Until I met Chris Ducker, author of the new book Virtual Freedom: How to Work with Virtual Staff to Buy More Time, Become More Productive, and Build Your Dream Business and a widely-recognized Virtual Staff expert, I hadn’t thought about hiring a virtual assistant for myself.

It was then that Chris pointed out that, not only had I thought about it, but I had already utilized a virtual assistant more than once. Wait! What?!

He was right. While not what I traditionally think of as a virtual assistant, I had indeed hired virtual help through 99Designs to create the logo for the Read to Lead Podcast. Once I realized this, the idea of of hiring a virtual assistant – something that felt intimating in the past – now seemed like a no-brainer. Call it my “Duh” moment.

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Hiring a designer through 99Designs, as I did back in June of last year, was an enormously pleasant experience. Not only that, but I saw so many more options and designs than I would have had a gone a more traditional route. Could hiring virtual staff be right for you and your business? Only you can answer that. I’d be willing to bet though that the answer is yes.

In this episode, Chris shares:

• The fundamentals you need to understand before hiring a Virtual Assistant
• The myth of the Super Hero VA
• The 3 Lists of Freedom concept and the types of tasks that make sense delegating to a VA
• How to overcome trusting a Virtual Assistant with the important aspects of your business
• And much more!

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Sponsor – Be a Part of the Next Podcaster Academy Class – Save $100

If you or someone you know is – or soon will be – among the podcasting ranks, then I’d like to extend to you a personal invitation to my upcoming online podcasting course.

For less than $125 per week, you will get up to 2 hours of personal podcast coaching from me every week in April. For more, just visit the Podcaster Academy website.

Save $100 when you register by February 28th and use the discount code ‘read.’

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The Virtual Freedom Book Trailer

Books Podcasts and Resources Mentioned

Visit Chris’s website for more on his book, speaking schedule and other resources

There’s also the site dedicated to the new book: VirtualFreedomBook.com

Chris hosts The New Business Podcast which launched in December 2012

Screenflow for Mac

Camtasia Studio 8 for PC

Jing

Books Chris Recommends

Die Empty: Unleash Your Best Work Every Day by Todd Henry. See also Episode #017 of the Read to Lead Podcast.

Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook: How to Tell Your Story in a Noisy Social World by Gary Vaynerchuk. See also Episode #022 of the Read to Lead Podcast.

Connecting with Chris

If you’d like to connect or network with Chris, or let him know your thoughts on today’s episode, consider sending him a tweet. You can reach out to him via @ChrisDucker on Twitter.

My Recent Podcast Interviews

In case you missed it, be sure and check out my interviews on other podcasts. Most recently, I had the pleasure of appearing with Kent Sanders on his show the Artist’s Suitcase.

Last week, I was invited to appear on:

1. Right Where You Are with Tammy Helfrich
2. Smart Talk with Lisa B. Marshall
3. The Public Speaker (Top 10 Episodes of 2013) with Lisa B. Marshall

Please consider rating the podcast with 5 stars and leaving a one- or two-sentence review in iTunes or on Stitcher.  This helps tremendously in bringing the podcast to the attention of others. I am also mentioning the names of all who rate the podcast with 5 stars in future episodes.

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And, by all means, if you know someone you think would benefit, please spread the word by using the share buttons below and up top.

Finally, thanks for listening and remember, “Leaders read and readers lead.”

Hear Our Conversation Now

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Click here to subscribe to the ‘Read to Lead Podcast’ via iTunes