Work on your business, not in your business. This is the best advice one of our virtual assistants, Yvette Barry, can give to entrepreneurs. As an entrepreneur herself, Yvette knows the struggles of trying to run a business and doing it all yourself.
“Don’t let the joy that you started out with be robbed by the mundane and time-consuming tasks that someone else can do for you,” she says. Yvette has her own online store and even had her own business for several years, so if anyone knows about trying to make it as an entrepreneur, it’s her.
We sat down with Yvette to get to know her a little better and find out what she loves about being a virtual assistant at Outsourcery.
All about being a virtual assistant
Yvette graduated from college with a qualification in interior design. She then spent several years in the interiors industry. She then went on to work for an asset finance company as personal assistant to the CEO and then as an assistant to the head of HR. Despite being in the corporate world, Yvette still did some interior decorating and mural jobs on the side. She decided she wanted to become a tour guide but before she knew it, Covid was in full swing. So, she decided to apply to join Outsourcery and, as they say, the rest is history.
Yvette now has five clients that she services as a virtual assistant and is thoroughly enjoying the variety it adds to her day. “I generally love being busy, so having a multitude of varied tasks is right up my alley. But I also love to problem-solve, find solutions to problems, and create effective processes – and being a VA gives me all of that, every day. And of course, my clients. They are honestly the nicest people, and I get along so well with all of them.”
When we asked Yvette what online tools she uses in her role, she said, “Google. if I’m not sure how to do something or need to do some research, Google is my number one go-to. And then Canva (for all my social media and presentation designing), Zoom for those weekly meetings with my clients, and Euphoria Telekom (a cloud-based PABX).”
Work-life balance
At Outsourcery, we are big believers in having a healthy work-life balance, which is why we provide our virtual employees with total flexibility. “It is the best thing for my work-life balance,” Yvette says.
“I get to be at home where I can start my day with a walk or some exercise instead of sitting in traffic, put a load of washing on when needed, clean the house during the week instead of on weekends, take a break in my garden for lunch or a relaxing cup of tea, and listen to my favourite work music (usually café jazz or classical) in-between all my tasks.”
We asked Yvette what she couldn’t survive without at Outsourcery and she said: “I’d have to say my freedom, which being an entrepreneur in the past offered me and being a VA I feel I have that same freedom. No rush hour traffic and having flexibility with my working.”
Quickfire questions
We asked Yvette a few more questions to get to know her better, here’s what she said.
Tell us about an accomplishment you’re most proud of.
My four well-rounded, respectful, kind, and caring children
What kinds of things do you enjoy doing in your free time?
Exploring with my husband. Road trips or long drives, walks in different locations, photography, the beach. And cooking – experimenting with different dishes.
Your house is on fire, what are the first three things you grab?
The file with all our important documents, my cats, and my laptop.
What is a quote or motto you live by?
“A strong woman won’t let anyone get the best of her, but a woman of strength gives the best of herself to everyone.”
Our virtual assistants are highly trained experts in their respective fields. Because they work for Outsourcery, they have been 100% vetted and they are set up and ready to start helping you. As Yvette says, delegate rather than trying to do it all on your own. Contact us to find out more about hiring a virtual assistant.
