The "Level Up" with Duayne Pearce Podcast
I take on the role of an authoritative voice that fearlessly communicates truths drawn directly from my lived experiences. With a genuine sense of ownership, my insights are free from any hidden agendas – they truly belong to the audience. My stories and journey add remarkable value, the key now lies in harnessing its power effectively to help others.
My purpose is to create a new residential building industry. My mission is to inspire unshakable self-confidence in my colleagues in the industry, empowering them to orchestrate prosperous, enduring, and lucrative businesses that bring exceptional projects to fruition for our clients.
My goal is to foster a deeper comprehension among clients about the identity and functions of builders, redefining their perceptions.
The "Level Up" with Duayne Pearce Podcast
Building Better Businesses with VAs: Lessons from Greg Parry & The Doing Co | Level Up
Discover how virtual assistants (VAs) are transforming the construction industry in this episode of the Level Up Podcast with Duayne Pearce! Join Duayne and special guest Greg Parry from The Doing Co as they dive deep into the real-world benefits of hiring VAs for builders, tradies, and business owners.
Learn how VAs can help you:
• Reclaim your time and focus on what matters most
• Streamline admin, marketing, and tech tasks
• Build efficient systems and SOPs for your business
• Overcome common challenges and objections to outsourcing
• Find the right VA and set them up for long-term success
Whether you’re a builder, tradie, or entrepreneur looking to grow your business and get your life back, this episode is packed with practical advice, real stories, and actionable tips.
🔗 Connect with Greg & The Doing Co: https://thedoing.co
🔗 Freedom List 101+ Tasks to Outsource - https://app.thedoing.co/freedom-list/...
🔗 IG: / thedoingco
🔗 Linkedin: / tamsinparry
Check out the Duayne Pearce website here...
https://duaynepearce.com/
That really is the key difference with us is that we're really bringing people in that are wanting the longevity of their careers, like literally within a week they're up and running, they know what they got to do and away, away they go and then it keeps growing.
Speaker 1:That is the biggest thing that I think businesses struggle is they employ people and then, if that person goes, so does the intellectual property.
Speaker 2:It's incredible value. Like you're streamlining your business, You're getting time back. I used to really struggle with stepping back from things and I'd always be trying to figure out. I think I've really come to understand. In successful businesses, my time is my most valuable asset. I think VAs are such a powerful part of a business when you get it right.
Speaker 1:That's the biggest thing, dwayne, is that people think that no one else can do it as well as they can do it. Look, life is tough enough, and if you can make your life just a little bit easier by having somebody working as a close partner, I think it's a match made in heaven.
Speaker 2:G'day guys. Welcome to another episode of Level Up. We are back in the office for another recorded podcast. Today We've got a very special guest coming which I know is going to deliver a lot of value with some information that will help all tradies and builders with ways that you can get more efficient with your business that will get you back more time. So big warm welcome to greg from the doing co. How are you, buddy?
Speaker 1:yeah, I'm good mate I'm good, how are?
Speaker 2:you excellent mate. Thanks for um jumping on the podcast. So, uh, how greg is going to add an enormous event of value to all the listeners today is we're talking about vasAs, so virtual assistants. Greg and his wife Tamsin run a very successful VA business over in South Africa. We've been involved with them for quite a long time. My business partner, amelia in Live Life Builders has known them for even longer and, for those that don't know, we have multiple VAs across multiple businesses and it's one of the reasons that allows us to get so much done. So tell us a little bit more about, I guess, the background, greg, of your company and how you got involved with the VAs and what you do.
Speaker 1:Yes, so I mean Tamsin and I have had sort of somewhat separate journeys, but it kind of really began with her. She worked for a digital agency in Australia. So we were both living in Australia at the time and she just had. You know, obviously, all of these things start when you find a problem, and one of the problems was that she couldn't find reliable admin staff in Australia. That was just the issue. So she was working with a digital marketing agency 25 employees but they just couldn't retain the admin staff.
Speaker 1:So she actually had a business coach at the time and she ended up in discussions with him. Up in discussions with him and you know, he introduced her to the outsourcing business and said, well, look, there's a huge market in the philippines, uh, where there are these professional vas that that work across borders, and so that that kind of started the the whole journey. So she ended up, uh, employing she had to convince the, the owner of the business at the time, that this, this is something they needed to explore. They were a bit business at the time that this is something they needed to explore. They were a bit resistant at the time because obviously, when you're doing things for the first time, you're not quite sure what that's like and it's a different culture and you don't even know if it's going to work or not. So they tried their first VA. They tried and that first VA that they hired, that VA is still in the business today, after I think 12 years. She's still in the business. Then they ended up outsourcing their whole support team. So they ended up having about six to 10 virtual assistants working offshore and Tamsin built that entire infrastructure.
Speaker 1:So then a couple of years after that, you know, with that working, she then kind of ended up on maternity leave and she started doing operational. So Tams' background is in operations, as you know, and that's when, in the process of doing that, we were sort of she had a number of clients, of which you and Amelia were one of them, and it just so held that every client that she was dealing with they needed a VA. So with her experience in that, she just started building up her networks and connections in that industry and just started placing VAs and as a result, that's how the doing co-started. It was really about a need in the market for small businesses needing virtual assistants to handle those administrative tasks.
