Hello and happy Thursday!
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​Is the VA industry changing?

That's the big question we're digging into on today's episode of The Visionary VA Podcast, because the results of the 2026 UK VA Survey are finally here!
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This week I'm joined by Gwen Backhouse, Chair of the Society of Virtual Assistants (SVA), to talk about her own 12-year journey as a VA, the role of the SVA and, most importantly, what this year's survey tells us about the state of our industry.
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​And there are some VERY interesting findings.​
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A record 701 VAs responded this year, giving us a brilliant snapshot of what's really happening across the UK VA industry.
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A few things that jumped out at me...

📊 Hourly rates appear to be stabilising. After some pretty significant increases in recent years, the rise this year was much smaller. Gwen sees that as a sign of an industry that's maturing.
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👥 Far fewer VAs are outsourcing. In 2023, 28% of VAs outsourced more than half their workload. This year that's dropped to just 4%. That's a HUGE shift and we had an interesting conversation about what might be behind it.
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🤖 AI isn't having the negative impact you might expect. Despite all the worry about AI replacing VA work, 78% said AI has had a positive effect on their business, while just 1% reported a negative effect.
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🤝 People still buy from people. Referrals and word of mouth remain by FAR the biggest source of clients at 66%, while face-to-face networking is back in second place. Meanwhile, Facebook Groups have dropped dramatically as a source of work.
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That last one particularly caught my attention.

We can spend SO much time worrying about whether we're posting enough on LinkedIn or Instagram, when the data keeps telling us that relationships, referrals and actually getting out and talking to people matter enormously.
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​As Gwen put it, "there's just no change in the fact that people work with people."
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​Amen to that. 🙌
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🎙️ Catch the full conversation
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​There's loads more in the episode, including the services VAs are offering, whether you really need a niche, the impact of AI, concerns around the quality of VA training, where Gwen sees the biggest opportunities and what she thinks the industry might look like in another three years.
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​It's a really interesting conversation whether you're brand new to the industry or have been around for years.

📊 Get the 2026 UK VA Survey

The full 2026 UK VA Survey is now available from the Society of Virtual Assistants.
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If you completed the survey this year, you should have received your copy FREE as a thank you for contributing.
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If you didn't take part, you can now purchase a copy from the SVA.
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Yes, we probably all want to turn immediately to the page that tells us what everyone else is charging, but there's so much more useful information in there.
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Use it to look at where VAs are finding clients, what's happening with services, how others structure their businesses and where the industry is heading.
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​As Gwen reminded us, it's a benchmark and a source of inspiration - not a rulebook.​
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Your business still needs to work for YOU. 💛

📅 Chelmsford Meet Up: Friday, 9^th October

​We’re hosting our next VA Meet Up tomorrow, Friday, 9th October, in Chelmsford at Costa Coffee on the Riverside Retail Park from 11.00 – 13.00.

Whether you’re an established VA, just starting out or perhaps just considering the idea of setting up your VA business, we’d love to meet you and hear more about your journey. We’re a really friendly bunch, I promise!
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Get your ticket here.

That's it from me. Have a great end to your week!
Holly x
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