Episode breakdown
Let me tell you, Barbara Turley, who is the founder and CEO of The Virtual Hub, is one impressive lady! I am not saying that because she hails from my home country, Ireland, but it helps!
Barbara started her career in investment banking with Deutsche Bank, but investment banking’s loss was the gain of business entrepreneurs. While setting up a new business for women who wanted to create wealth and have an impact, Barbara, in her own words, “accidentally” discovered a niche where her clients were asking her to find Support Assistants to help with their busy schedules! Demonstrates Barbara’s true entrepreneurial spirit! And so, The Virtual Hub was born!
- How Barbara accidentally started The Virtual Hub when her clients as a business coach were asking her to find a support assistant for them.
- Explaining what the hub can do to complete tasks needed to have your businesses run smoothly.
- List of tasks on what a Support Assistant can do.
- Why should businesses choose The Virtual Hub instead of other available resources.
- The pitfalls for business owners when endeavoring to optimize the relationship with the Support Assistant.
- Barbara talks about her Daily Huddle which she is a strong advocate of.
Empower a team to run the business while you focus on growing it.
In this episode
00:00 - Introduction and Guest Background
John Murphy introduces the Winning Teams podcast and guest Barbara Turley, CEO and Founder of The Virtual Hub. Barbara shares her career journey from investment banking to an accidental business in offshore outsourcing, sparked by helping clients overwhelmed with operational tasks.
04:07 - Why Use The Virtual Hub
Barbara explains the challenges of finding and managing quality support assistants independently, highlighting The Virtual Hub’s rigorous recruitment, training, and live simulation processes as key differentiators.
06:50 - Target Market
The company serves small businesses with an online or digital marketing strategy, particularly those using platforms like HubSpot, Infusionsoft, and ActiveCampaign, who need execution support for their marketing and operational tasks.
08:09 - Managing Time Zones
Barbara describes operating across global time zones with overlapping hours for client connection, noting the cultural norm of night work in the Philippines.
09:28 - Balancing Business and Family
She credits her success to building a strong, process-driven team and organizational structure that allows her to focus on growth while delegating day-to-day operations.
12:35 - Client Onboarding and Delegation Training
Barbara outlines onboarding programs that train clients in effective delegation, task management tools, and process preparation to ensure support assistant success, alongside intensive support assistant training before client placement.
16:26 -Examples of Tasks to Outsource
She details tasks such as podcast production, blog publishing, social media content creation, YouTube management, competitor research, calendar management, and live chat support.
18:47 - Part-Time and Full-Time Support Assistant Options
The Virtual Hub offers part-time contracts starting at 20 hours per week, with full-time options available.
19:48 - Common Reasons for Client Failure
Barbara identifies lack of preparation, insufficient communication, and absence of reporting systems as primary causes of outsourcing failure, recommending daily huddles to maintain alignment.
22:41 - Working with Entrepreneurial Clients
She stresses the need for systems, processes, and teams to scale effectively, sometimes turning away clients unwilling to commit to structured approaches.
24:34 - Ideal Client Profile
Barbara refined her client base to small businesses committed to scalable strategies and operational discipline, improving outcomes for both clients and support assistants.
25:42 - Future Vision for The Virtual Hub
Plans include expanding to 500–1000 staff, deepening impact in the Philippines through strong brand identity, employee benefits, wellness programs, and career development.
28:38 - Ethical Employment Practices
Barbara emphasizes providing healthcare, benefits, and career growth opportunities for Filipino staff, countering perceptions of exploitative outsourcing.
30:11 - Recommended Books
She recommends The Zappos Experience for building strong culture and Built to Sell for creating a scalable, saleable business.
31:57 - Daily Rituals
Barbara shares her preference for morning coffee by the beach and her commitment to a daily business huddle as a key operational discipline.
33:25 - Daily Huddle Explained
The huddle is a 10–15 minute stand-up meeting where each team member shares what they’ve done, what they plan to do, and where they’re stuck, enabling quick problem resolution.
35:02 - Closing and Contact Information
Barbara invites listeners to connect via The Virtual Hub website or LinkedIn, and John Murphy closes the episode with an offer for a free top team analysis session.
