Virtual Assistant & Admin Support | Emma Shergold
Recent Posts
Categories
Connection Corner Newsletter
I share what I’m learning about running a business – the wins, the mistakes, and admin solutions that actually work. Delivered fortnightly to your inbox.
Admin-focused Coworking Sessions
Join other business owners for admin focused coworking sessions that gets stuff done. Weekly 1-hour sessions. Monthly topics. Get stuff done together.
Free Resources
Work with me
Whether you would like a done for you or done with you VA service, or you would like a bit of guidance to get you started, please complete my work with me form, from which you will be directed to book a free initial consultation.
Virtual Assistant Business Review 2025: Growth, Clarity, and Finding My Rhythm
As 2025 draws to a close, I wanted to take a moment to reflect on what’s been quite a transformative year for my business, and for me personally.
This isn’t going to be a polished highlight reel. Instead, I want to share the real picture: the wins, the lessons, the tools that made a difference, and the honest realisations about how I need to run my business sustainably.
A YEAR IN REVIEW
2025 was varied in terms of client work, which I really enjoyed. It spanned IT consultancy, construction consultancy (quantity surveying), and event management – all very different sectors, which kept things interesting.
Virtual Assistant clients
For my ongoing VA clients, bookkeeping remained a core focus. One client involves straightforward bank feed reconciliation, whilst another requires navigating a complex monthly billing process alongside purchase invoices and bank reconciliation.
The latter was previously being done by an in-house employee who, whilst very good at it, was using time that was better used elsewhere in the business. As such, the bookkeeping as a whole was something that was fitted in and juggled by a few different people.
Which is probably why I got the feedback:
"We've never been this organised before a VAT Return before."
This was a new client for 2025, and it was also great to be back working on Xero again. Xero is by far my preferred accounting software, but all my other bookkeeping of recent years, including my own, has been on FreeAgent.
NB – FreeAgent comes free with a Mettle bank account, which is really attractive to small businesses and sole traders. FreeAgent does everything most sole traders need, so is a good choice, but it doesn’t have the functionality of Xero.
Setting a client up on Asana
Asana is a great task management software. This client had already chosen it and, as I was already using it, they asked me to set theirs up for them.
Their previous task management tool was their head. To be fair, they had some brilliant ideas, but they were drowning in them rather than actioning them. And, most importantly, they were worried about forgetting things so were constantly going over things in their head leading to overwhelm and risking burnout.
THE HIGHLIGHT OF THE YEAR
Event coordination
This was a five-month maternity cover contract with a sporting events company. Whilst this was technically an employed role, it utilised all my VA skills and was genuinely enjoyable.
I covered the Events Manager position, handling helpdesk emails, website updates, marshal and contractor coordination, event pack updates, scheduling communications, and liaising with suppliers (medals, portaloos, venues – all the logistics that make race day happen).
I even researched the feasibility of a smoke machine for a finish line – getting quotes and providing a report on how much it would all cost (spoiler alert – it wasn’t worth it, but it was a worthwhile exercise!).
Added value
One of the improvements I made was developing a new process for marshal sign-ups. Previously, each event had its own Google Form on the individual event pages. I consolidated everything into one central marshal page on the main event management software, where all volunteering opportunities could be accessed in one place.
The benefit? Marshals could sign up to several events in one go rather than complete separate forms, and we could easily see how many were signed up in the same way as event entrants.
Overall
I really liked the definite start-stop nature of this contract. There was clarity about the timeline, clear boundaries around the role, and a satisfying sense of completion when it ended.
WHAT WORKED
Tools & investments
Without question, my best software investment this year was Claude AI.
My overall content strategy has become so much more focused in terms of what I want to achieve and targeted in terms of who I’m trying to reach. Instead of trying to create content as a Virtual Assistant, I’ve been able to clarify my messaging and actually create content that reflects how I work as an Operations & Systems VA.
In terms of marketing support, joining the Do Crew with Karen Webber of Goodness Marketing has been the best decision I’ve made. Not only did Karen introduce me to Claude, the combination of practical guidance, accountability, and being around other business owners who get it has been invaluable.
Asana isn’t new for 2025, but it’s worth mentioning because I probably rely on it more than I realise. I love that I can brain dump everything into it, then assign myself just a few tasks each day to focus on. It means I see what needs doing without being overwhelmed by the entire to-do list at once.
Systems & structure
My biggest win this year has been creating the most consistent working structure, together with the healthiest work/life balance, that I’ve had in nearly 30 years of working.
This didn’t happen by accident. It came from finally getting on top of health and personal issues that had been holding me back.
Having that foundation of better health and headspace has given me the capacity to build sustainable routines and boundaries, rather than constantly firefighting.
This consistency has enabled me to show up for my clients reliably and to plan my business growth without constantly worrying about whether I’d have the energy to deliver.
WHAT I LEARNED
Boundaries are non-negotiable
I launched my newsletter, Connection Corner, this year, and in my most recent issue I wrote about the boundaries that protect my ability to run my business. I was really pleased I had these boundaries in place when I had a client who didn’t respect them as I was able to clearly articulate myself to them.
When someone pushes back on, or blatantly disregards, my boundaries, they’re not necessarily a bad person, but they are the wrong client for me.
When a working relationship consistently leaves me feeling drained or compromised, I need to pay attention to what this is telling me.
I’ve become much clearer about what makes a good client fit. There are three things that need to align:
- We like each other – there needs to be mutual respect and rapport
- I can do what they need – my skills and services match their requirements
- We can work together – our working styles and communication preferences are compatible
If any one of these is missing, the relationship won’t work, no matter how much I try to force it, or how good a financial opportunity it could be.
