How Nathan Chan used virtual teams to smash Foundr magazine out of the park
Virtual Success Show
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Episode breakdown
In this episode, special guest Nathan Chan, who has had the pleasure of speaking with some of the world’s leading and aspiring entrepreneurs, shares his experiences in building and using virtual teams to take Foundr Magazine to the next level. This episode is full of insights and tips from Nathan on how he has built virtual teams to allow himself to focus on what he really enjoys doing in his business.
- What to keep in mind when building a virtual team
- The importance of delegating effectively
- How to fine tune your processes and why this is so important
- Effective communication with your team
- The need for a team or project leader
Test-drive that process, because often when you give a process to someone and a mistake happens, there can be holes in your process that you didn't realize.
In this episode
00:00 - Introduction
Barbara Turley hosts Virtual Success solo, as her co-host Matt Malouf is busy and she’s recently had a baby. She interviews Nathan Chan, founder of Foundr Magazine, known for its strong digital presence and Instagram strategy. Nathan mentions a mutual friend, Yaro Starak, highlighting connections in the digital entrepreneur community. Barbara asks Nathan to briefly share his entrepreneurial background and how Foundr Magazine started.
02:06 – How Foundr Magazine came to life
Nathan started Foundr Magazine in March 2013 as a side hustle while working his day job, never expecting it to become a major media platform. He launched it digitally, targeting aspiring and young entrepreneurs, and within three years reached over a million monthly readers. Inspired by Tim Ferriss’s Four Hour Work Week, Nathan embraced virtual teams early on for leverage. His first virtual team member was James Currand, a graphic designer from India, followed by local hires in Melbourne. Later, he hired a part-time support assistant from the Philippines via E-lance to handle administrative tasks.
06:00 – What to keep in mind when building a virtual team
Nathan emphasizes that when building a virtual team or using support assistants, you should identify tasks you hate doing and tasks you shouldn’t be doing. These are the areas where you can gain the most leverage by delegating, allowing you to focus on the work only you should handle. This advice comes from Chris Ducker.
06:40 – How to delegate
Nathan explains that he delegated all tasks he shouldn’t do or didn’t enjoy by using SweetProcess to create SOPs. He would record a video of himself performing the task, have the VA watch it, and then create a formal SOP in SweetProcess. This system helped him effectively train his support assistants, and now he has two full-time support assistants managing these tasks.
07:28 – SOP – Standard Operating Procedure
Barbara emphasizes that before creating an SOP, you must first clearly understand what you want done and how. Nathan’s approach of recording a video works because he already knows the exact process, allowing the support assistant to then turn it into a proper standard operating procedure.
08:03 – Tracking your time
Nathan emphasizes that before delegating tasks to a support assistant, you need to analyze how you spend your time daily—using tools like RescueTime—to identify tasks you shouldn’t be doing or can outsource. Once identified, you perform the task yourself while recording and documenting it, creating a clear process for the support assistant, rather than expecting them to magically figure it out.
09:08 – Be specific in your instructions
Nathan stresses the importance of being extremely specific when working with virtual teams, particularly support assistants in the Philippines. Clear instructions are essential because assumptions or expecting them to “read your mind” can lead to mistakes, as they aren’t yet familiar with your business or style.
10:12 – Creating your list
Nathan says creating the list of tasks for a support assistant took him only a couple of days. He advises that if you feel overwhelmed, committing to hiring help—even if you’re not fully sure what you need—can force you to clarify your tasks quickly. Barbara adds that using tools like RescueTime and pre-made task lists can help identify specific business tasks and nuances efficiently.
11:54 – Creating videos for each task
Nathan explains that creating videos for each task ensures support assistants understand exactly how work should be done, making them more comfortable and effective. He emphasizes the importance of fine-tuning processes, noting that mistakes usually reveal gaps in the process rather than the person. Clear, detailed instructions—screenshots, arrows, written steps, and videos—are essential. Barbara adds that this level of clarity is necessary for any business, not just when using offshore staff, because it allows seamless scaling and onboarding of new team members. Nathan agrees, stating that well-defined processes are how businesses scale, though no business is ever perfect. Most issues blamed on support assistants are often due to incomplete or unclear processes. This foundation then allowed him to grow from a single support assistant to a full virtual team.
16:35 – Building a virtual team
Nathan explains that Foundr operates with a mix of remote contractors and full-time team members around the world, while the core HQ team is in Melbourne. For big projects, like their upcoming Kickstarter book compiling years of interviews, they pool talent and manage tasks via Trello, assigning roles like project manager, video team, and landing page specialist. For ongoing “business as usual” tasks—weekly podcasts, blogs, and monthly magazine issues—they rely on established processes and tools like Trello, GetFlow, Slack, and SweetProcess for SOPs, creating a “well-oiled machine.” This system allows Nathan to focus on high-priority projects while the core operations continue smoothly.
20:02 – Communication with your team
Nathan emphasizes that communication is critical for managing both ongoing operations and projects. For the core “business as usual” team, they hold a 30-minute huddle on Mondays to discuss weekly plans, progress, and blockers, supplemented by stand-ups three times a week (Monday, Tuesday, Friday). For larger projects, like the Kickstarter book, they run weekly catch-ups using Trello and Scrum Agile sprints, with a dedicated project manager leading the team while others execute tasks. This structure ensures clarity, accountability, and smooth collaboration across the team.
22:54 – There needs to be a leader of the project
Barbara and Nathan emphasize that every project needs a clear leader—whether it’s the business owner or an empowered support assistant—to drive tasks and manage communication. Nathan adds that hiring a part-time Scrum master is an affordable option for managing projects. They use tools like Slack and Skype for team communication. The key takeaway is that strong leadership and structured communication are essential for a successful virtual team, even if you have just one support assistant.
24:22 – Wrapping things up
Nathan wraps up by sharing details about Foundr’s upcoming hybrid coffee table book, featuring actionable insights from top entrepreneurs like Gary Vaynerchuk, Richard Branson, and Barbara Corcoran. The book covers topics such as team building, hiring, marketing, social media, and idea validation. They are crowdfunding and pre-selling it via Kickstarter from November 15 to December 15. Listeners can learn more at FoundrMag.com/book. Barbara thanks Nathan for his insights and encourages listeners to get involved, subscribe, and rate the show.
