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The VA Handbook

🏘️ It takes a village

Published 20 days ago • 2 min read

Good morning - and happy Thursday!

It has certainly been a whirlwind three weeks since I picked up the reins at The VA Handbook HQ and as I was writing this, it occurred to me how much of it was about community.

Last week I spent three days at Oxford University for the Goldman Sachs 10KSB programme I’m currently participating in, and a huge part of that was about building connection with other business owners who are running small but mighty organisations.

​There’s no bonding experience quite like finding yourself in a piano bar late on a school night shouting your lungs out to “Don’t Look Back in Anger” is there? 🙈​

On Tuesday I hosted my first evening Q&A session for the Rock Stars (trainees of our amazing DIY VA course). There’s something so powerful about VAs coming together and sharing their journeys with others.

Whether it’s celebrating wins or supporting those facing challenges, it’s such a pleasure and a privilege to help others build businesses they love and it’s a good reminder that we’re not alone in all of this.

​It really does take a village. ​

Today I’m in London speaking at the EA Campus Conference and this week we have also launched our UK programme of in-person VA meet ups which I’m super excited about.

📅 VA Events

There are so many benefits to working from home and being your own boss, but it can be a touch lonely from time to time.

Of course, the first thing you should do is join our amazing Handbookers Facebook community, but if you’re craving some real-life connection, check out our new programme of events which launched this week.

We’ve got our first few VA meet ups in the diary for Manchester, Birmingham, Newcastle and Cambridge, and we’ll be adding more throughout the year so bookmark the page and see when we’re coming to a town near you.

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Community, Skills and Connection

Check out the latest episode of the Visionary VA Podcast where I chat with Emma Price and Victoria Baker, hosts of the Manchester VA Conference, about all things community, connection, skills and why events like this matter.

Tune in to find out what they’ve got in store for attendees, why they set up the event in the first place and just what it takes to put on an event like this.

📄 UK VA Survey: Action Required

The annual SVA Survey is currently open, and your contribution is vital to strengthening the UK VA Industry.
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To ensure the results are statistically valid and useful for the entire community, a minimum of 10% participation across the UK is required. This data is the backbone of our industry, allowing VAs to benchmark rates and stay competitive in a shifting market.

Why participate?

  1. Access accurate data on current industry rates and service demands.
  2. Receive a complimentary copy of the final report (published September).
  3. Support the professional standing of Virtual Assistants throughout the UK.

So, grab a cuppa and please do take a few minutes to complete the survey today.

🪄Other useful VA resources

Phew, that was a long one! See you next week.
​
Holly x
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PS Are you following us everywhere?​
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​We’ve started posting again on the VA Handbook Facebook page, and on our LinkedIn and Instagram profiles! We'd love to chat with you on your preferred social media platform so do come and find us, follow us and get involved. 💖

The VA Handbook

Holly Copsey

Leading the next chapter of The VA Handbook - supporting VAs to build professional, sustainable businesses. Bringing my experience of running a multi-award-winning VA agency and building a team to help VAs not just get started, but grow with structure, confidence and long-term success.

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