Introducing Victoria Barker who is one of our team of fabulous virtual assistants.
Vic has worked with Clear Day since 2021, having spent the last 20 years in the events industry, working on events in over 30 cities across 28 different countries.
Her experience is varied and includes working as an Executive Assistant to senior figures, administration and office management roles as well as working in marketing and PR as a communications manager. She also has extensive experience of the more logistical roles involved in event management.
Vic is based just outside Manchester, where she lives with her husband and two gorgeous boys.
How did you come to be a part of the Clear Day team Victoria?
The lovely Mel Page introduced me to you, not long after I had started my self-employed journey. The first thing I did was coordinate the office move for one of your clients down in London – straight in at the deep end! I project managed the move and also took the minutes for their quarterly board meetings.
I had worked at the same company for almost 20 years, and then when Covid hit they offered me voluntary redundancy, due to how badly the events industry was hit by the pandemic. My husband is also self-employed in the events industry so we were in a tricky position. The more we thought about it the more we realised that voluntary redundancy was a sensible route for me, even though I absolutely loved my job. It was a massive wrench, but it gave me the opportunity to set up my own business. Once the horrors of home schooling were over I set myself up as a VA, having joined a free webinar by a VA mentor. That webinar was so reassuring as it proved to me that I had the right experience and skillset.
How do you uphold the Clear Day values of calm, clarity, confidence, focus and progress?
A lot of the things my clients want me to do are a really big deal to them, but less of a difficulty to me. They are good at what they do in their businesses but they are not necessarily interested in the admin side of things. Things that feel like a massive job to them are rarely things that phase me. So I bring calm to my clients by taking on the tasks that are causing them stress, and either just getting them done or finding out how I can get them done. They leave it with me, and it’s out of their headspace. I take it off their plate and I do the worrying for them.
I give my clients the confidence that I will get things done, and that confidence also comes from me always being honest with them. I will always tell them if there is something I don’t know how to do, but I will also reassure them that I will find the solution and they can leave it in my hands.
When it comes to clarity, clients who find it harder to stay organised get regular catch up emails from me, making it clear where everything is up to, what I am doing and what they may need to do. I’m good at keeping in touch and letting clients know where I am with tasks, in a concise and honest way.
Because I am very focused in the way that I work, it helps me to keep my clients focused. My project management system reminds me what is upcoming for them, and I can prompt them so that they don’t need to be remembering everything that is happening.
Working that way means that my clients can make progress as I am working on things in the background. Inbox management, managing waiting lists for clients and keeping track of what needs to happen and when means that my clients can get on with doing what they do best. I have also helped one of my clients to recruit new team members, managing their blind recruitment process for four different roles. Most recently I have put together a budget spreadsheet for a client which is going to make their life so much easier.
Describe your ideal client:
I enjoy working with people who are fairly laid back, and who understand what a VA is. All of my clients understand that I am a beneficial member of their team, but equally that I am not on call 24/7. I am a self-employed business woman, and my clients all treat me as an equal, which is something I appreciate. Admin is not a lesser function – we each have skills that the other doesn’t have. I have clients who always show appreciation for what I do and that makes me feel happy in my work!
Click here to find out more about working with Vic or any of the Clear Day team.
Clear Day
March 2023