{"version":"1.0.0","segments":[{"startTime":0.64,"endTime":4.408,"body":"Everyone seems to have less and less time, so how can you free up"},{"startTime":4.464,"endTime":8.152,"body":"some of yours? Are there things which you do yourself, which you"},{"startTime":8.176,"endTime":11.528,"body":"could delegate to someone else? If you had your own personal"},{"startTime":11.584,"endTime":15.384,"body":"assistant, what difference could that make? That's what we're going to talk about in"},{"startTime":15.392,"endTime":18.808,"body":"this week's episode. I'm Jeremy Cline, and this is Change Work"},{"startTime":18.864,"endTime":19.46,"body":"Life."},{"startTime":26.82,"endTime":35.004,"body":"Hello"},{"startTime":35.052,"endTime":38.7,"body":"and welcome to Change Work Life, the show that's all about beating the Sunday"},{"startTime":38.74,"endTime":42.38,"body":"evening blues and enjoying Mondays again. I'm a career coach, and"},{"startTime":42.42,"endTime":46.252,"body":"in each episode my guests and I bring you tips, strategies and stories to help"},{"startTime":46.276,"endTime":49.932,"body":"you enjoy a more satisfying and fulfilling working life. A friend of"},{"startTime":49.956,"endTime":53.5,"body":"mine recently explained why a two-day weekend isn't long"},{"startTime":53.54,"endTime":57.238,"body":"enough. Ideally, he'd have one day for socialising,"},{"startTime":57.414,"endTime":61.19,"body":"one for life admin, and one for just relaxing and"},{"startTime":61.23,"endTime":64.982,"body":"chilling out. Whilst a few employers are"},{"startTime":65.006,"endTime":68.39,"body":"starting to embrace four-day weeks, for most of us a two-day"},{"startTime":68.43,"endTime":72.23,"body":"weekend remains our reality. But suppose you could give someone"},{"startTime":72.27,"endTime":75.782,"body":"else your life admin. Suppose you could free up some of your"},{"startTime":75.806,"endTime":79.622,"body":"leisure time by delegating those jobs that don't necessarily have"},{"startTime":79.646,"endTime":83.276,"body":"to be done by you. That's what we're talking about this week, and I'm delighted"},{"startTime":83.308,"endTime":86.844,"body":"to be joined by Sarah Rugg. Sarah started her virtual"},{"startTime":86.892,"endTime":90.524,"body":"assistant business 20 years ago and now has a team of 30"},{"startTime":90.612,"endTime":94.46,"body":"who help busy people reclaim their time by taking on both"},{"startTime":94.5,"endTime":98.252,"body":"business tasks and everyday admin. Sarah, welcome to the"},{"startTime":98.276,"endTime":102.124,"body":"podcast. Hi Jeremy, great to be here, thanks for having me."},{"startTime":102.292,"endTime":105.772,"body":"For those who are unfamiliar with the term, what exactly"},{"startTime":105.836,"endTime":109.198,"body":"is a virtual assistant? It's somebody"},{"startTime":109.294,"endTime":113.102,"body":"who would normally work from home on a self-employed"},{"startTime":113.166,"endTime":116.958,"body":"basis, possibly freelance, and they will take on"},{"startTime":117.014,"endTime":120.398,"body":"the admin for a business owner or"},{"startTime":120.534,"endTime":123.93,"body":"somebody perhaps in their personal life as well."},{"startTime":124.23,"endTime":128.062,"body":"And they work flexibly, and normally, they might be"},{"startTime":128.086,"endTime":131.29,"body":"doing it, say, around children or"},{"startTime":131.83,"endTime":135.422,"body":"looking after an elderly parent or around something else in their"},{"startTime":135.446,"endTime":139.296,"body":"life. They like the flexibility of the role. Okay,"},{"startTime":139.408,"endTime":142.736,"body":"so from the person who's doing it perspective, I can see"},{"startTime":142.808,"endTime":146.112,"body":"that element, there's that flexibility, work from"},{"startTime":146.136,"endTime":149.648,"body":"anywhere, work around other commitments. What does"},{"startTime":149.704,"endTime":153.488,"body":"the person who's using a VA see,"},{"startTime":153.544,"endTime":156.976,"body":"and maybe how it distinguishes from, I don't know, maybe a traditional"},{"startTime":157.008,"endTime":160.512,"body":"assistant, if there is such a thing? Yeah, sure."},{"startTime":160.696,"endTime":164.314,"body":"The main difference is obviously the virtual element"},{"startTime":164.362,"endTime":168.186,"body":"of it. And they might do things like"},{"startTime":168.258,"endTime":171.61,"body":"inbox management, manage your diary, book"},{"startTime":171.65,"endTime":175.162,"body":"appointments, that kind of thing. Anything that they can do"},{"startTime":175.266,"endTime":178.81,"body":"by email, WhatsApp, phone, Internet,"},{"startTime":178.89,"endTime":182.602,"body":"anything that can be done virtually. And there is"},{"startTime":182.706,"endTime":185.87,"body":"pretty much everything that can be done virtually nowadays."},{"startTime":186.29,"endTime":190.074,"body":"Yes, that's something we learned about five years ago when"},{"startTime":190.162,"endTime":193.31,"body":"suddenly we had to do pretty much everything virtually."},{"startTime":193.69,"endTime":197.202,"body":"Absolutely. And interestingly, during"},{"startTime":197.306,"endTime":200.722,"body":"lockdown, there were a lot of businesses in"},{"startTime":200.746,"endTime":204.322,"body":"particular who would never entertain the thought of using a"},{"startTime":204.346,"endTime":208.178,"body":"virtual assistant prior to that. And I think they're more open"},{"startTime":208.234,"endTime":211.666,"body":"to it now because they saw that the virtual working idea"},{"startTime":211.778,"endTime":215.602,"body":"actually wasn't too bad after all. It reminds me of a"},{"startTime":215.626,"endTime":219.378,"body":"conversation I had with my boss at the time where they said something"},{"startTime":219.434,"endTime":223.042,"body":"along the lines of, 'Oh, no, we can't have our PAs"},{"startTime":223.106,"endTime":225.822,"body":"working from home, we need them here, we need to be able to keep an"},{"startTime":225.846,"endTime":229.422,"body":"eye on them, and they've got to be on hand.' And I said to him"},{"startTime":229.526,"endTime":233.118,"body":"that in five years' time, I didn't reckon we'd be having"},{"startTime":233.174,"endTime":236.862,"body":"that conversation, that it would just be the norm. And I think"},{"startTime":236.886,"endTime":240.67,"body":"that conversation happened about a year before lockdown. So, I was off by"},{"startTime":240.71,"endTime":243.966,"body":"four years, but I was still pretty right about that."},{"startTime":244.118,"endTime":247.582,"body":"Absolutely, yeah. It's the way things are going. I know that some"},{"startTime":247.606,"endTime":251.31,"body":"people, like some bigger companies, have brought people back into"},{"startTime":251.35,"endTime":254.702,"body":"the office, haven't they? So, I know it doesn't work for everybody,"},{"startTime":254.766,"endTime":258.522,"body":"but I think virtual assistants, they"},{"startTime":258.626,"endTime":262.346,"body":"love working virtually, they don't really want to be in an office,"},{"startTime":262.418,"endTime":266.01,"body":"and you get the best out of them working from home. So, it's a job"},{"startTime":266.05,"endTime":269.514,"body":"that suits them, and they're most efficient doing."},{"startTime":269.682,"endTime":272.95,"body":"And I get that. There's no distractions at the office."},{"startTime":273.73,"endTime":277.226,"body":"So, what was your path to starting a virtual"},{"startTime":277.258,"endTime":281.034,"body":"assistant business? I'm guessing it's not something that you proudly announced to your mum when"},{"startTime":281.042,"endTime":284.664,"body":"you were eight years old that that's what you wanted to do. No,"},{"startTime":284.752,"endTime":288.552,"body":"absolutely. No. So, I worked in"},{"startTime":288.576,"endTime":292.344,"body":"a bank for many years, and I was very busy,"},{"startTime":292.392,"endTime":296.216,"body":"I was working very long hours, and I just didn't"},{"startTime":296.248,"endTime":299.48,"body":"have enough time to do anything in my evenings, on my"},{"startTime":299.52,"endTime":303.032,"body":"weekends. Much like your friend that you were describing at the"},{"startTime":303.056,"endTime":306.632,"body":"beginning. So, I thought, you know what, it would be great to"},{"startTime":306.656,"endTime":310.292,"body":"have a PA in my home life. So,"},{"startTime":310.396,"endTime":314.244,"body":"fast forward a few years on from then, and I decided"},{"startTime":314.292,"endTime":318.084,"body":"to set that up as a business. So, there wasn't a huge"},{"startTime":318.132,"endTime":320.964,"body":"amount of people interested in that back in"},{"startTime":321.052,"endTime":324.852,"body":"2005, but there were a"},{"startTime":324.876,"endTime":328.58,"body":"few, and I did get some clients. And so, I've always"},{"startTime":328.62,"endTime":332.42,"body":"had that passion for helping make people's lives easier"},{"startTime":332.5,"endTime":335.86,"body":"and being able to allow them to buy"},{"startTime":335.9,"endTime":339.276,"body":"some time back to spend with the families,"},{"startTime":339.388,"endTime":343.164,"body":"friends or hobbies, or whatever they want to do. And I'm a"},{"startTime":343.172,"endTime":346.508,"body":"bit of a geek with streamlining and"},{"startTime":346.564,"endTime":350.332,"body":"organising and all of that as well. So, did"},{"startTime":350.356,"endTime":353.932,"body":"you start out doing the work yourself, or did you"},{"startTime":353.956,"endTime":357.676,"body":"go straight into being the business owner and outsourcing"},{"startTime":357.708,"endTime":361.212,"body":"that bit? I did it all myself for many years,"},{"startTime":361.396,"endTime":365.202,"body":"and now I run a team. I think we had a"},{"startTime":365.226,"endTime":368.962,"body":"count yesterday of 38. And they do all the"},{"startTime":368.986,"endTime":372.642,"body":"day-to-day work, and I just help manage the business and oversee"},{"startTime":372.746,"endTime":376.194,"body":"now. But yeah, no, I've been there, and I've experienced"},{"startTime":376.322,"endTime":380.162,"body":"what it's like working directly for the client, and"},{"startTime":380.226,"endTime":384.002,"body":"I think that was really, really important. So, I know how to recruit"},{"startTime":384.026,"endTime":387.698,"body":"the right people and how to train them up. Yeah, I'm"},{"startTime":387.794,"endTime":391.026,"body":"a big believer in knowing how to do something yourself."