In 2016, busy farmer’s wife and mum of two, Rachael, was looking to get back into the working world. Although she was occupied with two young boys, living on a busy farm and coordinating a small holiday cottage business, Rachael was eager to find a project that she could call her own. She wanted to be able to use the skills she already had, bring in a bit of extra cash and feel like she was making a real difference to other business owners and entrepreneurs. 

Initially, after the birth of her second son, she thought about returning to her job as a PA. However, with her farm being so remote it meant a long and expensive commute to get back in the office. That, plus the growing cost of childcare for two kids made her feel that going back to her old job just wouldn’t be worth her while. 

As she had plenty of PA experience, a close friend suggested she became a VA and work for herself at home. Rachael was quite skeptical about starting up her own business as she had never been self-employed before. But she was interested to see if the idea of working remotely could work for her. 

She started by doing plenty of research online to see if the skills she had could easily transfer over to working as a remote PA, and during this research she came across Sarah and the My VA Business packages. 

The programme itself guided her through set up, giving all the information that she needed and answered many of the initial questions that she had about starting a VA business from scratch. But it was the one-to-one mentoring from Sarah that really helped her achieve her goals. “I’m sure I frustrated Sarah no end by constantly jumping ahead – I have never been very good at being patient if there is something I want to do”, admits Rachael. 

The mentoring sessions gave Rachael the chance to ask any specific questions she had about set up and finding clients. Sarah was there to share her thoughts and experiences, discuss any issues or setbacks and constantly push Rachael to rise to any challenges she came across. 

“Sarah has given a lot of her time answering queries and never makes you feel like anything you ask is silly or pointless,” says Rachael, “which helps to boost your confidence when you come up with suggestions and ideas.” 

Fast forward and Rachael’s business – Puzzle PA Services – has grown steadily. She now regularly works with other associates to cover all the client projects she has coming in. 

“It is very difficult to put a price on the advice of someone who has been through the exact same situation as you are in and successfully come out the other side”, Rachael explains, “The ongoing support I still get is fantastic and I often ask questions”.

Back in 2017, NHS Medical Secretary and mum of two, Annabel Veysey, was juggling a lengthy commute, work that was underpaid and rigid working hours which meant sacrificing her time with the family.

It wasn’t long before she realised that something had to give. 

She wanted to have more flexibility around the kids, ditch the annoying commute and up her earning potential, so began looking into how she could turn the skills and experience she already had into her own business – initially with the thought of doing medical transcription. 

A chance encounter brought the My VA Business programme to her attention. Intrigued by the idea of working remotely as a VA, Annabel knew that she could earn far more as a virtual medical secretary than she could as an employee and thought that with guidance from Sarah she may be able to tailor the programme to support her idea of specialising in the medical and legal secretary-based work that she knew so well. 

The programme included unlimited mentoring from Sarah, and wider support from the My VA Business team who helped with advice on areas such branding and website creation, and very soon Annabel’s business, AV-VA, was up and running.

“Spend money getting the right advice”, encourages Annabel, who understands the importance of not ‘going it alone’, “When I call to speak to Sarah, I’m speaking to somebody who has done it before – who knows – who has been there and done that.” 

Concerned initially that she wasn’t good enough to run a successful business, the mentoring sessions became an invaluable part of her setting up process. Annabel’s drive and determination was clear to see, and Sarah encouraged her to ask questions and share any challenges she was having. 

“What stands out for me is the support network Sarah provides, not only the information with regard to set up, but the emotional back up at times when I doubted my capabilities”. 

Very soon after launching her business Annabel secured her first client, a small medical practice. Soon she was running the consultant’s practice single-handedly and decided she was ready to take on another. 

“I get lovely feedback from both patients and other medical staff thanking me for my help – it gives me great job satisfaction! And I love being able to say I am a Practice Manager, rather than a medical secretary.” 

Even once Annabel’s business was running successfully, Sarah and her team were always there to help. “I get a sense that I belong to a community” Annabel admits, knowing that if she had a question about anything – the latest change in regulations, legal documents or simply marketing her business – Sarah would be there to advise, encourage and keep her focused on her business goals. “Sarah can help answer your questions and help you move forward”. 

Two years on and Annabel’s business had grown very quickly. With several associates working alongside her she decided the time was right to register her business as a limited company. Now known as Medical Practice Management (MPM) Ltd, Annabel’s plan is to cover all her consultants work with associates so she can focus on growing the business and covering any holidays for her team. 

Sarah’s mentoring helped here too, as her own experience of growing a team of VAs and then stepping out of the business, means she has much practical advice to share. 

MPM continues to thrive, managing many consultants’ practices, including several on Harley Street. Annabel’s success was featured in a centre spread article in The Sunday Telegraph. 

“Sarah Rugg is one of life’s inspirational people,” says Annabel, “Thank you for answering all my endless questions! Without Sarah there absolutely would be no AV-VA and certainly no MPM Ltd”