Firing The Man

Why You Should Never Outsource Your Vision with Roy Coughlan

• Firing The Man • Episode 273

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What does true entrepreneurial freedom look like? Roy  Coughlan  embodies this answer through his remarkable journey from washing cars at age 9 to building an empire spanning 20 companies across five countries.

Roy's entrepreneurial instinct emerged early. While other kids played, he delivered newspapers, washed cars, and by 14, had purchased his own lawnmower to start a neighborhood grass-cutting service. Despite formal education in construction management, Roy found corporate employment frustrating—watching dedicated colleagues mistreated and experiencing firsthand how companies reduced incentives for top performers.

The pivotal moment came when Roy spotted property investment opportunities in Poland. Gradually transitioning from his corporate role, he eventually made the complete leap to entrepreneurship—a status he's maintained for 18 years. This freedom allowed him to spend a month by his grandmother's bedside during her cancer battle and arrange his schedule around co-parenting his son—opportunities impossible within corporate constraints.

Through building his business empire, Roy learned crucial lessons about hands-on financial and legal management. "Don't outsource your legal side or accounting," he advises. "It's your business. You're the one that's going to suffer." This philosophy guided him through over 100 court cases and countless business negotiations.

Roy's journey eventually led him to podcasting, where he's established six successful shows, four reaching the global top 0.5%. His innovative approach uses podcasting as both a business itself and as a marketing tool—interviewing potential clients rather than making cold calls. His company VA World grew from his own need for reliable virtual assistant services, now helping entrepreneurs maximize productivity while maintaining proper oversight.

For anyone dreaming of entrepreneurial freedom, Roy's story offers inspiration and practical wisdom: develop a resilient mindset, never tolerate failure, and remember that entrepreneurship isn't just about financial success—it's about controlling your time, energy, and ultimately, your life.

How to connect with Roy?
Website: https://roycoughlan.com/

Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/speaking-podcast/id1443652346

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCk5CEEWZ2KgUTYJOTXNL8lQ

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/roycoughlan

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/roycoughlan/

Twitter: https://x.com/poleire
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5zg8fJBSvBCY0oWdoF7mkP#login



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Speaker 1:

Welcome everyone to the Firing the man podcast, a show for anyone who wants to be their own boss. If you sit in a cubicle every day and know you are capable of more, then join us. This show will help you build a business and grow your passive income streams in just a few short hours per day. And now your hosts, serial entrepreneurs David Shomer and Ken Wilson.

Speaker 2:

Welcome to another episode of Firing the man, the podcast dedicated to exploring the journeys of entrepreneurs who have successfully transitioned from traditional employment to business owners. Today, we are honored to have Roy Calling as our guest. A seasoned entrepreneur, podcasting coach and prolific podcast host, roy has an impressive track record, having founded 20 companies across five countries. His entrepreneurial ventures span various industries, reflecting his adaptability and innovative spirit In the realm of podcasting, roy has established six podcasts, four of which have reached the top 0.5% globally, including the Speaking Podcast, the Awakening Podcast, the Meditation Podcast and the Learn Polish Podcast.

Speaker 2:

His fifth podcast, the Crypto Podcast, has achieved a top 1% ranking, and his latest endeavor, the Podfather, is rapidly gaining recognition as a dedicated podcasting coach. Roy has guided numerous clients in launching their own successful podcasts, helping them break into the top 10% of shows worldwide. He also assists individuals in securing guest appearances on top-rated podcasts to promote their businesses or books. In addition to podcasting pursuits, roy is the co-founder of VA World, a company providing virtual assistant services to businesses to maximize productivity and profitability. In today's conversation, we'll delve into Roy's entrepreneurial journey, his insights on building and scaling businesses and the transformative power of podcasting, and practical advice for those looking to fire the man and embark on their own entrepreneurial paths. Stay tuned for engaging and informative discussion with Roy Calling Roy. Welcome to the show.

Speaker 3:

Thank you very much, David. Looking forward to this conversation. Appreciate you having me on.

Speaker 2:

Absolutely so to get things started off, can you share with our audience a little bit about your path in the entrepreneurial world?

Speaker 3:

I was a young entrepreneur. So at nine I was going around washing cars, doing a bit of gardening, delivering leaflets. At 11, I started newspapers so I was delivering newspapers in the area around me With the money from that. At 14, I bought a lawnmower. Then I was going around cutting grass. Around 18, I was buying and selling motorbikes, kind of realized, hey, you paint up a motorbike, you can sell it for a few hundred bucks extra. So it was always.

