Create a Fully Automated Online Business with Virtual Assistants with Joe Rare

The Core of an Automated Online Business: Leveraging Virtual Assistants

At the heart of Joe Rare's strategy for an automated online business is the comprehensive use of virtual assistants, primarily based in the Philippines. When he says his businesses are run by VAs, he means it literally; he acts only as a strategic adviser, stepping in to provide guidance on the overall plan. Every other aspect of the company's operations is handled by his outsourced team.

This goes beyond merely hiring help for simple, low-level tasks. Joe emphasizes building teams and careers for his VAs, not just engaging in transactional, short-term freelance work. Many members of his internal team, some with master's degrees, are more educated than he is, and his lead developer is even a university professor. The opportunity exists to hire skilled, experienced, and educated individuals, or to train lower-level staff and help them grow into leadership roles. The key is viewing these individuals as integral parts of a long-term team, not just temporary hires. This mindset shift is crucial to moving away from the transactional approach that often traps businesses.

While digital-based businesses are ideal for this model because they don't require a physical presence, outsourcing can also support brick-and-mortar stores, service elements, and retail stores. Joe's own ventures include an ad agency in the wedding industry, a data services company, a vacation incentives provider, and Level 9 Virtual, his VA company. He also successfully built and exited a freight dispatching company that was entirely run by virtual assistants. Fundamentally, anything that doesn't require a physical human being to be physically next to you can typically be outsourced.

Building Your Automated Online Business: The Process

Getting an automated online business off the ground involves a structured approach, starting with the entrepreneur's direct involvement and transitioning to a VA-led operation. Joe's personal rule is that if he can't build it while maintaining his desired lifestyle (like taking Fridays for family), he doesn't pursue the opportunity.

The initial phase involves the entrepreneur identifying the market problem, defining the solution, determining required resources, and planning the acquisition strategy. As the entrepreneur performs these initial tasks, multiple virtual staff members work alongside them. The VAs observe and experience the process firsthand and are responsible for documenting everything as it happens. This means the entrepreneur isn't burdened with creating Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs); the virtual staff creates them while learning the ropes.

The process is refined continuously, identifying what works, what doesn't, and opportunities for improvement. Once a process area is working well – for instance, prospecting – the entrepreneur can step out of that role. They then move on to demonstrating the next area, like sales or fulfillment, again with VAs documenting and learning. As the business grows, more VAs are placed in each functional area (prospecting, sales, fulfillment), and eventually, management VAs are hired to oversee the teams. This is the systematic way organizations are built and scaled using this model.

How Quickly Can You Achieve an Automated Online Business?

The time it takes to launch an automated online business and transition out of the day-to-day operations depends on the complexity of the processes involved. For businesses with lower complexity, like Joe's vacation incentive company, he was able to launch, make it profitable with enough clients, and be out of the daily operations within 90 days.

Even for businesses like local SEO agencies or marketing agencies running Facebook ads, Joe believes they can be launched and the founder can step out of daily operations within 90 to 120 days. While client nuances and specific strategies may vary, the core fulfillment process is often identical across clients and can be trained relatively quickly, sometimes in days. The challenge lies in training staff to achieve the necessary skill level for results, but this can also be addressed by hiring individuals who already possess the required skills and fit into the company's processes. Joe states that setting up and making a marketing agency profitable is "not that challenging" when following this model, though growing and sustaining it is the harder part.

Investing in Your Automated Online Business Team: Compensation

When building an automated online business with outsourced staff, compensation is a key factor. While hiring in the Philippines generally costs less than hiring locally in the US, it's a misconception that you should only pay minimum wages. Joe emphasizes that they pay staff based on the value the role brings to the company, with rates varying significantly depending on the position.

Entry-level VAs might start around six or seven dollars an hour, but experienced staff in critical roles can earn US-type wages, potentially ranging from $20 to $30 per hour. The point is not to pay the lowest possible wage, but to pay competitively for talent. Trying to underpay good people is risky, as companies like Level 9 Virtual will hire them away by offering better pay.

