Virtually Smart Ltd celebrates it’s first anniversary & what a first year it has been. Helena Parrott VA & Director of Virtually Smart Ltd took the plunge last October to fulfil a dream & hasn’t looked back since.

With over 20 years PA/EA/business support experience to her name, Helena Parrott knew she had the skills set to be able to support businesses. Whether at the beginning of their journeys with setup procedural policy reviews & executive support or established businesses with corporate structural & financial support; Helena Parrott knew she could help those in business with her accumulated knowledge & expertise in this field.

Earlier this year Virtually Smart Ltd penned a series of blogs about being self-employed. One of the people we interviewed was Helena Parrott herself. This is what she had to say about her shift from PAYE to self-employed status & the beginning of Virtually Smart Ltd.

“I left work at the end of July 2017, I’d been making plans for my business for many years and the executive assistant job I was doing was covering maternity leave – the contract was due to end and the person I was covering for decided not to come back to work. I was offered the job permanently, but the timing seemed to be right for me to take the leap. So, we extended the contract for a few month’s so they could find a replacement and I could start actioning some of my plans.

There were lots of reasons that prompted me to become self-employed, but one of the main ones was not being able to affect change to better working practices within my job and the wider company – it is incredibly frustrating when you can see, or know, that something could be done better and being unable to action due to companies either insisting ‘things have always been done this way’ or there being layers of bureaucracy to wade through.”

Oonagh McPhillips – Head of organisation Development at Ricardo PLC had the following to say about the impact Virtually Smart Ltd’s Helena Parrot has made:

“I have worked with Helena for a number of years. Proactive and efficient she quickly grasps the nub of what you want her to do and gets on with it. If she is unclear, she asks intelligent questions and will provide alternatives if she believes there is a better way. I have seen Helena cope with enormous stress in a calm and organised fashion without getting flustered or frustrated. She is a pleasure to work with and someone to be relied on when it counts”

Although Helena Parrott continued to undertake tasks linked to her previous employment, albeit it now on a self-employed basis; as Helena Parrott came in to 2018, she began to take on additional clients of her own.

One of her first corporate clients was Claire Cronin – CMO of Virgin Atlantic. Helena Parrott supported Claire Cronin through a series of EA/PA tasks, putting a workable structure in place for Claire Cronin.

This is what Claire Cronin had to say about the exceptional business support Helena Parrott of Virtually Smart Ltd provided:

“Helena is quite simply a machine – ultra efficient, a pleasure to deal with and fantastically pragmatic at seeing what needs to be done and getting it delivered at speed/to quality. She quickly scans the landscape, sees what needs to be done and uses her initiative to deliver it. Supremely cool, calm and collected – nothing phases her and despite supporting me with zero introduction to Virgin Atlantic – she quickly navigated our systems and networked her way across the business. She transformed my life and I was gutted I couldn’t poach her to come in-house and work for me permanently. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend her to anyone who run’s a busy, global organisation” Claire Cronin CMO Virgin Atlantic, January 2018.

As Virtually Smart Ltd came into 2018, Helena Parrott had already accrued a growing client base. Happy Bear Software Company, Seaford Scene, Ricardo Plc, Virgin Atlantic, Coding Craft were only the beginning of Helena Parrotts varied client base.

With a good variety of clients & a substantial continuation with Ricardo, Helena Parrot realised in early February that she might need some help herself, as she was aware her social media presence needed some attention. A chance message from Katy Jane about seeking work, saw a meeting & collaboration begin.

Throughout the collaboration between Helena Parrot & Katy Jane, Virtually Smart Ltd has continued to grow & diversify.

Helena Parrot has supported two startups this year, The Coffeepug & Browns Natural Pet store. Helena Parrott’s natural aptitude for procedural & policy analysis, has supported these two startups at the beginnings of their journeys.

With Helena Parrotts considerable connections in business & in particular the engineering sector, it seemed a natural progression for Simon Brewster – CEO Dolphin N2 to approach Helena Parrott. Dolphin N2 is an off-shoot company born from the Ricardo group. As Helena Parrott had worked alongside the engineers & management for a good year & a half; Dolphin N2 knew she could offer exceptional business support as the company started to make it’s mark amongst industry leaders & government alike.

The relationship with Dolphin N2 has continued to blossom, as the Dolphin N2 team relies whole heartedly on Helena Parrott’s efficiency, professionalism & understanding of their business needs.

Simon Brewster – CEO of Dolphin N2 said: “Helena Parrott of Virtually Smart Ltd is ultra-efficient, proactive, professional & an accomplished business woman in her own right. Helena Parrott’s expertise in her field makes collaborating with Helena Parrott flawless. I for one am greatly appreciative of Helena Parrott’s proficiency & support”

As we look back over this first year, one thing is clear; Virtually Smart Ltd is growing & developing, collaborating with an eclectic client base & is constantly evolving to keep pace with the changing face of business. When Helena Parrot was asked in April 2018 about how she saw the future of Virtually Smart Ltd she had the following to say:

“I think it important for businesses to be flexible and grow into where their business takes them. In simple terms I want Virtually Smart to be a successful brand, offering support to varied clients, perhaps with a team of Virtual Assistants offering a wider range of skills.”

Already Virtually Smart Ltd has begun to see the company vision come to fruition & with Helena Parrott’s expertise, efficiency & determination at the helm; Virtually Smart Ltd an only go from strength to strength.

Written by Katy Jane for and on behalf of Virtually Smart Ltd.