The essential role of Assistants in modern business
The Thoughtful Entrepreneur
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Episode breakdown
In this conversation, Barbara Turley, founder and CEO of The Virtual Hub, discusses the evolution and current state of virtual staffing, emphasizing the importance of integrating support teams to enhance business efficiency. She highlights the impact of COVID-19 on remote work acceptance and the necessity of having a structured approach to managing remote teams. Barbara also shares best practices for ensuring success in remote work environments and explores the role of AI in enhancing virtual assistance. The discussion concludes with resources for those looking to build effective remote teams.
- The Virtual Hub serves scale-up companies needing operational support
- The acceptance of remote teams
- How companies are re-evaluating their staffing strategies due to economic pressures
- The importance of having a support layer to free up time for business leaders
- How using the right tools and processes is crucial to effective remote work
- Why cultural fit and integration are crucial for remote team success
- How AI tools can enhance the efficiency of assistants
- Improving team performance through objectives and key results
- Building a digital-first company architecture is vital for remote work
- Increasing business asset value by systematizing processes
There's a whole myriad of reasons why you would want to have a well built, well oiled, systemized process map, digital first type company. And putting in the support layer or virtual assistants is kind of the big icing on the cake.
In this episode
00:05 Introduction & overview
Host Josh introduces Barbara Turley, founder and CEO of The Virtual Hub. Barbara briefly explains what The Virtual Hub does — providing cost-effective, remote support teams to scaling companies, freeing up leadership to focus on growth.
02:23 The state of virtual assistance & remote work post-CoViD
Barbara discusses how the assistant and remote staffing industry has existed for decades but exploded during COVID. She explains how economic pressures like interest rates and hiring freezes have driven businesses to rethink their resourcing strategies, with remote teams now widely accepted.
04:06 Why The Virtual Hub vs. Freelancer platforms
Barbara contrasts The Virtual Hub’s full-service, managed support teams with freelance marketplaces like Upwork or Fiverr. She highlights how Virtual Hub handles recruitment, training, HR, and culture-building — saving companies time and ensuring a better fit for ongoing support needs.
06:52 Common mistakes in managing remote support teams
Barbara warns against the “throw a body at the problem” approach, where businesses hire remote help without integrating them properly. She emphasizes the need for operational frameworks, digital-first infrastructure, and consulting support to make remote teams successful.
08:08 Best practices for remote team success
Barbara shares key tips for integrating and managing remote teams successfully. These include company-wide alignment on digital tools, using objective-based management (OKRs), setting clear processes, and fostering transparency to avoid remote work pitfalls.
13:19 The role and impact of AI in assistance
Barbara and Josh discuss AI’s growing role in enhancing assistant efficiency rather than replacing them. AI tools help with content, planning, and SOP development, but still require human oversight. They note AI’s rapid evolution and its potential for both productivity boosts and operational reshaping.
18:36 Building systems, delegating, and increasing business value
Barbara stresses the importance of systemizing businesses to delegate effectively, improve team satisfaction, identify operational inefficiencies, and increase business value as an asset. Assistants become the final layer atop a well-structured operational foundation.
20:32 Closing remarks & resources
Josh and Barbara wrap up by promoting Barbara’s free masterclass on delegation and scaling, and inviting listeners to connect via LinkedIn and The Virtual Hub’s website for consultations or more insights on remote team building.
