How Taki Moore, coach marketing expert and founder of the coachmarketingmachine.com is leveraging his virtual teams to encourage everyone to work in their ‘genius’
Virtual Success Show
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Episode breakdown
In this episode, we hear from Taki Moore, one of Australia’s leading ‘coaches to coaches’ on the benefits of using virtual teams to grow your business and how, if done correctly, will allow you to play to your strengths and live in your ‘genius’. This episode is packed full of useful tips and insights from Taki on how to leverage your virtual team to allow you to make more money, have more fun and help more people.
- Why breaking down your tasks from the beginning allows you to find your ‘genius’ and delegate the tasks you don’t enjoy/ aren’t good at, in order to get ahead
- Why letting go of the belief “They can’t do it as well as I can”, can be very liberating
- The importance of not trying to get rid of tasks all at once, as this can be overwhelming
- Why it is important to be a strong team leader
- Why a sold ‘communication rhythm’ is important for the entire team and why you should stick to it
- The importance of viewing the remuneration of your team as an investment as opposed to an expense
Start with the things that you hate doing or are rap at, you know get rid of those first, get some confidence and maybe hand over things as you grow
In this episode
00:00 - Introduction
Matt and Barbara open the Virtual Success Show with casual greetings. Barbara shares a quote by Ben Chestnut (CEO of Mailchimp): “As it grows, your business will go through several stages and each stage requires a different kind of leader”—which she feels reflects her own leadership journey this week. Matt highlights the value of the quote and introduces their guest, Taki Moore, his longtime mentor, business coach, and friend who introduced him to support assistants and supported his coaching business growth. Taki joins the show warmly, sharing a light exchange about fitness, lifestyle, and his current passion for health and life before Matt asks him to give a 60-second elevator pitch about himself and his company.
02:56 – Taki’s 60-sec elevator pitch
Taki explains that he helps coaches and consultants by solving two main problems: either they don’t have enough clients/money, or they’re already successful but stuck at a growth plateau. He helps them attract more clients, generate leads, and scale from one-on-one to group coaching so they can earn more, enjoy more, and help more people. Matt recalls their early work together in the Black Belt program with just 12 participants—something Taki reflects on as small compared to now, showing growth and progress. Matt then asks Taki to share how he first started working with support assistants and how that journey evolved.
04:33 – It started with a book…
Taki’s journey with support assistants began after reading Tim Ferriss’ The 4-Hour Workweek. A key insight about global outsourcing opened his mind to new possibilities at a time when he couldn’t afford local hires. Within two weeks, he hired his first support assistant, Ash, who’s still with him years later. Though initially unsure if he could afford or keep a support assistant busy, he quickly saw the freedom and momentum it created—eventually leading to more hires. Matt recalls that during this time Taki was working only about 12 hours a week, yet his business was growing rapidly.
06:42 – Breaking down your tasks
Taki shares Dan Sullivan’s four task categories—incompetence, competence, excellence, and genius. He recommends ranking tasks this way, then delegating from the outer layers (incompetence/competence) to focus on genius work. For him, email, voicemail, and calendar management were the first tasks to outsource, since he struggled with them. He even once triple-booked himself to speak at conferences in three countries on the same day, showing why he needed support.
09:00 – “But no one can do it as well as I can”
Barbara points out that many business owners—especially women—struggle to delegate tasks they enjoy and do well, even though those tasks don’t drive revenue. Perfectionism and the belief that “no one can do it as well as I can” often hold them back. She asks Taki how to overcome this mindset, since handing over such tasks to a support assistant is crucial for business growth, even if the support assistant doesn’t do them perfectly.
09:51 – Delegating to get ahead
Taki addresses the belief that support assistants can’t do tasks as well as the business owner. In his experience, his team in the Philippines often does things better than him, aside from tasks unique to his voice. Even if a support assistant isn’t perfect, the key is that delegating frees up time for the owner to focus on high-value, revenue-generating work. Ten hours spent in a genius zone can earn enough to hire multiple people for lower-level tasks. He recommends starting by outsourcing tasks you dislike or are bad at (incompetence), as this creates quick wins and builds confidence to delegate more over time. Barbara agrees, noting it’s a practical way to start.
11:51 – Finding your ‘genius’
Taki explains that once you gain confidence in delegating incompetence and competence tasks, you can also let go of excellence tasks—things you do very well but don’t love. For years, he held onto making his own slides and workbooks because he was great at them, but eventually handed them to Mike, who’s even better. This freed him to focus only on his genius work. Barbara notes the importance of outsourcing in stages instead of all at once, to avoid overwhelm. Matt adds that what may be “excellence” for the business owner could actually be “genius” for the person taking it on, making delegation even more valuable. Taki agrees, noting Mike is world-class at design and worth the investment.
14:29 – Allowing others to play in their genius
Matt highlights that delegating tasks frees up your time from incompetence, competence, and even excellence, allowing others to operate in their zone of genius. Taki agrees and explains that when hiring support assistants, his team uses screening, group interviews, and the Kolbe test to identify people’s natural strengths and what they’re drawn to. His goal is to ensure the whole team plays to their strengths, making work more enjoyable and productive.
15:24 – The ‘Super Support Assistant’ myth
Barbara points out the “myth of the super support assistant,” where clients wrongly expect one support assistant to handle everything from coding to video editing. Taki agrees, noting it’s unrealistic and admits he initially hired without much strategy, choosing someone who turned out great but started as a jack-of-all-trades. Over time, her role became more focused as the business grew. He also shares that his wife took over managing the team, allowing proper leadership, since he admits he’s not a strong manager. Barbara emphasizes that even skilled team members need guidance and strong leadership to succeed.