Speaker 3:

Then I studied construction, economics and management and when I finished college I couldn't get a job. So then I had to go into another course which was construction site supervision, taught myself AutoCAD, because the course was like one of these government things that you're doing foxers for the people in there and not getting paid. But the people that were the instructors were getting paid. It was like the usual corruption in a government organisation. So there was a computer.

Speaker 3:

I asked them get me an AutoCAD book. I think it was AutoCAD 12 or 11 at the time. Read it from page one to the end. And then they had kind of where you get work experience and worked with the council doing road design. But the money was brutal. It was like 100 quid a week, you know Irish pounds at the time so you know you couldn't live on that and I started working for a mechanical contracting company and started off as doing CAD and then just worked my way up to project manager, contracts manager, and I was with them for like eight and a half years, then with another company for about three and a half years as a regional manager, and I kind of moved to Poland and have never worked for anybody else since, just kind of doing my own thing for the last 18 years.

Speaker 2:

Outstanding, outstanding. That's a really good story. Now, one thing I find really interesting talking to entrepreneurs is oftentimes they do have something that started in childhood A lot of lawn mowing businesses, lemonade stands and I'm always curious to ask did you have a role model or somebody that you were looking to that got you interested in entrepreneurship, or was it something you felt like you're kind of born with?

Speaker 3:

I think I was born with Someone has asked me that recently. It's like my dad was a chief projection, so he worked in the cinema. You know, most of the time he was there, which had an advantage that I could go to the cinema as often as I want, but on the side he was doing photography and he was doing that since he was 20 and he was very good at it. So he'd do weddings and my mom would put the album together so that I saw weddings and my mom would put the album together so that I saw that from you know, a young age. But there was no deals. My brother wasn't really entrepreneurial. He's worked for somebody, he's still working for somebody and you know. So you know different. There's just the two of us.

Speaker 2:

So I think, yeah, it came from within, outstanding, outstanding, and you had mentioned you've been, you've been, uh, you have not had a boss for 18 years and because the name of the show and the theme of the show I want to dive into the day that you decided I'm done working, I'm ready to fire the man and here's my game plan. Can you walk us through that?

Speaker 3:

There was two points that when I left one company and the other and I think it's kind of important because in other way when you hear something and you have a conversation so with the first company I was doing very well and I was kind of on a bonus system as well. So when I made profits what I negotiated was 5% of above profit. I mean they knew me would demand 50%, but I thought I was doing well at that. So you know I was happy getting above the expected profits 5%. But it worked out well because at one stage I was able to buy a car with a bonus just outright and the boss that I was dealing with for about 6 years left and I saw him being treated bad at one stage, like this is a very big company and I used to fly up to Dublin and meet the like the board would be there and at one stage it was the owner and the director I was dealing with and he was having a conversation. I remember he put his hand up like that one as if to shut up. I remember thinking don't ever do that to me. And I could see they weren't treating him well yet he was really dedicated to his job, so he got kicked out. The next guys in line were saying oh, we'll look after you, we'll treat you better. And when it came to commission and bonuses, they were like oh no, that was an easy say 15% that we're to make. We changed that to 20. In other words, they started taking the money off the table and I've heard of so many people that that's happened, which is strange when you're making them so much money Like I was one of the top performers for making profit and they're basically getting greedy and it happens to a lot of people. So I think some people can resonate with this.

Speaker 3:

Then I went with the other company and that's something similar kind of happened there. They were kind of like you know, nitpicking with bonuses, and what happened is I met a Polish girl and went to visit her folks in Łódź so that's the city I ended up living in and I saw an opportunity because I had three properties at that stage in Ireland and I said, oh, property is extremely cheap there. It's like 500 euro per meter squared or something. It's like really rich. So I started buying from then I okay, there's a, there's an opportunity here that I can start getting the foreign investors for for the property because they was at a time it was around 2004 and I started going to bni meetings, so I was still working for the company, but I cut down to three days a week and so I come out one week of the month and eventually the relationship ended and I kind of would have lost everything because I released equity and moved, but it was like it felt good.

Speaker 3:

I mean, you were asking me I know I kind of gave you a long answer, but it's the main thing is it's like you're never free and when you're controlling yourself, and the best thing that's ever happened to me and it's years later I'm very close with my family. You know I'm like a mommy's boy. I ring my mom every day. We're very close and even with my grandmother I used to call up every day when I was at home. But even when I moved to one I used to ring her every Sunday and she lived to like a few weeks short to 96, but when she was dying, she got cancer.