Speaker 1:So my background is I've been more in the corporate space. So I've worked in human resources. I've done I actually started off in financial services and worked in the human resource space in structuring business solutions, workforce solutions, and I actually worked for a BPO in Manila for a while and so I've actually had hands-on experience in working with Filipinos. So Tamsin and I just decided to collaborate because we thought we both have a complementary skill set, and I joined the business about just over a year ago.
Speaker 2:So it's great.
Speaker 1:It's a fabulous business and you know it's a juggling act, but we love it and it adds a lot of value and I think that's the difference, dwayne, you know, I think the outsourcing BPO industry has got a big reputation. It's the good, the bad and the ugly, and in the old days it used to be that the outsourcing was for the big corporates, but with the evolution of AI and technology it's like anyone can get a VA anywhere in the world because we've got systems we've got resources to be able to put that in place.
Speaker 2:So I think that's the business.
Speaker 2:Look, I didn't know a lot about it until Live Life Build started to really take off. Amelia's used VAs for a very long time in her undercover architect business and, look, I definitely wasn't aware of just the variety of skills that were available. And, um, I guess, like we've got vas now across our businesses that are dealing with finances, bookkeeping, uh, general admin, marketing, like you name it. Like we're covering a lot of ground at the moment and a lot of people ask me all the time like how do I get so much done? And I always tell them like it's the quality of the people you put around you. So obviously we have a lot of people here in Australia across our businesses. But now having to be able to source quality VAs to do specific tasks in the business man, it just allows you so much more time. Like you don't have to get bogged down with so many tasks, you can have people that just get stuff done.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you know, that's a really good point, dwayne, and I think you know what I've realised as you get older and you lose a few hairs in the process. You sort of realise that time is your biggest commodity and it's something we struggle to hold on to, and you lose a few hairs in the process. You sort of realize that time is your biggest commodity and it's something we struggle to hold on to because there's just always so many things to do. So if you can find the right people and put the right people in the right positions, you know like it's half the battle, isn't it? You know, I think time is the biggest commodity we have and it's like we don't, and sometimes we get in that rut where we're just doing things the same things day in and day out and we never stop to think like can we do things better, can we do things more efficiently? Can we? Are there other areas? You know, I mean I don't know about you, duane, but I like writing in my journal. And I mean I don't know about you, dwayne, but I like writing in my journal.
Speaker 1:And sometimes, when I write in my journal at night, I wake up in the morning and I think, holy moly. Why am I still doing this? Why am I still doing the same thing? Surely there's got to be somebody else that can take this off my plate, and I think that is the biggest thing. It's like there are so many things we want to do with our lives, our businesses, but we get bogged down by doing things that we don't need to be doing, and I think that's where Tamsin and I are really committed with this business is trying to create a level of effortlessness that enable businesses to grow and expand by dealing with. One of the most important factors is your people, and I think that's often the biggest challenge that people face. It's like, well, I've never worked with anyone abroad, let's say I don't know the culture, I didn't even know this existed, like I mean, there are all these questions, but I think if you can just slow down and think, prioritize like, what does your business need right now?
Speaker 2:You know, and I think, yeah, one of the big things because, like, the construction industry is a hectic industry here in Australia and there's so many people just working so hard all day on the tools and getting a lot of work done, and then they end up spending all hours of the night and weekends with all the administration stuff and that's an area that they can just add so much value to a trade based business. And, look, I guess there is a little bit of work in the beginning. You, you need to sort of have a list of tasks that you can work with them to create some, I guess, systems for them to follow. Yeah, so you do have to put in a little bit of work in the beginning but, like man, it's worth it because once you get them set up, it's like clockwork like they just they know what they've got to do every day and they just get it done.
Speaker 1:yeah that's exactly right. That's exactly right. That's exactly right, and I think that's what we try and achieve is that you know there's this gap between somebody sitting in their home in the Philippines and you sitting in Australia doing what you do. And how do you close that gap? And I think that's what Tamsin and I have really worked to try and perfect is putting in there, because Tamsin has a strong operational background. You know, we've sat on the other side of what business owners face and we're now on this side of the spectrum saying, okay, we know what your headaches are, we know what your situations are. Let's try and get that marriage working. Yeah, let's try and get that marriage working.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you know, and I think the biggest challenge owners think well, I don't have systems, I don't have processes, I don't know how to you know, how do I communicate with this VA? You know, and we handle all of that for our clients, because we know that it's not always so easy, and sometimes we get clients that have all the systems that they need but they don't know how to use them. Well, for somebody in a remote environment. So there's an adjustment, but, as you say, like if you can just spend the first month or so just going through the motions. Once that momentum builds, it's amazing.
Speaker 2:It was a little bit well, I must admit. When I first got involved and we bought our first VA into Live Life Build, I had a few issues with communication, but that's all. Like four years later, that's all gone now, like I said, I can't even tell you off top man, I think, across the business has maybe got six at the moment, five, six, seven, yeah, um, and they all do different tasks. But, yeah, it's, it's. You do have to learn how to. I guess, um, like one of the biggest differences, all the communication is generally done via, uh, either a Slack channel or some sort of communication app, or you jump on Zooms and you can have conversations and things. So just getting used to how that works. But something that I've really valued is there's only a very small time difference. I think it's only two hours or something, isn't it, from Australia to Philippines.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's right.
