About Jane
I’m the founder/director of Bay Tree VA, a team of executive virtual assistants that provide outsourced operational support to management teams, business owners, consultants, and membership organisations, in the UK and abroad. I worked as a PA to senior management for 20 years before setting up Bay Tree VA in 2008, and I’m an active member of the local business community.
We asked Jane to look back and reflect on her younger self
Q&A’s
How would you describe yourself at 18?
Quietly confident. I wanted to go to Australia with a friend for a year and it was a case of: if you really want something enough, you can make it happen. When we got back, I had a new confidence and moved from Suffolk to London.
What inspired you to start your own business?
I was working in the public sector and going through yet another interminable restructuring. I had also worked with my dad in his advertising agency and enjoyed having a variety of clients. When I read an article about virtual assistants, it offered the perfect evolution of my existing role along with the challenge to see what sort of company I could create.
If you could go back knowing what you know now, what three things would you tell yourself to do when you first became a business owner?
- Don’t get hung up on specialising or having a niche. I had a clear idea of the feel of the business I wanted to create, but it was hard to articulate that in the early days.
- It’s fine to go at your own pace – it’s not a race.
- Always try to be ready for windows of opportunity. Be alert to them and as prepared as you can be so that things can fall smoothly into place. PAs by nature are perpetual planners and I find that a helpful trait, although I’ve learned you can’t plan for everything!
What are the biggest lessons you have learnt professionally?
Remain curious and open to new ideas. Surround yourself with people who raise your game and inspire you.
How did you deal with a big mistake, and what did you learn from the experience?
If there’s a problem, my dad would always say “flood it” – give it your full attention. Communication is key, to make sure the other party feels they have been heard and are being kept informed on putting things right. We have experienced a couple of issues which were a result of ‘you don’t know what you don’t know’ – i.e. we’ve gone into something in good faith and find things are not as we were led to expect. It was a case of ‘all hands on deck’ to get through it, but we did.
What are your ambitions for the future?
The outsourcing space is really taking off after some challenging years. I want to continue to navigate Bay Tree VA to reach its full potential.
What does the future have in store for you personally?
I’d like to build more of a portfolio career for myself. I started Bay Tree VA because I enjoyed the variety and I now feel that I have space to dovetail a bit more into my day, so I’m starting to keep an eye out for projects, boards, and charities I can get involved with. I am open to suggestions!
