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.
Hear Our Conversation Now
[spp-player]
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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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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
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:
- Right Where You Are with Tammy Helfrich
- Smart Talk with Lisa B. Marshall
- The Public Speaker (Top 10 Episodes of 2013) with Lisa B. Marshall
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Finally, thanks for listening and remember, “Leaders read and readers lead.”
Hear Our Conversation Now
[spp-player]
Click here to subscribe to the ‘Read to Lead Podcast’ via iTunes
Jeff, thanks for the mention again re: my podcast interview. I appreciate it and all the great material you are providing through your podcast!
My pleasure Kent! Thanks!
haha… the Pat intro was pretty funny Jim.
Thanks Jason!
haha… well played 🙂
Hi Jim, er…Jeff,
Totally enjoyed this podcast with Chris! I’ve already pre-ordered the book. 2014 is going to be the year of getting a VA or two and moving forward. Trevor Blake (Three Simple Steps) built a $100 million company without hiring a single employee. Plus, I hear one entrepreneur after another say how once they hired a VA, they made MORE money, not less.
Chris has worked very hard to grow a network of talented and dedicated individuals. I think the best piece of advice I got from this was not to try to hire one VA to do EVERYTHING!
Jeff