Episode 168 Frederick Dudek (Freddy D)

“Buy Back 2 Hours a Day: How Rob Levin Uses Virtual Assistants to Help Small Businesses Scale Faster” isn’t just a catchy title—it’s the core lesson of this episode. Virtual assistants for small businesses aren’t just a productivity hack—they’re a competitive weapon. In this conversation, Freddy D sits down with Rob Levin, co-founder of Work Better Now, to break down the exact systems and strategies that helped him escape 60-hour weeks, reclaim his life, and build an Inc. 5000 company powered primarily by referrals and Superfan clients.

Rob reveals how his partnership with his first assistant, Jessica, reshaped his calendar, expanded his strategy time, and ultimately transformed his entire business model—from one VA to a multi-role talent engine supporting sales, marketing, finance, customer service, and even construction estimating. You’ll hear how Work Better Now’s talent-first culture, frictionless hiring process, and commitment to relationship over transaction create unstoppable momentum for small and midsize businesses ready to get out of the weeds, scale faster, and finally start playing offense.

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Key Takeaways

• Virtual assistants for small businesses are an investment, not an expense
• Rob explains how buying back two hours a day of owner time often delivers the highest ROI in the entire business.
• Latin American virtual assistants fit US small business culture
• Full-time team members from Latin America bring strong English, cultural alignment, and work ethic, seamlessly integrating into US-based companies.
• A talent-first culture builds internal Superfans
• Work Better Now’s core value of “putting talent first” attracts high-performing people who then create raving fan clients.
• Precision matching beats traditional hiring “tooth-pull” pain
• Their team does the heavy lifting—job scoping, vetting, and presenting three pre-matched candidates—removing 95% of the hiring friction.
• Virtual assistants can support 40+ roles—not just admin
• Clients now use WBN for inside sales, marketing, bookkeeping, logistics coordination, customer service, and construction estimating support.
• Process + attitude > resume
• Rob prioritizes soft skills and cultural fit over perfect technical skills, because attitude and alignment can’t be trained.
• Recognition creates Superfans on your team
• Simple, consistent public recognition on team calls fuels loyalty, retention, and performance—especially in fully remote environments.
• Referrals are the scoreboard for Superfan creation
• Work Better Now grew to hundreds of clients, many in construction, logistics, and professional services, largely through introductions—not ads.

Guest Bio

Rob Levin is the co-founder of Work Better Now, a company that provides full-time, high-performing virtual professionals from Latin America to small and midsize businesses across the US. A longtime serial entrepreneur and former media owner, Rob has helped thousands of business owners scale by freeing them from low-value tasks and building talent-driven cultures. He’s also host of the Great Talent Great Business podcast and author of The New Talent Playbook.

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Freddy D's Take

This conversation with Rob Levin is a masterclass in building a championship roster, not just filling seats. Rob didn’t just hire a virtual assistant—he rewrote his playbook. By delegating calendar chaos, travel details, and admin to Jessica, he freed up time for strategy, selling, and family—the true MVP activities for any owner.

What started as a single assistant evolved into Work Better Now, a talent engine that now supports over 40 roles, from sales and marketing to finance and estimating support in industries like construction, logistics, and professional services. The real edge? A relentless talent-first mindset—treating virtual talent like valued teammates, not disposable contractors. That’s how they’ve become #114 and then #642 on the Inc. 5000, powered largely by referrals and word-of-mouth introductions.

This is exactly the type of ecosystem strategy I help clients implement through my SUPERFANS Framework™ inside Prosperity Pathway coaching in the Superfans Growth Hub:

• Elevate your team first
• Build systems that buy back your time
• Turn that freed-up bandwidth into relationship-driven growth

FREE 30/Min Prosperity Pathway™ Business Growth Discover Call

One Action

The Action:

Document and delegate 20 recurring tasks to a virtual assistant within the next 7 days.

Who:

Business owner or senior leader of a small/midsize company.

Why:

Because you’re the franchise player, and every minute you spend on low-value admin is a minute you’re not closing deals, designing offers, or nurturing key relationships. Freeing even two hours a day compounds into massive strategic output and revenue over a quarter or year.

How:

• List everything you touch for one full week – emails, scheduling, rescheduling, follow-ups, document prep, basic research.
• Highlight tasks under $25/hour value – anything repetitive, admin, or logistical.
• Group tasks into themes – calendar & email, CRM updates, follow-ups, reporting, personal admin.
• Create simple SOPs (screen recordings, bullet steps) for the first 5–10 tasks.
• Assign to a virtual assistant (internal or via a provider like Work Better Now) and commit to not taking those tasks back.

Connect with Rob Levin:

• Website: WorkBetterNow.com
• LinkedIn: Search “Rob Levin Work Better Now”
• Podcast: Great Talent Great Business on your favorite podcast platform

Resources & Tools

• Work Better Now – Full-time virtual assistants for small businesses from Latin America across sales, marketing, finance, and operations.
• The New Talent Playbook – Rob’s upcoming book on building your dream team with a modern talent strategy.
• Great Talent Great Business Podcast – Rob’s show on how great talent drives great companies.
• Business Superfans® – Turn your entire ecosystem (employees, contractors, suppliers, clients) into die-hard brand advocates.
• The Service Provider Prosperity Playbook – Frederick’s guide to escaping turnover, margin squeeze, revenue chaos, and burnout. Get it at https://ProsperityPathway.tips
• Prosperity Pathway™ – Coaching pathway inside the Entrepreneur Prosperity Hub to build systems that convert your ecosystem into Superfans. https://skool.com/eprosperityhub

Companies mentioned in this episode:

• Work Better Now
• Ninja Prospecting
• New York Enterprise Report
• Eastman Cook
• RDS Delivery Services
• CRS