What happens when you stop doing everything yourself? For Russell Johnson the answer was freedom to think bigger and the momentum to act. Russell is 83 years old and sharper than ever. After years of taking on too much, he finally had a way to delegate when he hired a virtual assistant. Now with two VAs, he has freed himself to see the big picture, raise his sights, and plan to take the business international. The real secret he shares is simple. Trust people and want the best for them. They care about him, he cares about them, and they are building something they believe in together. We talk about • Why delegation became an urgent imperative • The habit that kept him stuck and how he broke it • How two VAs moved him from tasks to strategy and international thinking If you are a business owner with a passion for creating content but need support to get it out, this episode is for you.

When I spoke with Steve “Hendo” Henderson, founder of Rockstar Brewer Academy, we explored how hiring the right support team member completely changed his coaching business. Chris, Hendo’s amazing Virtual Assistant, transformed his mountain of content into polished posts that reached more people and helped drive Hendo’s biggest revenue month ever.  And he’s not stopping there, with Milo now joining the team to build on that momentum. We talk about • Why his first VA experience didn’t work and what he did differently the second time • How Chris helped turn content into clients • The attract convert deliver model, plus why WhatsApp, Notion and a few beers keep everything running smoothly If you’re a business owner with a passion for creating content but need support to get it out, this is the episode for you.  

I had the pleasure of chatting with Marissa Candy, founder and CEO of The Marketing Factory, who decided to take her business to the next level by building a team of Virtual Assistants to support their growing client base. Fast forward to today, and she’s now working with two incredible VAs and is already dreaming of more. From managing content across multiple platforms to jumping in on creative projects and supporting clients directly, Marissa’s VAs have quickly become an integral part of her team. But it wasn’t smooth sailing from the start. Her first VA experience (with another agency) left her burnt and hesitant. Thankfully, she gave it another go and this time, got the support, structure and strategy she needed to make it work. Tune in to hear how Marissa turned things around, what she’s learned about leadership, and why getting the right support is changing the way she grows her business.

I had the pleasure of chatting with Jack from Peter Stevens Motorworld, who decided to level up her business by bringing on Virtual Assistants to help manage the growing workload.   Fast forward a few months, and she hasn’t looked back.   Her VAs now support her with everything from marketing and finance to smoothing out the day-to-day operations. They've become absolutely essential.   But (as always) it wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows. Jack hit a few speed bumps like struggling to find the right fit, dealing with a few communication hiccups, and wrapping her head around managing a remote team. The good news? She pushed through and made it work.   Tune in to hear how she did it, the hurdles she had to jump, and why having the right VAs on board has made such a big difference.

I had the pleasure of interviewing Melissa Mitchell from Lolly Said Yes—a marketing agency known for its organic strategies and bold approach to content creation.   Melissa’s always had a knack for doing things differently, and when AI entered the picture, she didn’t hesitate to dive in and make it work for her business.   Now, she’s built a team supercharged by AI (and powered by Virtual Assistants), delivering better results than ever before—without working around the clock.   Tune in to hear how Melissa uses AI like a team member, the exact prompts and tools she swears by, and why she believes your VA isn’t being replaced—it’s being upgraded.   To learn more about Melissa and her work, visit: lollysaidyes.com.au

I had the pleasure of interviewing Amber Ellem from Ebony & Salt a fully outsourced marketing agency about her 700 days of working with her virtual Assistant Emery.   Amber has experienced some incredible growth—but it wasn’t without its challenges.   From scaling the business to finding the right balance between client work and admin, Amber shares how bringing on a VA has allowed her team to focus on what they do best. She reveals the valuable lessons learned, the key to successful delegation, and how she built a productive relationship with Emery.   Tune in to hear how Amber made it all work, the strategies that helped her thrive, and the importance of investing time in your VA relationship.   To learn more about Amber and her work visit ebonysalt.com.au.

I had the pleasure of interviewing Jayne Day from Webinize, who brought on a Virtual Assistant to help streamline her growing marketing business. 364 days later, she hasn’t looked back—but it wasn’t all smooth sailing. From struggling with delegation to wondering if she was giving Mersey enough work, Jayne shares the ups and downs of bringing a VA into her business. Now, with Mersey handling everything from scheduling emails and blog posts to designing Facebook ads and updating client websites, Jayne has more time to focus on strategy and growth. Tune in to hear how Jayne navigated the challenges, what she learned about herself in the process, and why she’ll never go back to doing it all herself. To find out more about Jayne, visit her website: http://webonize.com.au/

I had the pleasure of interviewing Matthew Harrison from QMAP, who decided to bring a Virtual Assistant on board to help manage the overwhelm of running his property business. 150+ days later, he hasn’t looked back. His Virtual Assistant, Ira, supports him with everything from refining client reports to troubleshooting tech issues to ramping up his marketing—and has become an indispensable part of his team. Tune in to hear how Matthew made it work, why his first hiring choice wasn’t the right fit, and the impact of having the right VA on his business.  To find out more about Matthew (and his property investment genius) visit: https://qmappropertysolutions.com.au/

Join Maureen and I as we explore all sorts of stories that came up recently in Virtual Assistant land.   From the new way I am supporting our team, to finding bum photos (you need to listen for that one), to the type of Virtual Assistant most business owners need (but don't know they do).