Speaker 2:Yeah, there's only two hours difference. So it's worked out really well because I can go and get on site in the morning, get some work happening and then I don't really have to be checking, because most of the time they're not starting until 8, 9 o'clock, which means I can get some busy stuff done in the morning. By the time I need to get back and check on them. But it's become like it's just like clockwork, like you jump on Slack. The other thing that I think is really important, because the doing co, like you manage them. But the way that you guys get them to log on in the morning, post a list of tasks that they're going to do for the day and then like check in when they're going to lunch and then check in when they come back from lunch and then at the end of the day do a list of all the tasks they've completed like it just makes life easy, like we know exactly where they're up to all the time.
Speaker 2:Um, so I think to be honest, like hiring a va before I was introduced to the doing co, that was the hurdle, like the hurdle was the management of them yeah, that's right, yeah, yeah the management.
Speaker 1:I think is the, is the the biggest factor? But, dwayne, if you don't mind me, I'm gonna ask a question to you, if that's okay. What were you when you? You mentioned a few minutes ago that communication was the biggest adjustment that you had to make when you started. What idea did you have before and how did that change as you started to work?
Speaker 2:with a VA. Well, I think and look. So what I've learned is it's different VAs that we've had because some have moved on, and we've had because we've, um, some have moved on, we've and we've had other ones come in. So we've been through um, we've probably a lot. We've probably had around eight or ten, I guess, over the last four years, yeah, but and then they're all. They're all different, I guess. So, uh, different skill sets, different um, there's a, there are a few of them. We've had a little bit of a language barrier, but easy to I'm not sure how to explain this easy to talk to, but, like in text messages, some of the meaning can get lost a little bit.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:So just learning how they work and how we work and what our work, like some of our words mean and how they take it. But, like I'm, we're all over it now, like as the vas that we've got in the team now, um, but we've got two in dps constructions, I think we've got three or four in live life build and everything's um very straightforward. Like everyone, we all know how, what it, what each other means and um, yeah, what a little bit of trouble that I had at the beginning. Is is completely gone now and I I'm looking for more ways that I can know evas like I just think they add so much value, yeah, exactly, and I think that's the biggest thing.
Speaker 1:I guess it's like any relationship in life, isn't it? It always starts a bit awkward, like how do you work together, how do you communicate? You know, are you saying things that somebody might take offensively or might take the wrong way? You know understanding how their culture works and what works and what doesn't work, and I mean thompson and I provide a lot of guidance around the culture. Um, but yeah, you're right, like once you, once that understanding's there and you've got that flow of communication, and you know your, your tweaks and your twerks for a better choice of expression, you know it yeah it's amazing how how it literally is if they're in your office and they're working in your business locally.
Speaker 2:So I guess for the listeners, a lot of the people listening to this podcast are tradies and builders. So I see a few key areas that VAs would be able to help them. Number one is definitely administration, like getting involved with their behind the scenes, taking care of maybe all their inquiry or their just general day-to-day check-ins, managing the email inbox. There's a lot of little things that a VA can come in and just take care of and give them time back. And the other big area I think think is social media and marketing. Yeah, do you think that they're sort of two areas that would really help people in construction be able to bring vas into?
Speaker 1:yeah, absolutely, um, I mean general admin, as you say, duane can certainly help. You can have VAs helping with quoting. We've got one construction client that's actually training their VA to do quotes for their clients. You can help with accounts. You know if you've got suppliers and subcontractors and you know you've got suppliers and subcontractors and you know you've got invoices that you need chasing. A va can do that. You can have a va that does customer support service, the social media, absolutely. I mean you know firsthand, you know that you could literally have a va that could take over your entire marketing engine uh and I and I mean like a few years ago that wasn't entirely possible.
Speaker 1:But because we've got AI, now there's so much technology that's come into the marketing space. The VAs that we've got coming through are unbelievable. I mean, just to give you an example, we've got a guy from the Philippines that worked for a marketing agency in Dubai and was working with clients across the US and literally there's not a huge gap between what a marketing manager or a marketing specialist would do in, let's say, australia or the US to what he was doing. And he's from the Philippines and he's back in the.
Speaker 1:Philippines now, and so you know they can do a lot of things. They can repurpose content, they can handle it. They can create a social media calendar for you, they can do email campaigns. They can help manage your website. You know we've got bookkeepers, we've got accountants. I mean, I know bookkeepers and accountants are a little tricky from a legislative, from a compliance perspective, in Australia, but they can do all of your invoicing and your bookkeeping in the back end and then get them running through to your accountant on the front end.
Speaker 1:So, yeah it, the sky's the limit, mate.
Speaker 2:To be honest, yeah, I guess it's. It really comes down to the individual and what they need a hand with in their business. But, like I know myself, like it's, it's so many of those little simple tasks that really tie up a lot of your time, like even just something simple as going through and managing inbox and sorting out emails, like um, but there's some days where that can take me two or three hours. But like having someone that can come in, can follow the emails, uh, leave all the ones that they think are urgent. So they're the first ones I see when I I get there, like just like that, that gives you my time back, like I I know when I come and turn my computer on, it's all sorted.
Speaker 1:Yeah, exactly, I mean you know, and I mean that's a great example, dwayne. It's like getting that inbox under control and identifying what are your most important emails to your least important and creating a. You know RVA is know how to create systems in your email calendar sorry, in your email inbox so that they can prioritize all your emails and say and they can even notify you, so they can get onto WhatsApp and say hey there's an urgent email that's coming from so-and-so.
