be an expert in every single area. However, you should be technologically confident, organized, capable of learning independently, comfortable solving problems and able to keep moving without needing step-by-step instructions for every small task. WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR We want someone who can eventually receive a message such as: "Please take care of this.” …and then: 1. Determine what needs to happen. 2. Check whether the information already exists. 3. Review previous communication and records. 4. Research what can safely be researched. 5. Complete the steps that do not require approval. 6. Follow up with the appropriate people. 7. Track anything still pending. 8. Ask management only when a genuine decision or approval is required. 9. Follow through until the task is actually complete. Initiative is one of the most important qualities we are hiring for. 1. VIRTUAL ASSISTANT & ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT Responsibilities may include: * Organizing tasks and priorities * Maintaining ongoing task lists * Tracking pending work * Following up on unfinished items * Managing deadlines * Turning voice notes/messages into organized tasks * Drafting emails * Drafting customer responses * Creating spreadsheets * Maintaining trackers * Organizing Google Drive * Organizing documents and files * Creating SOPs * Creating checklists * Conducting research * Vendor research * Staff/freelancer follow-up * Appointment administration * Customer follow-up * General business administration A major part of this role is helping ensure that important things **do not fall through the cracks**. 2. CUSTOMER SERVICE Excellent customer service is highly valued for this role. We would love someone capable of helping communicate with customers through: * Phone calls * Text messages * Email * Instagram DMs * Facebook messages * Website inquiries * E-commerce inquiries You should have excellent written English and strong spoken English. Customer communication should be: * Warm * Friendly * Professional * Helpful * Concise * Accurate * Patient You should be comfortable handling or triaging questions involving: * Appointments * Shopping inquiries * Gown availability * Rentals * Purchases * Returns * Pickups * Consignment * Product questions * Last-minute events * General business information 3. PHONE SUPPORT Strong applicants should be comfortable speaking with customers by phone. Depending on experience and communication ability, you may eventually help answer inbound calls during agreed coverage periods. You should be able to: * Speak clearly and professionally * Listen carefully * Ask appropriate questions * Take accurate notes * Identify urgency * Gather customer information * Follow procedures * Escalate unusual situations appropriately We are specifically looking for someone who has enough judgment to recognize that: A customer needing assistance for an event happening today is more urgent than reorganizing an internal folder. Prioritization matters. 4. CUSTOMER SERVICE JUDGMENT You must never guess or invent information. Our inventory and availability can change frequently. If a customer asks whether a specific gown, size, color or style is available, you should know how to: * Gather the necessary customer information * Review the appropriate records * Check available systems * Determine what can actually be confirmed * Identify what still requires verification * Give the correct next step * Escalate when necessary We want someone who understands the difference between: Something you know Something you can verify Something you can research Something requiring management approval 5. SHOPIFY Shopify experience is highly preferred. Responsibilities may include: * Creating products * Editing listings * Product titles * Product descriptions * SEO * Variants * Sizes * Colors * Tags * Collections * Product images * Pricing * Inventory * Product organization * Website merchandising * Basic website updates * Order-related organization * Checking listing accuracy * Fixing inconsistencies * Product-page quality control Accuracy is extremely important. Never invent: * Designer * Material * Size * Color * Retail price * Product details * Availability * Inventory status If something is uncertain, verify it or flag it. 6. VENDOO & CROSS-LISTING Experience with **Vendoo is highly preferred**. You may help manage listings across platforms such as: * Vendoo * Poshmark * eBay * Depop * Shopify * Other resale marketplaces Responsibilities may include: * Creating listings * Cross-listing * Optimizing titles * Writing descriptions * Adding measurements * Adding SKUs * Product categorization * Pricing * Adding images * Updating inventory * Removing sold products * Reviewing listing quality * Preventing duplicates * Keeping marketplace listings organized One important goal is preventing situations where an item is sold or listed incorrectly because information was not properly updated across platforms. 