},{"startTime":391.098,"endTime":394.742,"body":"So, I used to edit this podcast myself, I used to do"},{"startTime":394.866,"endTime":398.51,"body":"pretty much everything myself. I delegate it now. But it's"},{"startTime":398.55,"endTime":402.318,"body":"just helpful to understand that bit about how it"},{"startTime":402.374,"endTime":406.158,"body":"works, so you know how it works. And also, you can"},{"startTime":406.214,"endTime":409.47,"body":"do it yourself if things go wrong. Yeah,"},{"startTime":409.55,"endTime":413.262,"body":"absolutely. And I think if you"},{"startTime":413.446,"endTime":417.23,"body":"like things done a certain way or you have certain standards,"},{"startTime":417.39,"endTime":421.23,"body":"I always encourage our clients to tell the VA that, tell"},{"startTime":421.27,"endTime":424.83,"body":"them how you want it done, show them and talk to them about all your"},{"startTime":424.87,"endTime":428.154,"body":"isms and everything that your pet hates"},{"startTime":428.202,"endTime":432.01,"body":"and maybe even record them a Loom video on how to do"},{"startTime":432.05,"endTime":435.69,"body":"something, and that way they can do it exactly how you like"},{"startTime":435.73,"endTime":439.562,"body":"it. So, there's a lot of my clients"},{"startTime":439.626,"endTime":443.37,"body":"who would call themselves a control freak. So, that's not me"},{"startTime":443.49,"endTime":447.146,"body":"calling them it. They actually tell me that they are one."},{"startTime":447.218,"endTime":450.282,"body":"I'm not saying all the clients, but I would say quite a lot of our"},{"startTime":450.306,"endTime":453.998,"body":"clients are. And I understand that. So, it's"},{"startTime":454.014,"endTime":457.662,"body":"difficult to let go, and it's difficult to delegate. But if you can say,"},{"startTime":457.686,"endTime":460.462,"body":"right, this is exactly how I do it, and this is how I want you"},{"startTime":460.486,"endTime":464.126,"body":"to do it, it's a little bit easier to let go if you've"},{"startTime":464.158,"endTime":467.29,"body":"shown somebody exactly your way of doing it."},{"startTime":467.91,"endTime":471.486,"body":"So, I can see how VAs could be very valuable"},{"startTime":471.598,"endTime":475.214,"body":"for business owners, especially those who might not necessarily be ready"},{"startTime":475.262,"endTime":478.45,"body":"to make a full-time hire themselves."},{"startTime":479.04,"endTime":482.536,"body":"But when it comes to life admin, personal admin,"},{"startTime":482.688,"endTime":486.376,"body":"it sounds really luxurious, and it sounds"},{"startTime":486.408,"endTime":490.152,"body":"like something that's frankly just for rich people. I mean,"},{"startTime":490.176,"endTime":493.592,"body":"you hear about the rich and famous who have got their own personal secretary, that"},{"startTime":493.616,"endTime":497.432,"body":"kind of thing. Is this really something that is accessible"},{"startTime":497.496,"endTime":501.22,"body":"to, I don't know, normal, for want of a better word, people?"},{"startTime":501.76,"endTime":505.464,"body":"Yeah, I mean, absolutely. So, obviously, it did used to be for the"},{"startTime":505.472,"endTime":509.192,"body":"rich and famous, but with lives so busy as they"},{"startTime":509.216,"endTime":512.964,"body":"are now, and with families, with children and jobs,"},{"startTime":513.012,"endTime":516.788,"body":"and everyone has so little time, it is"},{"startTime":516.844,"endTime":520.34,"body":"becoming more and more popular and more and more of a thing"},{"startTime":520.38,"endTime":524.212,"body":"that, again, for want of a better word, normal people, the non-rich and"},{"startTime":524.236,"endTime":528.052,"body":"famous, are accessing. Because I think the"},{"startTime":528.076,"endTime":531.732,"body":"main reason is people just want time back. They want to spend time with"},{"startTime":531.756,"endTime":535.252,"body":"their family, they want to do things they enjoy, and they think"},{"startTime":535.276,"endTime":538.852,"body":"life's short, I don't want to spend it doing all my"},{"startTime":538.876,"endTime":542.148,"body":"admin on my very little precious time off with my family."},{"startTime":542.284,"endTime":546.0,"body":"So, it's definitely becoming more and more"},{"startTime":546.12,"endTime":549.904,"body":"popular and less of a luxury than it used to be. So,"},{"startTime":549.992,"endTime":552.992,"body":"what do you think has changed in the 20 years that you've been doing it?"},{"startTime":553.016,"endTime":556.672,"body":"What is it that's leading it to become more popular and more"},{"startTime":556.696,"endTime":560.352,"body":"accessible? I think, yeah, life getting busier"},{"startTime":560.416,"endTime":563.408,"body":"is probably the main thing. There's just more"},{"startTime":563.544,"endTime":567.088,"body":"coming at us, isn't there, from different angles. I mean, social"},{"startTime":567.144,"endTime":570.658,"body":"media is obviously an awful lot bigger now. People"},{"startTime":570.794,"endTime":574.53,"body":"are more accessible. So, if your boss needs"},{"startTime":574.57,"endTime":578.242,"body":"you on a weekend, they could WhatsApp you. I know they"},{"startTime":578.266,"endTime":582.066,"body":"probably shouldn't, but I know some do. And so, I think there's"},{"startTime":582.098,"endTime":585.602,"body":"just a lot more pressure which creates a lot"},{"startTime":585.706,"endTime":589.188,"body":"or gives people a lot less time than maybe they had 20,"},{"startTime":589.272,"endTime":593.01,"body":"25 years ago. And have you seen a"},{"startTime":593.05,"endTime":596.242,"body":"rise in the number of dual income households, for"},{"startTime":596.266,"endTime":600.0,"body":"example, in that time? Or was that something that was just already there"},{"startTime":600.04,"endTime":603.376,"body":"even when you were starting out? So, where you've got, say, both parents"},{"startTime":603.488,"endTime":607.232,"body":"working. Yeah, I mean, I didn't have"},{"startTime":607.256,"endTime":610.992,"body":"a huge amount of clients back in 2005, because it just"},{"startTime":611.016,"endTime":614.544,"body":"wasn't a massively popular service for the life admin side."},{"startTime":614.712,"endTime":618.08,"body":"It was more the business side. But I think the few people that did use"},{"startTime":618.12,"endTime":621.68,"body":"it then, yeah, probably both of them were"},{"startTime":621.72,"endTime":625.222,"body":"working, both partners. So, we"},{"startTime":625.246,"endTime":629.03,"body":"haven't seen a massive difference in the type of people who"},{"startTime":629.07,"endTime":632.774,"body":"use us. I guess maybe the age has gone down"},{"startTime":632.862,"endTime":636.598,"body":"slightly. So, the average age of people that use us, we're getting"},{"startTime":636.654,"endTime":640.342,"body":"a lot of contact from people in their 30s now. And I would say it"},{"startTime":640.366,"endTime":644.214,"body":"probably used to be 40-plus. So, yeah, possibly a slight difference"},{"startTime":644.262,"endTime":647.942,"body":"in the age, and obviously the volume, we get a lot more"},{"startTime":647.966,"endTime":651.81,"body":"inquiries now. But no, the type of people has always been"},{"startTime":651.93,"endTime":655.73,"body":"typically husband, wife or"},{"startTime":655.77,"endTime":659.554,"body":"partners with children, both with quite busy"},{"startTime":659.682,"endTime":663.522,"body":"jobs where they work silly hours, they like to live a little, they"},{"startTime":663.546,"endTime":667.298,"body":"like nice things. So, yeah, I don't think that's changed massively in 20"},{"startTime":667.354,"endTime":670.786,"body":"years. We've talked briefly about the"},{"startTime":670.938,"endTime":674.77,"body":"virtual element of this and how it's for jobs which"},{"startTime":674.81,"endTime":678.574,"body":"can be done with an Internet connection. Can you talk a"},{"startTime":678.582,"endTime":682.254,"body":"little bit more about the sorts of things that a VA"},{"startTime":682.302,"endTime":686.046,"body":"can help with from a personal life admin perspective"},{"startTime":686.078,"endTime":689.29,"body":"and maybe give some examples? Yeah, of course."},{"startTime":689.67,"endTime":693.342,"body":"Personal inbox management is something that we do for quite a lot of"},{"startTime":693.366,"endTime":696.33,"body":"clients, particularly if they've got children who are school age."},{"startTime":696.63,"endTime":700.35,"body":"So, I mean, anyone with kids at school will know"},{"startTime":700.47,"endTime":703.99,"body":"how many emails come in, and a lot of them are not relevant."},{"startTime":704.11,"endTime":707.862,"body":"Our role as VA, for example, might be to sift through all of"},{"startTime":707.886,"endTime":711.718,"body":"those, get rid of any that are not relevant, and then for the ones"},{"startTime":711.734,"endTime":714.694,"body":"that are relevant, make sure stuff is in the diary,"},{"startTime":714.822,"endTime":718.518,"body":"reminders, if it's World Book Day and the child"},{"startTime":718.574,"endTime":722.294,"body":"needs an outfit, we can help source that and have it delivered. So,"},{"startTime":722.382,"endTime":725.99,"body":"that's one thing. We can manage personal calendars as well with all"},{"startTime":726.03,"endTime":729.254,"body":"the personal appointments. We can book restaurant"},{"startTime":729.302,"endTime":733.142,"body":"reservations, theatre tickets, that kind"},{"startTime":733.166,"endTime":736.374,"body":"of thing. We do a lot of birthday reminders"},{"startTime":736.502,"endTime":739.974,"body":"and gift purchasing for people ordering"},{"startTime":740.022,"endTime":743.27,"body":"flowers, that kind of thing. I mean, with some clients, we"},{"startTime":743.31,"endTime":747.11,"body":"actually send cards on their behalf. They tell us what to"},{"startTime":747.23,"endTime":750.87,"body":"put, and we send them through the likes of Moonpig."},{"startTime":750.95,"endTime":754.438,"body":"And then, just lots of other appointments that need booking, like car"},{"startTime":754.494,"endTime":758.23,"body":"MOTs, we'll just do reminders when insurances are"},{"startTime":758.27,"endTime":762.012,"body":"due. Gosh, what else? So many things, like beauty"},{"startTime":762.076,"endTime":765.852,"body":"appointments. Yeah, I mean, just going to"},{"startTime":765.876,"endTime":769.564,"body":"one extreme, with one of our clients,"},{"startTime":769.692,"endTime":773.42,"body":"we do actually liaise with his mother, so that she"},{"startTime":773.46,"endTime":777.196,"body":"gets to see him on a regular basis. Now, she doesn't mind. We've"},{"startTime":777.228,"endTime":780.892,"body":"obviously made sure that's okay. She said, 'I would rather"},{"startTime":780.916,"endTime":784.748,"body":"deal with you so I see my son at least once every"},{"startTime":784.804,"endTime":788.22,"body":"few weeks, than not see him at all.' So, that's a complete"},{"startTime":788.26,"endTime":792.024,"body":"far extreme. And to be fair, there are reasons for that,"},{"startTime":792.072,"endTime":795.8,"body":"which I won't go into. But yeah, so it can go from just anything"},{"startTime":795.84,"endTime":798.92,"body":"like basic booking of appointments, right through to"},{"startTime":798.96,"endTime":801.66,"body":"managing relationships or"},{"startTime":802.0,"endTime":804.632,"body":"making sure people see each other on a regular basis."