Episode breakdown
When you are a business owner, you are consistently looking at:
1) your marketing
2) your systems
3) costs
In comes overseas Support Assistants or Online Business Managers.
HOWEVER, if you do not have your business systems and SOP set up, you are going to crash and burn!
Here comes our savior, Barbara Turley, she is a master at systems, structures and helping entrepreneurs outsource their life (and business).
Barbara is an investor, entrepreneur and Founder & CEO of The Virtual Hub – 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 in the digital marketing and social media space for businesses who need to free up time and energy so they can go to the next level. Barbara is also Mum to her gorgeous daughter Ruby, wife to her best friend Eti and an adventure lover with a passion for horses, skiing, tennis and timeout in nature.
- How Barbara founded The Virtual Hub by accident when she was still in investment banking
- The difference between hiring Support Assistants from freelance websites and The Virtual Hub
- Identifying the problems that arise when clients work with Support Assistants and vice versa
- How you can get success with a Support Assistant with processes and systems in your business
- Heather’s bad past experience with a Support Assistant and how she managed it with the agency she hired the Support Assistant from
- How The Virtual Hub hires for character and not skills and how it has contributed to success
- Understanding the culture of Filipino Support Assistants
- Establishing a local entity in the Philippines for The Virtual Hub to protect the company and the employees
- The crucial steps in hiring a Support Assistant
- The top things that business owners and entrepreneurs should outsource to a Support Assistant
- Price structure of hiring a Support Assistant from The Virtual Hub, the different levels of Support Assistant available
- The tasks that The Virtual Hub’s different levels of Support Assistant can do
- Using CRM software like Infusionsoft, Active Campaign, Mailchimp, Click Funnels, and Ontraport
It's not just about hiring a VA — success comes from the right person, the right training, clear processes, and strong communication.
In this episode
00:00 - Introduction and Guest Welcome
Heather Havenwood introduces the “Like a Boss” podcast, outlines its focus on influencers and entrepreneurs, and welcomes guest Barbara Turley, founder and CEO of The Virtual Hub. Barbara shares a lighthearted exchange about “virtual coffee” and her background as an investor, entrepreneur, and mother.
03:17 - Accidental Launch of The Virtual Hub
Barbara explains how her business began unintentionally while helping clients find support assistants. Demand quickly outpaced her coaching work, leading to the creation of The Virtual Hub without a formal plan or vision.
05:33 - Why Agencies Offer More Than Direct Hiring
Barbara contrasts agency hiring with platforms like Upwork, highlighting common pitfalls such as poor work quality, lack of training, and communication breakdowns. She identifies four key challenges: finding the right support assistant, preparing clients for success, providing proper support assistant training, and fostering effective communication.
07:41 - Risks and Cultural Considerations in the Support Assistant Market
The discussion covers real-world stories of support assistant relationships gone wrong, the importance of recruiting for character over skills, and cultural-economic dynamics in the Philippines. Barbara shares how her company mitigates risks through full-time employment contracts, legal protections, and coaching on bonuses to avoid unintended consequences.
14:48 - Legal Structure and Protections
Barbara outlines her dual-company structure: a Western-based parent company and a wholly owned Philippine entity. This setup ensures compliance with local labor laws, employee benefits, and enforceable contracts.
16:17 - Three Crucial Steps to Support Assistant Success
Barbara details her framework for success, emphasizing the need to define and prioritize tasks for delegation, map and document processes to create scalable systems, and establish strong communication practices, including daily huddles and using tools like Asana or Trello instead of email.
22:15 - Process Evolution and SOP Management
Processes should be dynamic, with support assistants providing feedback for continuous improvement. Barbara recommends keeping systems simple, using Google Drive for SOPs, and integrating them with task management tools.
26:53 - What to Outsource First
Barbara advises starting with well-defined, process-heavy tasks such as social media management and blog content workflows before tackling complex areas like email management.
28:08 - Pricing and Service Levels
The Virtual Hub offers three support assistant levels ranging from $8 to $12 USD per hour, with a 20-hour weekly minimum. Services include handling all payroll, benefits, and performance reviews.
30:45 - Platform Expertise and Capabilities
The team supports platforms like WordPress, ClickFunnels, Ontraport, ActiveCampaign, and MailChimp, with varying levels of specialization.
32:33 - Closing and Call to Action
Barbara shares resources at thevirtualhub.com/likeaboss, including task outsourcing guides and a free e-course. Heather thanks Barbara and encourages listeners to connect with The Virtual Hub for trained support assistant support.
