TEST: Rockstar Jam Session – Hiring Your First VA – Part 1: Overview

Tony: 00:06 okay folks today we’ve got Mark from Oz. It is almost 9:00 AM his time. It is just coming up to midnight my time. This seemed the best time to interface. Mark, can you hear us loud and clear?

Mark: 00:26 Yes, Tony, I can hear you loud and clear. Welcome to everyone. Thanks for being here.

Tony: 00:32 Fantastic. Now then. So the reason that we’ve got Mark on this call is Mark’s gonna tell us a little bit about why he needs to hire a new virtual assistant, and just kind of why in the first place he has chosen to get a virtual assistant, and probably most importantly, how he’s taken the concept of digital monopoly and really run with it. So first off, Mark, why in the first place would you get a virtual assistant instead of doing it all yourself?

Mark: 01:12 Okay, good question Tony. All right. So, so effectively the reason I’ve always looked at the Digital Monopoly strategy, basically you need to think big. Effectively, what we’ve been given with Ben and Dr Dan is a strategy that you can build a proper business. So because of that, you need to think big. So it hit me when Ben was explaining Digital Monopoly. I didn’t actually really understand it until a few months ago. Digital Monopoly, effectively it’s a monopoly board. You’ve got to build, you’ve got to get somewhere quick so you can build your red hotel. Now a red hotel to me is basically ultimately doing a rank and rent type situation, but renting out a whole state or nationally. So to get to that you’ve got to build your houses, you know? What is it Tony; four green houses, one red hotel, isn’t it?

Tony: 02:13 I think so yes

Mark: 02:16 your four green houses is basically your micro sites.

Tony: 02:19 Uh-huh

Mark: 02:20 you know, your Sparkzio sites. So, but to get to that and thinking big, I need help. (Uh, well my wife says I need help constantly, but we won’t go there anyway)… So really how valuable is your time? So think about this is you need to leverage your time because you need speed. So this is where I came through about hiring VA in our day to day business, Tony (outside Digital Monopoly), we actually have been using VA’s now (Virtual Assistants), for over four years. So we’ve learned a lot through blood, sweat and tears, how to employ them, how to manage them, and how to leverage your time effectively. Keep this in mind, leverage is speed. So if you can grow quick, you can leverage your time, and effectively that’s why you need a virtual assistant

Tony: 03:25 Yeah.

Mark: 03:26 Now, I don’t know if you guys know how much a virtual assistant is. We use only Filipino VAs.

Tony: 03:38 Yep.

Mark: 03:39 And the reason being is from time tested – They have a really great work ethic. They’re beautiful people. Um, for us also being on the southern hemisphere, they’re in our time zone as well. Um, but they’re good people they really, really are. Now you can actually get a Filipino virtual assistant for about 150 bucks a week. Now that’s Australian dollars. So yeah, I think with the UK that would be half, so for 70 quid a week. You can have someone working. And Tony I’m not talking about someone who’s not qualified, you’re talking about someone who’s extremely, highly qualified.

Tony: 04:35 Yeah.

Mark: 04:35 We were actually looking at setting up a legal services company at one stage and we just checked to see are there, can we actually get lawyers – Filipino Lawyers.

Tony: 04:51 yeah.

Mark: 04:53 And you know, for $200 a week in Australia you can get an MBA qualified lawyer working on Staff and people don’t realize this. So what I was looking at doing is – the background is, you guys may have seen some of the updates that I’ve done is our VA, who has been wonderful, has, unfortunately she’s been diagnosed with stage four terminal cancer and she’s just literally dropped off the earth. So we’re going to have to rehire a VA.

Mark: 05:39 So what I proposed to Tony is: why don’t I just basically do that process over the next few weeks and videotape it and give it to the group so they can actually see what platforms I use. What questions I ask. And there’s also really exciting platform that’s come up now called, GenX which you can actually hire interns for free.

Tony: 06:09 Oh Wow.

Mark: 06:11 Yeah. So, also how we manage them because when you’re working virtually, it’s a totally different thing.

Tony: 06:19 Yeah.

Mark: 06:19 So what I was proposing, Tony, is over the next two weeks, is to do a couple of follow up videos, if this is all right with you guys is how to vet the staff, how to bring in applications, what platforms were used. Because we use one specific platform. I also wanted to test out this GenX platform, which is hiring the interns for free.