},{"startTime":806.32,"endTime":809.912,"body":"And leaving aside anything that needs to"},{"startTime":809.936,"endTime":813.368,"body":"be done physically present, what are"},{"startTime":813.424,"endTime":816.952,"body":"the limits? What are the things where, yeah,"},{"startTime":817.016,"endTime":820.708,"body":"sorry, a VA can only go so far, but they can't go beyond that,"},{"startTime":820.764,"endTime":824.372,"body":"and sorry, you'll have to do it yourself. Personally, in my own"},{"startTime":824.396,"endTime":828.212,"body":"VA company, our motto is, as long as it's legal and"},{"startTime":828.236,"endTime":831.844,"body":"ethical, we'll do it. So, we have done all sorts"},{"startTime":831.892,"endTime":835.46,"body":"of weird and wonderful things from sourcing"},{"startTime":835.54,"endTime":839.316,"body":"special socks for somebody's son who had huge feet, through"},{"startTime":839.388,"endTime":843.012,"body":"to sourcing special size sheets for a certain size"},{"startTime":843.076,"endTime":846.56,"body":"mattress and all sorts in between."},{"startTime":847.31,"endTime":850.47,"body":"And yeah, I think the most"},{"startTime":850.59,"endTime":854.422,"body":"crazy thing at the time that we did back in the"},{"startTime":854.446,"endTime":858.246,"body":"day, probably going back about 15, 20 years, was we arranged"},{"startTime":858.278,"endTime":862.07,"body":"a flash mob. And at the time, that wasn't really a massive thing."},{"startTime":862.19,"endTime":865.846,"body":"It was quite new and up and coming. So, that was quite"},{"startTime":865.878,"endTime":869.542,"body":"exciting, arranging a flash mob. So, I don't"},{"startTime":869.606,"endTime":873.318,"body":"really think there is limits. I think maybe some virtual assistants who offer"},{"startTime":873.374,"endTime":876.836,"body":"life admin may put their own limits in place."},{"startTime":876.988,"endTime":880.772,"body":"I think most people will do whatever needs doing, as long"},{"startTime":880.796,"endTime":884.628,"body":"as it is legal and ethical. Okay, that's interesting."},{"startTime":884.724,"endTime":888.452,"body":"Because I know from personal experience, there's a time of the year"},{"startTime":888.476,"endTime":892.132,"body":"that I really dread, and that's when car and home insurance is"},{"startTime":892.156,"endTime":895.972,"body":"coming up for renewal. Because the insurance company"},{"startTime":896.156,"endTime":899.876,"body":"almost inevitably will give a quote which is much higher than you could get"},{"startTime":899.948,"endTime":903.742,"body":"elsewhere. And then, it involves trawling through comparison sites and that kind of thing. But"},{"startTime":903.766,"endTime":907.374,"body":"that does also involve quite a lot of detailed personal"},{"startTime":907.462,"endTime":910.59,"body":"information. So, yeah, when does that become something"},{"startTime":910.71,"endTime":914.462,"body":"which you guys would be able to help with, rather than it just"},{"startTime":914.486,"endTime":917.982,"body":"being something that I would do myself? Yeah, sure. I"},{"startTime":918.006,"endTime":921.502,"body":"mean, with, let's say insurance, for example,"},{"startTime":921.646,"endTime":925.166,"body":"particularly travel insurance, you have to know the full medical"},{"startTime":925.238,"endTime":928.974,"body":"history. Even with house insurance, car insurance, you need to know"},{"startTime":928.982,"endTime":932.67,"body":"the history of everything for that as well. So, it can be tricky."},{"startTime":932.75,"endTime":936.538,"body":"We can't, as a VA company, and I don't think any VA company can"},{"startTime":936.594,"endTime":940.426,"body":"recommend insurance, because that's not what we're allowed"},{"startTime":940.458,"endTime":943.546,"body":"to do. But we can certainly do the legwork. So,"},{"startTime":943.698,"endTime":947.53,"body":"we can always contact an insurance broker, if"},{"startTime":947.57,"endTime":951.322,"body":"you use one, and say, 'Here's the current policy. Can you"},{"startTime":951.346,"endTime":954.97,"body":"give us quotes for similar policies?' And we know"},{"startTime":955.01,"endTime":958.682,"body":"good insurance brokers, we have a lot of black book"},{"startTime":958.786,"endTime":962.522,"body":"contacts that we can use. So, there's certain things that"},{"startTime":962.546,"endTime":966.29,"body":"we can do. Ultimately, you have to say to the client, 'Look,"},{"startTime":966.33,"endTime":969.874,"body":"you need to just check it over before you agree to it.' Just,"},{"startTime":969.962,"endTime":973.794,"body":"it can't be our responsibility that something's been missed. But we"},{"startTime":973.802,"endTime":977.362,"body":"can certainly do the majority of the legwork, and we can do the"},{"startTime":977.386,"endTime":980.642,"body":"comparison site stuff, if we've, say,"},{"startTime":980.666,"endTime":984.226,"body":"got a copy of your last insurance policy, and maybe nothing's"},{"startTime":984.258,"endTime":987.602,"body":"changed, for example, that could work. I like"},{"startTime":987.706,"endTime":991.556,"body":"the research element. As someone who, whenever"},{"startTime":991.588,"endTime":995.028,"body":"they're making a big or, frankly, not even that big purchase, will"},{"startTime":995.084,"endTime":998.9,"body":"research the heck out of it and spend vast amounts of"},{"startTime":998.94,"endTime":1001.252,"body":"time on it, and then usually just come back to the first one that I"},{"startTime":1001.276,"endTime":1004.564,"body":"looked at, I can see that being really quite"},{"startTime":1004.612,"endTime":1008.18,"body":"valuable. Yeah, I mean, it"},{"startTime":1008.22,"endTime":1011.844,"body":"is quite a requested task that we get"},{"startTime":1011.932,"endTime":1015.54,"body":"at Vi-VA, so I know it's a task I"},{"startTime":1015.58,"endTime":1019.042,"body":"personally cannot stand. It's"},{"startTime":1019.186,"endTime":1022.77,"body":"my worst task, so my VA does it for me as"},{"startTime":1022.81,"endTime":1026.642,"body":"well. And yeah, I mean, if there's a way to make it"},{"startTime":1026.666,"endTime":1030.05,"body":"work, then absolutely, it can be"},{"startTime":1030.09,"endTime":1033.41,"body":"delegated, but you just need to make sure that your VA's got all the right"},{"startTime":1033.45,"endTime":1037.282,"body":"information, because there are things that could, obviously, go wrong if key bits of"},{"startTime":1037.306,"endTime":1041.122,"body":"information are missed. But it works well most of"},{"startTime":1041.146,"endTime":1044.785,"body":"the time, as long as the client just checks the final"},{"startTime":1044.857,"endTime":1047.969,"body":"version. We'll come on to talk about"},{"startTime":1048.089,"endTime":1051.889,"body":"the financial aspect of it. But before"},{"startTime":1051.929,"endTime":1055.761,"body":"we get there, I'm curious how you work with your clients to get"},{"startTime":1055.785,"endTime":1059.361,"body":"through what I'm going to call middle-class guilt. So, this feeling"},{"startTime":1059.425,"endTime":1062.961,"body":"that you should be doing something yourself rather"},{"startTime":1063.025,"endTime":1066.737,"body":"than delegating it, and it might not just apply to"},{"startTime":1066.873,"endTime":1070.349,"body":"the tasks that your team helps with, but things like"},{"startTime":1070.69,"endTime":1074.41,"body":"cleaning the house or doing the gardening or that kind of thing,"},{"startTime":1074.45,"endTime":1078.058,"body":"which tends to be stuff that I'm very happy to pay someone else to do."},{"startTime":1078.114,"endTime":1081.354,"body":"But yeah, that idea that I should"},{"startTime":1081.522,"endTime":1085.322,"body":"somehow, it makes me a bad person if I'm not doing"},{"startTime":1085.346,"endTime":1089.082,"body":"these things myself. Yeah, I mean, we do see that. We"},{"startTime":1089.106,"endTime":1092.682,"body":"do all sorts for clients, and I just try and"},{"startTime":1092.706,"endTime":1096.538,"body":"reassure my clients that we don't judge. And I can only talk"},{"startTime":1096.594,"endTime":1100.282,"body":"from Vi-VA's point of view. Other VAs hopefully are the"},{"startTime":1100.306,"endTime":1103.302,"body":"same. I don't know that all are, but hopefully. But"},{"startTime":1103.326,"endTime":1106.806,"body":"I'll say to people, 'Look, we book people's fake"},{"startTime":1106.838,"endTime":1110.662,"body":"tans, we book GP appointments, and we have to know what"},{"startTime":1110.686,"endTime":1114.294,"body":"the issue is in order to get past the receptionist.' And"},{"startTime":1114.382,"endTime":1117.718,"body":"so, we do, we just tend,"},{"startTime":1117.894,"endTime":1121.67,"body":"people who do life admin don't judge clients,"},{"startTime":1121.83,"endTime":1125.638,"body":"or certainly we don't at Vi-VA. Because it is"},{"startTime":1125.694,"endTime":1129.35,"body":"hard. You do feel bad, and I"},{"startTime":1129.39,"endTime":1133.114,"body":"know myself because I'm in that situation as well, I outsource a"},{"startTime":1133.122,"endTime":1136.922,"body":"lot, but you do feel guilty, don't you? And I think it"},{"startTime":1136.946,"endTime":1140.25,"body":"doesn't help if you get remarks from certain people or"},{"startTime":1140.29,"endTime":1144.138,"body":"jokes. I know that one of my family"},{"startTime":1144.194,"endTime":1147.738,"body":"members is like, 'Oh, I wish I had a cleaner.' And I"},{"startTime":1147.794,"endTime":1151.194,"body":"say to them, 'Well, you know, for me, it's not a luxury,"},{"startTime":1151.322,"endTime":1154.442,"body":"that's just my lifestyle.' So, I think you"},{"startTime":1154.466,"endTime":1158.154,"body":"can't stop people coming to us who are clients, you"},{"startTime":1158.162,"endTime":1161.962,"body":"can't stop them feeling guilty. But we try and make them feel more comfortable"},{"startTime":1162.026,"endTime":1165.638,"body":"by saying, 'Look, you know, we deal with all sorts, we don't judge you, just"},{"startTime":1165.774,"endTime":1169.51,"body":"tell us whatever you want us to do. And we are here to make your"},{"startTime":1169.55,"endTime":1173.318,"body":"life easier, whatever that might look like for you.' I mean, we're on"},{"startTime":1173.334,"endTime":1176.63,"body":"a WhatsApp group with a two partners and their teenage"},{"startTime":1176.67,"endTime":1180.502,"body":"son. It's our responsibility on the WhatsApp group to remind"},{"startTime":1180.526,"endTime":1183.846,"body":"them of things that are coming up and give them a bit of notice. And"},{"startTime":1184.038,"endTime":1187.654,"body":"the agreement we've got with them is that the teenage son or"},{"startTime":1187.702,"endTime":1191.542,"body":"the husband or the wife, they can all contact us and ask us to do"},{"startTime":1191.566,"endTime":1195.282,"body":"any task. And of course, with the teenage son,"},{"startTime":1195.346,"endTime":1199.07,"body":"I have got a few guidelines from the dad, things"},{"startTime":1199.61,"endTime":1203.362,"body":"that we are allowed to do for him and things to"},{"startTime":1203.466,"endTime":1206.61,"body":"let the dad know if he asks for that, and no, you're not having it."