Barbara asks about the initial training period for handing over email and how Yaro avoided feeling overwhelmed. Yaro explains it’s simpler than expected: new hires start by reading past emails to learn how to reply, then gradually begin handling emails under supervision. Within weeks, they can manage most messages, and over time, templates and systems are created to standardize responses. He emphasizes that mistakes are part of learning, and the right person can eventually handle emails more effectively than the business owner. Barbara adds that she has already delegated her business emails and even uses a support assistant to manage her public Facebook Messenger, separating private communication. Matt highlights that a clear system is crucial for delegation. Yaro concludes that most emails (about 80%) can be handled by others, freeing the owner to focus on core business activities, and notes that automated tools may handle inboxes more in the future.
How entrepreneur and blogging expert, Yaro Starak, is embracing ‘The laptop lifestyle’ and how to break free from emails in the process
Virtual Success Show
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Episode breakdown
In this episode, special guest and online blogging expert, Yaro Starak, takes us through how he has adopted what some may call ‘The Laptop Lifestyle’ and how to break free from emails to focus on the things he loves. This episode is full of insights and tips from Yaro on how you can begin the process to ‘break free’ from managing your emails and once mastered, can bring so much freedom and success to you as a business owner.
- Adopting The Laptop Lifestyle – having the right people on your team is paramount to making this happen
- The importance of separating personal emails from business emails
- Hiring the right person to take on the task of your emails
- The value of setting up systems and processes for responding to emails
- Tips on training your new recruit
Delegation isn’t just about saving time. It’s about creating space for you to focus on income-producing work and the parts of the business you actually love.
In this episode
00:00 - Introduction
Barbara and Matt open the show by catching up and celebrating the recent launch of Matt’s book The Stop Doing List. Barbara mentions how the book highlights areas where people can let go of tasks, including her own struggle with managing email. They introduce their guest, Yaro Starak, a well-known figure in online marketing and blogging, who joins to discuss a topic he doesn’t usually cover in podcasts.
02:05 – About Yaro
Yaro shares that he’s been blogging since 2005, building a full-time career as an online entrepreneur. He makes his living entirely online through blogging, teaching courses, running a membership site, and selling ebooks, essentially running a publishing company. His work allows him to travel the world and live the “laptop lifestyle,” often working from cafés while coordinating with his team. Barbara highlights his upcoming move from Vancouver to France as proof of his true digital nomad lifestyle.
03:22 – The laptop lifestyle
Yaro explains that his lifestyle involves constant travel—working from Airbnbs, using Ubers, and spending most of his time on his laptop. Despite the mobility, his daily routine remains steady with work at the center. Barbara notes many listeners would aspire to such a lifestyle and points out that Yaro teaches it well. She then asks about the size of his virtual team, since he mentioned using Slack for communication.
04:15 – Having the right people on your team
Yaro currently has about 10 core team members on Slack, including client care staff, tech specialists, a graphic designer, a Facebook ads manager, a content auditor/social media manager, and a podcast/publications manager. He also uses occasional contractors for transcripts, writing, and formatting. Barbara highlights that this shows blogging as a serious business requiring a real team, not just one support assistant. Yaro explains that in the early days his team was just him, a tech person, and an email support person. While that worked, it capped growth. In the past 4–5 years, he expanded his team and systems, moving toward automation with email funnels and reducing his direct involvement. This shift allowed him to scale, handle more customers, and test systems while still keeping the business running with minimal input from him.
08:20 – Yaro’s blog: Break free from emails
Yaro shared that his inspiration for the blog post on breaking free from emails came from his early entrepreneurial journey. Back when he ran an editing company, he realized that email was the biggest task tying him to the business. Once cash flow allowed, he delegated email to a trusted contractor (a friend from university) and effectively freed himself from daily involvement—sometimes working just an hour every few days. Since then, he has always seen email (along with tech support) as the first thing entrepreneurs should outsource, since it doesn’t drive business growth compared to activities like content creation, partnerships, or webinars. The idea resurfaced during a networking dinner, when another entrepreneur complained about spending hours each night on email. Yaro revealed he hadn’t managed his own email in 12 years, surprising many who struggle to let go of it. Barbara added that many business owners find it hard to delegate email, often treating it as the last thing they’d hand off, though she herself has minimized email by automating and pushing communication into project management tools. She emphasized the importance of learning how to outsource email effectively and safely, since it often involves personal accounts, and invited Yaro to share practical steps for listeners.
13:10 – Steps to break free from emails
Yaro clarified the importance of distinguishing between personal and business email accounts. He explained that he never delegates his personal email since it only gets a few daily messages from friends, family, or travel bookings. While someone else could technically manage those, he prefers handling them himself because they involve personal choices, like flights or accommodations. For business emails, however, delegation makes sense and is often necessary.
13:25 – Separating personal from business emails
Yaro explained that the first step in managing email is separating business and personal accounts. Most people only need to personally handle a very small portion of emails, while 99% can be delegated if you trust someone. He suggested reviewing your inbox to ask, “Do I really need to be the one replying, filtering, or deleting this?” Even hiring someone just to delete unnecessary emails can make a huge difference.
14:35 – Hiring someone to take over your emails
Yaro outlined the first step from his article: hiring a competent person to manage email. He emphasized it’s no different from outsourcing any other role—look for qualities like attention to detail, strong written communication, and familiarity with tools such as Slack, Asana, and Gmail. His process includes a one-month trial and training systems to ensure success. At first, he personally trained them to “be him” in handling emails, teaching how to reply and letting them improve on his methods over time.
15:56 – Creating systems for dealing with emails
Yaro shared that once you hire and train someone, the next step is systematizing your inbox with templates, folders, and filters. His team manages a shared Gmail account, providing 24/7 coverage worldwide. Only about 5% of his emails need his attention, which he checks every two weeks. The system evolves naturally as new queries come in, creating opportunities to refine processes and even turn email management into a sales role. Matt added that some people may prefer keeping a personal-only email while delegating the rest, before asking Yaro how he felt when first handing over control of his inbox.
19:07 – Emotions experienced when handing over emails
Yaro described feeling euphoria the first time he fully delegated his business email, as it proved his business could run without him. For 12 years since, he’s enjoyed the freedom and lack of stress from not managing emails personally, while still monitoring sales and opportunities. He emphasized that email delegation is a key step in creating a business that operates independently. Matt then asked about the competencies he looks for in the people managing his emails.
22:35 – Key competencies needed to take care of emails
Yaro looks for strong written communication, emotional intelligence, attention to detail, problem-solving ability, independence, and basic tech skills when hiring someone to manage his emails. He values people who can handle customer situations calmly, improve processes proactively, and make decisions without needing constant supervision. Flexibility, such as working from home, is also a key advantage.
25:48 – Tips on training your new recruit
35:41 – Wrapping things up
Barbara and Matt wrap up the episode by asking Yaro how people can connect with him. Yaro says to Google his name, Y-A-R-O, to find his blog, podcast, and the Blog Profits Blueprint report for those interested in blogging. Barbara shares that discovering his Blog Profits Blueprint was a pivotal moment in her online career. Matt emphasizes that delegating email is much easier than people think. They close the episode by encouraging listeners to leave reviews and suggest topics for future shows.
