This is a VA case study and interview with Becky Considine. After years of high-level admin experience and work as a PA and EA within the NHS, Becky decided to re-evaluate her career after having her second daughter. She runs her VA business from Oxford, England and launched OXVAS (Oxford Virtual Assistant Service) at the end of 2013.
People often email me their questions and concerns about becoming a Virtual Assistant, and while I suspect I’ve heard pretty much every mindset stumbling block under the sun, I still haven’t found one single good reason why someone shouldn’t set up their own business. Here are your biggest fears and how to overcome them.
Virtual Assistants need legal contracts so they don’t get sued or screwed. Clients expect you to have them and they’re there to give both you and your client peace of mind if it all goes south. It may start out all rainbows and fairies but client relationships can sour – and you do not want to find yourself naked and shivering without a contract!
When you decide you’re going to become a Virtual Assistant and take over the Universe, one of the things you’ll need to do is tell HMRC you’re no longer working for The Man but for many men and women instead. The information provided below is based on current UK tax laws, so please check what your own government requires if you live outside of the UK.
LinkedIn is a fantastic way for Virtual Assistants to find clients. By optimising your profile and using LinkedIn’s unique networking features, you can showcase your VA skills, build credibility, and connect with people you want to work with. In this post, I’ll show you how to use LinkedIn effectively and write a stand-out, client-landing profile.
I frequently see members of the Handbookers Facebook group say they struggle to find work despite posting regularly on social media. But posting random content without knowing what to say, where to say it and who to say it to is about as effective as shouting out the window. To get clients, Virtual Assistants need a solid marketing strategy.
Currently residing in Devon with her husband and seven-year-old daughter, Joanne launched her business Joanne Manville Virtual Assistance, in October 2015 and rebranded as The Indispensary in 2024. Outside of the office, Joanne enjoys walking on the moors and is also a trustee of the Exeter Districts Scouts.
ChatGPT is revolutionising the way VAs work and frankly, we all need to keep up or risk becoming obsolete. If you’ve ever used ChatGPT you’ll know that it can do some absolutely incredible things including getting through twice the amount of work in half the time. But did you know that using ChatGPT’s custom instructions will produce even better results?
AI is the most groundbreaking advancement in the history of the Virtual Assistance industry and I am all over it. New technology and AI are evolving at an unprecedented rate and any VA who wants to stay competitive really should stay on top of these changes because, just like our clients, we need to stay relevant if we want to stay competitive.
Whether you’re still in the process of setting up your VA business or have already started working with clients, managing your time can be a real challenge. Your schedule as a business owner will be very different from when you worked as an employee, so having an effective task-management system in place will make a huge difference.