Speaker 3:

I was able to go back. I was able to spend over a month with her and stay by the bed if I was working for somebody you're not able to do that and it's like you're in control of your own life and there's nobody actually going. Oh, you have to be here, or you know, like, say, a school run or something like that. I mean I've got equal custody of my child and I bring him to school and then the next day I'm collecting him for school. That's the way we work, on and off. I'm one of the rare people that actually get on very well with his mother and but I block out time. I'm with him, I'm present him, I'm present and I do think. But I know that if I was working for a corporation I wouldn't be able to do that. They wouldn't accept that. Okay, one minute, you're coming in at, say, 10 o'clock and you can work later the next day. Most of them don't want that. I think that's the most important thing is you have total freedom with your life.

Speaker 2:

Absolutely. I could not agree with that more, and it's been fun as I've gone through this podcast and heard from our listeners that, hey, I'm firing the man, I'm doing it. I love getting those emails because I know what gift they're about to receive, and it's the feeling of freedom, it's the feeling to spend time with your kids when you want and to prioritize things that are really important to you, and so that's an outstanding, outstanding story. I'm glad you shared it. So, as I was prepping for this interview and doing my research, one of the things that stood out to me was you've built 20 companies across multiple countries and multiple industries, and I would imagine that you've learned some key lessons about scaling businesses efficiently. And so what are some of those lessons and how do you apply those to your current ventures?

Speaker 3:

One of the things that I learned early on was I had a Polish company and I had an Irish company and a lot of Polish companies, but with the property I was doing a lot of property and I built 30 apartments at commercials and I was renovating over a hundred properties and at one stage the accountants in Ireland which were auditors as well they gave me a bill and said, oh, you have this tax liability. And I went away and I bought a book called Tax Magic. It was written by a guy from the revenue and I went through it, like my AutoCAD book, from page one to the very end, and I got my little stickers and my highlighter and I said, can I do this? I've learned, even in Poland. I've learned that most of the accountants are just processing the numbers for you. They don't care if you save an extra thousand a month or 10 grand or whatever. You have to look after the figures. I learned that from an early age. Don't just outsource it and think he's got it, because a lot of people they just put it into a shoebox and the shoebox you look after my account. Don't do that like watch everything you know. Look at the VAT, if you're VAT applicable and, just like you know, do the VAT revamp, watch every single thing, because it's your money and, like I hear so many people going oh, it's tax deductible and that's why I'm buying it, because it's tax deductible. No, it's like I tried to buy, like I was able to put my son through the company because I got the back and it became an because I don't know. I just checked with the gun. Can I do this? So, like when you do things like that, it's brilliant. Or if you can do trips and stuff like that, it's great because you're getting money. Or if you're buying stuff like a laptop and phone which you won't use anyway and you can, even with your house, you can put a percentage away and sometimes people don't realize you can do the same with the bills and everything. And it's just learning these different things and talk to other entrepreneurs hey, what can I do? And you can even go a step further and just be putting the company. Like what I would say for someone starting I think it's Delaware and the States, but, like for me, it's like look at what country is the best for you, because most of the time people set up a business, we cross their fingers and then if it takes off, then it's too late to be, and then they're trying to change it and move it Straight away. Look at what's the best tax optimization that you can do and once you do that, then if it's working out, you're not paying a fortune and capital gains or corporation tax and stuff like that. You're keeping as much money in your pocket as you can. So that's one of the things I would say.

Speaker 3:

The next one will be a count in the solicitors. I've had over a hundred court cases. So I mentioned about all my properties. I got caught with the crash. It took a bit later. I was doing well, but everybody else fell down and I was trying to juggle the balls thinking I'd be OK and they'd come right, but it didn't. So I ended up losing the whole lot. So true that I had over 100 court cases.

Speaker 3:

And what I've learned as well is a lot of they're only billable hours.

Speaker 3:

They don't really, they don't have your back, they don't really care.

Speaker 3:

I mean, there's the exception, there's a few, but what you do is you're paying attention, You're going there, you're putting all your paperwork together, you're preparing for every case that you've got, because when you're not I mean especially if you get into construction.

Speaker 3:

It's just part of the game. You're going to be in court, unfortunately, so don't let it faze you. You know, because the first few times you just panic and it's a horrible feeling and you don't know the zone that you're going into. But what you do is start learning about it, maybe read a few books on it, talk to a few people, but when you're in there, don't just sit back and let him do all the talking, or do all the talking. Make notes. Each time I've won and I've had some big cases each time I've won were when I passed a piece of paper and said they've just said this, they were wrong and we'd catch them out on a lie. And it flipped it because there was times where I thought this is going south and by paying attention and a lot of the times people don't do that. So I encourage any entrepreneur don't ever outsource your legal side as well. It's your business. You're the one that's going to suffer, so pay full attention to what's going on.

