Tina Woollard has always been ambitious. As an employee she rose through the ranks from junior clerk to executive PA. And she’s put the same ambition into making her virtual assistant business a success. Starting as a sole trader in 2001, the business is now a partnership with a team of hard-working and dedicated virtual assistants.

Believing in the product
“My professionalism and pride in my work spurred me on to believe that I could make it on my own and work for myself.” When Tina started out, she was one of the first in the UK to set up as a virtual assistant so there were limited opportunities for comparing her business with others and researching the market. Tina improvised by sending many trials and drafts to friends and family for feedback. For more general advice, such as marketing and branding, Tina approached Business Link.

Tina knew the business had potential, “Using a virtual assistant is all about saving the client time at a fraction of the cost of hiring additional staff so that they can get on with important matters.” Even so, the speed with which it has grown in a relatively short time has surprised her. Tina puts this down to the fact that, “We have been progressive and proactive without trying to run before we can walk.”

Reliable and dependable
And establishing the business as reliable and dependable has kept the work pouring in. Tina recognises that clients have to demand tight deadlines of her because they, too, are under pressure. “It is not uncommon for me to be called at 5pm on a Friday to be asked to work on a large presentation which will eat up my weekend.” The reward for Tina is knowing that she has contributed to her clients’ successes. “This makes the bags under my eyes all worth it!” she says. Tina inspires the same dedication in the associate virtual assistants she uses. “They are ambassadors for the company and we look to them to be as professional as we are.”

But Tina is not resting on her laurels, “Even longstanding businesses are indispensable.” Having built up her business’s reputation she is driven to work even harder and to secure further contacts. Her approach, and advice to others, is, “There has to be a balance between never underestimating yourself and, yet, never becoming complacent.” The benefits of networking Networking has been central to TMW Secretarial Services’ success, and Tina belongs to a wide range of associations including the Federation of Small Businesses, The Institute of Qualified Professional Secretaries and both the International and UK Association of Virtual Assistants. In retrospect, she says, “I wish I’d joined these groups earlier than I did because I have gleaned so much information over the years that I could have put to very good use from a much earlier stage.”

Looking to the future
Like many small businesses, Tina works from home where she has two fully equipped rooms. “I believe in keeping business and home life separate and make sure that everything we need to operate is in those two rooms.” Although it may not be long before Tina is looking to expand into bigger premises with a telemarketer about to start, and a growing demand for her new online copy typing and digital audio transcription examination website, Tesla Typing.

Wise words
“Becoming a successful entrepreneur is a never ending haul, but a very rewarding one.”

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