Today, 1st July 2024, marks 10 years since Virtalent was founded.
That’s an entire decade spent delivering top-tier support to British small businesses!
In 2014, Virtalent was created to fill a gap in the market found by Ellie and Sam Wilson. As entrepreneurs themselves, they were in need of good quality, UK-based support but struggled to find it.
Solo freelancers were hit and miss, marketplaces felt like a “race to the bottom” with everyone across the world competing solely on price and, as a new small business, hiring a staff member was simply out of the question.
This sparked an idea – remote access to high quality, affordable support, on a monthly subscription – and, as a result, Virtalent was born.
The Journey
Starting out as a small team but with a big ambition, Sam and Ellie hired their first member of staff in 2017 – the business needed a Client Success Manager to look after their growing number of customer accounts.
This marked a turning point. Sam and Ellie found themselves with far more time to work on growing the company, and not looking after customers.
In fact, in 2020, Virtalent surpassed 100 5* reviews on reviews.co.uk and, just a year later, we saw 100 Virtual Assistants make up our remote team. It was time to double down on growing the brand! Virtalent launched its bespoke client portal during the same year.
Business Manager, Sarah says “I joined Virtalent in 2020. In the few years since then, I have seen Virtalent well and truly put itself “on the map” as one of the leading VA services in the UK”.
Over the past few years – despite a challenging time for all small businesses – we’re pleased to say that Virtalent has continued to grow rapidly. We have an innovative spirit and are always looking to drive things forward as a team.
We were excited in 2023 to launch our AssistYou mental health programme, win several awards, and double the size of our internal staff team within a matter of months!
Today, in 2024, our team of 250 Virtual Assistants support a diverse range of clients, ranging from established consultants to high street brands.
Success Stories
As a team, we’re always talking about our clients. They are such an interesting mix of people, industries and requirements!
Virtalent has had the absolute privilege to have made an impact on many hundreds, if not thousands, of small businesses, over the past decade.
We’ve helped these businesses to save money, increase productivity, improve efficiency and, most importantly, allowed the owners of those businesses to feel less stressed, get more clarity and spend far more time doing the things they love – whether that’s travel or being with their family. After all, surely that’s the reason they started their business in the first place!
As one client shared, “I wanted a service I could tailor to add value to our organisation. Virtalent were the most flexible and open minded. They’re lovely people offering a fantastic service.”
We would never have reached this important milestone without the loyalty and support of our customers. From our very first customer – a serial entrepreneur in Birmingham who believed in our mission – to our most recent new account this morning, a barrister in Norfolk looking for a hand with their social media – we’re eternally grateful to every single one.
The Dedication Of Our Team
Equally, none of this success could have been achieved without the support of our team.
We have a team of 10 internal staff members. This team liaises directly with clients, supporting VA onboarding, or matching clients to their ideal Virtual Assistant, looking after our company finances and keeping the operation running smoothly.
We also have our handpicked team of Virtual Assistants – a team which continues to grow, and go from strength to strength. We know our clients will agree they are smart, highly capable and incredibly talented at what they do.
Co-Founder, Ellie Wilson says, “We’re all about people and always have been. Without the loyalty and support of such an incredible team, Virtalent would never be the company it is today. I am thankful to every single person who makes up the Virtalent team – whether you're logging on from a converted barn in Devon, or a home office in Newcastle!”
Looking Forward
We want to take this opportunity to say thank you to everyone who has been part of our journey so far, as well as look ahead to the next 10 years.
Co-Founder, Sam commented, “Whether you signed up for a monthly subscription or simply gave Ellie and I a few words of encouragement or support during the past 10 years, your belief in the Virtalent mission has been a huge driving force to us both personally and professionally. Thank you for trusting us to help make a difference.”
“To everyone that has been a part of Virtalent, your contributions have been invaluable.”
We continue to grow each year and, with more and more small businesses launching every day, we are still as passionate as ever about bringing the benefits of VA support to every single one of them.
The business world in many ways looks very different than it did 10 years ago, and it will continue to change. But we’re confident that our experience and our unique remote culture will continue to set the benchmark for remote support on subscription.
Here’s to the next chapter!
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