},{"startTime":1206.65,"endTime":1210.466,"body":"So, literally, life admin can"},{"startTime":1210.538,"endTime":1214.098,"body":"be whatever you want it to be, and it can look like"},{"startTime":1214.154,"endTime":1217.474,"body":"whatever's going to make your life easier. It's very personal to"},{"startTime":1217.562,"endTime":1221.394,"body":"each individual. What's going to make my life easier would"},{"startTime":1221.522,"endTime":1224.978,"body":"be potentially very different to what will make your life easier. So,"},{"startTime":1225.154,"endTime":1228.526,"body":"I think it's interesting that if you do use a VA for life admin, that"},{"startTime":1228.598,"endTime":1232.366,"body":"you make sure that you're not being treated the same as everybody else,"},{"startTime":1232.398,"endTime":1235.614,"body":"that you are being treated as an individual, and they're really asking a lot of"},{"startTime":1235.622,"endTime":1238.878,"body":"questions about your life in particular, you personally."},{"startTime":1240.014,"endTime":1243.822,"body":"Okay, so someone who has these guilty"},{"startTime":1243.886,"endTime":1247.598,"body":"feelings, one way of helping them through that"},{"startTime":1247.654,"endTime":1251.502,"body":"could be showing them how their life could be easier. And"},{"startTime":1251.526,"endTime":1255.302,"body":"you said that that tends to be different depending on the"},{"startTime":1255.326,"endTime":1258.63,"body":"person. So, again, could you give some examples"},{"startTime":1258.71,"endTime":1262.454,"body":"of what are the tangible ways that some of your clients"},{"startTime":1262.502,"endTime":1266.342,"body":"have had their lives made easier by the work that you've been doing? Well, I"},{"startTime":1266.366,"endTime":1270.102,"body":"think some of them don't have to go in their inbox anymore. So,"},{"startTime":1270.126,"endTime":1273.91,"body":"that's a tangible measurement, and that's kind of"},{"startTime":1273.95,"endTime":1277.302,"body":"been quite life changing for them. And"},{"startTime":1277.406,"endTime":1280.95,"body":"others have, for example, kept"},{"startTime":1281.29,"endTime":1284.658,"body":"in contact with their various different friends and family"},{"startTime":1284.714,"endTime":1288.53,"body":"members. Because I'm just thinking of one particular client where"},{"startTime":1288.65,"endTime":1292.37,"body":"his brief to us was, 'I want to see my rugby friends every three"},{"startTime":1292.41,"endTime":1295.81,"body":"months; I want to take my wife out for date night fortnightly;"},{"startTime":1295.93,"endTime":1299.762,"body":"I want to see my parents every three"},{"startTime":1299.866,"endTime":1303.682,"body":"weeks.' And it was our responsibility to make sure that that happened and that a"},{"startTime":1303.706,"endTime":1306.714,"body":"table was booked somewhere, that it was in the calendar."},{"startTime":1306.722,"endTime":1310.554,"body":"So, I think some people are just getting a bit of a"},{"startTime":1310.562,"endTime":1313.834,"body":"life back and making connections that maybe they had lost"},{"startTime":1313.882,"endTime":1317.53,"body":"with certain people. So, I think, again, that's kind"},{"startTime":1317.61,"endTime":1321.402,"body":"of quite tangible for those people. And that's just a couple of examples."},{"startTime":1321.426,"endTime":1324.97,"body":"When someone comes to you, how"},{"startTime":1325.09,"endTime":1328.426,"body":"do you match a VA to their needs?"},{"startTime":1328.498,"endTime":1331.642,"body":"And I suppose what I'm really getting at is turning it the other way,"},{"startTime":1331.666,"endTime":1335.412,"body":"how does someone know that they've got a VA"},{"startTime":1335.436,"endTime":1339.092,"body":"matched to their needs? Yeah, so I've been doing"},{"startTime":1339.116,"endTime":1342.724,"body":"it since 2007. I think that's when I took on my"},{"startTime":1342.812,"endTime":1346.292,"body":"first team member. So, I think I've"},{"startTime":1346.316,"endTime":1350.148,"body":"got quite a good gut feel for it now. But the things"},{"startTime":1350.284,"endTime":1354.084,"body":"that we look for are personality, for a bit"},{"startTime":1354.092,"endTime":1357.812,"body":"for personality match. If the client has asked for anything"},{"startTime":1357.836,"endTime":1360.132,"body":"in particular, like we"},{"startTime":1360.156,"endTime":1363.906,"body":"had one last week, she wanted her"},{"startTime":1363.938,"endTime":1367.49,"body":"VA to have their finger on the pulse about the latest trends in"},{"startTime":1367.57,"endTime":1371.314,"body":"London, bars to visit, beauty places to"},{"startTime":1371.362,"endTime":1375.074,"body":"go. So, certainly, sometimes we have specific requirements like"},{"startTime":1375.122,"endTime":1378.962,"body":"that. But obviously, skills. So, it depends what people are asking"},{"startTime":1378.986,"endTime":1382.37,"body":"for. So, we'll always look at based on what they want, what skills"},{"startTime":1382.41,"endTime":1385.794,"body":"do we match that to, what skills does the VA have."},{"startTime":1385.842,"endTime":1389.604,"body":"And availability, of course. So, skills, availability,"},{"startTime":1389.652,"endTime":1393.492,"body":"personality and any specific requirements, really, they're the main"},{"startTime":1393.516,"endTime":1397.012,"body":"four things. And so, if someone is looking for a"},{"startTime":1397.036,"endTime":1400.82,"body":"VA, how clear do they need"},{"startTime":1400.86,"endTime":1404.58,"body":"to be on what it is they're looking for?"},{"startTime":1404.7,"endTime":1408.308,"body":"Or can they just come in with, I"},{"startTime":1408.364,"endTime":1412.132,"body":"don't have enough time, I'm overwhelmed, I don't know"},{"startTime":1412.156,"endTime":1415.764,"body":"how you're going to help me, but help? We do get plenty of those."},{"startTime":1415.852,"endTime":1419.692,"body":"I think either is fine. So, I think if you"},{"startTime":1419.716,"endTime":1423.308,"body":"just get to that point where you know you need help, but you just don't"},{"startTime":1423.324,"endTime":1426.988,"body":"know how it looks, you've never used a VA before, you're"},{"startTime":1427.004,"endTime":1430.844,"body":"overwhelmed, and you literally are at that point you've described,"},{"startTime":1430.972,"endTime":1434.54,"body":"I think it's fine to contact a VA at that point, because VAs are"},{"startTime":1434.66,"endTime":1438.396,"body":"intuitive, they show initiative, they're organised, they're"},{"startTime":1438.428,"endTime":1442.044,"body":"experienced, and they're going to be able to extract certain information"},{"startTime":1442.132,"endTime":1445.97,"body":"out of you to then work out how they can best help"},{"startTime":1446.01,"endTime":1449.346,"body":"you. So, they'll ask all the right questions, hopefully."},{"startTime":1449.458,"endTime":1453.122,"body":"Like, where is your time being spent, and what are your"},{"startTime":1453.146,"endTime":1456.722,"body":"pain points and et cetera. And"},{"startTime":1456.826,"endTime":1460.05,"body":"I think a good VA as well will really, really listen"},{"startTime":1460.13,"endTime":1463.778,"body":"to everything that you're telling them and listen to"},{"startTime":1463.834,"endTime":1467.634,"body":"where it's just not working for you currently, where those pain"},{"startTime":1467.682,"endTime":1471.422,"body":"points are, and come up with the solutions to them. I think, if"},{"startTime":1471.446,"endTime":1475.038,"body":"you are not in that situation, if you're in more of a"},{"startTime":1475.094,"endTime":1478.91,"body":"fortunate situation and perhaps less overwhelmed and"},{"startTime":1478.95,"endTime":1482.75,"body":"more organised with it, and you've got the luxury of having time"},{"startTime":1482.79,"endTime":1486.59,"body":"to think about what you would like a VA to do, I think it's really"},{"startTime":1486.63,"endTime":1490.398,"body":"good to write it down and be very"},{"startTime":1490.454,"endTime":1494.174,"body":"aware for a minimum of a week, preferably a month really,"},{"startTime":1494.262,"endTime":1497.918,"body":"or anywhere in between, just be very aware every day of"},{"startTime":1498.054,"endTime":1501.87,"body":"what could I delegate to a VA, maybe at the end of each"},{"startTime":1501.91,"endTime":1505.63,"body":"day, what could I have delegated today, what took up"},{"startTime":1505.75,"endTime":1509.262,"body":"a lot of my time today that I could have spent doing things more"},{"startTime":1509.286,"endTime":1513.102,"body":"enjoyable to me. And I think that's a really good mindset to"},{"startTime":1513.126,"endTime":1516.814,"body":"get yourself into, to start off, start the ball rolling"},{"startTime":1516.862,"endTime":1520.558,"body":"with thinking of what a VA could take off your hands. And it's quite exciting"},{"startTime":1520.654,"endTime":1523.87,"body":"once you start thinking in that way, and you're like, 'Oh, they could"},{"startTime":1523.91,"endTime":1527.76,"body":"source all these birthday gifts, and, oh, I forgot someone's birthday last"},{"startTime":1527.8,"endTime":1531.328,"body":"month, that wouldn't happen if I had a VA. And, oh, my car MOT,"},{"startTime":1531.464,"endTime":1534.56,"body":"and I haven't got time to book that in.' All of those things, you can"},{"startTime":1534.6,"endTime":1537.904,"body":"just throw all of that at a VA, whether it's on WhatsApp,"},{"startTime":1538.032,"endTime":1541.552,"body":"email, whatever, as thoughts come into your"},{"startTime":1541.576,"endTime":1545.296,"body":"head, rather than them either being forgotten or clogging"},{"startTime":1545.328,"endTime":1548.32,"body":"up your headspace, you can just whack them out on"},{"startTime":1548.44,"endTime":1552.08,"body":"whatever it is, WhatsApp's quite popular amongst our"},{"startTime":1552.12,"endTime":1555.828,"body":"clients, to the VA, and you just know that then you can forget about"},{"startTime":1555.884,"endTime":1559.556,"body":"it. Yeah, that excitement piece, I definitely"},{"startTime":1559.588,"endTime":1563.284,"body":"recognise that. I use a VA to help me in my podcast"},{"startTime":1563.332,"endTime":1567.044,"body":"and business, but she said to me, 'Look, you can send personal"},{"startTime":1567.132,"endTime":1570.388,"body":"stuff as well.