Speaker 2:

I really like that perspective and you know, one of the things I want point I want to drive home is is and I believe you're not an accountant or an attorney However, you're learning about that topic to benefit yourself, and I think that's something as business owners. There are certain topics, in particular, legal and tax, that are not the most exciting to read. I've read textbooks before Not exciting, important. They're important and you're doing the hard work to make sure that you come out on top and position yourself right, so I love that. Now to switch topics a little bit, one of the things that I think both you and I have in common is a love of podcasts just the media form and I'd love to hear tell me about your love story with podcasts. When did you first hear one? How did you know that this was something that you really wanted to go deep on?

Speaker 3:

I'm actually not sure. Maybe it was Joe Rogan. I'm not sure what was the first podcast that I kind of heard, but it was through my journey of kind of losing stuff. Everything was about I need to expose this, because I went to an event and it was what's your Quest. And my quest was basically I need to expose because I saw so many people turning the total marriage breakups and everything because of kind of the corruption that happened, and I went.

Speaker 3:

At the same event there was really good speakers and I hated public speaking. I mean, that's another thing now that I think is kind of important for the entrepreneur I was when I was younger. I wouldn't go into the shop, even though I could go into a house and ask them do you want your, do you want the paper, do you want your grass cut? That was never a problem. So it's kind of selective shyness, I suppose. And like even at 18, going to the bar, I would give my friend the money when it was my round instead of just going on. It was just kind of, and when I was running these big jobs in Ireland, the one part I hate it was public speaking.

Speaker 3:

So at this event I said I need to become a good speaker. So I came back, joined Toastmasters, joined another Toastmasters. Then I formed my own club and entrepreneur Toastmasters, became a coach, entered every competition, got into the final of five countries, done it. I'm a coach. Entered every competition, got into the final of five countries, done it. Done it up in my TEDx, done open comedy and went to an event where they were. There was a guy teaching how to be a podcaster and I was like, oh, I like this. This is good for me to get my message out. But I said I think I'd be attacked with my awakening one. Let's start off with the speaking, because I've got so many people that I've met through the speaking stage and that was the first one. That was 28, seven years ago. The speaking podcast and kind of from there, just kind of yeah, just meditation next and, as the ones you've mentioned, at the very start, just kind of kept going and that's six now.

Speaker 2:

That's outstanding. That's outstanding Now, when business owners, I think, oftentimes overlook the power of podcasting, and so my question is how can entrepreneurs and business owners leverage podcasts to build authority, attract customers and grow their brand? There's two ways.

Speaker 3:

There's one is you do a tour, and I mean like I've got some people on ways. There's one is you do a tour, and I mean like I've got some people on, say, 250 shows. So you can do a lot if you want. What some people do is if they want to start their show, they'll do the tour. They might do 50, 100. And they're because I mean you have a different style to everybody else.

Speaker 3:

I like your style, the way that you do it, and I like the name of the show. It's unique and what will happen is you're picking up something from each one. So you can do that way, go on a few different shows and then have a conversation, because it's just that, hey, what kind of mic are you using, what software, what platform are you on, and people will tell you no problem, and then you go okay and they'll tell you the pros and cons. So you can, if you're doing it yourself, what I said to some people like some they'll do it kind of for branding and they'll get out, but there's others they might think I'm sure who'd be listening to my show, and what I say is you can have a specific kind of niche that your business is and interview the people that are your best potential clients and instead of a cold call where you're trying to actually get in contact with them, can say hey, I've got this podcast I'd love to interview.

Speaker 3:

And then you've got a very warmly and you can have your like, I've got my form. My form is saying hey, are you interested in doing a podcast tour? Do you want a virtual assistance? Do you want this? Do you want that? So many people say yes, I'm never selling, I never have to do paid marketing. People are coming in and they're actually doing it, so you can do that as well and that way it doesn't matter how many is listening, because you could actually have got a client that could be 100K to you.

Speaker 2:

That's an outstanding perspective and, honestly, I had an aha moment as you were talking about that. There is a huge difference, in my opinion, between a sales call and a podcast. With a podcast, you leave it kind of feeling like you just had a cup of coffee with somebody and you talked for an hour and you're friends, and after a sales call, it's very transactional and it's using that using a podcast as a sales strategy to interview people that could be great clients I think is outstanding and, honestly, something that I've never thought about and so, okay, okay, that's awesome. So let's talk about monetizing podcasts and content creation. It's probably one of the biggest questions that I get is do you make money with your podcast? And so I'm interested for people that do have shows. What would be some of the first steps that they would need to take to start monetizing?

Speaker 3:

Well before the monetization. What I say to people is don't just come into this and expect money to start rolling in the door, because it takes a little time to start building everything up. And I kind of set the stage put aside. You're doing this for a year, no matter what, and the people that I work with they end up keep going. They're still going and it's lovely to see but so many people. They come in, they expect, they look at the big boys and they expect big checks to start rolling in. They do three shows, they're gone. They do 10 shows, that's it and they're thrown in the towel, which is a shame to see. So there's affiliates.