7. RENTAL & CONSIGNMENT SYSTEMS Experience with product-rental or consignment businesses is a major bonus. You may eventually work with: * Shopify rental apps * Consignment software * Inventory software * Product Rentals Pro * Consignify * Other business systems You do not need experience with every platform already. However, you should be capable of independently learning unfamiliar software. Business-specific questions are expected. Spending large amounts of paid time simply learning basic software navigation through beginner tutorials is not. 8. PRODUCT RESEARCH & LISTING RESEARCH Some products may require research. You may help identify or verify: * Designer * Product/style number * Product name * Original retail price * Original retailer * Fabric * Color * Measurements * Approximate resale value * Product imagery * Other listing information You may use: * Designer websites * Authorized retailers * Resale sites * Purchase records * Marketplace research * Internal records * Search tools Never assume another seller's listing is accurate simply because it appears online. 9. SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGEMENT Strong social-media experience is a major plus. Responsibilities may include: * Instagram * Facebook * Meta Business Suite * Instagram Reels * Stories * Feed posts * Content scheduling * Caption writing * Content planning * Content calendars * Comment monitoring * DM organization * User-generated content * Customer-review content * Product content * Bridal content * Formal-event content * Educational content * Founder/behind-the-scenes content * Promotional content We do not want someone whose entire social strategy is: **“Post consistently.”** We want someone who thinks about: * Audience * Hook * Message * Content quality * CTA * Reach * Engagement * Profile visits * Website traffic * Customer inquiries * Appointment conversions * Sales * Rental inquiries 10. SOCIAL MEDIA & GROWTH STRATEGY Growth-strategy experience would be very valuable. You may help identify and test ways to grow: * Local awareness * Social reach * Followers * Engagement * Website traffic * Customer inquiries * Appointment bookings * Sales * Rentals * Consignment leads * Reviews * Repeat customers * Referrals * Partnerships * User-generated content We value people who think in terms of **testing and outcomes**. For example: “This content format generated more customer inquiries than our normal posts. I recommend testing three more variations before deciding whether to make it a recurring content series.” That is more valuable than simply reporting views. 11. META BUSINESS SUITE Experience with Meta Business Suite is preferred. Tasks may include: * Scheduling Instagram content * Scheduling Facebook content * Reels * Inbox monitoring * Comment monitoring * Notifications * Basic analytics * Content performance * Page management Meta advertising experience is a bonus but not required. Please be honest about your actual experience level. 12. CAPCUT & SHORT-FORM VIDEO CapCut experience is highly preferred. You may help with: * Reel editing * Short-form video * Trimming footage * Hooks * Text overlays * Captions/subtitles * Pacing * Audio * Transitions * Repurposing footage * Creating different versions of content * Formatting videos for social platforms We want content that is both aesthetically strong **and capable of holding attention**. # 13. CANVA & GRAPHIC DESIGN Canva experience is highly preferred. You may help create: * Social graphics * Instagram Stories * Carousels * Promotional graphics * Customer-review graphics * Educational posts * Marketing materials * Website assets * Basic print materials * Brand content This is a fashion-focused business, so visual judgment matters. We prefer polished, intentional design rather than generic templates. # 14. AI — CHATGPT, CLAUDE & OTHER TOOLS We actively use AI as a productivity tool. Experience with: * ChatGPT * Claude AI * AI image-generation tools * Canva AI * Other AI productivity tools is highly preferred. AI may be used to assist with: * Research * Captions * Writing * Content ideas * Product descriptions * SOPs * Organization * Marketing ideas * Analysis * Customer-response drafts * Brainstorming However: ## AI IS A TOOL, NOT A SUBSTITUTE FOR JUDGMENT. You are responsible for reviewing and verifying AI-generated work. You must check: * Names * Dates * Pricing * Product information * Policies * Materials * Customer details * Business information * Factual claims Blindly copying AI output is not acceptable. 