Case Study: Karina Antorbeza-Melo,
About K-Fit Boutique Gym
Karina Antorbeza-Melo is the Founder of K-Fit Boutique Gym in New York, a women-focused gym that approaches fitness from a life-coaching perspective.
On top of helping clients achieve their physical goals, Karina also improves their time management, nutrition, and overall lifestyle! 💪 And because of all these extra awesome perks, Karina was swamped with client bookings in no time.
Karina reached the point where she simply couldn’t coach, run a business, and be a mother at the same time. Here’s how we matched Karina with her “business fairy” Virtual Assistant and kept her gym running better than ever.
The Challenge
Huge administrative workload
As the business grew, keeping up with bookings and appointments took too much time and energy.
No budget for another local staff
It wasn’t practical for Karina’s team to hire another assistant in the United States.
Finding a suitable virtual employee
She wanted someone with the right skills as well as energy levels that matched their company culture.
Higher-level tasks were falling through the cracks
Karina was struggling to juggle coaching and other crucial areas that would boost her business.
Even after hiring a local admin assistant, K-Fit Boutique Gym needed more hands on deck. Women loved the unique concept of Karina’s gym and more and more kept joining the community.
At that point, Karina simply couldn’t coach, run the business, and be a mother at the same time. That’s when she found us, her angels! 👼
[My Virtual Assistant] is extremely involved. I can literally say that I can turn around and hand her my business and just be a coach and she can absolutely run it, which gives me such peace of mind. […] She’s our business fairy.
Our Approach
Conducted a detailed screening process
We pre-screened our talent pool based on Karina’s needs and took care of VA onboarding.
Took care of day-to-day tasks
We found Karina a perfect VA that could clear her plate, look after the admin & match energy levels.
Gave Karina more autonomy
Karina was able to have more time to do what she loves: coaching, being a mother, and expanding her business.
Improved resource investments
Outsourcing to a VA increased the gym’s efficiency and helped improve finances to grow the business.
Want to keep on top of your booming business like Karina? Get help from a virtual assistant today.
Virtual Assistant Recruitment
Our Recruitment Process
Hiring a Virtual Assistant
Once Karina interviewed the shortlisted virtual assistants, she decided to hire our Virtual Assistant Ann.
Skills & Qualifications
Work Experience
Work Samples
Outsourcing tasks to Virtual Assistant
Virtual Assistant Ann now looks after the following for Karina:
The Result
Find out how Virtual Assistant Ann has transformed the way Karina operates her business.
Our VA has become such a big part of our family. She loves fitness and I think that being part of our staff really pushed that to the next level…She really makes it feel like she’s not 12 hours away—and our clients love that. [They love] knowing that no matter where you are, that K-Fit feel, it’s there.
Karina Antorbeza-Melo
Founder & Coach, K-Fit Boutique Gym
New York, USA
What were your biggest business challenges?
Keeping up with appointments and administrative tasks was definitely a challenge at the beginning. So, I have you guys. You guys are truly my angels in my business! Having a Virtual Assistant allows me to focus all my energy on what I really want to focus on, which is my clients, and not so much on working in the business.
Having a booking system is also a life changer. It is an investment if you want your clients to have the liberty of booking you and changing your appointments without you having to be the middleman. It’s a no-brainer. So, that was a challenge at first, which got resolved.
I think it’s also important for you to surround yourself with people who are abundant-minded, who are leaders and [who are] on the same path as you, so you can see your business blossom.
How was your experience working with Outsourcing Angel?
I actually found myself having a hard time interviewing someone [after] seeing their ginormous list of skills. You guys truly do a great job of finding people that we, as business owners, then have a difficult time choosing between because they’re all so well prepared. It’s everything we need in five different people. That was the only overwhelming part, the only part where I was like, “Oh my God, who do I go to?” But other than that, it’s been amazing.
[Since it was our] first time hiring a Virtual Assistant, all I was looking for was someone whose skills match our needs. So, having this person really be a part of our culture is, to this day, such a beautiful addition. It’s not what I expected. Knowing that Ann really has made it a point to be a part of our community and our culture from over there, it’s huge to me.
How was your life before you hired a Virtual Assistant?
I actually had an administrative assistant at the gym already, because I realised the huge need for someone that could help me with all of the administrative tasks that we had. And although it was great having someone at the gym, hiring a Virtual Assistant really changed the description of the job and the amount of load that she took off my shoulders.
As a business owner, I want to know that I am allowed to be sick for a day or two and that my staff members can literally go to her and get things done. Or be able to have a day when my child might not be doing well, and I can turn to my VA and say, “I need you to take over x, y, and z” and that it’s going to get done as if I did it.
In what way has Ann helped your business?
Having her on my side has been extremely life-changing because my clients know about her. They just have to email us, and she’ll reply and get things done. They agree that we are extremely lucky to have someone able to take care of all of the minute administrative things, as well as the big ones. We’re talking about changing something small in the system for a client, like freezing their account because they’re going on vacation, to taking care of payroll for me.
Knowing that those tasks are taken care of, as a business owner, is huge. Not just in the fitness industry, but [in] any industry.
I recently recommended a photographer [to hire] a Virtual Assistant. To anybody I come across who is overwhelmed with the administrative side of their business, I recommend [hiring] a Virtual Assistant because now that I’ve had her for a year, I don’t know how we managed before.
What pushed you to hire a Virtual Assistant?
I learned about Virtual Assistants through a group that I belong to. We’re all [fitness-related] business owners. My mentor in this particular program recommended a Virtual Assistant. She explained all of the highlights of having someone who will be taking care of all of the administrative tasks of your business on their own, after you train them properly, and how this would allow you to then turn to the areas of your business that no one else could do better than you.
So, I went in 100%, trusting that if my mentor was recommending this service to a bunch of other business owners in the fitness industry, it had to be something that was going to work.
I came up with the budget, and it was not easy. But I think that it is such a fundamental investment that you can do for your business. It multiplies itself, it absolutely does.
Being able to take yourself away from the small tasks, to really focus on growing your business, and giving your business the presence that [it needs] as a business owner, shows when it comes to the financials. So, it makes 100% sense to be able to invest in this other person that becomes like your little clone.
How would you describe your relationship with Ann?
She loves fitness. So, we run Spartan Races here in the US, and she’s running Spartan Races over there. And posts about them, and shows her training, her hard work, her trophies. She’s a real representation of who we are, what we stand for. She’s a mom, she’s a strong woman, she’s had a ridiculous transformation herself. And I think all of this, it’s a combination of what we have inspired in her, and what she inspires in us in return.
You always think of someone who is going to become part of your team and make sure that the skills they have match your needs. But we’re not just talking about the skills, but also their lifestyle, what they stand for, and [whether] how they represent themselves matches your mission and your vision.
Hire a Virtual Assistant without the risk
For over 10 years, Outsourcing Angel has been training, recruiting, and managing Virtual Assistants. Our recruitment process guarantees that only the most qualified Virtual Assistants are recommended for employment.
If your business is ready to grow wings, book a Discovery Call with us today so we can find you an Angel.