\" And so, when we were planning a family"},{"startTime":1570.444,"endTime":1574.132,"body":"holiday, usually, I would be researching it to the"},{"startTime":1574.156,"endTime":1577.844,"body":"Nth degree, but I said to her, 'Okay, so we're going to be here"},{"startTime":1577.932,"endTime":1581.582,"body":"for four nights, suggest an itinerary.' And I gave her"},{"startTime":1581.606,"endTime":1585.054,"body":"some guidelines on the sorts of things that we like to do."},{"startTime":1585.222,"endTime":1588.638,"body":"We didn't follow the itinerary"},{"startTime":1588.734,"endTime":1592.382,"body":"strictly to the letter, but it definitely gave us a much better starting point than"},{"startTime":1592.406,"endTime":1595.97,"body":"if I'd been just starting with a blank sheet of paper myself."},{"startTime":1596.47,"endTime":1600.222,"body":"Yeah. No, I mean, researching"},{"startTime":1600.366,"endTime":1604.126,"body":"holidays or itineraries is definitely quite"},{"startTime":1604.158,"endTime":1607.786,"body":"a popular requested task for life admin."},{"startTime":1607.848,"endTime":1611.366,"body":"You are a dream client, Jeremy, because"},{"startTime":1611.518,"endTime":1615.35,"body":"you're so organised, and you've thought it through, and you've"},{"startTime":1615.43,"endTime":1619.094,"body":"given all those guidelines. So, in an ideal world,"},{"startTime":1619.182,"endTime":1622.502,"body":"a VA would love their client to give all that"},{"startTime":1622.526,"endTime":1625.718,"body":"information. It doesn't always happen in reality, but"},{"startTime":1625.774,"endTime":1629.43,"body":"that's great. As a VA, if you get"},{"startTime":1629.47,"endTime":1633.302,"body":"all the guidelines and very specific, here"},{"startTime":1633.326,"endTime":1636.822,"body":"for four nights, here's the guidelines, I mean, that's great for a VA. It just"},{"startTime":1636.846,"endTime":1640.696,"body":"gives them a really good start and some kind of boundaries and, yeah,"},{"startTime":1640.808,"endTime":1644.168,"body":"it's great. I'm guessing there's going to be a bit of a time"},{"startTime":1644.224,"endTime":1647.592,"body":"investment up front in order to set the"},{"startTime":1647.616,"endTime":1651.272,"body":"relationship up. And it's one of those vicious circles"},{"startTime":1651.336,"endTime":1655.112,"body":"where you don't have time to delegate, which means that you"},{"startTime":1655.136,"endTime":1658.76,"body":"don't have time to delegate because you're not delegating until you don't get your time"},{"startTime":1658.8,"endTime":1662.264,"body":"back. So, how do you make that as"},{"startTime":1662.432,"endTime":1666.042,"body":"painless as possible, so that there's the right amount of"},{"startTime":1666.066,"endTime":1669.338,"body":"time invested up front, but it doesn't become off"},{"startTime":1669.394,"endTime":1672.922,"body":"putting? I think this is something that"},{"startTime":1672.946,"endTime":1676.378,"body":"I am quite blunt about. If you"},{"startTime":1676.514,"endTime":1680.282,"body":"are going to use a VA, you've got to invest time upfront. I"},{"startTime":1680.306,"endTime":1683.61,"body":"mean, you just have to, really. The more time you invest up"},{"startTime":1683.65,"endTime":1687.402,"body":"front, the more you'll get out of it on an ongoing basis, and the"},{"startTime":1687.426,"endTime":1690.892,"body":"smoother it will be, and the more efficient it will be. I"},{"startTime":1690.916,"endTime":1694.348,"body":"suppose, I know some people, I guess that they don't have much"},{"startTime":1694.404,"endTime":1697.836,"body":"time. I would say, at a minimum,"},{"startTime":1698.028,"endTime":1701.852,"body":"just show the VA how you like things done. So,"},{"startTime":1701.876,"endTime":1705.708,"body":"for example, if they're managing your inbox, and they're managing all your school"},{"startTime":1705.764,"endTime":1709.484,"body":"emails, tell them all about your kids. How old are they, what kind of"},{"startTime":1709.492,"endTime":1712.524,"body":"things that are going to come through in this inbox are they interested in?"},{"startTime":1712.692,"endTime":1716.508,"body":"For example, one of our clients said, 'If anything comes through about"},{"startTime":1716.564,"endTime":1719.868,"body":"ballet classes, just delete.' And that kind of information is really"},{"startTime":1719.924,"endTime":1723.71,"body":"useful to a VA, and I always say to people, never"},{"startTime":1723.75,"endTime":1727.182,"body":"assume anything, just give as much information as"},{"startTime":1727.206,"endTime":1730.718,"body":"possible. If you can jump on a Zoom and screen share"},{"startTime":1730.854,"endTime":1734.014,"body":"and show them your inbox, show them your family"},{"startTime":1734.102,"endTime":1737.662,"body":"calendar, or your birthday reminder system, whatever it is,"},{"startTime":1737.766,"endTime":1741.518,"body":"the more you can invest upfront time"},{"startTime":1741.574,"endTime":1745.118,"body":"wise, honestly, the more it will make your life"},{"startTime":1745.174,"endTime":1748.43,"body":"easier going forward, definitely. But"},{"startTime":1748.47,"endTime":1752.222,"body":"getting that balance, how do you do that? I"},{"startTime":1752.246,"endTime":1756.078,"body":"think it's really hard. I think it depends how committed"},{"startTime":1756.094,"endTime":1759.614,"body":"you are for the long term. I think if you're really serious about it,"},{"startTime":1759.702,"endTime":1763.486,"body":"and you really want it to work, then I would really urge people"},{"startTime":1763.558,"endTime":1767.038,"body":"to spend more time than they probably want to, only in the first few"},{"startTime":1767.094,"endTime":1770.542,"body":"weeks. I'm not talking eight hours, I'm just talking"},{"startTime":1770.606,"endTime":1774.142,"body":"maybe three hours in maybe different"},{"startTime":1774.246,"endTime":1778.078,"body":"half an hour stints, that's all. And bedding down the relationship,"},{"startTime":1778.174,"endTime":1781.33,"body":"I can envisage a situation where a client"},{"startTime":1781.93,"endTime":1785.65,"body":"thinks they've given pretty clear instructions about what they"},{"startTime":1785.69,"endTime":1788.87,"body":"want, and then something comes back, and it's"},{"startTime":1789.21,"endTime":1792.866,"body":"completely not what they expected, and there's going to be"},{"startTime":1792.938,"endTime":1796.754,"body":"a temptation at that point to go, 'Oh, this just isn't working. It"},{"startTime":1796.762,"endTime":1800.61,"body":"would have been quicker to do it myself.' How do you deal with"},{"startTime":1800.73,"endTime":1804.578,"body":"what I'm guessing are pretty inevitable bumps in the road, at least"},{"startTime":1804.634,"endTime":1807.948,"body":"in those first few weeks and months? Yeah, no,"},{"startTime":1808.004,"endTime":1811.58,"body":"absolutely. I think it's really important that"},{"startTime":1811.7,"endTime":1815.212,"body":"you feed back to your VA and"},{"startTime":1815.396,"endTime":1818.316,"body":"be a bit patient in terms of,"},{"startTime":1818.388,"endTime":1821.82,"body":"they deal with lots of clients, and just"},{"startTime":1821.86,"endTime":1825.628,"body":"because you're really surprised that they didn't book"},{"startTime":1825.684,"endTime":1828.956,"body":"you a seat on a train with a table, because you always have a table,"},{"startTime":1828.988,"endTime":1832.716,"body":"why wouldn't you have a table, if you didn't tell them that, then"},{"startTime":1832.788,"endTime":1836.572,"body":"you can't assume that they would know that, because some clients don't care"},{"startTime":1836.596,"endTime":1839.708,"body":"if they have a table or not. So, I think,"},{"startTime":1839.764,"endTime":1843.58,"body":"just state the obvious, and it's just giving as"},{"startTime":1843.62,"endTime":1847.1,"body":"much information as you can. And if it does go wrong, if they do book"},{"startTime":1847.14,"endTime":1850.492,"body":"you a seat without a table in my example,"},{"startTime":1850.636,"endTime":1854.412,"body":"then just tell them. Just say, 'Actually, I really want a"},{"startTime":1854.436,"endTime":1858.092,"body":"table.' And just think, what else would they need to know? And"},{"startTime":1858.116,"endTime":1861.5,"body":"a classic one is, some of our"},{"startTime":1861.54,"endTime":1865.102,"body":"clients don't care how long it takes to get on a"},{"startTime":1865.126,"endTime":1868.83,"body":"train somewhere. They just don't like changing, they just like to"},{"startTime":1868.87,"endTime":1872.542,"body":"work all the way there, it's great, uninterrupted, and they"},{"startTime":1872.566,"endTime":1876.302,"body":"really use the time effectively. Other clients are like, 'Get me there"},{"startTime":1876.326,"endTime":1879.47,"body":"as soon as possible. I don't care how many changes. It's all about"},{"startTime":1879.51,"endTime":1882.702,"body":"speed.' So, we never assume at"},{"startTime":1882.726,"endTime":1886.206,"body":"Vi-VA which one it is. We always"},{"startTime":1886.278,"endTime":1890.028,"body":"ask. And if your VA doesn't ask, tell them"},{"startTime":1890.084,"endTime":1893.36,"body":"things like that. Because it's not obvious."},{"startTime":1893.7,"endTime":1897.44,"body":"Just because it's obvious to you doesn't mean that's the norm."},{"startTime":1898.1,"endTime":1901.852,"body":"I suppose the ideal metric of success will be that it"},{"startTime":1901.876,"endTime":1905.452,"body":"seems like your VA is a mind reader, but you've actually got to give"},{"startTime":1905.476,"endTime":1908.332,"body":"them quite a lot of help in order to get to that stage where they"},{"startTime":1908.356,"endTime":1912.172,"body":"are a mind reader for you. Yeah, no, I mean, it's great when"},{"startTime":1912.196,"endTime":1915.75,"body":"it gets to that stage, and I've achieved that with my own"},{"startTime":1915.79,"endTime":1919.414,"body":"VA, and it's wonderful. And yeah, she's"},{"startTime":1919.462,"endTime":1922.774,"body":"picking things up and doing what I would have done with them,"},{"startTime":1922.942,"endTime":1926.758,"body":"and before I've even seen them. And that is just great"},{"startTime":1926.814,"endTime":1930.502,"body":"when it gets to that point. But yeah, it does take a lot of relationship"},{"startTime":1930.566,"endTime":1934.326,"body":"building, and you have to share a lot of information"},{"startTime":1934.398,"endTime":1937.91,"body":"with them. I think it's really important that"},{"startTime":1937.95,"endTime":1941.756,"body":"you involve your VA. Not everyone does this, not everyone wants"},{"startTime":1941.788,"endTime":1945.308,"body":"to do this, and it's fair enough. But what does really"},{"startTime":1945.364,"endTime":1949.148,"body":"work well is if you involve your VA in what you're"},{"startTime":1949.164,"endTime":1952.988,"body":"trying to achieve, your bigger goals and your"},{"startTime":1953.124,"endTime":1956.428,"body":"aspirations, and just really"},{"startTime":1956.484,"endTime":1960.332,"body":"share