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November 12, 2025 17 mins

In this throwback episode, we have Anne and Mark Lackey. Entrepreneurs that has a series of ventures that each emerged from a real‑world problem they faced themselves.

When a valued employee abruptly quit, they recognized the hidden cost of staff churn and the difficulty of finding reliable “drudgery” workers—people willing to handle repetitive, phone‑based tasks. Their answer was to create HireSmart Virtual Assistants.

HireSmart’s model combines two core services: rigorous recruiting that matches the right talent to the right role, and a one‑week certification boot‑camp that trains virtual assistants in both technical skills and cultural communication.

They also act as an ongoing HR partner, handling issues that arise after placement. The result is a seamless experience for clients—calls sound as if they’re coming from the U.S., tasks are completed efficiently, and companies enjoy significant cost savings.

The founders also note the broader social impact: they now provide health care to thousands of Filipino families, a benefit many Fortune 500 call centers don’t offer.

Facebook: HireSmartVAs Anne – www.facebook.com/AnneLackey Mark – www.facebook.com/markslackey LinkedIn: Anne – www.linkedin.com/in/annelackey Mark – www.linkedin.com/in/markslackey

Previous Episode: iam390-business-partners-help-businesses-scale-by-providing-top-notch-virtual-employees

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