Speaker 1:I think you need to look at this so they can be your eyes and ears, essentially on the administrative side of your business.
Speaker 2:while you're on site or you're meeting new clients or you, you're doing whatever it is that you need to do yeah that, and like we do that through slack, like having them uh so in live, like bill, that they notify uh different team members on priority emails. So it means that we're not having to go in check our emails all the time. Like I just get on Slack after every meeting. If there's any notifications there, I just quickly go deal with that email and move on to my next task.
Speaker 2:So there is, I feel, for people that aren't sort of thinking this way, it's really important to highlight how all these little tasks can be taken over by someone else quite easily. So I know a lot of people probably maybe stand off hiring a VA because they might feel that they don't have enough systems and processes to put one in. But my advice would be like, if you get them on board to even take care of some of those real mundane, simple tasks while they're doing that, you can be working with them to create systems to allow them to do other tasks, so you can learn together as you go. But one thing I've really found amazing is the skill sets that are available. The level of qualifications that some of these VAs have is amazing.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I know it is. They're all literally. We get engineers we've had dentists that have applied for positions we get accountants. We get highly, highly, highly qualified people, because in the Philippines, dwayne, you know, vas working for international companies are paid more than you know doctors, lawyers and accountants within the Philippines, so they are considered a premium position. So the benefit that we have is that we can pay them really well and we can give them a better opportunity to work or to have exposure to an international market, and I think that's where we were very lucky. There are over one and a half million Filipinos working for international companies, like companies outside of the Philippines, and that's growing annually at 10% to 15% per year, all right.
Speaker 1:It's only set to get bigger over the next 10 to 15 years. So it's not going back, it's only going forwards. And with the arrival of AI on the scene. So you know it's not going back, it's only going forwards. And with the arrival of AI on the scene, that just makes your VA even more efficient to be able to do things even faster.
Speaker 2:Well, that's been another really big eye-opener for me, like all the VAs we've had, like their tech, like they seem to like, like obviously there's different ones are better at different things, but in general they have a lot better understanding of tech than what I do. So, um, tech is like I'm not a tech person, I can't stand sitting in the office. So to be able to bring a va and that can manage a lot of the tech stuff and, um, create marketing campaigns and do calendars for work and schedule things, it makes life so much easier.
Speaker 1:Yeah, absolutely, absolutely.
Speaker 2:So how, like? If someone out there is thinking about getting a VA, what's the process? How do they? Like when they come to you.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so the process is pretty straightforward. What we do is we do a discovery call and we just try and understand their business, like what have they got? What do they do first of all, and what are their pain points and how? You know a lot of people that we do talk to Dwayne. They do sometimes find, well, like I've got nothing in place, I don't know how to manage VA, you know, and we've created a huge library of resources. We've got 30 videos. We've got 30 different subsections of documents and videos that we create that can help a business owner build systems into their business.
Speaker 1:So typically what we do is we just understand what the problem is, we understand what goes on in their business and then we create. We then, you know, once they understand that, we then sort of explain to them how our business operates, just in terms of what our service is. So just think of it like we are your back-end system. So we're like you know you're on the front end dealing with what you're dealing with, and we're the HR function that sits, you know, in your business but at the back end. Essentially, so when the client comes or the prospect comes, we talk to them, we understand what their business pain points are what they're looking for. They then we have what we call an admin setup fee, which is, you know, about 800 bucks, and that stops the whole process of sourcing, hiring and onboarding that VA, and then they just simply pay and then, through that process, we go out.
Speaker 1:We've got a huge network of VAs that we have access to on our database and we've got various sort of proprietary networks that we have in the Philippines that give us the best that we can. We can find, yeah, um, and then, once we've got that, we then interview them, we assess them, we screen them. Uh, we we've actually interesting that we've built a um like a, an algorithm that helps us to. We we've managed to benchmark all of our best VAs and then we've built that in as an AI function, and then what it means is that whenever we put a new prospect in, we compare that VA to the benchmark that we have within the business, so that we constantly are just finding the very, very best.
Speaker 1:Once we've done that, we then present a short list of candidates to the client. The client then has the chance to review them. They either decide which one they want or if they would like to interview them and have a conversation with them. They can, and then, once that happens, we place them. Tamsin handles a lot of the onboarding stuff, so we have a whole onboarding process that helps you to onboard your VA. We help you to put systems and processes in place. We recommend tools and software to use to assist with that, and then you're on your way. And then basically we coach, we do professional development, we coach the VAs and we do weekly sessions with them.
Speaker 2:We also work with the business owners on a monthly basis um, it's been um, but that whole onboarding process has been fantastic. Every time we've we've hired one like, it's really like I don't know any other. I've never hired staff where, um, you're given options, like the, the fact that you guys come back, you go away, you take your time, you come back to us with generally three or four options, um, and you give us a report, you give us a recorded interview. We can go through them all um. I just think it's fantastic, and there's been, there's been a lot of times, or a few times, where you guys have presented um, so a new va, and we've gone, oh shit, maybe we should take two because there's some really good candidates there. So, yeah, yeah yeah, there are.
Speaker 1:I mean and, and you know that there and I think, and I think also because we do treat them really well, I mean we look after them really well. So on the other side of the equation. You know we're just getting floods of inquiries all the time.
