Episode breakdown
Barbara is an investor and entrepreneur, and the founder and CEO of The Virtual Hub, a business she started by accident that scaled quickly to become one of the leading companies that integrates in-house trained support assistants into client businesses. This strategy frees up time and energy so that businesses can focus on optimising their operations further to achieve business growth goals. With a strong focus on customised training and ongoing career development, The Virtual Hub ensures that her team is trained in cutting edge programs that many of us are familiar with — things like HubSpot, Ontraport and the like. Familiarity with these programs allows her team to best meet their client’s unique needs in digital marketing, social media, operational support, and admin services. When she’s not working on her business, Barbara is a mom to her gorgeous kids, Ruby and Alexander, and wife to her best friend.
Barbara Turley, understands the needs of busy professionals these days and through her business, helps them get more out of each day without sacrificing results.
- How Barbara Turley started The Virtual Hub
- The importance of systems and processes
- The importance of delegating tasks
- Dealing with the pressure to delegate
- The rise of Chat GPT and the evolution of AI
- How to augment VAs with AI
- The importance of delegating effectively
- The relentless pursuit of time efficiency
So we've put offshore team members in... so that the idea is that we can help the company to grow technically with using the same current resourcing, but just reorganise
In this episode
00:00 Introduction to Barbara Turley and her background
Barbara shares her career journey, moving from the corporate finance world into entrepreneurship. She discusses her early experiences and how her exposure to business management led her to identify inefficiencies in how businesses, especially small ones, handle operational support.
03:16 Founding The Virtual Hub
Barbara explains the inspiration behind launching The Virtual Hub, a company providing assistant services. She touches on the market need for reliable operational support and her motivation to create a service that not only matched business needs but also contributed to employment opportunities in the Philippines.
08:11 Challenges of scaling a service business
The conversation shifts to the operational and cultural challenges of scaling a service-oriented business. Barbara discusses the learning curve she faced managing a team across different time zones and cultural backgrounds, emphasizing the importance of building robust systems and leadership structures.
15:26 The role of assistants in business growth
Barbara highlights how assistants can help entrepreneurs reclaim time by offloading repetitive and operational tasks. She shares examples of tasks best suited for delegation and how doing so enables business owners to focus on strategic, revenue-generating activities.
22:51 Time management and operational efficiency tips
Barbara offers practical advice on how to identify time-draining activities and streamline business operations. She recommends documenting processes, creating clear SOPs, and embracing delegation to improve time efficiency.
31:41 Building a resilient and loyal team
The discussion covers the importance of fostering a positive work environment, offering growth opportunities, and ensuring team members feel valued. Barbara shares her approach to maintaining high morale and strong retention rates within her remote team.
38:21 Advice for aspiring entrepreneurs
In closing, Barbara provides encouragement to aspiring business owners, emphasizing the importance of resilience, continuous learning, and seeking mentorship to navigate the challenges of entrepreneurship.
