Troy Thompson never planned to start a virtual professional company. But when you’re an entrepreneur and you come up with a great idea, it can be difficult to ignore the urge to see where it takes you.
Let’s back up a bit, though, and give you a little background on how Thompson got to this point. It was 2021 and he was busy running Pinnacle Insurance of Minnesota, the company he’d taken over from his father several years earlier. Like all the other business owners he knew, Thompson was constantly being pulled in lots of different directions at once. There were clients to take care of. Prospects to meet. Claims to process. But one of his biggest – and most time- consuming tasks – had to do with staffing.
“We were looking for help at Pinnacle and it can be really tough to hire people,” Thompson said. “That’s the number-one challenge every insurance agency – and basically every company – is dealing with. And the economy isn’t getting any better.”
As Pinnacle continued to grow, Thompson knew he needed more help managing the company’s day-to-day operations and so he went the offshoring route.
“I went through a couple vendors and had moderate success with them, but they ran their course and I decided to source some people directly,” Thompson said. “And by the grace of God, the person I found – his name is Mo and he lives in Pakistan – came in and did a great job for us. Plus, he was able to bring in three other people who were also really incredible and they’re all still part of our team today.”
One day, Thompson was talking to Mo and asked him “how many Mos do you think we can get?” Mo’s answer? “We can get unlimited.”
And, in essence, that’s how Savvital was born.
“It was divine intervention because I really didn’t have any intention of starting a second company,” Thompson said of Savvital, which provides hand-picked virtual professionals with industry-specific experience for a fraction of the cost of a W-2 employee. “But I knew that people in pretty much every industry were in need of administrative-type help to run their businesses.”
Savvital – which is a combination of the words “savvy” and “vital” – has had steady growth over the last two years. Now, the company employs 145 virtual professionals in Pakistan and serves 100 clients all over the U.S. in a variety of industries including insurance and real estate. Their mission? To provide an affordable solution to growing companies through strategic task delegation.
“These days, it’s harder and harder to keep good people and the big Fortune 500 companies are able to hire them away and pay them a lot more money,” Thompson said. “The small business owner has to be willing to think outside the box if they want to survive. However, the Fortune 500 companies also outsource. Call any big company like Verizon and XFINITY. They’re doing what we do. So why can’t the little guy do it as well?”
The onboarding process is pretty simple. Clients meet with someone from the Savvital team, tell them the top tasks they’re in need of help with and within a short period of time, they’ll receive the names of three highly qualified, English-speaking candidates who have been fully vetted by Savvital. Then, the client can choose the person they want to hire and start training him or her to become part of the team.
Whether you’re a small company that’s just starting out, a growing mid-sized business or a large, established organization, hiring virtual professionals makes sense for many reasons. Here are just a few of them:
- It saves money: Virtual professionals can be hired for ⅓ to ½ the cost of a W2 employee in the states. Additionally, you’re not paying payroll or social security taxes or unemployment benefits. “It’s just a charge that hits your credit card once a month that you can then deduct as a business expense,” Thompson said. “Of course, you can find someone even cheaper on Fiverr who you’ll only have to pay a couple of bucks an hour. If that’s all you think it’s worth to bring someone on board to your company, be my guest, but you get what you pay for.”
- It protects your company culture: When you hire a new employee who is in the office every day, it can change the equilibrium you’ve worked so hard to build with your existing staff. By hiring a virtual professional, you won’t be putting your company culture at risk with an individual who may not be a good fit for your organization.
- It makes hiring great people easier: As Thompson mentioned above, finding great employees can be really difficult for many employers. Plus, writing job descriptions, managing ads and interviewing and vetting candidates can take up a lot of time. Because Savvital handles all these tasks, it’s much simpler – and faster – for an employer to get an A player on board. “We’re getting the cream of the crop of the people out of Pakistan,” Thompson said. They’ve gone to the best colleges, many of them have majored in business and they’ve come to us because one of their friends or family members already works with us and is succeeding.” And if for some reason the candidate doesn’t work out, Thompson and his team can find another person who can quickly step in for a seamless transition. It’s a win for everyone.
- It frees up you and your team to focus on your business: Running reports, managing your CRM, marketing your business and handling customer service inquiries can suck up most of your day – and it doesn’t leave time for much else. Because a virtual professional can handle these important but time-consuming administrative tasks, you and your team will be freed up to focus on pursuing revenue-producing activities and taking excellent care of your clients. “You may even be able to deepen your relationships with your customers because all the busy back end work is taken off your plate,” Thompson said. “That’s always a positive thing.”
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