VIRTUAL ASSISTANT SERVICES
FOR SMALL BUSINESSES AND CHARITIES
Often small business owners get so bogged down in administration and the day to day running of a business that it is hard to find the time to concentrate on growing the business, meeting potential clients or just having some much needed rest.
That’s where a Virtual Assistant (VA) comes in.
As your VA, Michelle looks after your business needs from her remote office, taking the administration tasks away and giving you more time to concentrate on the bigger demands of your company..
By Your Side Business Support’s Virtual Assistant Services can save your small business money by providing cost effective PA support as and when you need it. No expensive monthly salary, PAYE or NI costs. Just pay as you go, either hourly or a set monthly package.
Michelle Jamieson
VA, Finance & Admin, By Your Side
How can a Virtual Assistant support your small business?
As an experienced Virtual Assistant, Michelle specialises in a wide variety of administrative tasks.
She takes care of those seemingly little admin tasks that take up way more time than many small business owners have, freeing up your time (and headspace) to focus on the business priorities that only you can do.
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Scheduling internal and external meetings and appointments
Coordinating diaries and managing all the to-and-fro when arranging large group meetings
Spotting and resolving double-bookings or scheduling clashes.
Blocking out time for you to prepare for and travel to / from meetings
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Managing your, or your general, email inbox by:
Sorting and categorising emails
Flagging important emails
Responding to emails
Unsubscribing from, and deleting, spam
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Researching and booking travel and accommodation for events (or even holidays!)
Creating travel itineraries
Making restaurant reservations
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Internet research on specific topics of interest
Researching best practise, requirements for compliance etc.
Sourcing service providers, products or gifts etc.
Finding potential customers and their contact details
Competitor analysis
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Audio typing / transcription
Formatting, proofreading and repurposing your important business documents
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Updating and maintaining your key business:
Spreadsheets
Databases
CRM
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Finding suitable venues
Creating and circulating agendas
Minuting the meeting
Typing up and circulating minutes and action lists
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Preparatory bookkeeping
Bank and credit card reconciliation
Credit control
Posting and issuing invoices
Processing expenses
Running payroll
Meet Michelle: VA, Finance & Admin
Michelle has almost 17 years experience supporting business directors, Finance Directors and charity boards of directors.
As both an employed Personal/Executive Assistant and a Virtual Assistant, she’s assisted with establishing and running busy offices, right from start ups to larger enterprises and brings a wealth of administrative experience and skill for every stage of a business’ growth journey.
“I truly believe I can make a real difference to any business owner that is struggling with finding the time in the day to get the ‘admin’ done.”
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When my previous employer went into administration, I decided to take the leap of faith and start My Virtual Personal Assistant.
I’d learnt so much about new business procedures and felt that the expertise I gained in the role, along with the experience I gained earlier in my career, meant I had so much to offer in the way of administrative support for other small business owners.
Recognising that my VA clients would benefit from a broader range of services than a traditional VA provides, I partnered Lynne and By Your Side Business Support was born. -
I was originally recruited by York Instruments Ltd to be the Office Administrator, but I quickly took on more responsibility (such as accounts, payroll and recruitment). I enjoyed the fact that it utilised all my skills and no day was the same. I started with the company at its inception, helping put into place new processes and procedures, assisting with the recruitment of the team and being involved in the whole day to day running of the company that had 43 members of staff when it finally came to an end.
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Between December 2009 and April 2016, I worked as a Personal Assistant in two businesses, developing my skills and honing my craft.
Virtual Assistant Testimonials
PACKAGES AND PRICING
‘Pay as you go’ prices for businesses and charities whose needs vary month by month
Our Virtual Assistant services are charged at £32.50/hour
You only pay for the time you use (minimum of 1 hour/week; rounded to the nearest 15 minutes) and are invoiced monthly in arrears.
Discounted rates available if you’re looking for 16+ hours each month
Our cost-effective packages for businesses and charities looking for a minimum half a day a week support give you peace of mind that you’re getting the support you need at a price you can easily budget for.
As we approach the package limit, you’ll be notified and we can either cap our hours, or continue at a pre-agreed additional hourly rate. You’ll always have visibility of what we’re working on, and how long it’s taking and if we find that we’re consistently working under, or over, the pre-agreed hours, you can easily switch plans.
Articles about Virtual Assistants for Small Businesses
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Think VAs are only for low-level admin tasks? Think again
Rather than being simply admin support, modern day VAs are more like strategic partners working closely alongside clients to provide what they need, how they need it.
This article takes a look at some of the tasks you might consider hiring a VA for, what you might think they mean, and what’s actually involved.
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Which VA is the right VA… for you?
The barrier to entry for becoming a VA is low, but the skill gap between a newcomer and a seasoned Office Manager/PA is massive.
Neither is "wrong," but for a busy business owner, knowing the difference is critical.
This article helps you navigate this and suggests the questions you should be asking before hiring a VA.
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The real difference between an employee and outsourced admin support
There comes a point in most growing businesses where something has to give and small business owners start asking the question: “Do I hire someone? Or do I bring in external support like a Virtual Assistant?”
There is no one size fits all solution. But there are some important differences that are worth understanding before you decide.
More than a Virtual Assistant
Recognising that her VA client would benefit from a broader range of services than a traditional VA provides, Michelle partnered with her Associate, Lynne, and By Your Side Business Support was born.
BYS marries both Lynne & Michelle’s complimentary skills sets, doubles their capacity and broadens their ability to support small businesses, solopreneurs and charity directors.
Collectively, Michelle and Lynne can support business with a range of one-off and ongoing projects and tasks to fully support our clients to grow with the convenience of only having one supplier invoice to pay, and one main point of contact.
View our services page to find out more about the other services By Your Side Business Support provides.
Our mission is to provide the processes and support that small business owners and charity directors need to achieve their ambitions.
Outsource the admin you don’t have time or enthusiasm for to people who do.
Delegate the work you’re looking to get off your task list to people who specialise in it.
Bring in dedicated resource to support you with a specific project or one-off, or ad-hoc task.
If that sounds like something you’re looking for…