Virtual Freedom

In this final episode of the Virtual Freedom podcast, Chris discusses taking everything to the next level, and hiring your first project manager to lead your team for you, so that you can get back to running your business, instead of focusing on running your team. He also discusses his aspirations for everyone that picks up a copy of the book, along with extending a personal pledge to help - just contact him! :-)

As we get closer to wrapping up this limited run podcast, Chris discusses the five biggest mistakes he sees entrepreneurs making when they get started with their outsourcing, and more importantly how to avoid doing so yourself! He also talks about why learning by your mistakes is important as a business owner, and as a manager of people.

In this episode, Chris reads directly from his book and shows you, in the process how your first 6-months could look if you embrace the power of virtual teams and follow his advice inside the pages of Virtual Freedom. This session gives you a great 'birds eye view' of just how important it is to build your virtual team, not just for your business growth, but for your overall lifestyle as an entrepreneur.

In recent years you've probably heard the saying 'content is king'. It's true, it is. And to be truly discoverable, remembered and shared online today, you need to create killer content. In this episode, Chris discusses some of the best content to produce, as well as the in's and out's of getting your VAs to do the majority of the heavy lifting, when it comes to the marketing side of things, for you.

Working at an arms length certainly has its benefits, but it doesn't come without its challenges, too. In this episode, Chris goes over the importance of meeting with your virtual team face-to-face on a regular basis. Either via webcam chats on Skype and Google+, or even (if its possible) in person. Either way, it's an important part of the team development process.

Setting up a 'virtual water cooler' was one of the most amazing things Chris has done for his virtual team in recent years. It's a place where his staff come to hang out and socialize… sure work creeps into the conversation every now and then, but it's ultimately just about being a team. In this episode, Chris gives you his tips and resources for doing likewise.

The phone has been used in business for decades, and even though the internet has changed the way we do business forever, its still a tool that is used daily in our business lives (for more than sending random tweets!). In this episode, Chris goes over the type of phone work virtual assistants should be handling for you, and the type of things they shouldn't.

Sometimes you need a little more. Sometimes you want to take things to the next level. In this episode, Chris discusses the possibility of finding higher-end virtual staff, the types of things you can outsource to them, and more importantly, how to actual find them, and bring them on board with the right mindset, and set-up.

People from different walks of life live life differently. Duh!? It's true. And in the case of your Filipino VAs nothing could be more important to understand and get to grips with. In this episode, Chris presents the three biggest cultural traits of the Filipino worker, and drops countless additional tips into the fray, so you know exactly how to work with, and get the best out of them.

It's no surprise to find out that when you work with virtual staff in developing countries, such as the Philippines, you're bound to come across a few issues here and there. In our case, the two biggest problems are handling the downtime that comes along with electrical and internet connectively problems. It's got way better in recent years, but in this episode Chris goes over a few home truths so you know what to expect.

Hiring a Filipino VA is just the start. Truly understanding what makes them tick, when it comes to being an employee of an overseas boss, as well as what salary expectations there are is paramount to long-term success with outsourcing to the Philippines. In this episode Chris drops several tips that will enable you to get on the good side of your VA fast, and grow that relationship as a result!

In this episode Chris goes over the various different reasons why, if you do decide to go overseas with your virtual team building, the Philippines is whole-heartedly your best option. From English communication levels, to different time zones, as well as religious beliefs and general work ethic, the Philippines has a lot to offer the modern-day entrepreneur.

This is probably one of the biggest questions that small business owners have when it comes to outsourcing work - even just tasks, let alone actual roles! In this episode Chris goes over the pro's and con's of both staying closer to home, and sending work overseas. Sometimes it pays to stay local, but for small business owners on a budget, the idea of working with overseas VAs is an attractive one.

A lot of entrepreneurs that start outsourcing to virtual assistants think that putting a solid reporting system in place needs to be a semi-NASA launch plan! Chris shows you exactly how he works with his VAs when it comes to reporting, and breaks it down into an easily digestible format, so that you can do likewise with your staff.

Once you've got your virtual staff on board, it's time to get to work. And that means communications, tools, tactics and everything else that allows you to work productive with your VAs on a day-to-date basis. In this episode, Chris introduces you to several tools that make everything a lot easier, as well as some tips on overall daily management.

The importance of training your virtual staff is something that Chris hammers home quiet heavily in the pages of his book. Here he goes into why the biggest hurdle in training your Vas is most likely to be you, and how to solve that. In this episode he also discusses the power behind the 'VA Training Trifecta', a combo of three brilliant, but different ways to actually showing your staff how they can perform the tasks you need handled.

In this episode Chris covers the subject of salaries. Wildly different from one market to another, Chris decided to focus on the one market in regards to virtual staffing that he's most well known for, and that's the Philippines. Here we learn about the different salaries for the different types of workers, as well as discussing bonuses and incentives and why, in the Philippines, cash it not always king… kinda!