15. CUSTOMER PRIVACY & AI You may eventually have access to confidential customer and business information. Sensitive information should never be entered into third-party AI tools unless specifically authorized. Confidential information may include: * Full customer identity * Home addresses * Phone numbers * IDs * Payment information * Contracts * Internal records * Passwords * Financial information Good security judgment is required. 16. EMAIL, TEXT & DM MANAGEMENT You may help monitor and respond to: * Business email * Customer texts * Instagram DMs * Facebook messages * Website inquiries * Vendor communication * Contractor communication Over time, we want this person to learn which messages they can independently handle and which need escalation. The goal is to reduce how many routine communications require management personally. 17. RESEARCH Strong independent research skills are required. Assignments may include: * Vendor research * Printing * Shipping * Software comparison * Products * Competitors * Marketing ideas * Local opportunities * Events * Service providers * Pricing research * Fashion/product research * Business tools * Operational solutions Do not simply return a page of links. We prefer research presented like: BEST OPTION Option B WHY Best combination of price, quality and turnaround. COST Approximately $___. ALTERNATIVES Option A is cheaper but slower. Option C costs more but offers additional features. RECOMMENDATION I recommend Option B because ___. DECISION REQUIRED Approve Option B or choose another option. 18. STAFF & FREELANCER COORDINATION You may help coordinate other remote freelancers or team members. Tasks could include: * Requesting progress updates * Following up on incomplete work * Tracking deadlines * Identifying blockers * Helping locate information * Directing team members to training/SOPs * Consolidating questions * Reviewing progress * Keeping deliverables organized * Reporting issues to management We want someone who helps keep projects moving without requiring management to personally chase every person. 19. TASK MANAGEMENT & FOLLOW-THROUGH This is extremely important. If a task begins Monday but requires another person's response Wednesday, you should still remember the task exists on Wednesday. You need a system for tracking: * Pending tasks * Deadlines * Follow-ups * Waiting-on items * Owners * Priorities * Founder/management approvals * Completed work You should not need repeated reminders about assignments already given to you. DAILY AVAILABILITY REQUIRED You must have some availability every day of the week, including Saturday and Sunday. This does not mean working eight hours every day. It means you cannot routinely disappear from business communication for multiple days at a time. The business operates throughout the week, and customer inquiries, rentals, appointments, listings and social communication may occur any day. We need someone who can reliably: * Check communications every day * Review assigned work every day * Maintain continuity throughout the week * Respond within agreed communication windows * Triage urgent situations * Complete ongoing milestones consistently Please provide your actual availability for each day of the week in your application. TIME ZONE The business operates on Hawaiʻi Standard Time (HST). You do not need to perform all work during HST business hours. However, you must have reliable overlap with HST for: * Communication * Customer-service needs * Questions * Urgent issues * Coordination Please convert your proposed availability into HST when applying. MILESTONE-BASED CONTRACT This role will primarily operate through fixed-price Upwork milestones. We prefer clearly defined deliverables and measurable progress rather than unlimited open-ended hourly billing. We will begin with a small paid trial milestone. If successful, work may continue through recurring weekly milestones and additional project-based milestones. Examples include: Weekly Operations Milestone Possible deliverables: * Customer communications checked daily * Assigned inquiries responded to * Customer follow-ups completed * Administrative tasks completed * Pending-task tracker maintained * Team follow-ups completed * Weekly status report submitted E-Commerce Milestone Examples: * 50 products properly listed * Product information verified * Listings cross-posted * Vendoo synchronization completed * Duplicates reviewed * Sold inventory removed * Listing QA completed Content Milestone Examples: * Content calendar * Reels edited * Graphics created * Stories prepared * Captions completed * Posts scheduled * Performance reviewed Research Milestone Examples: * Research completed * Options compared * Information verified * Recommendation prepared The deliverables, deadline and price will be agreed upon before each milestone begins. IMPORTANT: MILESTONE-BASED DOES NOT MEAN DISAPPEARING UNTIL THE DEADLINE Communication and visible progress are still expected. If a milestone lasts seven days, we do not want someone to