Welcome to “Behind the Hive”, a new feature we are trialling, where I spill the tea on everything that has been going on at Planner Bee VA Services in the last quarter.
Why I’m sharing life behind the scenes at our eco Virtual Assistant business:
- There is so much low-quality, generic AI-generated content out there, it’s boring. Personally, I’m rather nosey and love reading more reflective articles like this, so I thought I would write my own.
- To (hopefully) provide you with value and inspiration. I hope that by sharing my experience and learnings that there will be little nuggets that you can take away, or at least some interesting anecdotes!
- I love writing and as the business has grown, I spend less and less time writing long-form content, so this is a way for me to make time to write every quarter.
Running a VA Agency, 2025 so far
To summarise 2025 so far in 1 word, it would be: momentum.
In all honesty, Q4 of 2024 was slower than we would have liked. We continued our work with all of our wonderful retained clients and we were getting new enquiries, but it felt like there was a reluctance for businesses to commit and move forward. It felt like we were doing everything right, but the hard work we were putting in was not creating the growth we had hoped.
2025 has been a completely different story. We have been incredibly busy with new enquiries, current clients and exciting new projects. This year, it has felt like all of the hard work from the last couple of years has really started to pay off and we have really been building momentum.
So, grab a cuppa and let’s get into my highlights, reflections and learnings running a Virtual Assistant agency, from 2025 so far.
Hive Highlights
- Our clients truly are at the heart of our business. As cheesy as it sounds, as Virtual Assistants, we are by your side through the highs and lows that come with running a business, and we really are your biggest cheerleaders. It is such a privilege to work with amazing purpose-led businesses and my first highlight from this year so far has to be the incredible results we have created for our clients. Our client marketing include creating an 88% increase in reach on Instagram and a 29% increase in email open rate since January!
- A core part of our purpose as a business is to inspire and support businesses to create a positive impact for people and planet. Eager to embrace this purpose as much as possible, in 2025 we organised our first ever event, an Introduction to Sustainability for SMEs Panel event, in partnership with Barclays Eagle Labs Glasgow. One of the big takeaways from the event was that the journey to net zero doesn’t have to be an expensive one, in fact, if you are reducing emissions, you are also reducing costs! This is exactly what our Complete Carbon Footprinting service is all about, helping businesses identify where both emissions and costs can be reduced. To support businesses on their journey to becoming both environmentally and economically sustainable.
- Not a business highlight, but it would be remiss of me to not to mention that I ran my first (and most definitely last) marathon this year and it was undoubtedly the hardest thing I have ever done. During the 16-week training block, I went from barely running 5km to finishing 26.2 miles. We really underestimate what is possible in four months (in both life and business).
- Our commitment to continually learning and growing in the sustainability space led me to attend the Better Business Summit back in January. My biggest takeaway from the conference was that (although you might want to), you can not address every environmental and social issue all at once. Instead, look at where your business can make the biggest impact and the issues that most affect your customers, and start there.
- For International Women’s Day, I was thrilled to attend a fireside chat with the UK’s first woman Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rachel Reeves. During the fireside chat, Rachel Reeves discussed that part of her motivation has come from feeling like she has a point to prove, the “I’ll show them mentality”. I think lots of us can resonate with that feeling (I know I can) and it was refreshing to hear this discussed so openly by successful business women from all walks of life.
Lessons learned from 6 months of momentum and growth
When I said 2025 so far had been busy, I wasn’t joking. Q1 was our best quarter to date, which was then beaten by an even better Q2! We have supported a total of 30 purpose-led businesses and have completed over 2,000 hours of client work. Amongst the incredible growth and busyness, there have also been lots of learnings, so here are a few of my key takeaways from 2025 so far.
- You never know where the next opportunity will come from, but the more you put yourself out there, the more opportunities come your way.
- The importance of stepping back to look at bigger vision and strategy for the business (not just getting caught up in the day to day).
- I can do hard things *hint* running a marathon *hint*.
- Consistency pays off, trust the process.
- When you feel momentum building, go all in and make the most of it.
What’s next for our ethical Virtual Assistant agency?
Recently, I have really been focusing on the bigger plan and vision for Planner Bee VA Services and that includes some big changes, additions and also investments over the next few months (exciting times). Over the next few months, we will be bringing back the focus on our carbon footprinting service (which has taken a bit of a back seat in recent months, as we have been so busy with everything else). I’m also planning to attend Blue Earth Summit in London later this year – let me know if you will be attending too and we can catch up. If you are interested in hearing how it goes, our next behind the hive article will be live at the end of Q3.
Thank you for being part of the Planner Bee VA Services journey. If you would like to find out more about how working with an ethical VA agency can help you create more time, less stress and an even bigger impact, book a virtual cuppa here.