Top tips for fellow VAs

Last November I was made redundant form a marketing / health & safety role at a sports club. It was a difficult year of working sporadically when the club was allowed to open – a few weeks here and there, with marketing campaigns switching on and off at the same time as juggling health and safety issues during the pandemic.

Manic outbursts of ‘we’re opening again’ were followed by quiet furlough phases. Summer seemed to start in April in 2020 – so after my husband got back from his Covid visit to hospital (3 nights on a drip) the summer stretched ahead with hot sunny walks and long lazy evenings. We were lucky compared to many. We live in the countryside so had space and nature to calm us through the eye of the pandemic storm.

By the end of the Summer, and a long hard Winter looming ahead, our whole team was made redundant from the sports club and final payments came through in November. By this time I had finished the horticultural course (which I had started back in April to keep me busy during furlough) and was thinking about my new business which had been on my mind for many years – a local virtual PA service.

So I set to it! I put my website together on Wix, produced terms and conditions, policies, contracts and insurances and set to work looking for Clients! Probably thanks to my marketing experience, by January I had a handful of clients and I was earning more than at my previous job by March! Success!

But there have been a few hiccups along the way.... the first 6 months of starting up has taught me some very useful lessons which anyone can learn from – whether or not you are a VA! As follows:

Organise your diary - work at set times for each Client – this way you and your Client know when to chat, approve work, exchange ideas without breaking your chain of thought or work time in which you are committed to another Client.

Move - ensure you take regular exercise during your working day otherwise you end up all stiff and fat!! A lunch hour is a definite ‘must’ – let your Clients know when you take your lunch hour and get out for a mindful walk or a stretch – rain or no rain – the fresh air is good for the brain.

Surroundings - set up your office space so that you are happy and comfortable. A lovely view helps to keep you sane. Read my recent Blog on Fen Shui! Make sure your chair is the right height and don’t keep crossing your legs! It’s bad for circulation! Shoulders back, breath and enjoy feeling good!

Diary blocks - do all your Client invoicing on the same day each month. That way you can concentrate on all your finances just for a few hours in one block each month which avoids interfering with ongoing Client commitments. I always set some time aside each month for general administration, my own marketing and writing my Blog!

Pace yourself - don’t take on too much work too quickly. Always make sure you have extra time to spend doing the work in case it takes more time than initially expected. With all my Clients, doing a really great job is more important to me than making an extra few quid! I am hoping that the Client satisfaction and following loyalty will help me to run a successful business in the long run.

Be careful - be aware of anyone who works alone, is (temporarily) based abroad and gives a virtual UK office as their business address! Get paid in advance if you need to work with such Clients! There are some thieves out there!

Collaborate - don’t be scared of competition. Working with other people rather than against them is my objective and if there are any virtual PAs out there who want to get together and share work, ideas and resources, I would love to chat to you. We can help each other!

Network - Try lots of different networking events. As a PA I believe part of the role is to know local business people and be able to call on their resources for your Clients. I have enjoyed several online events and more recently some ‘netwalking’ – which for me works fantastically as it also gets me out on my daily fresh air binge at the same time as making important contacts.

Best wishes.

Take a look at my website www.LocalVPA.com, see my references on LinkedIn and call for a non-obligatory chat. Telephone Rachael - 07787 154040.