After a career in corporate buying, Rebecca Newenham founded the award-winning outsourcing agency Get Ahead in 2010. She runs an international team of over 50 regional directors and business experts from the UK to Australia, providing effective marketing business support services to businesses worldwide. She published her first business book, ‘Virtually Yours’ in 2020.

Can you tell our readers about your background?

After graduating with a Business Studies degree, my career began in corporate buying for retail chain Superdrug. It was a dream come true – as a young woman, heading off to Paris to select cosmetics for our stores and then seeing them on the shelves back home. A few years later, I moved to grocery store chain Sainsbury’s as a non-food buyer. I ran the first-ever online supplier auction, and it was so exciting.

What inspired you to start your business?

I loved the fast pace of retail and the excellent grounding in branding that it gave me. But once I had my three daughters, I knew I wanted to look for something different. Inspired by my successfully self-employed mother, I knew it was possible to work and be there for school pick-ups and drop-offs. When my youngest daughter started school, the time felt right to start something new for me.

Where is your business based?

Our head office is in Surrey, UK, but we have regional directors across the UK and in Sydney, Australia. As all of our team works virtually and remotely, we can work anywhere in the world.

How did you start your business? What were the first steps you took?

I came across the term virtual assistant when researching business options, and it seemed to make so much sense. Why recruit staff in-house if you didn’t really need them? Virtual assistants could plug the gap for businesses, providing services as and when they needed them. It seemed much more efficient and 21st century to me than the traditional recruitment model.

I went on a training course to find out more, and from that Get Ahead was born. With a book full of contacts and a second-hand laptop, I was ready to go.

Right from the start, I knew I wanted to create a business, not just be a VA myself. I wanted to offer work to other people, particularly women like me who wanted to work flexibly around their families. Since then, it has been an absolute pleasure to watch my team of VAs grow. I have been lucky to meet so many fascinating people. Many of the women I meet have decades of experience yet have struggled to find meaningful part-time or flexible work. Working at Get Ahead allows them to use their significant skills and work when and how suits them.

What has been the most effective way of raising awareness for your business?

Networking has always been a fantastic way of raising awareness of the business and is something I love. The concepts of outsourcing and virtual assistants were relatively unknown when I first launched the business, so face-to-face networking was essential to help people understand the expert, flexible and affordable business support we could deliver. I am delighted that over ten years later, and certainly post covid-19, organisations are much more aware of how outsourcing can help them achieve their objectives and grow.

What have been your biggest challenges and how did you overcome them?

Like any business owner, there have been many obstacles to overcome. The first time a team member left to go and work for a client was hard to accept. But on reflection, I realised that it demonstrated what a good job we had done to help grow the client’s business to the point that they needed their own in-house support.

Knowing your numbers as a business owner is vital, but I struggled with an accountant who became slow and inefficient. I didn’t have clear enough visibility of my numbers, and she appeared uninterested in my plans for growing the business, so I knew it was time to move to another provider.

In 2016, I could see that franchising was a great next step for my business. But learning about franchising and pulling together the right franchise offering was a challenge. I was lucky to work with an excellent franchising consultant, and since welcoming our first franchisee in 2017, I know I made the right decision. I really enjoy mentoring our franchisees and helping them grow their own businesses. Having said that, it hasn’t all been plain sailing. One or two franchisees haven’t worked out. This has helped me understand that the franchise option isn’t for everyone and that I should trust my instincts about who will make the best fit.

How do you stay focused?

I work really well with business coaches, and they have been part of my journey for many years. They help me stay focused on the bigger picture of where I am trying to drive the business and not get too bogged down in the day-to-day running of the company. Time is precious, and my business coach challenges me to make sure I use it as effectively as possible.

How do you differentiate your business from the competition?

Our business vision is simple: to ensure any business – small or large – has the opportunity to tap into the right virtual support to help them achieve their goals. My team of virtual experts provides outsourced business support to over 100 clients at any one time.

We focus on the three key principles:

Outsourcing with simplicity: When you need an outsourcing service provider, you haven’t got time to meet with numerous potential suppliers. We focus on making the whole process simple, easy and painless.

Outsourcing for quality: We can vouch for the experience and expertise of every one of our 40-strong teams of experts. So, whether you need a social media management service, bookkeeper, PR expert, someone to provide Zoom support, a virtual assistant or any other kind of virtual support, the work will be completed to the very highest standard.