Speaker 3:

Affiliates can work very well. I mean, I've had a few affiliates that paid monthly checks come in and you can be very lucky. But the thing as well is and I'm going to kind of show both sides there's sometimes people. It's great when you've got a unique code that people can use and then it's tracked and you know the check comes in. So there's some that I've done that and it works very good. You know straight away. There's been but there's been others that I'm fairly positive. They got sales and I was like I got nothing and I was like what's going on? And they reach out and they're oh, I mischecked that. And then they go yeah, we're team is looking at it, and then they just go. So it's just so you have to be careful as well.

Speaker 3:

And the other thing is like I mean, sometimes you can have a guest on and if your audience is after building, just have it just for that. So talking to the person, and it's very interesting and you know where to market it. You can have just the affiliate just for that and you can actually do very well because some, some affiliates can pay like 500 bucks, a couple of pennies. You know it depends on what they're doing. So it's not just small little 10 buck care and 50 quid error. So you can actually do very well.

Speaker 3:

The other thing is sponsorship. You can, you know, like when you've got numbers on your website page, people can come in and they can start sponsoring your show. So there's a lot of different ways to do it. You kind of have to see what your niche is, how you're going to make some money, but I honestly think the best way is your own business. If you're a coach or whatever you're doing, your own business is the best way and make sure you're actually letting people, because what happens is people get to like you. They go I like your style and I've just left my job because of you, and then you're offering a service and they kind of feel like I can trust this guy and that's the way it works. So I think that's the best way of making money. There's so many different ways of doing it, but I think that's the best way is to make a few good.

Speaker 2:

I like it, I really like it. One of the things that you mentioned was you know it's not going to happen right away and you need to build up an audience, you need to get listeners. That's the asset that you would be taking to, say, a potential sponsor, sponsor. And so at what point, or at what number of downloads, or what number of listeners or YouTube subscribers, or whatever that may be, should somebody start looking at monetization, at reaching out to those sponsors to get that initial sponsorship?

Speaker 3:

With this YouTube you need something like a thousand subscribers and 4,000 hours. But it ain't that Like. I got two of my channels now, like the Polish one it's got like 1.433 million views and my own one's 144,000. And say, after half a million you could get less than 500 bucks. So people think I get half a million, I get 100,000. Yeah, if you want to advertise on them numbers, you'll be paying probably half a million, but they're not giving you that, they're giving you time.

Speaker 3:

I worked out it seems like it's like 0.05. You know it's really small. There's an increase but there's likes to rumble. And there's also ones like, say, spotify and different ones. When you're in America, a lot of them they work. So it works per click. So you can get kind of 10 to 40 bucks for inserts. So inserting at the start, mid and at the end and you can make money like that as well. So that's that adds up to give you some some funding. But it's kind of. I think it's more about understanding what would be good for a company Like.

Speaker 3:

I just released one on my Podfather one and the guy from LinkedIn was helping, you know, discussing the different things, and he said, oh, for the Polish one. The Polish airline is ideal for them and I was like I like great. So that's the plan. I'm going to actually start to reach out to them and go, hey, we can do an episode of Happy as the Link, so I'll be doing that. So when you realise, okay, we've got a niche, like for you, you know there's different niches that you can go and go, all right. So there's people that actually help the transition of that as well, from going from an employee to self-employed and just see who it works with, and they mightn't really look at the numbers. They could say, all right, look at every person that signs up, you're getting X amount, and just kind of think, and sometimes we get complacent with with the business or the back, just can't see step backs, can't. Like I keep learning. I'll do a different course, I'll get that one. Not so long ago on monetization, I probably know all of this there was just one thing in it of about 15, but it's just keep track the whole time and look at the different things and like rumble and you know you can make money for putting it up. So, like you have your interview and most people, they think of YouTube, they don't think of the Rumble. Rumble pays as well and that could cover your Zoom costs or your Palindly costs or something like that and get them things covered first.

Speaker 3:

And also you can ask for a donation. I mean the Polish one. The Polish one, I mean I ask for donations. Sometimes you get a hundred bucks coming in from somebody, but the best one is Blind Boy. He's an Irish podcaster. He does audio only and when he's on stage he actually does tours. He wears a plastic bag over his head because he said he wants to go to the shop with nobody knowing who he is and every episode he says you can a donation. It's a model based on soundness so you don't have to pay. The people that can afford to pay cover the people that don't. It's always going to be free for everyone and he does that and he's got something like 5. Last time I looked a few years ago he had like 5,000 monthly people paying to his thing.

