Virtual assistants for property investors, building a VA business by accident, and why 100,000 applications a month still only produces a handful worth hiring: Imogen Cook of The Freedom Geek breaks down how she went from corporate London to HMOs in Birmingham to running a global VA agency that’s placed thousands of Filipino virtual assistants into UK property and business owner teams since 2017.
If you’re a property investor drowning in admin, a business owner who keeps saying you’ll hire someone when you’re ready, or just curious how a rigorous recruitment process filters 100,000 applicants down to 100 worth meeting, this episode is the one.
We go through Imogen’s accidental start after posting a £3 an hour advert and getting hundreds of applications overnight, how she modelled her screening process on investment bank graduate recruitment, why Filipino VAs consistently outperform every other region she’s tested, and the moment she realised she was building a business nobody had asked her to start.
You’ll also learn why Upwork and Fiverr aren’t the same thing as a proper VA relationship, how to train a VA when you’re too busy and too chaotic to even prepare, why you should never delegate something you don’t understand yourself, and why one of her best ever sales VAs is now an actress on Philippine television.

In this episode you’ll learn:

Why 100,000 applications a month still only produces around 100 candidates worth presenting to clients
How Imogen built her screening process using investment bank logic and aptitude tests
The real cost comparison between a Filipino VA and a UK hire — and why it’s not even close
Why Upwork and Fiverr serve a different purpose and aren’t built for long-term business support
The biggest mistake new VA hirers make and why it takes most people a year to fix it
How to delegate tasks when you’re too overloaded to prepare anything properly
Why you should never hand a specialist task to a VA if you can’t test the output yourself
The time tracker, traffic light system and KPI model that lets Imogen manage 15 VAs without micromanaging

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Would you hire a VA or do you still think you can do it all yourself? Drop it in the comments.
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💻 Imogen Cook / The Freedom Geek: https://thefreedomgeek.com

Chapters

00:00 Introduction — Imogen Cook and The Freedom Geek

01:22 How The Freedom Geek Started by Accident

03:00 From Corporate London to HMOs in Birmingham

07:00 Why Upwork and Fiverr Are a Different Proposition

09:30 The Screening Process — 100,000 Applications Down to 100

13:00 Aptitude Tests, References, Video Checks and Police Checks

16:30 The Blitz Group Interview That Filters 70% in 90 Minutes

19:00 Who VAs Are For and Who They Are Not For

22:00 Why You Must Train Your VA Before You Can Delegate

25:00 Loom, Scribe and Tango — The Best Tools for Handing Off Tasks

27:00 How to Spot a Bad VA Within the First Week

30:00 Filipino VAs vs UK Hires — The Real Comparison

35:00 What You Should Never Delegate to a VA

40:00 How Imogen Manages 15 VAs Without Micromanaging

45:00 Time Trackers, Traffic Lights and KPIs

50:00 The Specialist VA Problem and Why the Model Is Changing

55:00 Final Tips for Anyone About to Hire Their First VA

01:02:00 Where to Find Imogen and The Freedom Geek

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