disappear for six days and submit everything at the last minute. We prefer consistent progress throughout the milestone. HOW WE PREFER UPDATES Instead of many scattered messages, organized updates are preferred. Example: COMPLETED * Responded to customer messages * Added 20 Shopify products * Updated marketplace listings * Scheduled social content IN PROGRESS * Inventory audit * Editing Reel * Vendor comparison WAITING ON * Customer measurements * Vendor response * Freelancer correction NEED FROM MANAGEMENT * Pricing approval * Policy exception * Final graphic approval URGENT * Customer pickup today * Overdue rental return INITIATIVE IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT Questions are completely normal while learning a new business. However, before asking management a question, first consider: 1. Has this already been explained? 2. Is the answer in previous messages? 3. Is there an SOP or training material? 4. Can I check Shopify? 5. Can I check the relevant system? 6. Can I review the customer conversation? 7. Can I research it? 8. Can I safely complete another part of the task? 9. Does this genuinely require management approval? We are hiring support because we need **fewer routine things requiring management personally**, not more. IF YOU GET BLOCKED If one task becomes blocked, use your judgment and continue productive work where possible. For example: You are creating 40 listings. You reach listing #12 and cannot confirm the designer. Do not guess. Flag #12. Continue with #13–40 if they can safely be completed. Then return to #12 when the missing information is available. CONFIDENTIALITY & SECURITY This is a high-trust position. Depending on responsibilities, you may eventually receive access to: * Shopify * Vendoo * Google Workspace * Company email * Meta Business Suite * Social accounts * Inventory systems * Customer records * Internal files * Other business software You must: * Protect credentials * Never share passwords * Never create unauthorized users * Never use Company/customer data personally * Never disclose confidential information * Immediately report compromised credentials * Immediately report suspicious activity * Return or delete confidential information when requested COMPANY WORK PRODUCT All work created for the business while working on paid projects must remain accessible to the business. Examples include: * Product listings * Graphics * Videos * Captions * Photos * Research * Spreadsheets * Documents * SOPs * Templates * Marketing concepts * Content calendars * AI-assisted assets * Editable project files Company materials may not be withheld, deleted without authorization, distributed to third parties or reused for competing businesses without authorization. IDEAL EXPERIENCE Strong candidates may have experience in several of the following: * Virtual assistance * Executive assistance * Founder support * Customer service * Phone support * Email support * Social media * Shopify * Vendoo * Poshmark * eBay * Depop * E-commerce * Product listings * Inventory * Fashion * Luxury retail * Bridal * Formalwear * Rentals * Consignment * Meta Business Suite * Canva * CapCut * ChatGPT * Claude AI * Google Workspace * Research * Marketing * Content creation * Growth strategy * Project management YOU DO NOT NEED EVERY SKILL Please be honest. We would rather hire someone who is: highly organized + proactive + intelligent + capable of learning than someone who claims expert-level knowledge of twenty programs but cannot independently manage responsibilities. YOU MAY BE A GREAT FIT IF YOU: * Take initiative * Are extremely organized * Learn quickly * Follow through * Have excellent written English * Have strong spoken English * Are comfortable speaking with customers * Enjoy customer service * Are resourceful * Research before asking * Use AI intelligently * Understand technology * Have good visual judgment * Can prioritize * Recognize urgency * Follow procedures * Accept feedback * Notice inconsistencies * Care about accuracy * Work independently * Are interested in long-term work * Have some availability every day * Want to grow with a business PLEASE DO NOT APPLY IF YOU: * Need detailed instructions for every tiny action * Regularly disappear * Are unavailable most weekends * Have poor written English * Are uncomfortable speaking with customers * Frequently forget assignments * Need constant reminders * Guess instead of verifying * Submit work without reviewing it * Blindly copy AI responses * Cannot keep tasks organized * Regularly miss deadlines * Cannot accept corrections * Have unreliable internet * Are unable to independently learn software * Have too many clients to reliably support another ongoing business * Intend to outsource your assigned work * Are looking only for a short-term project PAID TRIAL Selected applicants will begin with