As part of some research for a client, I needed to speak to some VA’s this week. Very kindly a few agreed to speak with me which was helpful for the research I needed. But when we got chatting I got to hear from them about all the things that they do which were even more insightful.
I can see what an amazing resource they are for businesses and entrepreneurs who need help with outsourced tasks and freeing up time (something we’re all short of!)
Things have changed a lot since my first business 15 years ago. At that time there were exec PA’s but you would only have one if you were very senior and able to afford that full-time resource. Definitely not something that we needed or we could afford.
However, with everything being online and with all the tech available things have most certainly moved on.
A lot of the tasks that we need doing can be done by someone that is not in the same location as us. We have Zoom, Skype, Slack, Whatsapp as well as all the other channels of communication.
We don’t need to hire full-time Exec PA’s we can now hire VA’s to suit us.
This really is a revelation as it means that it becomes an affordable option to anyone that is running a business and looking to outsource tasks.
Exec VA’s often specialize in a particular area or industry and therefore it’s worth looking at their niche.
I spoke to Siobhan Mears this week who specializes in helping entrepreneurs, startups, SME’s and High Net Worth Individuals – with her experience in The City for many years she has worked with lots of FTSE 100 companies. Her LinkedIn profile says ‘bringing order to the chaos’. I love that and totally got that from talking to her.
I spoke with Emily O’Neill who specializes in marketing – creating content, email marketing, social media marketing, updating websites and loves Canva for creating images for her clients. Another good one to add to the list if you need support in this area.
I spoke to Marie Williams who has a lot of expertise in running events and is a freelance events expert and Virtual PA. Having had a good chat with her about how she goes about planning and running events for her clients it’s clear that she has a very good understanding of her clients’ need and how she can help deliver memorable events.
I spoke to Catherine Gladwyn who comes highly recommended by a lot of my network – she is a MailChimp and WordPress whizz and also helps out clients with bookkeeping.
And last but not least, Louisa Van Vessem who is always ever so helpful on LinkedIn – sharing great content, sharing connections and one I am due to catch up with soon.
So between those 5 ladies, I think that anything that you need help with is sorted!
It’s amazing that you can outsource all these things and many more to some very talented individuals who are there to make your life easier.
Some of the things that Exec VA’s can help with include:
- Bookkeeping
- Board minutes and meetings
- Social Media
- Content Creation
- WordPress Expertise
- Diary Planning
- Research
- Event Planning
- HR Support
- Document Support
I am going to be looking into this more closely, both for myself and my clients – its a fab resource to be able to delegate these tasks to experts that understand what they are doing and who can take the weight off your shoulders.
And I will keep you posted. Hooray for VA’s!
