How to grow your business with Support Assistants
Doug Morneau
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Episode breakdown
In this podcast interview with Doug Morneau, find out the tips on how to grow your business with Support Assistants straight from The Virtual Hub CEO and Founder, Barbara Turley.
- How Barbara’s career went from corporate life to business coaching and finally, to The Virtual Hub
- Cost-effectiveness of hiring people for your business, either onshore or offshore
- The challenge of recruitment and HR for hiring Support Assistants
- Cost-effectiveness and scalability to The Virtual Hub’s growth and for the hub’s clients to help their business grow
- Recurring tasks list, To-do list and documenting the process – Flexibility with a structure
No matter what size your business is if there’s no profit left, there is no business.
In this episode
00:00 - Introduction to the Episode
Barbara Turley opens with a common business frustration: wanting skilled staff without investing time in systems. Doug Morneau introduces Barbara and her company, The Virtual Hub.
02:31 - Barbara’s Career Journey
From equity trading to asset management, Barbara helped build a $6B fund before pivoting to entrepreneurship. Her coaching clients’ demand for support assistants led to the founding of The Virtual Hub.
07:44 - The Why Behind Offshore Staffing
Offshoring is presented as a strategic move to reduce costs and increase profitability. It enables businesses to reallocate onshore staff to higher-value tasks while support assistants handle routine operations.
09:53 - Common Pitfalls When Hiring Support Assistants
Many business owners start with platforms like Upwork and face disappointment. Success depends on having a clear strategy and documented processes before onboarding a support assistant.
11:52 - Cultural Challenges and the “Yes” Culture
Barbara explains how offshore support assistants often come from cultures where saying “yes” is expected, even without full understanding. Her team trains support assistants to speak up and engage critically.
13:47 - Assessing Business Readiness
The Virtual Hub uses strategy consultants to evaluate readiness. Clients are guided to build task lists and processes before hiring to avoid overwhelm and ensure success.
20:17 - Recurring vs. Project Tasks
Businesses should categorize tasks by department and frequency. Barbara recommends starting with screen recordings to document processes for delegation.
24:37 - ROI and Onboarding Expectations
Return on investment typically appears after six months. Barbara emphasizes the importance of realistic expectations and structured onboarding to avoid early disappointment.
27:17 - Systemization and Business Value
Systemized businesses are easier to scale, sell, and manage. Processes reduce dependency on key individuals and increase operational resilience.
29:10 - Oversight and Reporting
Effective oversight comes from structured reporting rather than micromanagement. Daily and weekly huddles focused on outcomes help maintain accountability.
30:31 - Bad Advice About Flexibility
Barbara warns against excessive flexibility, which can lead to burnout. Structure is essential, especially in cultures where boundaries are less defined.
32:39 - The Virtual Hub’s Model
The company hires and trains support assistants before matching them with clients. It offers three levels of support assistants: general admin, content/social media, and advanced digital marketing.
35:25 - Scaling with Multiple Support Assistants
Clients often begin with one Support Assistant and expand to teams of three to five. The model supports both part-time and full-time arrangements with mixed skill sets.
36:56 - Final Advice for Newcomers
Barbara encourages mindset shifts and systemization. Offshore staffing offers scalable growth when approached strategically.
38:07 - Office Setup in Cebu
The Virtual Hub operates from a centralized office in Cebu for better management and compliance. The work-from-home model was phased out as the company scaled.
39:18 - Compliance and GDPR
Centralized operations allow for stronger data protection compliance, especially for European clients.
42:07 - Podcasting and Content Systems
Barbara uses support assistants to manage podcast post-production and distribution. Clients receive ready-made systems for repurposing content.
43:02 - Recommended Guests and Resources
She recommends James Schramko and Matt Maloof for future interviews. Matt’s book “The Stop Doing List” is highlighted as a tactical resource.
44:13 - How to Connect and Get Started
Listeners are directed to thevirtualhub.com/RMRF for free guides and strategy consults to assess readiness and explore solutions.