Networking isn't one-size-fits-all
This was probably my biggest decision: I have finally realised that I absolutely cannot do in-person networking sessions, whether that’s physically walking into a room or attending an online networking event.
I can just about manage the hybrid approach of online coworking sessions where there’s no more than 15 minutes of talking required, but even that counts towards my ‘peopling’ capacity for the day, so I need to choose these wisely.
However, this has been more of a mindset change in that I’m no longer ‘waiting to feel better’ before I try networking again. As an introverted autistic person, socialising affects me doubly hard, so these formats will never work for me. Accepting this has been both liberating and frustrating.
The frustration comes from the reality that many people can’t seem to get their head around working with someone they haven’t built an in-person relationship with. This then hugely impacts my ability to attract new clients through traditional channels.
But forcing myself into situations that lead to burnout isn’t the answer either.
Instead, I’m focusing on SEO and building relationships on LinkedIn. This is a much slower approach in terms of results, but it’s infinitely more sustainable for me personally.
Marketing takes time
No conversions have materialised yet on the marketing front for some very good reasons:
- I don’t have enough email subscribers yet to see conversions
- I’ve only been back on LinkedIn conscientiously since October
- I’ve only recently begun implementing SEO across my website.
However, I have noticed small changes to my LinkedIn impressions and interactions over this time.
It’s not enough to convert yet because, whilst I’ve been ‘on LinkedIn’ for over a decade, I’m still in the visibility stage of my more focused messaging (which is a harsh but fair reality!).
The same applies to SEO – it will take time to implement throughout my website and see an impact on direct leads.
The vast majority of effective marketing requires patience. My business is the only form of work I plan to do for the rest of my career so, whilst the initial period is slow, I know it will be worth the wait!
Learning from wrong turns
I went down the wrong rabbit hole for a while, exploring whether to build an agency model with associate VAs.
Whilst one of my goals for 2026 is to bring in some clients that I can outsource to an associate VA, I’ve realised that building an agency isn’t the direction I want to go as a business model. It doesn’t align with how I want to work or the way I want to maintain client relationships and deliver quality services.
WHAT I'M LEAVING BEHIND
AuDHD Lifestyle Coaching
For now, I’m leaving behind the AuDHD Lifestyle Coaching aspect of my work, at least in terms of an active pursuit.
This is such a personal area that I need to work with the right people, and they’ll probably come organically from other connections rather than through active marketing.
I’m also not entirely sure it’s the right time for me to offer this. Whilst I’m in a really good place now, my own journey is still relatively recent.
And, as much as I am passionate about supporting people who have been in similar situations to me post diagnoses, I also want to really enjoy the life I’ve built for myself.
Trying to be on all the social platforms
I made a decision about a month ago to stop trying to maintain all the social platforms.
In all honesty I don’t like any of them that much but, for now, I seem to have found a bit of a rhythm with them.
I find LinkedIn easiest to post on because it has a regular post format in the app and no requirement for a photo.
I do like Instagram for the ability to share stories which are usually things that have caught my attention. This sometimes leads to a conversation with someone who has seen it. Or, at the very least, it gives people an idea of the things that make me tick.
I deleted X a long time ago and only have Facebook to be able to join groups where information isn’t available elsewhere, and to manage my pages – I don’t actually have any friends over there!
My plan in 2026 will be to maintain Instagram with my business related posts (which will cross post to Facebook), and LinkedIn will remain my main relationship building platform.
WHAT I'M TAKING FORWARD
At least for the first half of 2026, I’ll be carrying on as I left off in 2025. I don’t have enough data yet to know definitively what’s working, so I’m going to be patient and do another review in about six months time.
Admin Corner
The main focus for 2026 will be the launch of Admin Corner – admin-focused coworking sessions.
This is currently planned for May to coincide with the end of the tax year, which means we can start strong with implementing some good bookkeeping processes right from the beginning.
Looking further ahead
Once I’ve addressed my website SEO and Admin Corner is up and running, I’d also like to put more focus into the run coaching side of my work. This will be via my EV Sports business where there are already some running courses available, albeit not being promoted very well yet!
IN SHORT
2025 has been a year of growth, clarity, and finding my rhythm.
I’ve learned what works for me and what doesn’t. I’ve invested in the right tools and support. I’ve built a sustainable structure that allows me to do my best work without burning out. And I’ve accepted that my path won’t look like everyone else’s, which is actually pretty good for me.
If there’s one thing I want you to take from this reflection, it’s this: building a business that works for you means being honest about what you need, being willing to set boundaries even when they’re inconvenient for others, and giving yourself permission to move at your own pace.
Here’s to 2026, and to continuing to build businesses on our own terms.
HOW I CAN HELP YOUR BUSINESS IN 2026
If you want to outsource your admin
You can book a free initial consultation to discuss what you need and whether we’d be a good fit to work together. I offer traditional done for you VA services, with options for one-off projects, regular monthly support, or done with you sessions where we tackle your to-do list together.
If you'd rather learn how to improve the efficiency of your own admin
My Admin Corner* membership might work better for you. It is a weekly admin-focused coworking session where I share practical admin tips for guidance and accountability, after which everyone works on their own tasks with me on hand for support if needed.
*Admin Corner is not currently open to members, so isn’t an option for early 2026 goals, but has a waiting list for things you have planned later in the year.
Not sure which tasks to keep and which to delegate?
I’ve created a free checklist that helps you work through what makes sense to outsource based on your specific situation. Pick one area from the checklist that would make the biggest difference to your 2026 and start there.