Founder of virtual outsourcing agency, Get Ahead Virtual Agency (Get Ahead VA), Rebecca Newenham finished her debut book during the first lockdown after it appeared on her 2019 vision board.
Rebecca Newenham has written ‘Virtually Yours’ for people who are in a similar position to where she was in 2010, dissatisfied with their current predicament and unsure of their purpose, but certain that there has to be more than the rigid nine-to-five working structure.
Rebecca founded Get Ahead VA in 2010. After 7 years of successfully growing her award-winning virtual agency, she welcomed her first franchisee in 2017. Since then she has gone on to add franchisees from Newcastle in the north right down to Newbury in the south. As a virtual agency, Get Ahead helps businesses of all sizes and from all sectors get ahead.
Rebecca has secured 4 franchisees since the first lockdown in March 2020. Three were employees who were made redundant and looking for their next opportunity. More recently, 10 new Virtual Assistants, offering marketing and admin support have joined the team.
Get Ahead provides remote business and marketing services to clients, who are busy business owners. Their clients love outsourcing to them, as it provides them with a flexible level of support, rather than the rigidity of employing people.
In the book, ‘Virtually Yours,’ Rebecca introduces readers and potential franchisees to a way that they can be their own boss, run a Get Ahead office and follow the agency’s tried-and-tested model to develop a flexible business that fits into a busy life.
As we continue to live through the third UK wide Lockdown, this working model is more important than ever for those wanting a flexible and remote work life. The model presents a chance to have a second career to be proud of, rather than sacrificing work for a flexible lifestyle.
Rebecca says: “I grew up knowing that I wanted to run my own business one day, just like my mother did. When my youngest started school, the time felt right to start my own business.
“Being able to work flexibly around my family was key. After researching various options and seeing how the economic landscape was shaping up after the 2008/9 recession, I decided to launch a virtual agency. Though the term virtual assistant was relatively unknown in the UK back then, it was well established in America and I could see the potential. Outsourcing enables agile businesses to keep fixed costs low and respond quickly to market changes.”
By 2016 Rebecca’s business had seen sustained years of revenue growth. The team and the range of business services offered had expanded, as had the client base. The agency went on to win a ‘Flexible Business of the Year’ award, but Rebecca was keen to take the business to the next level and unlock new growth opportunities.
Rebecca worked closely with a franchise consultant and took time to develop the right franchise offering. In 2017 the first franchisee was welcomed on board and they now have nine and are looking to add a further four this year.
Rebecca says: “Mentoring and supporting our franchisees is so rewarding. I talk about going into business for yourself, but not by yourself, as I am there to support franchisees every step of the way.”
