The Business of Virtual Assistants

Tyler Lieber, co-founder and CEO of Coconut VA, joins Matt Watson on the Startup Puzzle podcast to discuss the benefits and challenges of hiring virtual assistants (VAs) in the Philippines. They share their personal experiences with remote hiring and highlight the importance of trust and communication in working with VAs. Tyler explains that VAs can assist with a wide range of tasks, from email and calendar management to event planning and project coordination. They also discuss the unique advantages of hiring VAs in the Philippines, such as their strong work ethic, English proficiency, and cultural compatibility with US clients.  Tyler emphasizes the importance of providing competitive pay and benefits to attract and retain top talent. In terms of sales and marketing, Tyler and his team rely heavily on referrals and content marketing to build trust and establish relationships with potential clients. They also discuss the value of strategic delegation and how VAs can help founders become more efficient and focus on high-value tasks. The conversation concludes with a reminder to prioritize work-life balance and take strategic vacations to assess task dependencies and delegate effectively. Takeaways Hiring virtual assistants (VAs) in the Philippines offers unique benefits, such as a strong work ethic, English proficiency, and cultural compatibility with US clients. VAs can assist with a wide range of tasks, including email and calendar management, event planning, project coordination, and more. Building trust and establishing relationships are crucial in the sales and marketing of VA services, with referrals and content marketing being effective strategies. Strategic delegation is key to scaling a business and avoiding becoming a bottleneck as a founder. Taking strategic vacations can help identify tasks that can be delegated to VAs and improve work-life balance. Find Startup Hustle Everywhere: https://gigb.co/l/YEh5 This episode is sponsored by Full Scale: https://fullscale.io/ Find out more about Coconut VA here: https://www.coconutva.com/cva-linkedin Learn more about Tyler Leber here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tyler-leber/ Sign up for the Startup Hustle newsletter: https://newsletter.startuphustle.xyz/ Sound Bites "If you are hiring an executive assistant, or in this case, what we call a virtual assistant, you are hiring somebody that is just there to help you in whatever possible way that they can." "The jobs that we are creating for these people are so important to them and so valuable to them, and they're by far some of the best opportunities and best jobs that they will find." "Referrals are so important in this type of business because really just that trust building and that relationship building is the key to making any sales in this industry." Chapters 00:00 Introduction and Background 03:00 Starting a Business in the Philippines 06:18 Navigating Business Operations in Another Country 09:07 Training and Mentoring Virtual Assistants 10:50 The Role of Virtual Assistants 14:11 Why the Philippines for Virtual Assistants 18:03 Sales and Marketing Strategies for Virtual Assistant Services 22:43 Target Market and Geographic Reach 29:52 Tips for Hiring and Working with Virtual Assistants See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.