DiscoverSystemize Your Success PodcastStop the ‘Hire and Hope’: Experts’ Opinion—How Systems Turn Virtual Assistants into Self-Managing A-Players with Kirsten Graham, Co-CEO of Six Figure Business Coaching | Ep 250
Stop the ‘Hire and Hope’: Experts’ Opinion—How Systems Turn Virtual Assistants into Self-Managing A-Players with Kirsten Graham, Co-CEO of Six Figure Business Coaching | Ep 250

Stop the ‘Hire and Hope’: Experts’ Opinion—How Systems Turn Virtual Assistants into Self-Managing A-Players with Kirsten Graham, Co-CEO of Six Figure Business Coaching | Ep 250

Update: 2025-11-06
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Description

🎙 In this episode, I sit down with Kirsten Graham, a direct competitor who also specialises in helping entrepreneurs to systemise their work and achieve freedom using virtual assistants and smart business systems. We compare our approaches, provide practical strategies and share hard-won lessons for hiring, onboarding and leading remote teams.


I believe this is one of my best interviews in terms of value for you. You are listening to two passionate industry experts discuss, in depth, how they help people to create freedom in their businesses!




KEY TAKEAWAYS


💡 Train Before You Trust: Kirsten hires people using the paid intern model. All hires are fully trained before they are trusted to work directly with clients. 


💡 Stop Hiring on Hope: The “hire and hope” approach doesn´t work. Bringing someone on board without clear systems or expectations sets everyone up for frustration and failure.


💡 Be Careful with AI: Only adopt an AI solution if there’s a clear business case. Will it save time, generate revenue, or deliver meaningful value for your business? If you can’t answer “yes,” it’s best to skip the implementation.




BEST MOMENTS


02:41 - 💬 “We really believe you lead people, you manage tasks - you manage tasks through systems and project management software.” — Kirsten


21:26 - 💬 “AI can help you. It's a tool. It shouldn't do your job for you.” — Kirsten 


46:29 - 💬 “We have the same set of rules whether someone's based in the Philippines, South Africa, or they're in the UK, or Sweden, it doesn't matter to me.” — Steve




TIMESTAMPED OVERVIEW


00:00 Streamlining Onboarding and Collaboration


07:16 Training VAs through a paid internship


10:15 Strong systems eliminate frustration


22:10 Where AI fits in


34:40 How systems set everyone up for success


49:00 The mindset shift from “hiring help” to “building assets”




VALUABLE RESOURCES


From Steve Day: 



From Kirsten Graham:





LINKS TO CONNECT WITH THE GUEST





ABOUT THE GUEST


Kirsten Graham is the Co-CEO of Six Figure Business Coaching. She helps small business owners reclaim their time and increase visibility by using video marketing, podcast guesting, and smart outsourcing. She shows entrepreneurs how to build authority, attract quality leads, and put the right systems in place so they can grow their income without burning out.




LINKS TO CONNECT WITH THE HOST





ABOUT THE HOST


Steve moved to Sweden in 2015 and transformed how he ran his businesses—switching to a fully remote model. A former NHS doctor, with a background in computing and property investing, he now helps overwhelmed business owners systemise and outsource effectively. Through his courses and coaching, Steve teaches how to automate operations and work with affordable virtual assistants, freeing up time and increasing profits. He runs his UK-based businesses remotely with support from a team of UK and Filipino VAs, and is passionate about helping others build scalable, stress-free companies using smart systems and virtual support.

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Stop the ‘Hire and Hope’: Experts’ Opinion—How Systems Turn Virtual Assistants into Self-Managing A-Players with Kirsten Graham, Co-CEO of Six Figure Business Coaching | Ep 250

Stop the ‘Hire and Hope’: Experts’ Opinion—How Systems Turn Virtual Assistants into Self-Managing A-Players with Kirsten Graham, Co-CEO of Six Figure Business Coaching | Ep 250

Dr Steve Day