Outsourcing with flexibility: We can’t think of anything worse than committing to a minimum number of hours or tying clients into lengthy contract periods. That’s why we have no minimum hours or tie-in. Our clients use our services because they find them valuable, not because they have to.

Our wonderful clients range from the small to the big, the newly-established to the well-established. But they have one thing in common – the need for outstanding outsourced business services to enable them to meet their business goals.

What has been your most effective marketing strategy to grow your business?

Alongside regular networking, I have exhibited at many local business shows. I encourage my franchisees also to exhibit at business shows and have attended some to support them. To maximise the value of my investment in these events, I often secure speaking slots, talking about the benefits of outsourcing and other topics linked to my business model. These exhibitions have provided a pipeline for new clients and new franchisees.

I have invested heavily in digital marketing, including a comprehensive website for the core business and the franchise business, featuring videos, animations, meet the team profiles, free business resources and information on all of our core services. The website blog is updated weekly, providing useful tips and advice for small business owners and profiling our virtual assistants, services, and company news. Much of this content is repurposed for our monthly client e-newsletter.

Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and particularly LinkedIn have become real assets for the business. Social media is a time investment, but it has been worth it to grow our audience and reach online. One of my franchisees first saw their franchise advertised on the Get Ahead Facebook page, which prompted them to inquire and then go on to buy the franchise.

What's your best piece of advice for aspiring and new entrepreneurs?

Don’t be afraid to follow your dreams. Do your research upfront, and then just get on with it. If things don’t turn out quite as you thought the first time, don’t panic - think about how you could do it differently. Keep evolving until you get it right.

What's your favorite app, blog, and book? Why?

I love the Pomodoro app. It helps me manage my time effectively and ensures that I take regular breaks and remain focused on the task at hand.

My favorite business book is Work like a Woman by Mary Portas. I found it hugely inspiring. As an entrepreneur and mother of three girls, I am very conscious of the world of work and the role of women in business. Mary talks about the fact that just because the world of work has been a certain way in the past doesn’t mean that it should remain that way in the future. It can be changed, and we can celebrate the unique qualities women bring to leadership and the workplace. Reading the book has given me even more confidence to run my business in the way I want and to empower women to take control of their careers and be the most fulfilled that they can be.

What's your favorite business tool or resource? Why?

I recently discovered Trello, and it has revolutionised how I work. Previously, my desk was covered in ‘to-do’ notes and lists, and I found it difficult to focus. I started using Trello, and now my desk is totally clear. All my actions are in one digital source. I have different boards for different areas, like my daily and weekly tasks, vision for the year, or for specific people like my VA. I can delegate tasks much more easily and keep track of progress.

Who is your business role model? Why?

Karen Brady inspires me to be a better leader. Over the years, I think she has become one of the highest-profile, most respected female business leaders whilst raising her two children. She is passionate about supporting women in business and has a strong belief that hard work and ambition can make any dream a reality. I love her can-do attitude, encapsulated in her quote: “You can’t determine where you start in life, but you can determine where you end up.”

How do you balance work and life?

Achieving the balance of running a business, family life and time for me isn’t easy. The huge benefit of working flexibly is that I control my own diary and can dedicate time to both work and life. I have found that exercise is really important, and I work with a personal trainer and attend regular Pilates classes. These help me process events from the day and recharge physically and emotionally. I am also very strict with my time, including not working in the evenings.

What’s your favorite way to decompress?

Family holidays are a special time to switch off, relax and spend quality time with my husband and children. Thankfully, I have an excellent team of virtual assistants to manage things whilst I am away. We are desperately hoping to get back to Australia this Christmas. I have certainly missed the freedom to travel and explore new places during the pandemic.

What do you have planned for the next six months?

I am excited about continuing to grow our franchise network this year. Adding new franchisees, both domestically and internationally, will help grow the business further. In the UK, I am focussing on Southampton, Birmingham and Bristol and would love to access Scotland. Internationally, I am targeting other Australian territories beyond our Sydney base. With continued economic uncertainty, we see more and more companies outsourcing to remain agile, leaving virtual businesses such as ourselves and our franchisees perfectly placed to assist.

How can our readers connect with you?

Website: https://getaheadva.com/

Instagram: www.instagram.com/getaheadva/

Facebook: www.facebook.com/getaheadva/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/get-ahead-va

Twitter: @GetAheadVA