Joe states he wouldn't pay anyone less than five dollars an hour, even though they used to start people with no prior job experience at $4 during training years ago. Now, even starting wages are higher, often not below six dollars an hour, due to increasing demand. While an "entitlement mentality" is sometimes observed, correlating pay with skill level and managed budgets is essential. Someone who has only managed $5/day ad budgets cannot be trusted with a $1,000/day budget and will be paid accordingly until their skills warrant a higher rate. The principle is clear: hiring someone for $3 an hour will likely result in someone worth $3 an hour. Building culture and long-term teams requires investing in staff.

The First Step Towards Your Automated Online Business: Hire an Executive Assistant

For solopreneurs, coaches, or course creators aiming to build an automated online business and reclaim their time, the absolute first hire should be an Executive Assistant (EA). An EA's primary responsibilities should include managing your calendar and email inbox. Joe asserts that just taking these two tasks off your plate will "increase your income exponentially".

Entrepreneurs waste an incredible amount of time and attention on their email inboxes, juggling personal, business, support, and info emails. Eliminating this task alone frees up significant time. Joe himself never checks his own email; he receives a twice-daily Slack summary of important items from his assistant. The assistant handles most inquiries and flags only what Joe needs to address directly. They also use AI to ensure the assistant's tone and writing style match Joe's, allowing for effective delegation and communication. The fear many people have of giving up their email inbox is often unfounded. Joe argues that very little business email is truly confidential, and major deals rarely hinge on the entrepreneur personally answering an email instantly. The downside is fabricated, and overcoming this fear is key to opening up your time.

Subsequent Hires and Client Acquisition Strategies

After hiring an EA to free up time, the next recommended hire for most businesses is someone focused on prospecting to bring in new business. Entrepreneurs often get stuck in a cycle of prospecting, acquiring clients, fulfilling for clients, and then struggling to find time to prospect again when clients churn. Outsourcing prospecting breaks this cycle. A prospector can identify leads and tee them up for conversations, allowing the entrepreneur to focus on closing sales.

Prospecting methods have evolved. While social media DMing and cold text/call blasting were used in the past (Joe built an agency from zero to $100k/month in four months with one VA prospecting via DMs), these methods are less effective or risky now. Cold email outreach is currently seeing a resurgence. Joe's preferred method is a dedicated team sending highly personalized, one-to-one emails to targeted individuals. This "boring," "lame," and seemingly "unscalable" human-driven approach gets massive results precisely because nobody else takes the time to do it. While others send generic, templated messages, the personalized approach stands out. The key is persistence, following up repeatedly. Other prospecting activities can include social media engagement like commenting.

Beyond prospecting, building an automated online business involves diversified client acquisition. While Joe dislikes social media personally, his businesses maintain a presence there for credibility. They also run paid social media ads. A unique strategy Joe employs is direct mail, sending physical postcards, letters, or packages to prospects' homes or businesses. This stands out because digital marketers rarely use traditional mail. The goal is an omni-channel presence – being seen in emails, social media feeds, ads, and the physical mailbox – so that prospects encounter the business repeatedly across different platforms. VAs can design, create, and manage direct mail campaigns online through clearing houses.

After prospecting and sales are handled, the next hire can be someone to manage fulfillment (like a course creator outsourcing content creation), allowing the entrepreneur to focus primarily on revenue generation. Once these core areas are covered, you can then hire VAs for sales roles. This structured hiring path maximizes the entrepreneur's time and impact.

The Priceless Value of an Automated Online Business

Achieving an automated online business ultimately provides the priceless asset of time. Whether that time is reinvested into growth activities during the ramp-up phase or spent with family, it's invaluable. Joe highlights how even delegating just three hours of daily email management can free up significant time, potentially eliminating two workdays from your week.

For those looking for help building their own automated online business, Level 9 Virtual offers services, including a hybrid model that combines project-based work (graphic design, video editing, etc.) with a dedicated Executive Assistant for three hours a day to manage email and calendars. This offers an affordable way to get support and start reclaiming your time. You can learn more or calculate potential cost savings by visiting level9virtual.com.