any wins with them, and make them feel part of your"},{"startTime":1960.436,"endTime":1963.948,"body":"life or your business if you're running a business. And they"},{"startTime":1964.004,"endTime":1967.852,"body":"really like that. They really like to be involved like that. And"},{"startTime":1967.876,"endTime":1971.66,"body":"you will get so much more out of a VA if they're really involved"},{"startTime":1971.74,"endTime":1974.86,"body":"to that level. Does it ever get to the stage where the VA is"},{"startTime":1974.9,"endTime":1978.732,"body":"comfortable questioning something? So, maybe someone has"},{"startTime":1978.756,"endTime":1981.644,"body":"said this is their expressed goal, and then they give a VA a task, and"},{"startTime":1981.652,"endTime":1985.42,"body":"then the VA might go, 'Yeah, sure, happy to do that, but you did"},{"startTime":1985.46,"endTime":1988.636,"body":"tell me that this is your goal, so I'm just wondering how it actually fits"},{"startTime":1988.668,"endTime":1992.3,"body":"in.' Yes, definitely. I think"},{"startTime":1992.34,"endTime":1996.172,"body":"you build such a close relationship with your clients that you get"},{"startTime":1996.196,"endTime":1999.73,"body":"to know what to say and what not to say,"},{"startTime":1999.77,"endTime":2002.93,"body":"and you can make"},{"startTime":2002.97,"endTime":2006.802,"body":"suggestions, but you know them well enough, if"},{"startTime":2006.826,"endTime":2010.642,"body":"they say no, you know not to"},{"startTime":2010.666,"endTime":2014.498,"body":"push it, you know if they're going to be open to suggestions of ways"},{"startTime":2014.514,"endTime":2017.97,"body":"to do things better. So, you just gauge it client by client."},{"startTime":2018.05,"endTime":2021.65,"body":"In Vi-VA, we ask the clients upfront, do you want us"},{"startTime":2021.69,"endTime":2025.282,"body":"to give suggestions on ways to do things better or question you"},{"startTime":2025.306,"endTime":2029.09,"body":"if you've not done something, would you want us to hold you accountable?"},{"startTime":2029.25,"endTime":2032.898,"body":"And we get a real mix. Some people are really offended at that. No,"},{"startTime":2032.954,"endTime":2036.514,"body":"absolutely not. I can achieve myself."},{"startTime":2036.642,"endTime":2039.522,"body":"And other people are like, 'Oh, that'd be amazing. Yes, please."},{"startTime":2039.626,"endTime":2043.15,"body":"Absolutely.' So, yeah, I mean,"},{"startTime":2043.53,"endTime":2047.122,"body":"just everyone's different. Their requirements are different. It can work for"},{"startTime":2047.146,"endTime":2050.706,"body":"anybody. Just, again, tell your VA, do you want them to"},{"startTime":2050.778,"endTime":2054.552,"body":"question you? Do you want them to tell you it's not in line"},{"startTime":2054.576,"endTime":2058.328,"body":"with your goals? My VA does with me. I love it. And I'm"},{"startTime":2058.344,"endTime":2061.912,"body":"like, gosh, yeah, you're right. Okay, cancel that meeting. I think"},{"startTime":2062.016,"endTime":2065.432,"body":"we all need that in some shape or form. Some"},{"startTime":2065.456,"endTime":2068.92,"body":"people are open to it more than others. But yeah,"},{"startTime":2069.08,"endTime":2072.84,"body":"your VA can do that if you want them to. One of the"},{"startTime":2072.96,"endTime":2076.52,"body":"benefits you mentioned earlier of a career as a"},{"startTime":2076.56,"endTime":2079.979,"body":"VA is the fact that you can pretty much do it"},{"startTime":2080.099,"endTime":2083.835,"body":"from anywhere and quite flexibly. So, what's"},{"startTime":2083.867,"endTime":2086.411,"body":"your view, and I'm aware that you could be a little bit biased here, but"},{"startTime":2086.435,"endTime":2090.251,"body":"on things like onshore versus offshore? You"},{"startTime":2090.275,"endTime":2093.867,"body":"can get VA services pretty much"},{"startTime":2094.003,"endTime":2097.643,"body":"anywhere in the world, some of which are places which have"},{"startTime":2097.731,"endTime":2101.279,"body":"a much lower cost of living, and so lower prices."},{"startTime":2101.619,"endTime":2105.392,"body":"And time zones might not align. But my experience"},{"startTime":2105.496,"endTime":2109.216,"body":"is that you do get VAs who are happy to work"},{"startTime":2109.368,"endTime":2113.04,"body":"what might seem like odd hours, because it fits in with where"},{"startTime":2113.08,"endTime":2116.896,"body":"they've got their clients. So, if someone is making a decision about whether"},{"startTime":2116.968,"endTime":2120.784,"body":"to get something which I'll call onshore, so"},{"startTime":2120.792,"endTime":2124.048,"body":"for our purposes, the UK, or if they're in the US, someone who's US"},{"startTime":2124.104,"endTime":2127.02,"body":"based, versus someone who is in"},{"startTime":2127.56,"endTime":2131.008,"body":"South America, Africa, the Philippines, what are the"},{"startTime":2131.064,"endTime":2134.704,"body":"considerations? I think generally"},{"startTime":2134.832,"endTime":2138.272,"body":"the main issue with using an overseas VA is language"},{"startTime":2138.336,"endTime":2142.144,"body":"barrier, time differences, as you mentioned, and sometimes"},{"startTime":2142.192,"endTime":2145.92,"body":"cultural differences as well. I mean, overseas VAs are"},{"startTime":2145.96,"endTime":2149.392,"body":"really great for certain things. So, for"},{"startTime":2149.416,"endTime":2152.38,"body":"example, a lot of our clients will use them for"},{"startTime":2152.68,"endTime":2156.384,"body":"specialist functions, like SEO, for example, is quite"},{"startTime":2156.432,"endTime":2160.184,"body":"popular, also maybe tech stuff, web design"},{"startTime":2160.272,"endTime":2163.56,"body":"type thing or website updates. And"},{"startTime":2163.6,"endTime":2167.384,"body":"often, we will actually coordinate overseas VAs, so"},{"startTime":2167.392,"endTime":2171.048,"body":"we'll make sure that everyone's doing what they should be doing, and they're"},{"startTime":2171.064,"endTime":2174.68,"body":"coming back at the right time and that the quality"},{"startTime":2174.84,"endTime":2178.264,"body":"is good. So, I think, overseas VAs"},{"startTime":2178.392,"endTime":2182.008,"body":"definitely have a place. I'm not"},{"startTime":2182.064,"endTime":2184.654,"body":"anti them at all personally."},{"startTime":2184.654,"endTime":2188.178,"body":"Obviously, I get this question quite a lot, and"},{"startTime":2188.314,"endTime":2191.97,"body":"I don't like to give an opinion on something if it's kind"},{"startTime":2192.05,"endTime":2195.682,"body":"of unfounded or if I don't have experience of it, so I decided"},{"startTime":2195.706,"endTime":2199.426,"body":"to have a go myself. So, I've tried using an overseas VA"},{"startTime":2199.458,"endTime":2202.674,"body":"about three times now. It doesn't work for me personally"},{"startTime":2202.762,"endTime":2206.418,"body":"for the reasons I've said. I think the"},{"startTime":2206.474,"endTime":2209.906,"body":"main thing I hear when clients come to us, and they say, 'I've tried an"},{"startTime":2209.938,"endTime":2212.926,"body":"overseas VA thing, I've tried that, and it doesn't work', is"},{"startTime":2212.958,"endTime":2216.67,"body":"reading between the lines, going back to"},{"startTime":2216.71,"endTime":2220.222,"body":"that control freak thing that I referred to earlier, I think sometimes if"},{"startTime":2220.326,"endTime":2222.942,"body":"you've got really high standards, and it's very"},{"startTime":2222.966,"endTime":2226.702,"body":"key to you that your emails are worded"},{"startTime":2226.766,"endTime":2230.542,"body":"perfectly, and I don't know,"},{"startTime":2230.566,"endTime":2234.174,"body":"it maybe is not the right thing for you to use an overseas VA as"},{"startTime":2234.222,"endTime":2237.966,"body":"your kind of day-to-day VA for your admin needs maybe. I'm"},{"startTime":2238.038,"endTime":2241.77,"body":"sure there are lots of brilliant ones out there. I think if they're"},{"startTime":2241.81,"endTime":2245.45,"body":"good, they're not so cheap as they used to be. The last time I"},{"startTime":2245.57,"endTime":2248.506,"body":"looked at the company who I had previously used,"},{"startTime":2248.618,"endTime":2252.09,"body":"their rates were not much lower than ours, and"},{"startTime":2252.13,"endTime":2255.082,"body":"they were based in India. So, yeah, it's"},{"startTime":2255.186,"endTime":2258.618,"body":"a mixed bag, and it"},{"startTime":2258.754,"endTime":2262.55,"body":"works for some people, it doesn't work for others, and a"},{"startTime":2262.85,"endTime":2266.17,"body":"combination works actually really well in some situations."},{"startTime":2267.514,"endTime":2271.054,"body":"So, you mentioned rates there, at a risk of asking you how long is a"},{"startTime":2271.062,"endTime":2274.782,"body":"piece of string, what can someone expect to pay to use a VA?"},{"startTime":2274.926,"endTime":2278.318,"body":"In the UK? Yeah, or anywhere"},{"startTime":2278.414,"endTime":2281.998,"body":"where you've got experience or have the knowledge. Sure."},{"startTime":2282.054,"endTime":2285.902,"body":"Well, the average rate per hour for a VA in the"},{"startTime":2285.926,"endTime":2289.582,"body":"UK last year was £30. So, if the"},{"startTime":2289.606,"endTime":2293.262,"body":"VA company is VAT registered, then you'd expect to pay VAT on top of"},{"startTime":2293.286,"endTime":2296.992,"body":"that. You can get VAs for less. There are plenty of"},{"startTime":2297.016,"endTime":2300.752,"body":"VAs charging more. It depends as well in the country"},{"startTime":2300.936,"endTime":2304.512,"body":"where you are. So, around London, VAs are"},{"startTime":2304.536,"endTime":2308.384,"body":"generally on the higher side, as you'd expect, and in certain other areas of"},{"startTime":2308.392,"endTime":2311.952,"body":"the UK slightly lower. I mean, really, it"},{"startTime":2311.976,"endTime":2315.792,"body":"doesn't matter where your VA is, because you probably will never meet them, so you"},{"startTime":2315.816,"endTime":2319.348,"body":"could choose somebody in an area where the price is"},{"startTime":2319.384,"endTime":2322.54,"body":"more palatable. But yeah, a real"},{"startTime":2322.58,"endTime":2325.9,"body":"variation. I'm a bit out of touch with what"},{"startTime":2325.94,"endTime":2329.74,"body":"overseas VAs charge now. It's obviously a lot more than it used"},{"startTime":2329.78,"endTime":2333.484,"body":"to be, but yeah, I can't really comment on that, to"},{"startTime":2333.492,"endTime":2337.276,"body":"be fair. I haven't used one recently or tried to use one recently."