Virtual Assistants for Trades Companies: Supercharging your Sales, Operations, Admin and Customer Service, with Kelli Anh Shaw of HYRE

In this episode, Jeffrey Scott sits down with Kelli Anh Shaw, COO of HYRE (HYREup.com), a boutique offshore staffing and virtual assistant management firm based out of Overland Park, Kansas. Just two years old as of January 2026, HYRE has already placed around 80 virtual assistants across client companies and built an internal team of 11 — hitting $1.7M in revenue and proving fast that their model works. Kelli shares the real story behind how HYRE was born — out of a moving company that grew 863% in three years, landed on the Inc. 5,000 multiple times, and then nearly unraveled when the housing market froze. Facing massive overhead with shrinking revenue, her team turned to offshore staffing from the Philippines and Latin America, eventually saving $350,000 annually on admin costs alone. What makes HYRE different isn’t just the placement — it’s the deep discovery process, hands-on onboarding, and dedicated account management that helps landscape, HVAC, plumbing, and other trades businesses actually integrate virtual assistants in a way that sticks. Whether you’re looking to support your sales team with CRM hygiene and cold calling, free up your field managers from scheduling chaos, or find a bilingual assistant to help manage your H-2B workers, this episode breaks down exactly how it works, what it costs, and what to expect in your first few weeks.

Takeaways:

HYRE was born from real business pain — a moving company near collapse that saved $350K annually after going offshore

Just 2 years old, HYRE has already placed ~80 VAs and grown to a team of 11 with $1.7M in revenue

Trades companies (landscaping, HVAC, plumbing, electrical) are HYRE’s bread and butter

VAs can fill roles across all three areas: sales support, operations, and accounting/admin

HYRE does a deep discovery process first — they build the role around your company, not the other way around

Bilingual Latin American VAs are a major asset for landscape companies running H-2B programs

Pricing starts at $10–$12/hr all-inclusive, with senior-level talent up to $25–$30/hr — no headhunter fees

Every account gets a dedicated manager handling oversight, payroll, and daily check-ins

ROI can show up fast — some clients are winning by their very first weekly call

AI and virtual assistants work best together; the human touch is becoming more valuable, not less

Get started at HYREup.com — book a discovery call and go in with questions, not a finished job description

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