Speaker 1:You know, we get VAs registering through our ATS system and they're emailing us saying you know, I've heard about the Doing Co. Really, do you have a job for me? And so we. You know there's a lot of momentum on that end to really try and make a difference in their lives, as well as in the lives of our clients.
Speaker 2:So tell us for the listeners, greg, tell us a little bit more about the rules and regulations, because a lot of people I think might be put off by how does like over in Australia. Here when we employ people, we've got to pay like superannuation and workers' comp or work cover for sickness and accident and all those types of things. How does it look when you hire someone from the Philippines?
Speaker 1:Well, you don't need to worry about that. So typically what you do is when you employ a Filipino remotely, they're an independent contractor. They take care of all of their own taxes, they take care of all of their own insurance requirements, because you're working through the agency of the doing co. We deal with all of those requirements on the back end. So for the client, they don't have to worry about superannuation or PAYG withholdings or any of those requirements or insurance requirements.
Speaker 1:You don't have to worry about that. You just pay one monthly fee to us that covers our service plus the VA's salary, and we have the whole infrastructure in the back end. So all of the compliance, all of the requirements that we have to meet contractually with the VA, so the contractors with the doing co and the VA, and then we outsource that VA to you. So the most beautiful thing is you don't have to worry about that. And I think you know, mean obviously there. You know if, if somebody wants to go direct, they can, but you know there are. I I wouldn't recommend that and to be honest with you, I mean I'm not talking selfishly because we run an agency, but it's just we we've had situations where clients do that and and they can. You know, they can run into a lot more issues.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I think you were mentioning a case to me only a few weeks ago, I think, weren't you where someone in Australia is in a bit of strife because they've dealt with their.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's exactly right. I mean, there was a company, a law firm, that had employed a Filipino directly and that's a good point, dwayne, because there are regulations that are coming in to tighten up on remote work because it is becoming so much more popular but they dismissed her unfairly and I give kudos to the Filipino. She took the company to the Fair Trades Commission in Australia and she won a case, and so, because they considered her to be an employer or employee within Australia and she won the case.
Speaker 1:And so that's like opened up a whole can of worms around. You know companies having to be careful about you know what I'm saying is like you just have to. It's not as easy as just having somebody offshore and if it doesn't work out you can just get rid of them because you know and so there are, you're just having to be a little bit more careful.
Speaker 1:So the idea of having an agency is that you don't have to deal with any of that. All of that support, all of that training, all of that compliance is handled, and I know you builders have compliance coming out of your eyeballs. So for us to be able to take some of that compliance off your shoulders um, oh, for me, for me it's a no-brainer.
Speaker 2:Like you guys, we just pay you one monthly fee and and you take care of everything. Um, yeah, and look, we've uh, we've had a few situations with it with um, with our vas, where they just do awesome jobs. So we talk to you guys and we, we give them bonuses and things, but so I think, like it's, it's flexible, isn't it? Like it's not um, like I guess it, depending on the performance of the va, you can deal with um, you guys and give the pay rises and bonuses and those types of things. So it's very similar to having an employee here in australia, it's just that you're not, you don't get to see them, it's all done online yeah that's exactly right.
Speaker 1:I mean, that's the beautiful thing is like, instead of seeing them face to face, um, they're online, um, but it is literally like having somebody in your office and the technology you know. I mean one of the things that we do is we have a time tracking system in the back end where we track their time, and that's not to because they're working remotely and they're not in an office. We do track their time, but we also use it as part of their professional development, and I think that's something that our clients absolutely value is that they know that there's an opportunity to keep growing and to keep upskilling, and I think Filipino VAs love that. They love the opportunity to grow and expand, especially when it comes to their career.
Speaker 1:I mean that's the biggest thing, dwayne, is that these positions are not just we're not just putting somebody in as a tick box thing, you know, like you're just ticking off your checklist. These are professionals. These are people that want long-term careers. They want the stability and they realize that you know to be able to work from home for an international company. It's like hitting the jackpot for them. So that really is the key difference with us is that we're really bringing people in that are wanting the professional development they want the longevity of their careers. They're not just looking for short stopgaps, put it that way.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I think it's fantastic and, look, it really excites me. I feel there's enormous opportunity for VAs to get more involved in the construction industry. Well, yeah, just helping trades out. But I guess for any trades and builders that are listening or not just trades and builders, but anyone that's listening to this podcast I don't think it really matters what type of business you have. There is a position for a VA in your business that will help you get a lot of time back during the week, Absolutely.
Speaker 1:I mean we were talking to another builder a couple of weeks ago and I mean they were up till midnight, right Up till midnight every night, working, dealing with all of their bookkeeping, you know.
Speaker 2:No, look, it's a common story in the industry, Like people, like I said before, they work all day out on site and then literally get home, have dinner with the family and then back in the office and work till all hours. And I think there's definitely. I think for me, my advice to people would be to start slowly with it. Just come up with some of the real mundane, simple tasks that you do every single day that have to be done and just get a VA in to start doing those tasks and you'll be surprised.
Speaker 2:For me, it built my confidence when I first started getting introduced to V vas, like seeing their capabilities and the quality of the work they got done and how quickly they got it done, and the communication, how it all worked. Like every. As I got more and more confident in it, it allowed me to go oh, hang on a minute, maybe they can do this and maybe they can do this and maybe they can do this. And, like before you know it, we've created a whole other rate, a whole other um, a role, and now we've got two, then we've got two vas and then it grew to three vas though um yeah, I mean we've got a.