Mark: 06:46 You can actually get premium staff vetted by one of the platforms. So that’s probably what we’re going to do, Tony. Pay a little bit extra. Because the digital monopoly process for a VA is quite tricky to outsource that. So we probably need a more, uh, what do you call it? Better VA. And that’s why I’m thinking maybe pay a little bit more.

Tony: 07:21 Yeah.

Mark: 07:21 And then maybe the second week we’ll be actually doing an interview and taking chunks of that and showing it to everyone.

Tony: 07:30 Excellent. So yeah, I’ve just done the exchange rate. The $150 Australian dollars is about $105 US dollars. That’s about £82 pounds Sterling. I do think that people often think two things about VA’s in the Philippines: Mark: 07:46 First off, they think that – If you’ve seen the movie, um, kickboxer with John Claude van Damme, you think, Thailand… the Philippines, you think, oh, “they live in the jungle. How can these people do this?” Come on guys, it’s the 21st century – they have computers, they speak better English than me a lot of the time. So that’s the first thing. Secondly, that is a really, really low wage, and are we ripping these people off? Absolutely not. The cost of living everywhere varies wildly and that is a really great wage, isn’t it, mark?

Mark: 08:24 It is. It is

Tony: 08:26 It’s a very fair wage. I think. Yeah,

Mark: 08:28 It is. And you have to get past that because these, these people have set up as VA’s and that’s their job. And they’re, very, very loyal as well. I mean, we’ve had one girl working with us now for four years.

Tony: 08:43 Wow.

Mark: 08:44 They have no issue with that [wages], so you have to get past that.

Tony: 08:51 Yeah, I think, I think it’s brilliant. And we are so lucky in this group to have you sharing this with us Mark because I know for me, I’ve outsourced a few things here and there, but I really have to hold onto everything, but do you know what, there’s not enough hours in the day at all. Like today I’ve literally, I’m doing this call it’s just turned midnight. I’ve just come back from watching David Blaine. The other day (some of you may have seen on Facebook), I went down to London for my birthday, got engaged to Gemma onstage at Hamilton.

Mark: 09:25 Congratulations by the way

Tony: 09:25 Thank you very much. We went on vacation to Wales for a week and all that. Now one thing you’ve got to get into your mind, the person watching this thinking, “Oh God, I could never hire somebody, I’ll just do it myself”. Look at it this way: You may have a full time job already, but you’re trying to free up more time for yourself so it doesn’t make sense to spend more time working on a business to free up time later. Just free up the time now. And also bear in mind when you’re making all this money Ranking and renting all these assets, you’re going to need more time to enjoy the fruits of that Labor. So start out small now just follow along. Watch what Mark is doing.

Tony: 10:14 The only thing I ask you is please do not pester the living hell out of Mark asking for like one-on-one VA coaching or something because Mark’s donating his time to the group so willingly and we’re just blessed to have him here doing this with us. So please follow along.

Tony: 10:34 If you have any questions or comments. That’s what the comments box is for and I’m sure you’ll get your answers that you’re looking for there. So that’s kind of the overview though, isn’t it mark?

Mark: 10:49 Well the next step is I’ll have to break it down. So let’s say it’s going to be three videos and I’ll do over the next two or three weeks. Tony: 10:58 Perfect. Mark: 10:58 But the first one will be is what platforms I use how I vet staff, bringing in applications. Um, do we pay the extra to get a better staff member, which I’ve still got to do. Setting up the interviews and the second and third week we’ll actually be the process and how to manage them because yeah, that’s the key thing and what software we use to manage them and just watch what they’re doing and interact with them.

Tony: 11:28 Amazing. Well, listen, I realize you’ve got to get off to another call now anyway, Mark, so thank you so much for your time.

Mark: 11:34 Thank you

Tony: 11:34 Digital Monopoly family, Rockstar Entrepreneur family – we’re all one big happy gang. If you’re excited for what Mark is sharing, leave us a comment below. I’m super excited about this. This is going to be fantastic. Thanks very much for your time, Mark. And, thanks for doing this for us – this is information people charge a lot of money in separate courses, so you’re an absolute diamond.

Mark: 12:02 Well, mate, thanks to you buddy, and thanks to Ben and Dr Dan, cause of the vehicle that they’ve set up is allowing us to do this, and it does work.

Tony: 12:11 Absolutely. Listen; I’m going to say my little catch phrase: “Don’t stop believing” but I’m going to let you sign off with Ben’s catchphrase Mark. Go for it:

Mark: 12:24 And don’t forget; “keep on rockin!” Mark from Oz!

Tony: 12:29 Woo.