A Day in the Life of a VA: Karen Hardy
If you work as a PA or EA but are now thinking of going it alone as a Virtual Assistant (VA), it’d be good to know what to expect.
This is why we’ve asked Karen to tell us about her job to find out what life is like as a blueumbrella VA.
I’ve been working as a VA for 12 years now. I used to have a really great job working as an EA at Chairman/CEO level in London, but the company wound down. I’d been thinking about becoming a VA anyway so decided this was the best time to go for it!
No such thing as a typical day
I can’t describe what a typical day as a VA is because there isn’t one! Every day’s different for me because every day’s different for all my clients, so flexibility is key. There are some days where I’m working for up to 12 billable hours, and sometimes I’ll have to work late or at weekends just to keep on top of things, but other days I’m only working for two or three hours. However, as with most sectors, there are certain months that are really busy and others that are really quiet - usually the summer months which is great! Whatever my workload, I’m always available during my working hours, which are 8am to 6pm.
My clients
I have seven clients at the moment, all of whom work for themselves. Some of them are business coaches or early years specialists, but I also work for a high-net-worth individual.
Clients usually come to you because they’re absolutely overwhelmed with their admin. On the whole, they really value their VAs, and I have a great relationship with mine - some of whom I now consider to be friends.
Jill and Harrie at blueumbrella are really good at matching VAs with clients. They chat with clients first so they can match the needs and personalities of both clients and VAs - it has to work both ways. Always remember that you’re as much of a business owner as your client is! In order to form a successful working relationship, you’ve GOT to like your client. There are times when it doesn’t work out and you do have to say goodbye, but they’re few and far between.
On the whole it’s really easy to strike up an excellent relationship, and as trust grows so does the amount of work a client gives you. My first client, who has been with me for 12 years, lives 400 miles away, and we’ve only met twice in all that time!
Working hours
When I first became a VA, I decided that I needed this to be a career, which is why I treat it as a proper job. I’m therefore available from 8 in the morning till 6 at night Monday to Friday. Most of the time my clients respect those hours - very few of them need things done straight away - it’s more about setting boundaries when you first start working with each other and working out how you both work. I know that if clients contact me out of those hours, they’re desperate! For example, one of my clients is really unlucky with flights, which are often cancelled. So, from time to time, there have been a few late night calls from her that I’ve had to deal with. But it’s all part of the job and I’m happy to do it.
My work
The majority of my work involves diary management, negotiating fees, making travel arrangements, preparing papers for courses, sitting in on calls, taking notes and minuting meetings. To be honest the work is so varied there’s not much you can say you do on a regular basis.
Sometimes my work can be challenging, such as the time I had to get pages added to a US passport with just a day’s notice – the client was in the US at the time and was getting on a plane with a Russian oligarch the next day. Other tasks can be more fun, such as the time I was tasked with furnishing a flat in San Francisco at a week’s notice, or when I was asked to find the best masseuse in Hawaii (sadly that didn’t involve a research field trip)!
Time management
Working alone means you have to manage your own time. The trick is to be aware of what a client’s priorities are the whole time and juggle accordingly. I often spend my day flitting between different email accounts as urgent things come in. I do this by working on my desktop but also having all the emails come in on my iPad which is always open next to me.
The difference between a VA at home and working as an EA in an office
The main differences are that there’s no commuting and no office politics! In fact, because I’m running my own business, I’m working with rather than for somebody. I find that clients value their VAs a lot more than a boss in the office would.
I also have a lot more hours at home now. It’s great being able to book personal appointments during the week rather than only at weekends.
Pay
I can only charge my clients for the work I actually do for them, so it’s worth pointing out that my billable hours are different to my working hours. When I worked in an office I got paid to be there from 9am to 6pm, but as a VA I only get paid for the time I work – not for personal phone calls and tasks, loo and coffee breaks! This means my income can fluctuate from month-to-month, so I need to manage my budget carefully.
Working with blueumbrella
blueumbrella was already well established when I approached them. Jill was able to offer me a standard of clients I could never have reached myself - this is because they have an excellent reputation and attract a high standard of interesting clients. Working with blueumbrella also means there’s a great team in place that I can call on for help!