Speaker 1:We were just to give you an example, dwayne. We were talking to one of our vas last week and she works with um. Uh, her client is a builder as well and they've got the WonderBuild software and she's now doing quotes for her client. You know, her client taught her how to do so. For example, he just takes her and he says, okay, we're going to quote up a bathroom and these are the, the product codes and this is the pricing for the suppliers, and and she puts all of that together for him yeah, it's amazing, just amazing.
Speaker 2:One thing that I've really enjoyed, um, greg, is and I think it comes from the doing co and what you guys do behind the scene but all of our vas create sops for the tasks they do, so standard operating procedures.
Speaker 2:So that's given us a lot of confidence, like if they're creating sops for their task, as they do them, and then we we review them and work with them and update them and all those types of things. But by creating those sops for all the tasks that are getting done, it means that our business is building up a library of standard operating procedures. So if a va does move on or something happens, or we've had a few cases, especially in the live life build over the last few years, where, um, the we've, we've decided to do more tasks, we grow the business, and so, because there's all those sops there, we've been able to bring another VA in and they've just been able to follow the procedures. So that has meant that the like literally within a week they're up and running, they know what they got to do and away, away they go, and then the VA moves on to creating more sops for new tasks.
Speaker 1:So it just it keeps growing yeah, yeah, I, I absolutely, dwayne, and I mean that is the biggest thing that I think businesses struggle is they employ people and then, if that person goes, so does the intellectual property that goes with that person.
Speaker 1:And, and you know, I've, even when I, when we were in Australia and I was working corporate you know the companies that I worked for they never had a plan in place as to if that person were to go, how would they? Would they have a library of resources that the next person could just come in, learn the business, learn the ropes and be able to get on with the job within a week. And so that's something, as you're saying. That's something we do stress highly is creating SOPs, and we have a whole library of resources. You know, like, what kind of SOPs do you need to create? And we show you. We actually have templates that the clients can follow, and we have. There's a software called Loom, which I'm sure you're aware of, where you can record all of the systems, the processes that are operating in your business and you can document them. You keep them in the cloud or in the G drive and then they're there.
Speaker 1:And you just systematize your whole business, so every area of your business is catalogued and it just means that if that person goes, you've got somebody and they know exactly where to go and understand exactly what they need to do to get up to speed with how your business operates.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and that in itself is adding a huge amount of value to a business. Greg, can we talk a little bit about cost? I know everyone's going to be wondering what VAs cost, but it's like everyone in business, isn't it? It varies depending on what you want.
Speaker 1:Correct. Yeah, so typically if you wanted somebody and I know sometimes people start part-time, so they would say, you know, like, if you wanted somebody, and I know sometimes people start part-time, so they they, they would say you know what, I just want to tip my toe in the water, let's start part-time. So the minimum we do is 20 hours a week. Uh, part-time and that's that starts at about 350 bucks a week. Okay, so that that covers the ba salary, covers our service. That's just it $350 a week to start. But that's a starting price, which is about $1,400 a month.
Speaker 1:Yeah, $1,400 a month. Part-time, that's 20 hours a week of service, full-time. You're looking at a starting price of about $2,200, which is about $550 a week, and that's it. That covers our service, that covers the va. And you get them for part-time at 1400 bucks a month. You get them for 20 hours a week at 2200 starting price. You get them for um 2200 a week, that's right 2200 a month yeah, it's incredible value.
Speaker 2:Like you're, you're streamlining your business, you're getting, like you're getting time back.
Speaker 2:Like I look for anyone that's listening out there.
Speaker 2:I used to really struggle with stepping back from things and I'd always be trying to figure out oh well, if I do it, it's going to save me this much money and blah, blah, blah. But, um, something I've really come to understand in business and to have successful businesses is my time is my most valuable asset. So I need to be spending my time doing what I'm really good at, and anything that I'm not efficient at, that I'm slow at, that I don't understand. I need to hire people to do it, and I think VAs are such an incredible or incredibly powerful part of a business. When you get it right and I don't know, I'm sure people listening like once you hire one, it does become a bit addictive because you can just see how much more efficiency you get across the board, and for me, I'd rather be picking up efficiencies and getting time back so I can spend my time with my family than uh, sitting in the office till all hours of night doing repetitive stuff every night of the week I absolutely.
Speaker 1:I mean, you know. You know. Wouldn't it be wonderful you could come back at the end of your day being on site and you could have a meal with your family, you could talk to your kids, you could read a bedtime story to your kids, you could watch a movie with your wife, you could take her on dates. You know you.
Speaker 2:There's so many things you could probably do that you never thought was possible by having a really good person by your side that will be, there to you for as long as your business is running what's some of the objections you hear, greg, from people that are thinking about hiring a va?
Speaker 1:um, a lot of the times it's I'm not ready and um. I think that often is the biggest obstacles. As I was saying in the beginning of the podcast, people get quite addicted to doing, um, what they've just been doing for years, and it's a conditioning in the mind that, oh, I've just been doing this and, uh, I can't imagine somebody else doing it. And the biggest thing is, will they do it as well as I'm doing it? That's the biggest thing, dwayne, is that people think that no one else can do it as well as they can do it and the question is there.
