Here at Get Ahead VA, our people are everything. We’re dedicated to growing our business all over the country, so our customers can access a wide range of highly skilled professionals wherever they are. We currently have regional offices in Leeds, Berkshire & North Hampshire, South Yorkshire, Suffolk & Essex, East Midlands and West Surrey, and we’re pleased to announce our latest addition: Guildford & East Surrey.
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It’s safe to say that, for most people, this year hasn’t exactly gone to plan – perhaps you started 2020 with big dreams of finally starting your own business, only to have to put those dreams aside in order to make it through the crisis. But the pandemic doesn’t have to stop your entrepreneurial aspirations forever. In fact, opening a franchise could get you back on track sooner than you think.
There are all sorts of fantastic benefits to opening a franchise, but today we’re looking at four key advantages that could make this a great career move for you, even in all the upheaval of 2020.
1. Build a business
Starting a new business always comes with some risk, and this is especially true now, when markets are changing quickly and unexpectedly all the time. Against this backdrop of uncertainty, opening a franchise brings with it extra security and reassurance – you will benefit from starting a business within an established and proven brand, and you will have the support of other franchisees to help you through those difficult early months. A franchise allows you to open a business, but not alone.
2. Work for yourself
Many people have had to rethink how they work over the last few months, from finding a new office space, to adapting to new regulations, to having to leave a previous job. Although these things can be extremely stressful, they also provide an opportunity to take a serious look at your working life and see if you are in a position to make a more long-term change. You must weigh up your options carefully, but these new circumstances may be just the push you need to finally pursue the dream of being your own boss.
3. Manage your own time
One of the greatest benefits of running a business is that you have the freedom to manage your own time. This is more important than ever when life is unpredictable and you never know when you might need to help out a relative or do some last-minute childcare. Running your own business allows you to be flexible – you can take on extra work when you have the time, or prioritise your other commitments if you need to.
4. Work remotely
Almost all of us have had to adjust to remote working this year, and you may have discovered that you really like it – the freedom to build your work around your family life, the flexibility of the working hours, and the peace and quiet of having an office all to yourself. If this sounds like you, then starting a franchise could mean you can benefit from the home-working lifestyle for a long time to come!
If you’re interested in running a virtual assistant agency, providing administrative and business support to small businesses in your area, then the Get Ahead VA franchise opportunity could be perfect for you! Contact us on 01483 332 220. We’d be happy to talk to you about your next big career move!
Here at Get Ahead VA, our people are everything. We’re dedicated to growing our business all over the country, so our customers can access a wide range of highly skilled professionals wherever they are. We currently have regional offices in Leeds, Berkshire & North Hampshire, South Yorkshire and West Surrey, and we’re pleased to announce our latest addition: Suffolk & Essex.
Here’s 60 seconds with our Suffolk & Essex Regional Director, Sarah Yandell
Area of Expertise:
Managing and facilitating teams at all levels in order to achieve organisational and strategic goals.
When and why did you join Get Ahead VA?
I joined Get Ahead VA in July 2020 after working in the travel industry for 30 years. I loved my career in travel but with the disruption caused by Covid19, I decided it was time for a change. After extensive research I found Get Ahead VA, and following a number of conversations with Rebecca and some of the existing franchisees, I was convinced that this opportunity fitted my skill set perfectly.
What did you do before you joined Get Ahead VA?
During my career in travel, I worked in all parts of the supply chain. This included hotel sales; travelling all over the world to source accommodation for a student travel company and setting up and running an award winning specialist tour operator. I took a year out from my career in 2001 to do a full time MBA which included a dissertation with British Airways on CRM and loyalty programmes. I continue to be passionate about delivering service which is beyond expectation.
Career Highlight to date:
I feel that joining the Get Ahead team is a culmination of all my skills and experience gained in my career so far. I have the freedom of running my own business, while still being part of an enthusiastic and supportive team. The role enables me to work with small businesses locally and help them to achieve their business goals; while having a fantastic work life balance.
Plans for the future:
To grow the Get Ahead business in Essex and Suffolk by collaborating with small businesses in the local community and building a team of experts.
If your business could benefit from Sarah’s help, please get in touch on 07971 655771 or 01206 625535, or email [email protected] To find a regional office where you are, please get in touch on 01483 332220 or email [email protected] We pride ourselves on being the staff you don’t see, but the difference you do.
Amanda Johnson, business coach, mentor and trainer, is bringing us her advice about how to onboard a new virtual assistant in your business. Her award-winning VA business, VACT, was established in 2003, and she has been in the industry since 2012, so she has plenty of great advice to share!
I love helping business owners find virtual assistants (VAs), and people often ask me how to onboard new VAs as smoothly and effectively as possible. In this blog I’ll look at the onboarding process from the business owner’s perspective and share my advice with you.
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Two years ago, Fiona Ibbetson launched Get Ahead VA Leeds. Since then, this office has gone from strength to strength, and we’re delighted to wish both Fiona and our Leeds regional office a happy birthday!
Since she launched, Fiona has helped more than 40 business owners, large and small, from architects to surgeons, accountants to plumbers. She has coordinated projects between her clients and a team of 15 Get Ahead virtual assistants, and delivered great results for her clients. Fiona says: “I love jobs where more than one person is working with a client and we are all playing to our strengths and working as a team. It’s great to know that we are helping other businesses to grow and providing flexible support when they need it.”
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If you’ve always dreamed of starting a business and being your own boss, Get Ahead VA’s franchise opportunity could be right for you. It allows you to set up a branch of Get Ahead VA in your area, so you’ll be going into business for yourself, but with the backing of an established and successful brand.
So when you decide to become a Get Ahead VA Regional Director, where should you begin? We’ve spoken to a few of our existing RDs to find out the first steps they took when they opened up their franchise, so you can see just what it takes to get a new business off the ground.
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For so many of our Regional Directors – the ambitious business people who run the regional branches of Get Ahead VA – achieving a healthy work–life balance was a major reason for deciding to open a Get Ahead VA franchise. Running their own business gives them the flexibility to plan their time and fit their work around their home life – not the other way round.
We’ve spoken to a few of our Regional Directors to find out exactly how they achieve this all-important balance, and to give you some tips if you’re thinking about taking the plunge too!
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Here at Get Ahead VA, our people are everything. We’re dedicated to growing our business all over the country, so our customers can access a wide range of highly skilled professionals wherever they are. We currently have regional offices in Bristol, Leeds and Newcastle and we’re pleased to announce our latest addition: Berkshire & North Hampshire.
Here’s 60 seconds with our Berkshire & North Hampshire Regional Directors, Suzanne and Kristy, who will be running the new Get Ahead VA office together.
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Becoming a Regional Director for Get Ahead VA means having the freedom to run your own business with support from an established brand – so you’re going into business for yourself, not by yourself. But what is it actually like to be a Regional Director, day to day?
We spoke to Fiona, the head of our Leeds branch, to find out how she spends a typical working day.
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Get Ahead VA is very proud to have branches across the country,
and the Regional Directors that run them are brimming with good advice about
being your own boss. Today Fiona, who runs the Leeds
branch, is here to share her top tips for managing your time as a business
owner.
Time management is an important skill for any business owner, and I have to use it a lot as a Get Ahead VA Regional Director. That means I’ve learned a few things about organising my time effectively, so here’s some of my best advice if you’re thinking of starting up a business too.
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