I ran across a post at The Blog Herald about hiring a blog designer and even though the post is a year old, its still very relevant today.
Feel free to go read the post in its entirety but I wanted to highlight the major points:

How to get the designer you want:
1. Be clear, concise, professional and friendly in your initial contact.
2. Explain your project in enough detail to pique the designer’s interest.
3. Give them adequate time to respond (at least 5 days). You can then follow up with an e-mail …

“I can’t find the words to express how proud I am of you for the great job you did on my blog. You are a godsend! And you’re stuck with me now!”

Wouldn’t you like to be able to say that about the person you hire to manage your online business? That’s an actual, unsolicited quote from a client of Advantage Online Solutions.