Speaker 1:There isn't. There is an important step that you have to take inside of yourself where you have to say, um, that I can, I can trust somebody I can. You've got to literally say I'm willing to trust, I'm willing to let go and grow my business and know that you know I don't know whether you believe in a bigger power or whatever but that my universe is willing to give me a break, you know, to give me that opportunity to step back and just take a breath.
Speaker 1:You know, I think so many times people never stand back and just say what's going on in my life, am I happy with the way things are running? And I think, to be able to just step back and self-reflect and just, you know, because, like the amount of mental health issues that are going on in the world, dwayne is because people are just burnt out.
Speaker 1:You know there's there's a subtle burnout and people don't even realize that they've got it. So what Tamsin and I try and do is we just say, look, we'll have a conversation. I mean, we don't have an interest in selling to you and it's not about selling to you. It's like if you don't see the value, we wouldn't want you to be with us. You know, we want clients that see the value of what we give and they and it makes a difference in their lives. If it doesn't make a difference in your life, um, then we wouldn't want you to do it. You know what I mean.
Speaker 1:It's like there's no point if you don't so we have had situations where we turn clients away because they're just not ready to take that step. You've got to have the mindset of saying I'm willing to let somebody else share this responsibility and I'm willing to trust somebody to do it. So the biggest issue, I think, dwayne, is what goes on between the ears.
Speaker 2:And.
Speaker 1:I really do. I mean, I don't mean to be rude about it, but it it people's own limitations, I think, get in the way of this and and they, you know, we have had situations where clients come to us and they've had bad experiences with the ears, and I'm not suggesting that they're all perfect, they're not we. You do get, you can get bumps along the road, but we deal with them and that's that's the thing is that we don't just let it kind of run on. So the the issue is that it I think the important thing is is the willingness to try and the willingness to even have a conversation, because sometimes you know, when people have the willingness to even have a conversation, because sometimes you know, when people have the opportunity to talk to somebody about this, they start to think oh well, you know, actually, maybe this could be an opportunity. Yeah, you know.
Speaker 2:Just to touch on that, greg, like we've been through, like we've had a couple over the years that haven't worked out. But I think that's the beauty of dealing with an agency like yourself. Like we let you know what's going on, yeah, we talk to you about it, uh, and we've had the other thing like. The other part of that is we had that with the first one. We started with dps constructions and we at first we thought it was a disaster, but it's actually turned into the best thing ever and Angelica's fantastic. But I think in the early, like probably in the first month or two, there was just a difference in what we thought we wanted her to do and what she ended up doing. But when we understood her skill set and we were able to pivot and get her to do other things, it's actually turned out to be better than what we originally wanted. So I think it's it's no different to any um, I guess, employment.
Speaker 2:Like anyone that you put on, you've got to get a feel for them and understand how they work in the early days. But what I've really noticed with VAs is they're so willing to learn, like so much more than what I see here in Australia. Like everyone, every VA that we've ever put on in the last four or five years. They are so um helpful and if you ask them to do like, we treat them quite well and we always say them look at, if are you able to do this, if you can't, doesn't matter, like, but they always come back with, oh no, we'll, we're fine, we'll look it up or we'll learn or we'll and like the amount of. They'll go off and they'll do their own homework and they'll come back and they'll say, hey, I've studied this, this and this, and then, before you know it, they're doing other things that you didn't think they were able to do that's exactly right.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's exactly right, dwayne. And it comes back to this thing where, as a culture, they love to learn. They, they, really, they do courses, they're doing degrees, they're all very well. I mean they all do degrees, I mean we have. Vas that are doing master's programs and you know there's a hunger to learn. There really, really is a hunger to learn.
Speaker 1:I think, you made a really good point just if I could just reflect that back to you about the ability to pivot. I think that is probably the most critical piece in this whole equation is that when you bring a VA in, it's important to be flexible and to be adaptable and it's not like saying you know, this VA has to do this and it has to do that. It's about saying, okay, let's you know, when Tamsin and I sort of encourage business owners to train their VAs, we just say train them on one thing to get them up and running. Okay, don't train them on the whole of the business within the first week, because it's like information overload.
Speaker 1:Every business is segmented into an operational function, into a client function, into a marketing and a social media function, into a client function, into a marketing and a social media function. Just take one of those functions and get some runs on the board to test their abilities, to test their skill set, to see where their strengths are and where there are opportunities for improvement. And then, when you start to see what they do have the willingness to be adaptable and flexible, to see, oh, I didn't think of them doing that, but maybe they could do that as well, or maybe we thought that we're going to do this, but they can actually probably do that. It really is about keeping an open mind and having a book with all of this stuff.
Speaker 1:That I think is probably the biggest hurdle that business owners have to to have is is a willingness to just keep the book open, to keep to keep open and to keep flexible.
Speaker 2:If you can do that that's half the battle, yeah definitely yeah, oh, look like, oh yeah. I could bang on about it all day. I think it's a no-brainer. I think, um, for any building in this or any any business in the building industry out there that is struggling to keep up, struggling to find more time, um, I think a va is the solution you need to. You need to have a go of it.
Speaker 1:So the the important thing is is. I just want to emphasize that we're not. I mean, I think I think sometimes the reputation of the outsourcing business is that it's just a sales business. It's about, like you know, getting somebody putting a bum on a seat and we forget about the VA and forget about the client.