},{"startTime":2337.348,"endTime":2340.908,"body":"It was probably a few years back. And going back to"},{"startTime":2341.044,"endTime":2344.28,"body":"one of the themes we were talking about earlier, so the"},{"startTime":2345.29,"endTime":2348.594,"body":"mental barrier of paying someone"},{"startTime":2348.682,"endTime":2352.47,"body":"to free up your own time. I guess"},{"startTime":2352.81,"endTime":2356.498,"body":"where you've got a business, it can be a little bit"},{"startTime":2356.554,"endTime":2360.306,"body":"easier to measure your ROI, your return"},{"startTime":2360.378,"endTime":2363.89,"body":"on investment, but where you're talking about personal and life"},{"startTime":2363.93,"endTime":2367.762,"body":"admin, that can be a little bit harder. So, how can"},{"startTime":2367.786,"endTime":2370.83,"body":"you help clients figure out that this is"},{"startTime":2371.32,"endTime":2375.04,"body":"money well spent? What's the metric that"},{"startTime":2375.08,"endTime":2378.352,"body":"they can use, if there is one? Yeah, interesting"},{"startTime":2378.416,"endTime":2381.856,"body":"question, and very hard to measure,"},{"startTime":2381.968,"endTime":2385.216,"body":"unless the client says, 'Right,"},{"startTime":2385.288,"endTime":2389.136,"body":"I'm putting aside the weekend or"},{"startTime":2389.208,"endTime":2392.784,"body":"this day of the week to fill in the gap,"},{"startTime":2392.832,"endTime":2396.512,"body":"whether spend time with my family, play golf', or whatever it is that they"},{"startTime":2396.536,"endTime":2400.208,"body":"want to do to free their time up to do. So, that's"},{"startTime":2400.224,"endTime":2403.57,"body":"one way of measuring it, to specifically"},{"startTime":2404.15,"endTime":2407.758,"body":"put aside time when you do that, and you"},{"startTime":2407.894,"endTime":2411.038,"body":"haven't been able to do that previously. But other than that,"},{"startTime":2411.174,"endTime":2414.782,"body":"it's quite hard to measure specifically."},{"startTime":2414.846,"endTime":2418.606,"body":"But like the couple of examples I gave before,"},{"startTime":2418.678,"endTime":2422.302,"body":"I think it's the feeling, it's the, 'Oh, I'm seeing my"},{"startTime":2422.326,"endTime":2426.062,"body":"rugby friends. I haven't seen them for about two years, and now I'm seeing them"},{"startTime":2426.086,"endTime":2428.7,"body":"every three months, or I'm seeing my"},{"startTime":2428.75,"endTime":2432.592,"body":"parents more regularly, I feel less guilt.' And so,"},{"startTime":2432.696,"endTime":2436.512,"body":"it's more of a feeling than a metric, I think, when it comes"},{"startTime":2436.536,"endTime":2440.336,"body":"to life admin. I can't resist asking a question about"},{"startTime":2440.408,"endTime":2444.08,"body":"AI, because, of course, everyone's talking about it, and I kind of see"},{"startTime":2444.12,"endTime":2447.888,"body":"AI as another form of delegation. So,"},{"startTime":2448.024,"endTime":2451.616,"body":"I'm curious to know how you see"},{"startTime":2451.688,"endTime":2455.508,"body":"AI impacting the work which gets given"},{"startTime":2455.564,"endTime":2459.38,"body":"to you, for example, research, but also"},{"startTime":2459.5,"endTime":2463.172,"body":"how you can see you'll be leveraging AI"},{"startTime":2463.236,"endTime":2467.06,"body":"within your business. Yeah, sure. I mean, I"},{"startTime":2467.1,"endTime":2470.724,"body":"think AI is amazing, and I'm embracing it,"},{"startTime":2470.812,"endTime":2474.436,"body":"both in my business and personally, it completely"},{"startTime":2474.468,"endTime":2477.972,"body":"blows my mind. We're testing all sorts out at the"},{"startTime":2477.996,"endTime":2481.836,"body":"moment. So far, what we've"},{"startTime":2481.948,"endTime":2485.692,"body":"found is that you still need human intervention with a lot"},{"startTime":2485.716,"endTime":2489.468,"body":"of it. So, it is making, obviously,"},{"startTime":2489.644,"endTime":2493.308,"body":"massive inroads into efficiency and making businesses"},{"startTime":2493.404,"endTime":2497.068,"body":"more efficient. But it's making a lot of"},{"startTime":2497.124,"endTime":2500.876,"body":"mistakes. I mean, we're currently trialling various different"},{"startTime":2501.028,"endTime":2503.948,"body":"software to manage your inbox, where AI"},{"startTime":2504.044,"endTime":2507.768,"body":"replies to all of your emails for you. Which"},{"startTime":2507.824,"endTime":2511.416,"body":"I got so excited when I heard about this, and I'm personally"},{"startTime":2511.528,"endTime":2515.352,"body":"involved in testing it myself, because I just thought, the thought of having"},{"startTime":2515.376,"endTime":2518.984,"body":"my inbox just done for me was amazing. And"},{"startTime":2519.152,"endTime":2522.808,"body":"we always test everything first before we roll it out to our clients. So, we're"},{"startTime":2522.824,"endTime":2526.632,"body":"still in kind of the testing phase, but it's very, very problematic, to"},{"startTime":2526.656,"endTime":2530.008,"body":"be honest with you, at this stage. There's a lot going wrong. It's very, very"},{"startTime":2530.064,"endTime":2533.342,"body":"frustrating. It's nowhere near, and this is just the inbox"},{"startTime":2533.376,"endTime":2537.042,"body":"management piece, it's nowhere near a place where I"},{"startTime":2537.066,"endTime":2540.866,"body":"would roll it out to our clients. But when it does get there, hopefully"},{"startTime":2540.898,"endTime":2544.13,"body":"very soon, then we will be rolling out to our"},{"startTime":2544.17,"endTime":2547.618,"body":"clients. And I think the sweet spot"},{"startTime":2547.714,"endTime":2551.49,"body":"is a virtual assistant who embraces"},{"startTime":2551.57,"endTime":2555.25,"body":"AI and uses it for your work or your"},{"startTime":2555.29,"endTime":2558.892,"body":"life admin, but who also"},{"startTime":2559.026,"endTime":2562.808,"body":"can check that work and make sure it's accurate and"},{"startTime":2562.864,"endTime":2566.712,"body":"it sounds right. For example, if it's writing copy, a lot"},{"startTime":2566.736,"endTime":2570.44,"body":"of it sounds like AI. You've got to know what prompts to put"},{"startTime":2570.48,"endTime":2574.216,"body":"in. I mean, it's taken us probably six months of tweak,"},{"startTime":2574.248,"endTime":2577.992,"body":"tweak, tweaking to get our prompts right, so that we"},{"startTime":2578.016,"endTime":2581.832,"body":"can now write a blog post through AI that sounds like us,"},{"startTime":2581.936,"endTime":2585.768,"body":"and it's the kind of thing we'd say in our voice. And it's"},{"startTime":2585.784,"endTime":2589.49,"body":"not something you can do readily. So, I think it's kind of"},{"startTime":2589.53,"endTime":2593.106,"body":"amazing and still very early"},{"startTime":2593.178,"endTime":2596.69,"body":"stages in terms of the admin stuff it can do."},{"startTime":2596.81,"endTime":2600.226,"body":"But yeah, I mean, there's lots of things"},{"startTime":2600.298,"endTime":2603.762,"body":"that it can do, which I think coupled with a"},{"startTime":2603.786,"endTime":2607.35,"body":"VA is really, really powerful."},{"startTime":2607.69,"endTime":2611.314,"body":"And that's how we're embracing it anyway."},{"startTime":2611.362,"endTime":2614.77,"body":"We are always going to offer the VA to actually do it for"},{"startTime":2614.81,"endTime":2618.258,"body":"you and then check it at the end. I mean,"},{"startTime":2618.314,"endTime":2621.986,"body":"most people of our client base don't want,"},{"startTime":2622.058,"endTime":2625.65,"body":"I mean, yes, they're embracing AI to an extent, but they don't want"},{"startTime":2625.69,"endTime":2629.122,"body":"to have to learn the latest of everything"},{"startTime":2629.226,"endTime":2632.93,"body":"and dive into detail of every single bit of software and"},{"startTime":2632.97,"endTime":2635.394,"body":"ability and the latest"},{"startTime":2635.562,"endTime":2639.41,"body":"prompts to put in. They just don't have the time to do that."},{"startTime":2639.45,"endTime":2643.232,"body":"So, we're trying to take that legwork off them and do all"},{"startTime":2643.256,"endTime":2647.072,"body":"that research for them. So, we're kind of behind the scenes preparing for a"},{"startTime":2647.096,"endTime":2650.224,"body":"really exciting future of where"},{"startTime":2650.392,"endTime":2653.504,"body":"VA plus AI is going to make massive"},{"startTime":2653.552,"endTime":2656.992,"body":"differences to individuals and businesses. It's really"},{"startTime":2657.016,"endTime":2660.464,"body":"exciting. How can someone start in a"},{"startTime":2660.472,"endTime":2664.128,"body":"relatively risk-free and small way? Because I'm"},{"startTime":2664.144,"endTime":2667.984,"body":"guessing that some people might be prepared to"},{"startTime":2667.992,"endTime":2671.79,"body":"go all in with a VA, but I'm guessing there's also"},{"startTime":2671.83,"endTime":2675.294,"body":"quite a lot of people who might just want to test the water"},{"startTime":2675.462,"endTime":2678.766,"body":"first, try with something small. So, what's a good"},{"startTime":2678.838,"endTime":2682.67,"body":"way that minimises risk that you can see whether"},{"startTime":2682.71,"endTime":2686.206,"body":"it's right for you? With using a VA? With using a VA,"},{"startTime":2686.238,"endTime":2689.85,"body":"yeah. I'd just go in for a small number of hours per month."},{"startTime":2690.39,"endTime":2693.988,"body":"I'd ask to have a call with the VA"},{"startTime":2694.134,"endTime":2697.96,"body":"first, if you can, if that's an option, and"},{"startTime":2698.0,"endTime":2701.14,"body":"just check that you gel with them. That's really important."},{"startTime":2702.08,"endTime":2705.688,"body":"If you do have that luxury of being able to"},{"startTime":2705.744,"endTime":2709.48,"body":"write down or make a note of the kind of tasks"},{"startTime":2709.56,"endTime":2713.32,"body":"that you need help with, then that will help. If"},{"startTime":2713.36,"endTime":2717.128,"body":"you can go to the first call with the VA with that"},{"startTime":2717.184,"endTime":2720.584,"body":"list, it gives them something to work from. Yeah,"},{"startTime":2720.632,"endTime":2724.408,"body":"just trust in the process. As you rightly said"},{"startTime":2724.464,"endTime":2728.2,"body":"earlier, you need to be a bit patient at the beginning and"},{"startTime":2728.24,"endTime":2731.992,"body":"just don't assume anything. Feedback, feedback,"},{"startTime":2732.056,"endTime":2735.816,"body":"feedback, you know, all the time in the early days. Your VA won't"},{"startTime":2735.848,"endTime":2739.592,"body":"mind. They want to do a good job for you, so there shouldn't be any"},{"startTime":2739.616,"endTime":2743.064,"body":"problem with any feedback. See how it goes. It's not for everyone."},{"startTime":2743.232,"endTime":2747.08,"body":"So, the odd person does say to us, 'Actually,"},{"startTime":2747.12,"endTime":2750.612,"body":"it's made me realise I need someone physically in the office next to"},{"startTime":2750.636,"endTime":2754.196,"body":"me.' So, there still are people who prefer that. But the vast"},{"startTime":2754.228,"endTime":2757.764,"body":"majority get started, dip their toe in."