Meet Charlie, a Specialist Australian Virtual Assistants Director

Meet Charlie, she has a team of specialist Australian virtual assistants. They offer busy and growing business support across all core business functions.

With her 20 years of experience in Marketing and high-level Administration, and decades of experience across the team, they know what effective support looks like! They are passionate about helping small businesses build a dream team in a flexible and financially sustainable way, whilst providing a reliable service that their clients can trust to deliver results.

Charlie and her team have worked with an incredibly broad range of industries including consultancies, financial services, IT, legal services, allied health, coaching, hospitality, creatives, marketing and PR, recruitment, education, not-for-profit, retail, entertainment…and the list is growing.

Her clients love working with them as each team member is genuinely experienced in their chosen field which ensures a measurable impact.

You can also check out her latest video Case Study here. Let’s get to know more about her career journey in our interview.

Tell us a little about yourself and your business?

I’m the Director of Empire Virtual Support. We are a small team of all Australian and specialist virtual assistants. We offer business support across the full marketing function, administration, BAS bookkeeping and online business management. Our clients love us as they have the opportunity to build a mini dream team in a financially sustainable way!

I’m a mama to two beautiful girls and one furbaby, I adore baking and I’m a fairweather runner.

What inspired you to make the leap and go out on your own, and when did you first start working for yourself?

I started working for myself 4 years ago when I returned to work after having my daughter. Like a lot of working parents, I found that my ‘new’ life just didn’t fit with my ‘old’ job. I had ALWAYS wanted to start my own business, so this forced my hand and it was absolutely the best thing that ever happened to me. I 100% regret not doing it pre-children!!

Tell us about your experience of working for yourself?

Working for myself has definitely created the balance in my life I was seeking. However, like all business owners I sometimes struggle with setting boundaries, mainly as I genuinely enjoy running a business and am ALWAYS having ideas popping into my head that make me run to my computer. Thankfully, I dish out a lot of advice, tips and tricks to our clients…so I have plenty of my own medicine to take!

What’s your best piece of advice for someone wanting to make the leap?

This might be an unpopular opinion – but DON’T side hustle. If you can, try and put everything into your new business. It’s scary, especially financially, but getting a business off the ground, whilst working full time is a recipe for disaster. I only had one ad hoc client when I made the leap and it gave me a fire in my belly and the time to network, do marketing and ultimately deliver super high quality work. As a result of that, growth was strong and steady!! I have never looked back!

Best tips for winning new business?

Make sure you keep old/existing business happy (and not only up until the point they sign the contract)! 90% of our new business comes from existing client referrals and introductions. Having a reputation that precedes you gets you 80% over the line!

What has been your favourite project to date?

As most of our clients are ongoing, even if they only require ad hoc support, I daren’t pick one!!

What is a business win you’re currently celebrating?

Getting ‘cold’ enquiries through the website. Whilst we love getting client referrals and eIntros, there is such a thrill about an enquiry through our website that you don’t really know where it comes from!

What led you to join Freelancing Gems?

At only 4 years old, our business is still in the ‘testing’ phase when it comes to Marketing. We try lots of different avenues to see where we get traction. Also – I love the colour palette lol!

What’s next for your business?

We are always looking to include new services, so we can provide 360 support to our clients. Next on the list – IT support! Watch this space!

Some of Charlie’s services include administration, operations, systems and processes, customer service, executive assistance, email marketing and more. She offers genuine flexibility through ‘pick and mix’ access to support that can be dialed up and down on demand. Moreover, her team has no lock-in contracts with no minimum hours required. You can connect with her on the Gem Directory. Not a member? Join now.