a paid milestone-based trial. The trial may test a combination of: * Customer-service judgment * Organization * Research * Shopify * Product listings * E-commerce judgment * Social media * Content * AI use * Problem solving * Prioritization We care much more about how you actually work than how polished your application sounds. LONG-TERM OPPORTUNITY This can become a substantial long-term role for the right person. Depending on strengths and performance, responsibilities could grow toward: * Founder’s Assistant * E-Commerce Coordinator * Customer Experience Coordinator * Social Media Manager * Marketing Coordinator * Operations Coordinator * Growth Assistant * Remote Operations Manager Strong long-term contributors may also become eligible for increased milestone compensation, bonuses or other incentives based on agreed performance criteria. HOW TO APPLY Start your proposal with the word: LUXE This tells us you read the complete description. Generic copy-and-paste applications may be declined. Please answer the questions below. 1. CURRENT WORKLOAD How many other clients, jobs or businesses are you currently working with? Approximately how many hours per week are already committed to them? How much time could you realistically dedicate to this position? 2. DAILY AVAILABILITY Provide your availability for: * Monday * Tuesday * Wednesday * Thursday * Friday * Saturday * Sunday Convert all times to Hawaiʻi Standard Time (HST). 3. MILESTONE-BASED WORK Are you comfortable working primarily through fixed-price Upwork milestones with clearly defined deliverables? 4. CUSTOMER SERVICE Describe your customer-service experience. Have you personally handled: * Phone calls * Texts * Email * Instagram DMs * Facebook messages * Complaints * Sales inquiries Explain which ones. 5. PHONE COMMUNICATION Are you comfortable answering business phone calls in professional spoken English? Shortlisted candidates may be asked to complete a short voice/video interview. ## 6. SHOPIFY Describe exactly what you have personally done inside Shopify. Mention experience with: * Products * Variants * Inventory * Collections * SEO * Orders * Apps * Website updates * Analytics 7. VENDOO Have you personally used Vendoo? If yes, explain exactly what you did and which marketplaces you managed through it. 8. MARKETPLACES Describe any experience with: * Poshmark * eBay * Depop * Other resale platforms 9. SOCIAL MEDIA Describe your experience with: * Instagram * Facebook * Meta Business Suite * Reels * Content planning * Growth * Analytics 10. SOFTWARE Rate your actual ability from 1–10 for: * Shopify * Vendoo * Canva * CapCut * Meta Business Suite * Google Sheets * ChatGPT * Claude AI Briefly explain each rating. 11. INITIATIVE TEST Imagine management sends: “Can you figure out what's going on with tomorrow's rental customer? I think we're still waiting for something.” You have access to customer messages, email, appointment information and internal records. What would you do before asking management for help? 12. BLOCKED TASK TEST You are completing a milestone for 40 Shopify listings. You cannot verify the designer of listing #12 and need management to confirm it. Management has not answered yet. What do you do? 13. PRIORITY TEST Rank these from MOST urgent to LEAST urgent and explain your reasoning: A. A customer is currently outside the business and needs assistance. B. Tomorrow's Instagram post is not scheduled. C. A non-critical Shopify listing contains a typo. D. A customer has an event tonight and needs assistance finding a gown. E. A freelancer missed yesterday's deliverable. F. An internal Canva folder needs reorganizing. 14. AI How do you currently use ChatGPT, Claude or other AI tools? How do you verify AI-generated information before using it professionally? 15. PRIVACY TEST You need AI assistance drafting a customer response. The customer record contains: * Full name * Address * Phone * ID * Payment information * Contract What information would you give the AI? What would you leave out? Why? 16. INITIATIVE EXAMPLE Tell us about a time you identified a problem before your client or manager noticed it. What did you do? 17. ORGANIZATION What system do you personally use to track tasks that are waiting on another person? 18. PROOF OF WORK Provide up to three relevant examples of work you personally created. Examples may include: * Shopify work * Vendoo listings * Marketplace listings * Social accounts * Reels * Canva designs * Content calendars * Research * Spreadsheets * SOPs * Project trackers Explain exactly what you personally contributed. 19. SELF-ASSESSMENT Which parts of this position are you strongest at? Which parts would require the most learning? FINAL INSTRUCTION End your proposal with: “I understand that my role is to make the business easier to operate, not create more work for management.”