I had the pleasure of interviewing Kaye Trewartha from Argent Cashflow who decided to jump right in and hire a full time virtual assistant to support the growth of her start up company.   251 days later she hasn't looked back.   Her Virtual Assistant Jam, helps her with all sorts of things from marketing to client interactions to training and is an essential member of her team.   Tune in to listen how Kaye made it work (including her communication strategies) and what she looked for when interviewing Kaye (to know she was the right person).   To learn more about Kaye and her work visit: https://argentcashflow.com/

I met with the amazing Lillian, Account Manager Global Teams to get the insight scoop on what an Account Manager does, how long it takes to get them up to speed and also why she reckons South African Account managers are amazing.   If you are thinking of getting an account manager in the future then you need to listen to this so that you set them up for success (and don't fall flat on your face). 

So many business owners have pondered getting a Business Development Manager but think it is beyond their reach.   But not any more!   In this podcast, I am joined by amazing South African Business Development Managers to get the lowdown.   When should a business get a BD. How to set them up for success. How to set up commission structures. And the magic question...how long does it take to work?!   Tune in to hear all these answers and a whole heap more.   If you have ever considered a BD (even slightly) then I recommend you give this a listen.

I had the pleasure of interviewing Di Porteous from Firewize who shared how after a failed (and somewhat stressful) attempt at getting remote support they now have Mylene, an amazing bookkeeper in the Philippines who is enabling Di to focus on new areas of the business. She shares what she has learnt on this journey (and admits a few tears have been shed) and what she would recommend to anyone getting a Virtual Assistant (so that they have success the first time around). To learn more about Firewize you can visit their website at Firewize.com

It was a pleasure to chat with Georgia Edge from Learnt Lately who shared how she has been able to grow her business with the support of her amazing Marketing team member Jamie. Georgia started doing the marketing herself (and juggling sales and delivery) but eventually decided to get support (and has never looked back). Georgia shares, how she decided that Jamie was the team member for her and then how she has nurtured Jamie to grow within her role. Initially, Jamie's role was LinkedIn Marketing and over time it has expanded to other aspects of marketing helping Georgia to spread the word about her business and support more people with her amazing online learning solutions. To find out more about Georgia and her work visit https://www.learntlately.com/

Frances Cosway believes that life is too short to live in a home that you don't love. And, so that she can support even more people to live in beautiful homes she has been on a mission to grow a great team of people around her. One member of her awesome team is her Virtual Marketing Assistant, Ruvi. After working with a few Virtual Assistants and even tried hiring directly, Frances is relieved to have hit the jackpot with Ruvi. Tune in to listen to Frances' story including:-What happened when Frances hired direct (and why she decided to get support this time)-Her communication framework including her "girlfriend chats"-Her advice for business owners considering getting a Virtual Assistant. To check out Frances and the amazing work she does to make people's homes beautiful, you can check out her website here: https://www.whitepebbleinteriors.com.au/Frances has also kindly offered a free book 'Your Forever Home' to listeners of this podcast. Grab your copy of the book here: https://www.whitepebbleinteriors.com.au/download-free-ebook/

The first time I spoke with Justin Williams he wasn't ready for a Virtual Assistant. He went off clear about the sort of person he would need and at what stage of his business. The next time we spoke he was ready to roll! Hear how Janine has helped him establish excellent customer care and grow his business in just three months. To learn more about Justin and Construction ID visit constuctionID.com

Victoria Berry has not one but three businesses and with other ideas on the horizon this makes her a busy woman So she decided to add Samm her Marketing Virtual Assistant to her already amazing offshore team. Hear how Samm helps Victoria implement her marketing vision, keeps her multiple businesses top of mind and ultimately helps her grow her businesses. Victoria loves that Samm is not only efficient and effective at her job. But also that she is not backwards in coming forwards to ask Victoria for what she needs from her (eg to record more marketing videos). Pretty awesome stuff. You can contact Victoria on 07 5444 7094 or vicotira@hbaencompass.com.au  

Rob Anderson has an awesome set-up. He has his amazing full-time Virtual Assistant Ara, who then as the business needs flex engages specialists on upwork to fill the demand. Talk about the best of both worlds! Tune in to hear how it all works. To learn more about Rob and the awesome work that he is doing check out: foodwaste.climateers.com

I had the pleasure of chatting with Jenica Smith who is the Founder of Notely which provides beautiful eco-friendly stationery and gifts. She started the business because she thought that it was a good opportunity to let her creativity flow and share it with others. But, as she became more successful she found herself bogged down in the detail (and not in her happy strategic and creative space). So she decided to get a Virtual Assistant, Christine. In this podcast she shares her journey and how it has involved over time. Listen to hear her story about how she continues to evolve how she works with Christine and adapts to the changing nature of the business. Check out Jenica's beautiful stationery here: Notely.com

Michelle was very brave in this podcast and shared the things that she didn't do well with her first few Virtual Assistants. The good news is that on the fourth try, we have got it working. And now Michelle couldn't imagine life without her VA, Hannah. Tune in to hear what went wrong and how we turned it around.