Virtual Freedom

By: Chris Ducker

Narrated by: Gildart Jackson

Length: 7 hrs and 17 mins

Publisher's Summary

Entrepreneurs often suffer from "superhero syndrome" - the misconception that to be successful, they must do everything themselves. They are not only the boss but also the salesperson, HR manager, copywriter, operations manager, online marketing guru, and so much more. It's no wonder so many people give up the dream of starting a business - it's just too much for one person to handle. But outsourcing expert and "Virtual CEO" Chris Ducker knows how you can get the help you need with resources you can afford. Virtual Freedom is the step-by-step guide every entrepreneur needs to build his or her business with the asset of working with virtual employees. Focusing on business growth, Ducker explains every detail you need to grasp, from figuring out which jobs you should outsource to finding, hiring, training, motivating, and managing virtual assistants.

©2014 Chris C. Ducker (P)2014 Tantor

Interesting Read for Entrepreneurs

If you have a small business and want to be able to get more done, Chris Ducker has some advice for you. It's specific and actionable with examples. It is one of those books that may make a better reference book or one that you can highlight advice you want, so hardcopy or Kindle might be better for this one.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

A must-read, but don't expect too much

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

It's definitely a must-read for any busy entrepreneur or project manager. But do not expect this book to solve all your problems or give you all the answers. It will show you the possibilities, but it will be a long and painful way of trials and errors before you can implement its main idea - hiring virtual assistants to free-up some of your time.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Ok for beginners

You may find it useful Only if you're completely new to hiring freelancers. I felt the author is more interested in promoting his own web site/ business than teaching anything useful

5 of 6 people found this review helpful

Awesome Audio Book - A MUST HAVE!

Would you listen to Virtual Freedom again? Why?

I enjoy listening to this audio book over and over again! Every time I listen, I get something new out of it.

What did you like best about this story?

I love how Chris gives you step by step processes on building your team. He tells you the "insider" tips that he has learned throughout his years of outsourcing.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

What I liked most about this book, was Chris's attitude in regards to the worker. He sees them not just as labor but as human beings. He stresses that these are real people who deserve the same respect and expectations that every worker should receive no matter where they are working from.

5 of 6 people found this review helpful

Great Resource for Considering VAs for 1st Time

If you could sum up Virtual Freedom in three words, what would they be?

Instructional case studies for beginners.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Virtual Freedom?

Virtual Freedom provides great insight into how you can incorporate virtual assistants into your team to improve your efficiency. He covers a variety of case studies that help you visualize different VA arrangements. He includes the pitfalls that person faced in implementing that approach so that you can save time in your own application of a similar arrangement.

What about Gildart Jackson’s performance did you like?

The narration was good. His classic British accent felt a little stiff compared to how I know that the author speaks. But, I'm American. What do I know? ;)

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

There is a lot of information in this book. You will probably want to divide it over time or relisten so that you can digest and think about how you would apply the lessons included to your own situation.

Any additional comments?

Keep a notepad handy or plan to bookmark and go back to take notes. There are a lot of URL references throughout the book that are hard to keep in your head.

5 of 6 people found this review helpful

A Complete Life Changer

Where does Virtual Freedom rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Definitely top 5 overall. Probably no.1 in terms of practical usefulness!

What was one of the most memorable moments of Virtual Freedom?

Reaching the end of the first chapter and reflecting on the "Ah ha" moment that happened for me. Buy the audiobook and you'll understand what I mean!

Which scene was your favorite?

I honestly couldn't choose an outright favourite. Every single paragraph was USEFUL and ACTIONABLE.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Yep, definitely. Didn't laugh or cry, just did alot of eyebrow raising & head nodding :)

Any additional comments?

Chris' teachings have provided a series of “light-blub moment” experiences for me. I cannot recommend this book enough for business owners or employees who aspire to build their own thing. Virtual Freedom is not the type of book that leaves you thinking "Ah, that was interesting, I'll have to get around to doing the VA thing someday." It is the type of book that inspires you to take action. The book is full of useful tips & practical exercises which make it easy to start taking your first steps towards building a virtual team. Can't wait to hire my first VA later this year. Thank you very, very much.

11 of 14 people found this review helpful

Mind Blowing Concept! How to Fire Yourself!

I rarely listen to a book from cover to cover. Every word in this book resonated with me and opened my eyes to a new world of possibilities. I was doing it all by myself and was overwhelmed to the point of quitting my dream. After listening to this book, I hired my 1st employee and am currently putting together training tools to hire my 1st VA. Firing myself was the best decision I've ever made! Thanks Chris! Matt Gibson - host of the Kingdom of Rock Podcast for Musicians.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Repetitious

I find that the author repeats a lot of the same lines throughout the book ....and a lot of the tasks that he says needs to be done needs to be you and not your virtual agent.... However there's much to be learned from the book if you are new to virtual staffing that might help you mostly to get ideas

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Great, specific tips on working with VAs

I loved this book. It provided a lot of specific tips on working with VAs, including the process of hiring and how to structure the ads, how to interact with your VAs, and when to hire for a task versus full time. The author focused on drawing from his experience working with VAs from Philippines and I wish he offered more insight into working with people from other parts of the world, so I took one star off for that. Otherwise, I found it very helpful in learning how to search for, hire, and work with VA.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Great book for solopreneurs

Great listen to get you started with your Virtual staff Adventure. I believe its missing info about some of the new tools I use with my virtual projects - slack or hipchat, which redefine the way you communicate. But its just how it is - things are moving so fast that each year there's something new to try out.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Fabulous & comprehensive practical guide!

If you are considering outsourcing or are just plain busy then get this book.

It is the case studies, detailed 'how to' steps & the example workflows / task descriptions that make this such a useful book.

The only issue - I now need to get a paper copy as the examples outlined are so good!

Nice writing style from Chris also kept me engaged...a thoroughly good read!

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

A great resource

This was a reasonably deep look and a complicated subject broken down in an easy to understand way. I look forward to listening to it again.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

A rip of the 5hr work week

A poor attempt to piggyback on the brilliant 5hr work week that was a best seller. Philippines obsessed because he has a business there. Condescending in place's and also contradictory because he states a task is simple and then lists the 50 steps it takes to complete it. Probably only 5 good ideas in total.

Excellent book

What made the experience of listening to Virtual Freedom the most enjoyable?

I really found this book useful for planning how to scale up my business. While the style of narration is a little annoying at first, I'm glad I persevered as it was well worth it. Highly recommended.

Great content from start to finish

I like the whole idea of virtual freedom and it is essential for me to gather the concept since I have recently become a father. Thank you for the ideas shared in this audiobook and I look forward to your future releases. Narrator was perfect for this book. Great work

Meh...

Meh... Waste of money and time... Just a big long ad for Skype and Dropbox

1 of 2 people found this review helpful

Virtual Freedom Now

Would you consider the audio edition of Virtual Freedom to be better than the print version?

I haven't read the print version

What was one of the most memorable moments of Virtual Freedom?

The opening. Great hook

What aspect of Gildart Jackson’s performance might you have changed?

Made it less staccato

Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

It's non-fiction, so no

Any additional comments?

Great information on hiring and managing virtual assistants to help you grow your business, online or off.

Eye opener!

Great narrator even better content! Ducker just changed the way every entrepreneur should view and manage their business tasks. Thanks Chris that was a big help!