Episode breakdown
Barbara Turley’s mission is to eradicate business overwhelm and remove the friction that stunts growth by helping clients to optimize their operations using offshore teams of support assistants, clever automations and streamlined processes. The Virtual Hub makes this happen every day through support assistants who can aid with digital marketing, social media and administrative support plus consultants & system architects who optimize platforms and processes for growing businesses.
The Virtual Hub is a support assistant company with the added advantage of an operational efficiency consulting and implementation team. Rather than doing business “the usual way,” they actually create their own support assistant successes (and yours) through deep training programs (including software like Hubspot and Ontraport) as well as ongoing career development and customized coaching to best serve each of their clients.
- How many business owners face the problem of needing staff to implement strategies but don’t have time to hire employees
- Why business owners shouldn’t expect virtual outsourcing to magically solve all their problems
- How delegation is key, but many people struggle to relinquish control and properly communicate their needs to assistants
- Why it’s vital for entrepreneurs to map their processes and systematize tasks to delegate effectively while retaining control over the business
- How AI is not a tool that can replace human workers, but it is a tool that people should utilize
Recruiting is difficult. It's an art and science like anything, to recruiting anywhere in the world. But when you're dealing with support staff, it's a tricky one.
In this episode
00:00 Introduction & guest welcome
Seth Green introduces the podcast and guest Barbara Turley, founder of The Virtual Hub. Quick overview of the show’s purpose and a bit about Barbara’s background.
01:19 Origin of The Virtual Hub
Barbara shares how she transitioned from 15 years in corporate finance to business coaching, discovered a recurring problem among her clients around staffing, and organically grew a support assistant business in response.
03:29 Misconceptions about virtual assistants
Discussing myths about virtual outsourcing — the false belief that hiring offshore staff is easy and automatically successful without structure, strategy, and training.
04:47 Challenges in delegating & process creation
Barbara explains why entrepreneurs struggle with delegation, including misconceptions about control, assumptions about task clarity, and the undervaluing of process mapping and systematic delegation.
07:20 Recruitment challenges and definition of a VA
Insights into the art and difficulty of recruiting good assistants, and the importance of clearly defining what an assistant role is versus other offshore roles.
08:42 State of the outsourcing industry in the Philippines
Overview of the virtual staffing industry’s size in the Philippines, noting that The Virtual Hub operates differently by recruiting internally and training assistants before client placement.
10:06 Ideal client profile
Barbara outlines their typical clients — from solo entrepreneurs to $100M businesses — with a common thread of digital readiness and willingness to systemize processes.
11:53 Industries they serve best
The Virtual Hub excels in marketing, finance, and general business operations but avoids complex, highly regulated industries like healthcare and specialized financial compliance.
13:16 Business model & contracts
Explanation of their flexible, subscription-based service model with part-time and full-time assistants, emphasizing ease of scaling and exiting contracts.
14:35 Impact of AI on their business
Barbara reflects on the initial AI disruption fears, current slow adoption of AI in their client base, and their cautious approach to training assistants on AI tools while the landscape stabilizes.
16:12 Barbara’s favorite part of the business
Barbara shares her passion for people, culture, and building an employee-driven company where ideas from all levels contribute to strategy and innovation.
17:05 Closing & contact information
Barbara provides details on how listeners can connect with her via LinkedIn and explore The Virtual Hub’s services through their website.
