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.
Another great quick-win task to suggest to your clients is monitoring for plagiarism. This is actually something my own Virtual Assistant does for me every month as I like to know my content isn’t being used without my permission. Not only is this a great service to offer clients, but you can also check to see if your own website content is being stolen.
This is a Virtual Assistant case study and interview with Tom Lingard. Based in Birmingham, Tom set up his VA business, The Remote Assistant, in August 2020 and specialises in creative projects. Outside of the office, Tom enjoys exploring the wonderful sights and scenes of the UK and also loves travelling around the world as a digital nomad.
At some point, a client is going to ask to change a clause in your Virtual Assistant freelancer contract. This is perfectly normal and there is no need to panic. However, while a contract is just a starting point, knowing how to negotiate a clause and navigating the process can feel overwhelming – especially if you’re a new VA.
What do we want? Fabulous, well-paying clients! When do we want them? Right this minue! Every freelancer needs to find work, but do popular outsourcing websites like Upwork, People Per Hour, 3desk, Fiverr, and Guru actually lead to well-paid work for Virtual Assistants? Read on to find out.
This is a Virtual Assistant case study and interview with Anastasia Olson. Anastasia lives in a suburb of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada and set up her VA company offering business support services in 2016. This is the story of how she got started, who she works with and whether she would do anything differently if she had to start again.
This is a Virtual Assistant case study and interview with Sarah Szekir-Papasavva. Sarah set up her award-winning business, Apt Virtual Assistance (AptVA), in 2018 and provides small business owners with high-quality administrative and creative support. Originally from Brazil, Sarah currently lives in London with her husband and young daughter.