Speaker 3:

But you have to keep asking. I found that I don't do that. I Kind of just kind of doing my own thing now and I have to VA and everything. But I found that when you ask if you're consistent with it, people kind of accept. And it's not to be ashamed, because I mean, you know the amount of work that goes into it. It's not a case you just wing it, have a conversation. That's it Like you're preparing before the conversation, you're having the interview and then you're doing the editing and then the marketing is a lot from it. You say, hey, if you could buy me a coffee or something like that once a month, if you met me, would you buy me a coffee or a beer or something like that? And people, they think nothing is sending five bucks. But if every single listener sent you five bucks, you'd be like, okay, this is good absolutely, absolutely.

Speaker 2:

I really like that and it's an interesting media form because you know you think of like a movie. Uh, that's transactional. You put out a movie, people buy tickets, they go the theater and that's your revenue source. Podcasting is natively a free media form. It's something that anybody can access generally for free, and so the monetization piece of it. You do need to get creative and you have a lot of great tips in there for getting that ball rolling.

Speaker 3:

So one of the things, and there's another one. Actually, just sorry to interject. It's like what I started doing, because I had such a demand, especially for the Spakey, is I started charging. I said, look, it's a six-month wait, but you can pay me if you want to jump the queue and if you want shorts, because, like I do shorts with the virtual assistants, if you want shorts you pay this amount.

Speaker 3:

And there's a lot of people who take that up, because when you get to a certain level, there's people like there's some platforms and it's kind of it's okay, you can check all their details, but there's others. There's people reaching out to you, there's agents reaching out to you. I get hundreds of pitches and there's a high percentage won't. But you just send them the hey because of this and tell them what you're doing, don't just say, hey, it's whatever the cost you want. Even if you start off at 30 bucks or 50 bucks, you can say, look, because of this, I just want to help towards my cost because of the marketing, because of this, and most people will say, yeah, fair enough enough.

Speaker 3:

Because you see some people, one, one guy, so he's charging 10 bucks. I've seen some for 50. There's others charged like, like john dumas, the entrepreneurs on fire, he's charging three and a half grand for people to come in. And there's others like because I help people go on and we look at this and it's like, is it worth it? Because some are like seven grand, ten grand, so you can get really high level. And if you're reinvesting, you know like mr beast would be a perfect example of reinvesting in the business you're reinvesting. You know, like Mr Beast would be a perfect example of reinvesting in the business. He keeps reinvesting and it keeps feeding him. So if you're making money, you don't just say, oh, I'm going to go ahead and go on a lot to holders and everything. If you put it into the market and your numbers will go up, which in turn allows you to increase your price.

Speaker 2:

I like it.

Speaker 2:

I like it and yeah, those are some really good examples, and I never thought about charging for shorts or charging for, like, a come on the show sooner and so no, those are.

Speaker 2:

I've been in the game for six or seven years and I'm learning stuff right now which is outstanding. So one of the things that you had mentioned when you were talking about business owners using podcasting as a media form for advertising was going on a podcast tour, and this is something that I you know. Certainly, getting on shows like, if you ask enough people, they're going to some people are going to say yes, and, and so I think the opportunity to get on shows is it's somewhat easy, Right, and however, once you're on those shows, and getting the maximum return on investment is something that I think a lot of business owners should be thinking about is is you know at the end of the podcast, it would be helpful for the listeners to know who you are, what you're, why you're credible and and what your services that you're selling, and and so for people, what advice would you give for people that are going on a podcast tour to maximize their return on invested time?

Speaker 3:

One of the things I tell is you can have like a virtual assistant that starts doing for you know somebody like me that's actually helping you go on the different shows. But what I don't do is I won't fill out the form. And a lot of people get agents. He's to fill out the form and what I tell them, even when I say please don't fill out the form, let the guests that I say that is one that you asked me to come on the show to fill out the form, and the reason being is they're going doing a podcast tour and they get somebody that fills out the exact same thing, cut and paste, cut and paste, cut and paste. So they end up getting similar interviews, just with different podcasters, and if you're creating shorts, you don't have much new content, whereas when I've got my form, sometimes they'll say something and I pick up on that and I just go on a tangent and I get a brilliant interview. Or I'll ask them what's your best video that I should be watching?

Speaker 3:

You know, if they have a book, I ask them to send me the book I used to buy the book, that. And if they have a book, I ask them to send me the book. I used to buy the book. That's another little tip for you. I was like what am I buying a book when they're coming on my show? I said I don't like digital. You send me the book, because I read a hundred books a year. I was like give me the book, and so that helps as well.

