How to delegate effectively and free up your time
Build Live Give
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Episode breakdown
Are you suffering from “I can’t afford a staff member” but you can’t grow your business without one?
Build Live Give invites Barbara Turley from The Virtual Hub and provides an inspiration to BLG listeners.
She has worked herself to the bone in corporate, felt the personal impacts of the global financial market collapse and build a wonderful business benefiting 100’s of small business owners whilst starting a family. Is there anything this smart lady can’t do?
Barb goes into the specifics of her challenges and gives listeners her unique experiences in solving many of the challenges we all face.
This interview has great practical advice for BLG listeners.
- The realities of starting your own business
- How to set up virtual teams; How to use a Support Assistant
- Key problems small business owners face and how to solve them
- Problem/Solution gap
- Why it is important to pivot
- What tools and resources you need to run a Virtual Team
- Barb’s hidden talents
- What cause she is passionate about and when is the best time to devote your energy to causes
If you have somebody that can develop, evolve, and execute processes, that person needs to be promoted—you shouldn’t bog them down in the doing.
In this episode
00:00 - Introduction and Guest Overview
Host Paul Higgins introduces Barbara Turley, founder of Energize Group and The Virtual Hub. He shares her journey from corporate banking to entrepreneurship and highlights the focus of the conversation: delegation, productivity, and building freedom through business.
03:00 - Barbara’s Corporate Background and Transition
Barbara discusses her career in investment banking, her management buyout opportunity during the financial crisis, and the leap into entrepreneurship. She explains her fears and challenges when leaving corporate security for autonomy.
07:20 - Overcoming Fears and Financial Adjustments
She describes the fear of failure when leaving corporate, the importance of reducing personal expenses before transitioning, and how family and emotional support are crucial in the entrepreneurial journey.
12:30 - Early Business Struggles and Finding the Right Path
Barbara shares her early ventures in online programs and coaching, and how she pivoted when clients’ biggest need turned out to be time, not strategy. This led to the creation of The Virtual Hub.
16:55 - Building and Growing The Virtual Hub
Barbara explains how she built her business by responding to client demand for support assistants. She outlines her client acquisition strategies, including content marketing, referrals, and webinars.
21:20 - Challenges of Scaling and Delegation Lessons
She details the biggest challenges in scaling, such as client education on delegation, cross-cultural communication, and HR issues in the Philippines. Barbara emphasizes the importance of process-building to overcome recurring challenges.
24:56 - Balancing Business and Motherhood
Barbara talks about managing her business while being a new mother. She highlights the power of delegation, firing herself from processes, and focusing on strategy rather than operations.
27:52 - Passion for Giving Back
She shares her passion for future philanthropic efforts, particularly in eradicating child sex slavery and supporting children’s education worldwide.
29:29 - Productivity Tips and Tools
Barbara recommends using project management tools like Asana, Podio, or Trello to streamline processes and boost productivity. She also mentions automation platforms like Ontraport and mobile tools such as Zoom and Skype.
32:36 - Recommended Podcasts and Learning Resources
Barbara suggests The Growth Show by HubSpot and Perpetual Traffic by Digital Marketer as valuable resources for entrepreneurs focused on scaling businesses.
34:27 - Final Advice for Entrepreneurs
Barbara emphasizes the importance of testing ideas without emotional attachment, not waiting for perfection, and focusing on solving problems people will pay for immediately. She reminds listeners that sales solve everything.
37:11 - Closing Remarks
Paul thanks Barbara for her insights and openness. Barbara encourages listeners to hang in, learn from others, and take shortcuts from experienced entrepreneurs.
