This episode, Cydelle is joined by Virtual Assistant & Virtual Assistant Coach, Michelle Eshelman. With over 13 years of experience in Administrative and Customer Service roles, when Michelle learned that she was pregnant with her first son Ryan, in 2020, she decided to put her knowledge and experience to good use by becoming a Virtual Assistant. Her ongoing mission is to help as many people as possible.  Cydelle and Michelle talk about ways to stand out by being organic and not just...

This episode, Cydelle is joined by Virtual Assistant & Founder of The VA Lounge, Hayley Hudson. Hayley launched her VA business at the height of the pandemic and has spent the last 2 years building a sustainable offering that kicks entrepreneurs into productivity, in a proactive, dynamic way. Loving every minute of being part of the VA industry, Hayley is a keen advocate that one-size does not fit all, and she’s enjoying trailblazing the virtual world, on her own terms. January 2021 saw...

In this episode, Cydelle is joined by Founder & Director of RH Brand Building, Rachel Humphrey. With over 15 years’ PR experience across consumer brands, Rachel builds brands for progressive, digital businesses and develops clear messaging for their unique stance in the market by delivering powerful and thoughtful strategic PR plans for long-term brand credibility that is relevant to inclusive and diverse audiences. Rachel is also an Associate Lecturer at the London College of Fashion,...

In this episode, Cydelle is joined by Virtual PA, Rachael Dalton. Rachael Dalton is an Executive level Virtual PA specialising in Business and Personal Lifestyle support, to High Net Worth Individuals (HNWI). As an Executive PA for over 14 years to the CEO & Senior Partner of a world leading hedge fund, Rachael is familiar with working in exciting, high-pressure, fast-paced environments. However, following the growth of her family, she sought a better work life balance and decided to...

In this episode, Cydelle is joined by Digital Marketing Virtual Assistant, Shiela Pialago. Shiela Pialago is a Digital Marketing VA from the Philippines, mostly serving the healthcare and tech industries, for the last 10 years. Shiela is also host of virtual career-focused show, The Rockstar VA Podcast, which aims to help Virtual Assistants, freelancers and business owners, by addressing concerns on professional rapport and providing real-time, real-life insights on the ever-changing...

In this episode, Cydelle is joined by Co-Founder of Niche on Demand, Consultant, Executive Producer and Board Trustee, Zena Tuitt. Zena, a former PA herself, is a change agent with more than 20 years creative business experience spanning professional services, financial services, publishing, television, film and theatre. Cydelle explores Zena’s experiences of hiring a Virtual Assistant for her business, an essential commodity that Zena says she now could not live without!  This is a...

In this episode, Cydelle is joined by two more members of the Onit! Communications team, Jo Mower and Laura Mitchell. This episode is part of our VA Diaries series where we dig into the careers of Virtual Assistants who have made the transition from employed, business support roles to the heady heights of self-employment as a VA and explore how they found themselves in the online space. Jo Mower, a Virtual Assistant, has been working with VA Agency Onit! Communications for a number of years...

In this episode, Cydelle is joined by long-time Executive Assistant, Jeremy Burrows. As well as a very successful career as an Executive Assistant, Jeremy is also an international Speaker and Trainer, founder of The Leader Assistant Community and Premium Membership, author of the #1 Amazon Bestselling book, The Leader Assistant: Four Pillars of a Confident, Game-Changing Assistant, and host of the #1 podcast for assistants – The Leader Assistant Podcast. Jeremy and Cydelle discuss life as...

In this episode, Cydelle is joined by two members of the Onit! Communications team, Gemma Baxter and Louise Sam. This episode is part of our VA Diaries series where we dig into the careers of Virtual Assistants who have made the transition from employed, business support roles to the heady heights of self-employment as a VA and explore how they found themselves in the online space. Gemma Baxter, an Online Business Manager, works with a number of clients but her work with Cydelle centres on...

In this episode, Cydelle is joined by Founder of Micro Power Marketing, Gemma Cormack. Previously a Customer Relations Manager with luxury brands, Bentley and Rolls Royce, Gemma set up her business to travel, whilst working alongside worldwide bloggers, globally acclaimed musicians and many others. She’s now the proud owner of the Micro Power Marketing membership; a safe and accepting space for misfits to boost their knowledge as a micro business owner and make more sales, without breaking...

In this episode, Online Business Manager Gemma hosts a takeover and is joined by Cydelle on the other side of the table. Speaking about transitioning from VA to VA Hirer, Gemma presses Cydelle for the motivations behind her transition from Virtual Assistant to Consultant and what that meant for her business, Onit Communications. Cydelle shares some really key insights into the mind of a VA Hirer, including key qualities that she looks for in prospective Virtual Assistants, and also, what...

