A day in the life of a Regional Director
Fiona Ibbetson, Leeds
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 more about how she spends a typical working day, and how she balances her work life with family commitments.
My morning routine
I like to get up early because I have a great morning routine that helps to get me in the right mindset for the day. I do half an hour of exercise, followed by ten minutes of daily gratitude. Then it’s time to get my daughter up for school, make her breakfast and get ready myself.
I usually eat breakfast at around 8am and check my emails to get an idea of the jobs I’ll need to tackle first. Then I wake my son up, make him breakfast and a packed lunch, and take him to school.
At my desk
The first thing I do when I sit down to start work is check over the tasks I’ve planned for myself the day before. These typically include responding to emails, posting and engaging on social media (I set aside dedicated time for this each day to make sure it gets done), connecting with people I met at networking events, and making any introductions that people have requested.
After that, I call the Get Ahead VA team to get a client update – it’s always reassuring to know that I have that support there when I need it – and I follow up with clients to ensure they’re getting everything they need. A big part of my job is pairing clients with virtual assistants, and I have a growing team of really great VAs on hand, who cover a wide range of services. This is also a good time to make contact with prospective clients: following up with anyone who’s expressed an interest in our services, and emailing out contracts and terms of agreement.
Out and about
The beauty of being a Regional Director is that you aren’t bound to your desk all day, every day. A big part of the job is networking, and I tend to do most of my networking at lunchtimes in order to fit my work within school hours. So, at around 11am I get in the car to go to a networking meeting. Sometimes I make use of that driving time to have a quick one-to-one call with a prospective client, or to listen to an audiobook. Currently I’m working my way through The 5 Second Rule by Mel Robbins. Lunchtime networking sessions tend to last two hours, and I eat while I’m there. If I’m not networking, I’ll use this time to review my business and marketing plan, think about what is working well for me, and hone my pitch for future networking events. I’ll take about half an hour for lunch and eat it at the table (not at my desk!).
Afternoon commitments
When my daughter gets home from school, I take a break to catch up with her and find out what homework she has to do. Then I walk to my son’s school to pick him up, and when we come home I give both kids a snack. This isn’t the end of the working day for me, but it’s great that I can be around when my kids finish school, to ask them how their day was.
My afternoon jobs include checking my emails and social media again, and responding to anything pressing, like sending a client proposal. As the working day comes to an end, I review what I’ve done and plan my tasks and set goals for the next day. I might also draft some emails, ready to send out the next morning. Then at around 5pm it’s time to stop work and take the kids to Tae Kwon Do!
A varied routine
All in all, I’m usually in the office around 4 hours a day, and out of the office for 4 hours. I always make time during my office hours for phone calls, emails, marketing and reaching out to any prospects and networking connections. Every week I follow up with my clients and the Get Ahead VA team, update my accounts, check my progress against the plan for the week and make a plan for the following week, so I’m always thinking ahead. Each month I send out invoices and schedule content to post to social media.
The beauty of being a Regional Director is the freedom it affords. For me, I like to spend time on selfdevelopment, whether that’s listening to an audiobook, reading an article, watching a webinar or working on my Beyond 2030 by Toni Eastwood ‘6 Secrets to Success’ model, which I highly recommend.
With Get Ahead VA you are not just buying into a proven business model, but you also have access to franchise advice and support services. You really feel part of the team. Once a month, there’s a regular Zoom call with all the Regional Directors, and this is a great forum for us to share what’s going well, where we need support, and just to bounce ideas around. Also, I know that Rebecca (the founder of Get Ahead VA) is always at the end of the phone if I need any help; she’s super supportive, and she even came up to Leeds when I was delivering a presentation at one of my networking meetings!
Being a Regional Director for Get Ahead VA is a hugely rewarding job, and I love the flexibility of the working hours and the variety of every day. I also love the ability to really scale the business by adding new regional team members as I need them. I would recommend it to anyone who’s thinking of taking the plunge.