},{"startTime":2757.852,"endTime":2761.348,"body":"With Vi-VA, we start with five hours a month as a package, and it's quite"},{"startTime":2761.364,"endTime":2765.188,"body":"popular as a dip-your-toe-in kind of package, and then quite quickly, clients"},{"startTime":2765.284,"endTime":2768.948,"body":"increase to the next package up or the one after that. But yeah, just start"},{"startTime":2769.004,"endTime":2772.692,"body":"small, and then you'll see what difference it makes,"},{"startTime":2772.796,"endTime":2776.426,"body":"and you'll get quite excited, and you'll start to realise, you'll start to think, 'Oh,"},{"startTime":2776.458,"endTime":2779.562,"body":"I could give my VA this as well, and oh, could you do that?' And"},{"startTime":2779.586,"endTime":2782.666,"body":"they might say to you, 'Would you like me to take that off your hands?'"},{"startTime":2782.698,"endTime":2785.322,"body":"And our clients say to us all the time, 'Oh, I didn't even know you"},{"startTime":2785.346,"endTime":2789.146,"body":"could do that.' So, it builds over time. It's worth"},{"startTime":2789.178,"endTime":2792.938,"body":"just dipping your toe in and just having a go and see where it takes"},{"startTime":2792.954,"endTime":2796.65,"body":"you. It's very exciting, and it can free"},{"startTime":2796.69,"endTime":2800.538,"body":"up so much time and just give you headspace back."},{"startTime":2800.594,"endTime":2804.42,"body":"That's what I find about using my VA is, it just allows me to have"},{"startTime":2804.46,"endTime":2808.18,"body":"that headspace back that I just didn't seem to get at one"},{"startTime":2808.22,"endTime":2811.636,"body":"point, because anything that I think, 'Oh, I've got to do that', I just WhatsApp"},{"startTime":2811.668,"endTime":2815.412,"body":"her or email her, and then if it's the middle of the night,"},{"startTime":2815.516,"endTime":2819.108,"body":"which often it is, it's out of your head"},{"startTime":2819.164,"endTime":2822.772,"body":"then, and you can focus on the stuff you should be doing. So,"},{"startTime":2822.796,"endTime":2826.564,"body":"what's been your favourite result for a client for whom you've"},{"startTime":2826.612,"endTime":2830.428,"body":"started doing their life admin for? What's a real"},{"startTime":2830.484,"endTime":2834.252,"body":"highlight where you go, yeah, this is a success story, this"},{"startTime":2834.276,"endTime":2837.772,"body":"is where we've got something really good for our client? That's a"},{"startTime":2837.796,"endTime":2841.42,"body":"question, a tricky one to answer, because a lot of the stuff we do is"},{"startTime":2841.46,"endTime":2844.92,"body":"day-to-day, we do the same things"},{"startTime":2845.46,"endTime":2848.68,"body":"maybe one month to the next."},{"startTime":2848.98,"endTime":2851.9,"body":"But I think when we did that flash mob, that was"},{"startTime":2852.02,"endTime":2855.26,"body":"really an achievement, because,"},{"startTime":2855.38,"endTime":2858.7,"body":"obviously, it was top secret, it was a massive thing at that"},{"startTime":2858.74,"endTime":2861.462,"body":"point, and we managed to, from"},{"startTime":2861.486,"endTime":2865.142,"body":"the client just saying, 'Can you"},{"startTime":2865.166,"endTime":2868.39,"body":"sort out this flash mob?', we arranged this"},{"startTime":2868.43,"endTime":2872.022,"body":"amazing dance thingy that was"},{"startTime":2872.046,"endTime":2875.542,"body":"pulled off in a public place, and the results were"},{"startTime":2875.566,"endTime":2879.03,"body":"amazing. So, I think probably that one stands out, even though it was quite some"},{"startTime":2879.07,"endTime":2881.33,"body":"time ago. Yeah, it's got to be that."},{"startTime":2882.59,"endTime":2886.294,"body":"Fabulous. So, what tools or resources can you"},{"startTime":2886.382,"endTime":2890.214,"body":"recommend to someone who is maybe starting to think, 'I'm getting a bit"},{"startTime":2890.222,"endTime":2893.762,"body":"overwhelmed here, and I just need a"},{"startTime":2893.946,"endTime":2897.554,"body":"blog or a book or something to start thinking about how"},{"startTime":2897.642,"endTime":2900.79,"body":"I could perhaps progress to using a VA'? So"},{"startTime":2901.53,"endTime":2905.138,"body":"many. And I think one that I"},{"startTime":2905.194,"endTime":2908.47,"body":"would like to recommend is Todoist. It's"},{"startTime":2908.81,"endTime":2912.626,"body":"software to manage tasks. It can be used in"},{"startTime":2912.698,"endTime":2916.306,"body":"your personal life, it's brilliant for recurring tasks. So,"},{"startTime":2916.418,"endTime":2919.89,"body":"you can put birthdays in there that pop up every year,"},{"startTime":2919.93,"endTime":2922.77,"body":"MOTs that are due, same, insurances,"},{"startTime":2922.89,"endTime":2926.402,"body":"all of those, and you can set them up as recurring"},{"startTime":2926.426,"endTime":2929.922,"body":"reminders and plus your day-to-day stuff, and it's something that your VA"},{"startTime":2929.946,"endTime":2932.978,"body":"can manage for you as well. But that,"},{"startTime":2933.034,"endTime":2936.818,"body":"to me, it's been around for a while, we try"},{"startTime":2936.874,"endTime":2940.722,"body":"all the new software coming out, me in particular, I like"},{"startTime":2940.746,"endTime":2944.246,"body":"trying them all out, and I keep going back to Todoist. So, yeah,"},{"startTime":2944.318,"endTime":2946.118,"body":"I think that's my recommendation."},{"startTime":2947.71,"endTime":2951.11,"body":"And where can people find you? Yeah, so my"},{"startTime":2951.15,"endTime":2952.614,"body":"website is"},{"startTime":2952.782,"endTime":2956.518,"body":"vi-va.co.uk. Yeah, that's probably"},{"startTime":2956.534,"endTime":2960.07,"body":"the best place to find me. Or LinkedIn. Sarah Rugg on"},{"startTime":2960.11,"endTime":2962.89,"body":"LinkedIn. Either of those two places."},{"startTime":2963.71,"endTime":2967.462,"body":"Links, as always, in the show notes. Sarah, thank you so"},{"startTime":2967.486,"endTime":2971.302,"body":"much for coming on, and yes, giving us an introduction to this"},{"startTime":2971.326,"endTime":2974.828,"body":"world. It's a pleasure. Great to be on, Jeremy, thank"},{"startTime":2974.844,"endTime":2978.412,"body":"you. Okay, hope you enjoyed that interview"},{"startTime":2978.476,"endTime":2982.284,"body":"with Sarah Rugg. Now, clearly, not everyone can"},{"startTime":2982.372,"endTime":2986.172,"body":"engage a virtual assistant. If you're going to pay someone to"},{"startTime":2986.196,"endTime":2989.612,"body":"do jobs for you, then, yes, it's going to have a cost element to"},{"startTime":2989.636,"endTime":2993.484,"body":"it. But I don't think that's the only hurdle. Mindset"},{"startTime":2993.532,"endTime":2997.276,"body":"plays just as important a part. And one of the things I think"},{"startTime":2997.348,"endTime":3000.7,"body":"is at the root of that is that we value"},{"startTime":3000.82,"endTime":3004.662,"body":"money more than we value our time. You can put"},{"startTime":3004.686,"endTime":3008.342,"body":"a figure on money, you can understand it in terms of what it can do"},{"startTime":3008.366,"endTime":3012.214,"body":"for you, its purchasing power. It's much harder to do that with"},{"startTime":3012.302,"endTime":3015.91,"body":"time. And it's kind of strange when you think about it, how"},{"startTime":3015.95,"endTime":3019.782,"body":"things have evolved that way, given that earnings can"},{"startTime":3019.806,"endTime":3023.59,"body":"be incredibly variable, and yet everyone, everyone"},{"startTime":3023.71,"endTime":3027.542,"body":"has the same amount of time, the same 24 hours in the day. I'm"},{"startTime":3027.606,"endTime":3030.998,"body":"slowly coming around to the way of thinking that money enables you"},{"startTime":3031.054,"endTime":3034.814,"body":"effectively to buy some more time. No, it's not"},{"startTime":3034.822,"endTime":3037.742,"body":"going to add an extra hour to the day. It's not going to make it"},{"startTime":3037.766,"endTime":3041.47,"body":"25 hours. But if you pay someone to do a job which would"},{"startTime":3041.51,"endTime":3045.054,"body":"otherwise take you that hour, then that's an hour back to do,"},{"startTime":3045.142,"endTime":3048.99,"body":"well, whatever you want. I started to use VAs in my"},{"startTime":3049.03,"endTime":3052.83,"body":"podcast, even though I wasn't making any money at all on it,"},{"startTime":3052.95,"endTime":3056.798,"body":"but because I knew the things that were taking me time were not the best"},{"startTime":3056.854,"endTime":3060.526,"body":"use of my time. I can do the editing, I can"},{"startTime":3060.598,"endTime":3064.37,"body":"do the show notes, but other people can do them better and"},{"startTime":3064.41,"endTime":3068.018,"body":"more quickly than me. And so, by paying them, I'm freeing up"},{"startTime":3068.074,"endTime":3071.89,"body":"my time to do things which I'm better suited to, which are a better use"},{"startTime":3071.93,"endTime":3074.482,"body":"of my time. You'll find the show notes for this"},{"startTime":3074.506,"endTime":3077.666,"body":"episode at changeworklife.com/206. That's"},{"startTime":3077.698,"endTime":3081.426,"body":"changeworklife.com/206. And if you'd"},{"startTime":3081.458,"endTime":3085.106,"body":"like to help me grow my audience, if you'd like to help me get"},{"startTime":3085.178,"endTime":3088.882,"body":"my content into the ears of more people, then one of the things you can"},{"startTime":3088.906,"endTime":3092.61,"body":"do to help me is leave a review. Apple Podcasts is"},{"startTime":3092.65,"endTime":3095.666,"body":"still the best place you can do that. But also, I think you can leave"},{"startTime":3095.698,"endTime":3099.522,"body":"reviews on other platforms. And it would be really helpful if you'd do that"},{"startTime":3099.546,"endTime":3103.378,"body":"for me. On the subject of time, if someone sees a review"},{"startTime":3103.514,"endTime":3107.362,"body":"that this podcast is worth the time, then someone else will"},{"startTime":3107.386,"endTime":3111.234,"body":"hopefully take their own time to listen to it. In the next episode,"},{"startTime":3111.282,"endTime":3114.898,"body":"we're taking the temperature of work in the 2020s."},{"startTime":3115.074,"endTime":3118.642,"body":"My guest has interviewed 100 people from all sorts of"},{"startTime":3118.666,"endTime":3121.826,"body":"different jobs, and we're going to be finding out just what he's"},{"startTime":3121.858,"endTime":3125.348,"body":"learnt. It's a really thought-provoking interview, so"},{"startTime":3125.404,"endTime":3128.612,"body":"subscribe to the show if you haven't already, and I can't wait to see you"},{"startTime":3128.636,"endTime":3130.02,"body":"then. Cheers. Bye."}]}