How to grow a business when you have no time
The Leadership Coaching Group
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Episode breakdown
Today we are talking to a very successful woman who seems to be superwoman. Barbara Turley is an investor, entrepreneur, and Founder & CEO of The VirtualHub – a business she started by accident that exploded in the space of 12 months to become one of the leading companies that recruits, trains, and manages support assistants for businesses who need to free up time and energy so they can go to the next level.
She built this business while pregnant with her first child and grew it amidst the busyness of raising an infant. Her warmth and inspiration are necessary for any entrepreneurial leader to hear, especially if you want to get more done in less time.
- How Barbara was juggling her time having a business and having a baby
- Where the business started and how delegation and systemization started
- What Barbara went through personally as she evolved from being a mom and a businesswoman
- How you can do more in less time
- Building a team, delegating to people and reporting
- How to maximize usage of a support assistant
- Reasons you fail with a support assistant
- What are the common leadership mistakes that most people make when trying to delegate work
- The operation at The Virtual Hub (recruitment, training, and management of support assistants)
I can take a vision and I can turn it into an entire machine—and that’s what helped me build a business and raise a child at the same time.
In this episode
00:00 - Introduction & Barbara’s Accidental Success
Liz Howard introduces Barbara Turley, founder of The Virtual Hub, whose business exploded within 12 months. They set the tone for a conversation about time, energy, and scaling a business while juggling motherhood.
01:39 - From Investment Banking to Startup Life
Barbara shares her corporate background and transition into entrepreneurship. She reflects on her time in asset management and how it sparked her desire to build something scalable and impactful.
04:54 - Building a Business While Starting a Family
Barbara describes launching her company while becoming a mother. She admits she didn’t plan it that way but discovered her hidden talent for delegation, which became the foundation of her success.
05:21 - Delegation as a Superpower
She realized most entrepreneurs struggle with systemization and effective delegation. Her natural ability to build processes and mentor others helped her scale while maintaining sanity.
08:10 - The COO Mindset & Process Thinking
Barbara explains how her trading floor experience honed her agility and problem-solving. She emphasizes the importance of listening to feedback and continuously evolving systems.
10:39 - Identity Shift & Emotional Challenges
Barbara opens up about the emotional toll of balancing motherhood and entrepreneurship. She shares how her 50/50 approach worked—until she realized it left no time for herself.
14:37 - Boundaries, Burnout & Rethinking Success
She discusses the need for strict boundaries, structured time, and personal space. Barbara reflects on the destabilizing feeling of being consumed by both business and parenting.
17:35 - Support Assistant Capabilities & Misaligned Expectations
Barbara breaks down the broad definition of “support assistant” and the common mistake of expecting one person to do everything. She advocates starting with general admin support for recurring tasks.
23:14 - Why Support Assistant Relationships Fail
She outlines key reasons support assistant arrangements fall apart: unrealistic expectations, lack of task clarity, poor systems, and weak leadership. Entrepreneurs often expect autonomy without providing direction.
26:20 - Leadership & Structure in Delegation
Barbara stresses the importance of weekly check-ins, clear expectations, and structured flexibility. She warns against being too hands-off and highlights the need for consistent leadership.
29:13 - Commitment vs. Casual Engagement
She compares hiring a support assistant for a few hours a week to dating without commitment. Low investment leads to low care factor—business owners must match their expectations with their level of commitment.
30:02 - Recruiting Support Assistants: Direct vs. Managed
Barbara explains the challenges of hiring directly through freelance platforms. Even with hundreds of applicants, only a handful pass her company’s rigorous vetting and training process.
31:29 - Trial Periods & Hidden Red Flags
She shares how support assistants often shine during trials but falter later. Her team monitors behavior over six weeks to uncover true character and commitment before assigning them to clients.
33:16 - Onboarding, Meetings & Accountability
Barbara recommends onboarding with clear task lists, expectations, and meeting rhythms. These systems create transparency and help identify whether a support assistant is truly a fit.
37:30 - The Virtual Hub’s Model & Differentiators
Unlike recruiters, The Virtual Hub hires and trains support assistants internally before introducing them to clients. Their proprietary training and cultural matching lead to a 96–97% success rate.
39:08 - Ongoing Support & Dual Missions
Barbara describes their ecosystem of success coaches, help desks, and ongoing training. The company serves two missions: freeing up time for entrepreneurs and creating dynamic careers for Filipinos.
41:56- Legal Structure & Client Simplicity
Clients contract with The Virtual Hub, not individual support assistants. The company handles employment, benefits, and compliance in the Philippines, making it simple and risk-free for clients.
42:19 - Why the Philippines & Cultural Fit
Barbara explains her decision to focus solely on the Philippines. Strong English skills, cultural alignment, and a booming outsourcing industry make it the ideal talent pool.
43:44 - Resources & Getting Started
Barbara shares a special link for podcast listeners to access free resources, including a guide on why support assistant relationships fail and a seven-part email course. She encourages booking a free consult to assess readiness.