18:14 – A communication rhythm
Taki stresses the importance of giving support assistants context, clarity, and a strong communication rhythm—daily check-ins, weekly meetings, monthly strategy sessions, and quarterly or biannual team gatherings. He warns that without consistent communication, tasks and teams quickly fall apart, just like an untended garden or kids left alone. He admits he once hired support assistants and left them without guidance, which failed, but now his wife manages the team with regular interactions, preventing bottlenecks. Barbara agrees, noting that lack of communication is a common mistake clients make, and Matt asks Taki to elaborate on the daily check-in structure.
20:34 – ‘Check-ins’ time frames
Taki explains that his team follows four key meeting rhythms, inspired by The Rockefeller Habits and Death by Meeting. These include a short daily stand-up check-in that lasts about ten minutes, a weekly tactical meeting, a monthly strategic meeting, and a quarterly off-site or planning session. For the quarterly sessions, his team often meets in the Philippines for what they call a “tribal council,” which is both fun and highly productive, and they hold a virtual version in between. He notes that while these gatherings require time and money, the connection and results make them worthwhile. Matt agrees and asks Taki to go deeper into the daily meeting structure.
21:50 – Daily check-ins
Taki explains that a daily check-in is a short, 10-minute stand-up meeting designed to align the team, boost energy, and keep everyone accountable. It usually happens at an unusual time like 10:10 or 11:11 to make it memorable. Each person answers three quick questions: what they completed yesterday, what they’re working on today, and where they’re stuck. The meeting must stay fast-paced, not a problem-solving session—any issues raised should be addressed separately afterward. He shares that even with 18 staff members, this format worked effectively in under 10 minutes. Taki also mentions that he personally only joins the monthly and quarterly meetings, while the team handles the daily check-ins themselves.
23:16 – Weekly, monthly & quarterly check-ins
Taki explains how his team structures meetings: daily check-ins are handled by Karen, while he joins the monthly and quarterly sessions. Weekly tactical meetings focus on the top three priorities, reviewing scoreboards, building an agenda, and creating action plans with clear ownership and deadlines. Bigger topics that need deeper discussion are moved to the monthly strategic meeting, where the team celebrates wins, identifies problems, and tackles two major issues in detail. Quarterly sessions, called “tribal council” (or virtual “vibal council”), are more extensive and combine strategic planning with team bonding. He emphasizes the importance of keeping meetings consistent and non-negotiable, as canceling them undermines team alignment and progress.
27:09 – The importance of sticking to your comms plan
Taki stresses that team meetings must always happen and should never be canceled. While he dislikes meetings and doesn’t lead them, he set up the structure so the team runs them, with him and Karen joining as participants. He emphasizes that as a business owner, you shouldn’t cancel or even instigate the meeting—the system should ensure it happens consistently. He shares that he scheduled meetings at a time that worked for him, had them added to his diary, and relied on the team to make sure he showed up. Barbara agrees, noting that many business owners fall into the trap of skipping or canceling meetings, but keeping them non-negotiable is key to leadership and team success.
29:51 – Create a meeting structure
Taki explains that the key to effective meetings is deciding what you want, creating a structure that makes it real, and then having someone else ensure it happens consistently. Barbara adds that it’s essentially about building systems and processes for meetings, just like any other part of business. Matt then transitions to his final question, asking Taki what he would do differently if he were starting over with support assistants, given all the knowledge and experience he has gained over the past 7½ years.
30:51 – What Taki would do differently next time…
Taki shares three key things he would do differently if starting over with support assistants. First, he would hire much sooner, overcoming the fears of not keeping someone busy or lacking cash, since even part-time offshore help is affordable and valuable. Second, he would bring in project managers earlier, as they allow him to focus on ideas while they turn them into actionable plans and ensure execution. He compares it to a relay race where he runs the first stretch by creating ideas, the project manager makes them real, another person ensures they recur, and the team later improves the system. Third, he would work with a project-based team sooner by having one main contact supported by specialists in design, tech, automation, social media, admin, and media. This setup avoids managing multiple people directly, reduces costs, and ensures tasks are efficiently completed. Matt reinforces these points, highlighting the importance of delegating early, using project managers to bridge vision and execution, and leveraging a structured team model.
36:27 – Return on Investment
Matt emphasizes that hiring virtual teams should be seen as an investment, not an expense, since the right people can deliver returns many times over. Taki adds that the payoff comes in two ways: first, the immediate relief of never having to do low-value, draining tasks again, which is life-changing; and second, the long-term gain of freeing up significant time—what he calls the “extra work day advantage.” By reclaiming 10 hours a week from tasks you dislike and redirecting even part of that time into high-leverage work within your genius zone, productivity and income can multiply rapidly.
38:32 – Wrapping things up
Matt, Barbara, and Taki wrap up the show on a positive note. Barbara thanks Taki for his valuable insights and shares her excitement to apply the tips in her own business. Taki expresses his pleasure in joining and encourages listeners to check out his blog at coachmarketingmachine.com and his podcasts, including Sales Marketing Profit and an upcoming show, Million Dollar Coaches. Matt praises the value Taki provided, mentions catching up personally, and reminds listeners to share the podcast and engage with the Virtual Success Show community. The episode closes with warm thanks and goodbyes.
