Elle, originally from the UK, has been living in Asia for about 10 years and runs Rebelle, a global online fitness and nutrition coaching business for women. Her goal is to make health and fitness accessible worldwide. Although she’s been in the industry for nearly 20 years, she shifted to an online focus in recent years, which led her to work with The Virtual Hub and hire virtual assistants to help grow her global client base. Barbara then asks Elle how she first discovered support assistants and what motivated her to start using one.
How women’s fitness & nutrition expert, Elle Kealy, has used a Support Assistant to take her global business to the next level
Virtual Success Show
Want the transcript? Download it here.
Episode breakdown
In this episode, special guest Elle Kealy, founder of Rebelle – an online women’s fitness and nutrition coaching business – shares with listeners her experience of taking the plunge into the world of Support Assistants and how the experience of taking on a support assistant has been a liberating one. Elle takes us back to where it all began and how her decision to take her business online resulted in her engaging with a Support Assistant, which has resulted in her building a highly successful global business.
- Don’t wait till you are drowning before seeking help
- The importance of finding a support assistant that is well trained
- The value of having sound internal processes
- Why addressing issues with your support assistant as they arise is vital to business success
- How having a support assistant has allowed Elle to concentrate on the drivers of her business
- The need for an effective project management tool
You can fire yourself from all the processes, but you still need to have some level of oversight
In this episode
00:00 - Introduction
Barbara hosts the Virtual Success Show solo, introducing Elle Kealy, a long-standing The Virtual Hub member and founder of Rebelle, an online health and fitness coaching business for women. Elle is preparing to launch an on-demand video streaming platform. Barbara invites Elle to share her background, journey, and the story of how her business started.
01:42 – About Elle
03:10 – Taking the plunge into the support assistant world
Elle started as a solopreneur handling every task herself, which left her stressed and stuck in the day-to-day minutiae. She discovered the concept of virtual assistants through The Four Hour Work Week and realized outsourcing repetitive tasks could free her time for higher-value, revenue-generating work. Her first experience with a support assistant, though challenging, ultimately helped her achieve her long-term business goals.
05:18 – Challenges in the early days
Elle’s first experience with a support assistant was challenging because she didn’t know how to hire or structure the role. She faced the common “it’s quicker to do it myself” mindset and was matched with a junior, generic support assistant who lacked the skills she needed. As someone who isn’t detail-oriented, Elle struggled to manage the support assistant and realized she needed better preparation, systems, and clear communication to make the arrangement work. Discovering Barbara’s approach through an event helped her understand what she had been missing and guided her toward a successful support assistant setup.
09:37 – Challenges faced on-boarding a new support assistant
Elle’s first support assistant initially seemed like a good fit, but processes and guidelines weren’t consistently followed, which caused frustration. When that support assistant left, The Virtual Hub stepped in with an experienced support assistant to keep her business running smoothly while she interviewed replacements. This support prevented disruption and highlighted the value of having a structured onboarding and backup system.
11:10 – Speak up when things aren’t going well
Elle emphasizes the importance of addressing support assistant issues quickly rather than tolerating them. Barbara agrees, noting that repeated failures usually indicate deeper problems, so it’s often better to act fast and replace the support assistant rather than trying to make it work.
12:06 – All processes are evolutionary
Barbara explains that even with a thorough support assistant recruitment and training process, mistakes can happen, highlighting the importance of refining processes to screen for personality and work ethic. She emphasizes that processes should evolve based on mistakes to prevent them in the future. Elle confirms that once they found the right support assistant, things have improved significantly, and Barbara transitions to asking how having a great support assistant has helped Elle advance her business vision.
14:07 – More time to work on your business vision
Elle shares that hiring Sheeka as her support assistant has been transformative, giving her more time to focus on core business drivers instead of routine tasks. This has allowed her to launch projects faster, increase revenue, reduce stress, and maintain business operations while traveling internationally. Barbara agrees, noting her own experience of business growth continuing even during her absence.
15:44 – The importance of sound internal processes
Elle emphasizes that strong internal processes are crucial for success, even with a skilled support assistant. She notes that documenting and refining processes makes onboarding easier, speeds up work, and allows her to gradually step back from tasks while maintaining control. Barbara adds that evolving processes is ongoing, sharing her own experience of delegating extensively when she had a baby. Elle also highlights that letting go of control is a mindset shift, requiring honesty about what tasks truly need her attention versus what can be delegated.
18:40 – Communication is key
Elle explains that she maintains a hands-off approach with her support assistant, Sheeka, while keeping communication effective through structured channels. They have a weekly Skype meeting to clarify tasks and questions, and they primarily use Asana for task management and updates. Elle can quickly assign or adjust tasks via Asana on the go, and urgent matters are handled through Skype. This setup allows her to focus on client-facing work and other priorities while ensuring Sheeka has clear instructions, deadlines, and the ability to report back efficiently. Barbara emphasizes that project management tools and structured communication are essential for a support assistant to operate independently while keeping the business running smoothly.
21:40 – The importance of using project management tools
Elle highlights that she uses Asana to track every task and project, with Sheeka providing end-of-day reports for review. She checks the work daily or every few days, giving quick feedback when needed. Barbara emphasizes that having a review process is crucial; even with strong processes and delegation, oversight ensures results and prevents issues from arising. Looking ahead, Elle plans to launch Rebelle’s video-on-demand subscription service, expanding their 10-week lifestyle, fitness, and nutrition program. It will include other global experts and reach more women. Interested participants can join the waiting list at rebelle.club for a free trial when it launches.
24:38 – Wrapping things up
Barbara wraps up the episode by thanking Elle for sharing her real-world experiences and success with support assistants, highlighting both the challenges and achievements in building her business. She notes that all referenced tools, podcasts, and Elle’s new platform will be in the show notes. Elle expresses her gratitude, and Barbara closes by saying the show will return next week with more insights on virtual success.