Speaker 2:

And yeah, Absolutely, I love it. I love it. One topic I wanted to definitely touch on is virtual assistants, and you've mentioned them a couple of times today, and you also are the co-founder of VA World, which is helping businesses connect with virtual assistants, and so, for people that don't have a virtual assistant, what would be some of the first steps that they would need to take to get one, and why do entrepreneurs need them?

Speaker 3:

I suppose what I'll do is tell you my kind of journey, what I kind of went through, why I kind of formed, when I was in Ireland doing this kind of halfway across, I set up a recruitment because there was a lot of Polish coming across, so I had a recruitment license and I was positioning a lot of people in the construction world. I set up a recruitment because there was a lot of Polish coming across, so I had a recruitment license and I was positioning a lot of people in the construction world. So I kind of realized, hey, this is a nice business model. When I was doing the podcasting I eventually kind of said, well, I need a bit of help here and I go to Fiverr, fiverrcom and you get somebody trying to explain things, or they'd start off the first month. And then there was Upwork and Upwork seemed better because, like you were getting screenshots. I was like, okay, this is good, I can see what they're doing. And then I was looking and I was like it just looks like they're on Facebook on, say, the bullish one. It's like most of the screenshots look the same. I think they're on another computer and they're just making it look. Every time I do that myself. I was saying, okay, I'm doing it better. So I then said, okay, let's do this in a way, and it's usually like packages.

Speaker 3:

So a lot of times people think, when they're getting a virtual assistant, that you need to pay somebody X amount per hour and a full time, and isn't that, like you can get somebody, like for you know, a couple of hours a week, and what you should do is do the stuff that sucks the time out of you and you don't like? So, for example, I've done the shorts, I'm posting the shorts and they do very well because, like, you set up the expectation Like don't just assume somebody's getting into your head when you're planning it. And we do like packages from, like, say, 99 bucks or say, 300 bucks. We're doing a lot of stuff for that, because that way you know exactly what you're getting, instead of being spending hours tracking and watching are they doing what they're supposed to? Because you know we've already agreed, this is what we're doing and you know, okay, grand, and so that way I kind of I set it up in a way that I feel I would like it.

Speaker 3:

And the other thing is passwords. So we've got the office and my partner has the passwords for all the different things, but the team don't. They're just working on the computers that are doing it, because we've never been compromised and I know that a lot of people they want to look after because some you can have editor access and things like that and others you need a bit more to do it properly. But it's like we're just making sure that your information is safe and someone's not going to start deleting stuff, because that can happen. You can fall out with somebody that's working on Fiverr or any of these different places, and they can. Just because they've got the hump and you fell out, they just delete stuff. So you don't want that. So you just make sure that your stuff is protected and that's the way we do it. And usually it's actually clients that work with me. I can help them to make their life easier. That's okay.

Speaker 3:

How can we do it? So even I don't even upload the stuff and send it to them. I. I put on my video, I edit every all my. I've done over 1500. I edit myself.

Speaker 3:

And the reason I do it myself is because I understand the conversation and I know what's a good point for a short and stuff like that. So I'm listening and, plus, I enjoy listening again as well, because when you're having the conversation you're fully present. But then when you listen like I listen now, when this goes out as well, like anytime I'm a guest I listen and I go it's different, it's a different experience. And I make the notes, notes, I put the timestamps and as I upload it, then they just use, click, grab, take it and it's just. They just post all the different shots and I tell them exactly, and then I just do weekly calls, exactly, okay, check this, this, this and this and same for the different clients.

Speaker 3:

So what I would say is start doing the things that you you hate, because if is start doing the things that you hate, because if you can outsource stuff that doesn't cost you that much but you can spend your time, whether you're coaching or whatever your business is, and make more money, and look at it like that, and you know, you don't have, like most people say, I can't afford to have somebody to hire to bring in.

Speaker 3:

Well, that's why your VA is brilliant for you, because you can do it with a small amount of money and if it starts benefiting and increasing your numbers, you go OK, now I can get the next level, which in turn brings in more customers. You get more clients, you're making way more money and it's a win-win situation for everybody. So it's kind of the way we've done it no-transcript. So, like you know, there's clients that come in and they're actually recommending, and we even do a commission as well for the people that come in. If you recommend somebody, we give you a bonus and stuff like that, because if you're telling people we're not making nothing, but we know how long they last for, and by doing that then it's kind of keeps the wheels oiled.

Speaker 2:

I love that. I love that. One of the things that I think I know I've run into when managing VAs is the expectation that they know what I want, and I think that just the communication piece is so critical, and so for people that are getting, say, their first VA, what would you say is the most effective way to communicate what you want and to ensure a good finished product on whatever that task may be?

