No business could be a bigger fan of outsourcing than GetAheadVA. The regional directors and I practice what we preach, outsourcing our own business tasks within the team, freeing us up to connect with clients, do our own virtual assistant work and still have time to go for a run. If you’ve called us and we’re not there, you’ll have encountered our efficient phone answering service, and all those gorgeous infographics you’ve seen on LinkedIn were created by our own graphic design experts.

There are a number of excellent VAs who operate alone, but we firmly believe that VA agencies offer a more efficient, flexible service. In this blog, we look at why outsourcing to an agency makes sense for your business.

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Virtual assistants can provide invaluable services to businesses at the best of times, and especially so right now, when many people need extra support to keep their businesses running smoothly during lockdown. Remote, flexible working is the comfort zone of the virtual assistant, and that’s why we’re well placed to help you adapt to these extraordinary circumstances. Want to know more? Here are 5 key ways a virtual assistant can help you during lockdown.

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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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The best thing we can all do right now, to stay safe and slow the spread of coronavirus, is to stay indoors as much as possible. However, this can have an effect on our mental health – being unable to go outside, being isolated from friends and family, and feeling uncertain about what the next few months will hold. Indeed, a number of mental health charities have already reported that this crisis has led to an increase in cases of anxiety.*

Fortunately, there are plenty of things you can do to protect and nurture your mental health during this time. Here are 5 key things you can do to stay happy and mentally healthy during lockdown – all without leaving the house!

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A lot has changed in a week, and this continues to be a very strange time for the world. The UK government has now ordered all pubs, restaurants, cafes, libraries and gyms to close, as well as shops selling non-essential items.* Many businesses are feeling the impact of these new protective measures, especially small businesses and independents, and many business owners now find themselves in the position of trying to keep things running while also heeding expert advice.

If you are one of the many people trying to come to terms with this new reality, we’re here to help, with some advice about how to market your business, mindfully and sensitively, during this difficult time.

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Get Ahead VA is very proud to have branches across the country, and we’re always on the lookout for ambitious, business-minded people who are interested in opening a new branch in their local area. Our Regional Directors are brimming with good advice about being your own boss. Today, Kristy and Suzanne, co-Directors of our Berkshire & North Hampshire office, are here with some advice about working together as a partnership.

When we set up our branch of Get Ahead VA in 2019, we decided to do it as a pair. There are all sorts of benefits to going into business with another person – companionship, shared workload, complementary skills – so if you’re thinking of doing this, here are some tips for how to make your business partnership work!

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As a business owner, you probably already have a Company Page on LinkedIn, and you use it to share content, find contacts and get the word out about your business. But did you know that you can build your business’ social media presence by encouraging your staff to sign up too?

Of course, you can’t demand that your staff actively promote your business on their personal LinkedIn pages, but you can explain the benefits of doing so and provide some guidance that will help them to advocate for the business if they want to. To get you started, here are 4 reasons why it can be useful to link up with your employees on LinkedIn.

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Get Ahead VA is very proud to have branches across the country, and we’re always on the lookout for ambitious, business-minded people who are interested in opening a new branch in their local area. Our Regional Directors are brimming with good advice about being your own boss. Today, Fiona, Regional Director of our Leeds office, is here with 5 quick tips to help you level up your franchise.

I started Get Ahead VA Leeds in January 2018, and over the last couple of years I’ve found all sorts of ways to take my business from strength to strength. Here are 5 of my favourites!

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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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