Speaker 1:You know, tamsin and I, we do consider ourselves disruptors in the industry and we are looking to partner with businesses for the long term and I think that the value for us is more important than the dollar. You know we feel that the dollar kind of takes care of itself, but the value is our primary priority. So, yes, we do know that. For example, you know VAs are 70%. You know a business can save up to 70% by having somebody offshore rather than locally when it comes to the life of that person. I mean, when it comes to work for that digital agency, she saved them literally over $2 million within a year just by offshoring all the roles.
Speaker 1:So we know there's a remuneration value, but there's something a lot more than that and I think it's the value that it brings to a business, to the people in that business, and more about the fact that you know people don't have enough time to connect. I think that's the problem is, we're so busy doing things that we don't have time to have a conversation with our wives, our kids, our friends. We don't have a chance to go to the pub and have a beer or whatever it might be. You know, ask yourself that question would you want that? And if you want that, then give us a call. I mean, we are more than happy just to walk you through this, even if you decide to use our services or not.
Speaker 2:It's, yeah, it's really look, I can yeah, yeah, I can definitely vouch for that. That's. I think that's been another confidence builder for us. Um, like, how, how regular you and thames, and check in, especially in the early stages when you're getting set up, but you, you're always sending emails, checking in, and I really like how you, you encourage us, like to regularly give feedback, um, and then if there's anything, if there is any little issues, um, you guys jump on it and you give them training or you have a conversation with them, you sort them out. So it's, yeah, look, for me it's definitely a no-brainer and to go with an agency like yourself that takes care of all that back end and and that's something I guess, greg, that you're taking the pressure off as well like it's not us having to have difficult conversations if they're not doing something right or something's not quite wrong uh, not quite right, but um, and that, that, that just that's a good point, dwayne sorry if you don't mind me jumping in there.
Speaker 1:That's a really good point. So, performance management we handle all of that. But, um, we we've had situations where clients struggle to give feedback and I I think it is important that that the business owners do give feedback. The important thing is they don't necessarily need to manage the, the um, the performance side of it, but I think it's important that business owners do have the confidence to be able to say look, you're doing great here, but we need to improve here. And that, I think, is the most important thing, because we actually do train our VAs to handle feedback, because sometimes culturally it can be a bit of a rub, but feedback is the most communication. That's it. That's the key in all of this is communication, communication, communication. We tell our VWAs there's never any time where you can over-communicate with the client. There's never a situation where you can never. Communication is the key across the board and works both ways. And I think if, if you are confident in doing that and you're willing to do that, um, it's a marriage, it's a marriage made in heaven.
Speaker 2:It really is it's uh, it's your perfect, it's your perfect opportunity so Absolutely no-brainer, but we'll let you get out of here, greg, and get back to your day. I really appreciate your time for jumping on and chatting to us about VAs and what the Doing Co offers, but where can people find the Doing Co? We're going to put some links and stuff on this podcast, but where can they find you?
Speaker 1:Yeah, so basically they can find us at wwwthedoingco, so it's the doingco, uh, and if they want to email us, it's hello at the doingco, so it's. That's the website. There's a uh on there. There's a contact sheet, uh, on the website. They just click on that, fill in their form or get a notification, or they can email us directly. Uh, hello at the doing dot, that's it awesome mate.
Speaker 2:Well, um, look, I reckon you're gonna get quite a few people reaching out because it's um, yeah, look, I'll uh, I'll start talking about it more on some of my socials and stuff, but it's an absolute no-brainer, like it's. Um, it's, it's one of the the easiest ways to get time back absolutely I cannot.
Speaker 1:I cannot. I mean the when we have clients and after three months doing, they send us that little email that says thank god, I found you guys, and it's and it's not.
Speaker 1:It's not really about, and I just want to emphasize it, this is not about um blowing a trumpet, or it's not about trying to promote something. It's about creating value, it's about making, creating an opportunity for a va and it's about making life easy for a business owner, and I think that is the thing I mean. Look, life is tough enough and if you can make your life just a little bit easier by having somebody working as a close partner for you for the long haul, I think it's a match made in heaven.
Speaker 2:Yeah, get on board, don't ask for anything better.
Speaker 1:Exactly yeah.
Speaker 2:Cool, awesome. So, guys, look, make sure you like, subscribe, reach out to us. Look, we'll put links and stuff up on here to the Doing Co so you can reach out to them. But look, if you're out there, you're struggling with your time. You want to get your life back, you want to be able to spend more time with your family and friends? Then, honestly, hiring a VA is one of the simplest, cheapest, easiest things you can do to make a massive difference in your business. So, look, we'll see you on the next one. Help us continue to make this australia's number one construction podcast. Uh, if you haven't purchased your merchandise yet, make sure you go to duanepeircecom. Uh, we got a full new range on there hoodies, shorts, shirts, uh, hats, beanies, you name it. It's all there. Um, go and check it out now and we'll see you on the next one are you ready to build smarter, live better and enjoy life?
Speaker 1:then head on to live like buildcom forward, slash, elevate to get started.
Speaker 2:Everything discussed during the Level Up podcast with me, dwayne Pearce, is based solely on my own personal experiences and those experiences of my guests. The information, opinions and recommendations presented in this podcast are for general information only, and any reliance on the information provided in this podcast is done at your own risk. We recommend that you obtain your own professional advice in respect to the topics discussed during this podcast.