Speaker 3:

I think you have to, because usually people say I want to be it and then they just kind of get it going. You need to just step back and write down exactly what they're going to be doing and how, and you might even need to sit with you as you're doing the first. So, for example, if someone's doing the editing of it, you show them how to do it the first time because you have a system, you have a way of doing things. Everybody has their own way of doing things, even if they're specializing in editing, and you can just say, look, this is the way I do it, this is the way I want this, and then you know if you're getting it exactly as you want. And the best thing is, like we found, like I'm even contactable.

Speaker 3:

So sometimes there is things that can go wrong. I mean, that's normal, but the trick is to have open communication and, like we have like managers overseeing it as well. So even for the post, you don't want to post with a typo or something. So we're watching everything. Yeah, this stuff can slip through the cracks and you know if they're going. Hey, I thought I was expecting this. So we're contactable by phone and WhatsApp and sending messages and yeah, if there's anything, we address it immediately. It's not a case of, you know, you're waiting a week or a month and then you have a monthly conversation. It's like, no, if there's something that is coming up, you do.

Speaker 3:

But what I would say for those thinking of hiring a virtual assistant just spend the time to actually what you really want them to do, instead of just winging it and just kind of go, yeah, just do this, do that, you really take the time, and then you can kind of add to it. Go, can you do this as well? Can you schedule, can you organize? You know my holidays and they can do anything you want. Bookkeeping, the whole lot, everything is doable. Website, the whole changes, adding courses to it, content to content creation no problem at all. But just take the time to plan how you're going to do it and then you have the conversation. You will find out exactly what you need and then it's created and you just make sure that you're happy and if there's any issues, just communicate it and we make sure that it's addressed immediately. Okay.

Speaker 2:

Very good, Very good. There's a lot of lessons there. Now, before we get to the fire round. If people have enjoyed this podcast and are interested in checking out more of what you do, what is the best way?

Speaker 3:

It's my name roycullencom. If they're watching, there's a QR code and it's roycullencom and the virtual assistant is daworld.

Speaker 2:

Outstanding, outstanding. Now, roy, we've got a section of the show. It's called the Fire Round. It's four questions. We ask every guest at the end of the show Are you ready? Absolutely Outstanding. What is your favorite book?

Speaker 3:

I've read, as I mentioned, a hundred books. I just constantly read books, so it's hard to say, oh, such a book is very good, but one that I made the most notes for was how to Win Friends and Influence People. Because if you're an entrepreneur, read it, read it, read it. And what I found is I said I have to read it again, I have to read it again. I was finding I didn't have time. I got the audio and it was just as good because I was able to listen to it. But then I got my youngest child is 11. My youngest child is 11. And I said you need to listen to this and he actually enjoyed it. So get the whole family involved, because when you're an entrepreneur, don't think you're on your own. If you've got children, hey, can you do a bit of marketing for me? Get help. And I think that book it should be on everyone's list. I love it, I love it.

Speaker 3:

What are your hobbies? I'm always doing something like I like to go to the gym now but say I bought my son. We used to go playing pool, so we bought a pool table. So, playing pool, we like to play pool. I like going to the I mean the cinema because of my dad. There's like a 4D kind of cinema here where the chairs shake, there's water, another kind of. We make sure we try to do that once, once a week, and I suppose, traveling as well. So for anybody that's an entrepreneur, what happens is you tend to be working and putting off. Reward yourself, make sure that you go. Okay, I'm putting X 10% away towards my holiday fund. So me and my son, we love theme parks and we just we tried to go on a holiday with that as a theme park and go to theme parks. So you're having the holiday and the teen park.

Speaker 2:

So they're kind of my I class them as my hobbies.

Speaker 3:

Very nice, what is one thing you do not miss about working for the man Asking for a holiday.

Speaker 2:

Oh, I fully agree with that one too. I fully agree with that one Because for those that don't really know.

Speaker 3:

Sometimes people have to give a month's notice and sometimes you just decide someone will say, hey, let's go away next week and most people when you're working for a corporation, they're going. Oh, you're needed, so yeah.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, absolutely.

Speaker 3:

I definitely agree with that one and our final question what do you think sets apart successful entrepreneurs from those who give up, fail or never get started? Mindset, your belief system just don't tolerate failure. Just like, don't get complacent. Like. I'm constantly reading books, I'm constantly looking at things, have your circle of friends, so it's all the mindset.

Speaker 2:

Outstanding answer. I love that, Roy. Thank you so much for being a guest on the Firing man podcast. We are looking forward to staying in touch.

Speaker 3:

I really enjoyed it. Thank you very much, David.

People on this episode

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David Schomer

Co-host
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Ken Wilson

Co-host