In this episode, Cydelle is joined by Digital Consultant and Founder of Quantum Consultancy Services, Martin Riley. Martin knew for a really long time that he wanted to be freelance and after making the switch from 9-to-5, to entrepreneurship, Martin now works with other small business owners to create strong foundations in their technology and to provide them with a one-stop-shop for the digital tools needed to thrive in the online space. Using his many years of experience, Martin imparts...

This episode, Cydelle is taking a look at data management and what you need to consider around data when you’re a Virtual Assistant - especially if you’re new or just starting out. Data management is an area of your business that needs some serious attention upfront, so that you can rest easy later, knowing it’s all in hand. The episode also explores why data management doesn’t only apply to you in your own business, but also highlights your responsibility with your clients.  With penalties...

This episode, Cydelle welcomes PR Consultant, Owner & Founder of Ariatu PR, Ronke Lawal to the podcast. Ronke has a number of accolades to her name; In 2010 she was named one of the top 400 women of the year for her work with Islington Chamber of Commerce. By 2020, Ronke was awarded PR and Comms Influencer of the Year by the Vuelio Online Influence Awards. Ronke offers her clients a full scope of expertise in order for them to show up, represent and achieve amazing results as their full...

This episode, Cydelle shares her story about how she left her successful EA career in the banking industry, to become a full time Virtual Assistant.  Though she was living the corporate dream, Cydelle found herself uninspired and dissatisfied with being unable to show up as her authentic self. By 2009, she began to wonder how she could transfer her extensive business support skills to do something more aligned with her values. After performing as a Spoken Word Artist, Cyd saw the potential...

This episode, I’m joined by VA Business Owner & Founder, Leeanne Adu of Leave It With LA VA. With 20 years of Admin and Customer Service experience, over 10 years as an award-winning Executive Assistant to high profile C-suite execs, and two years as a Virtual Assistant business owner, Leeanne is well equipped to share how to make the switch from EA to VA. With family life changing, Leeanne became a full time VA in 2019, and shares with us some of the mistakes that she made and how she...

This episode, Cydelle explores Virtual Assistant websites and how to ensure they convert.  Websites is an area of business that has been discussed previously on the podcast, but this time, from a different perspective. A website is a super valuable tool to have in your arsenal but as Cydelle maintains in her unpopular opinion, not imperative to have when you’re just starting out - as discussed in detail on episode 9.  In this episode, Cydelle gets granular on what you should consider when...

This episode, I’m joined by Marketing Consultant, Shona Chambers. Following a 20 year career in marketing, for both large corporations and as an independent consultant, Shona now provides marketing planning and strategy support for small business owners. As Shona shares, marketing is about so much more than pretty graphics and motivational quotes. During this episode we delve into how to improve your promotional efforts, by exploring the different types of marketing, how customer insights...

This episode, Cydelle is exploring how you can begin to build your portfolio of testimonials. Often, aspiring and emerging Virtual Assistants are unsure how to go about building their reputation and social proof bank to help attract new clients. Cydelle shares some tips on how to utilise the experience and tap into the connections that VAs already have, rather than offering to work for free. Cydelle shares her insightful experience of building a portfolio of quality testimonials, including...

This episode, I’m joined by Coach, Trainer and Mentor for ambitious Virtual Assistants, Victoria Tretis. Victoria is an Online Business Manager who supports Virtual Assistants to embrace their expertise to become “more than a VA”. Not content with this, Victoria also has her own business support podcast called “From Virtual Assistant to Online Business Manager”, which peaked in the top 20 of the UK Apple Podcast charts for Careers, and averages around 750 downloads per month. During this...

This episode, Cydelle discusses a topic that comes up a lot in the online space and that is whether VAs should pay for training and development, or rely on free resources to create a sustainable business. Being a Virtual Assistant is a dual role; you have to work on your business as well as in your business and there is a limit to how much you can develop without considerable investment. As a VA, we are a business investment for our clients by default and so it is important to recognise...

This week, Cydelle is joined by a very good friend of hers, Natalie Freeman of 13 Rhythms. Natalie, a Business Coach and Pricing Strategist, is a woman of wealth and knowledge. Her wide range of skills span across the areas of business advisor, trainer, mentor, and consultant with a background in enterprise and entrepreneurship.  In her mission of ending the curse of the expensive hobby, Natalie supports clients by helping them gain clarity on their business ventures to ensure their...

This week, Cydelle explores more on the customer journey, referencing her experiences sourcing a VA for her own business.  Business owners often seek out additional support outside of regular business hours. At that point they go looking for you. Are you certain that these potential clients are going to be able to contact you, understand what it is that you do, or even find you at all? From broken links to missing contact details, Cydelle walks us through some of the key gaps that can...

This week, Cydelle welcomes a guest from across the pond. Summer Burnely, an Attorney & Business Strategist, joins us to talk about how she helps entrepreneurs protect their brand assets through business planning and US trademark law. Starting a business is time consuming with so many moving parts to consider. This episode really gives emerging and aspiring VAs food for thought on how to keep their brand and assets safe online, for both clients and themselves.  Now running her own...