success : stories

Having a Bay Tree VA is integral to my business. Attention to detail, organisational skills and proofreading ability are vital so, being dyslexic myself, I need another pair of eyes and another pair of hands. My Bay Tree VA supports me in liaising with clients, ensures all reports go out error-free and, most importantly, she understands me and the value of what I do for children's learning. I couldn't do what I do without her.

Start-up businesses are hard work.  The good news is there are amazing teams like Bay Tree VA who are on-hand to assist, support and grow with your business.  Our BTVA worked with us at Big Drop to help with travel plans, diary management and even got involved with sending bottles to prospective stockists!  Big Drop is not your regular 9-5 office setup, but she stepped right up and was a real asset to the founders.  Thanks so much to our BTVA and the Bay Tree VA team!

I interviewed 10 independent VAs and agencies to find who I wanted to partner with. I was really clear on my role brief in terms of what I wanted in a VA, and was also keen on someone who would show lots of initiative, adapt and improve my processes… and be much more efficient than me at doing the work I needed support with. Bay Tree and Jane’s team have been superb over the past few years and I am continuing with them on an ongoing basis. They’re super responsive. We’ve developed simple systems together to hone day-to-day work flow and the partnership has delivered a strong return on the amount I invest each month… leaving me to focus on my business and clients. It’s comforting to know as well that Jane’s wider team is always there if you have specific expertise requests and of course you always have holiday cover!

Over the past 7 years MENTA has worked successfully with Bay Tree VA, not only in the delivery of executive services for the CEO but also in the wider business context of human resources, finances and project administration. The needs of the business have been at the forefront of discussion and the flexible approach from Bay Tree - whether a virtual assistant or physical office based member of the team - has enabled the business to strategically grow, whilst still focusing on the needs of expenditure and efficiencies.

The ongoing open dialogue allowed for MENTA to manage the business to a point where an opportunity presented itself for all parties. Agreement was made with Bay Tree to employ full-time the BTVA that had been supporting MENTA. This once again supported MENTA in cost efficiencies, in terms of recruitment, time and cost.

Bay Tree has surpassed itself in the services that it offers and is far more than an organisation offering VA support - it is an organisation that provides a cost effective, flexible approach to office management and business growth.

After I was first recommended to Bay Tree VA I had reservations as to whether a virtual arrangement could work. Given the flexible approach offered, I took the plunge and was pleasantly surprised just how effective the arrangement is. For handling sensitive information, I see this arrangement as having distinct advantages over an in-house administrator, particularly in the open plan office environment.

Bay Tree’s interpretation of our needs to match us with the right virtual assistant was invaluable to achieving a benefit straight from the start. The support and advice that they provided throughout the entire process was extremely helpful, in particular the services were delivered clearly and professionally in a way that made the benefits easy to access.

Overall, working with our BTVA greatly reduced the significant burden of dealing with a difficult situation, and the service provided will no doubt prove to be useful in dealing with any others similar situations that we may have in the future.

Our BTVA is marvellous. I’m loving working with her and really benefiting from her help and support. I know already that I can trust her to do a great job and am relying on her more each month. She’s done all sorts for me from securing free advertorial space, doing monthly expenses, liaising with printers, through to British Dressage memberships and entering competitions! At the moment, I think she’s doing more non-work-related things for me than work, which shows how much I value her. She’s a gem.

AlphaBio is a UK company with its principal commercial office in Italy. Our main business focus is on research and commercialisation; bringing novel, patented crop protection products to market. We wanted to have a tight-knit team in the UK which was able to adapt to our needs, whilst saving us from the responsibility of employment. We have achieved this by using two members from Bay Tree to support me – an executive assistant and also a financial controller. Both of these have proved incredibly important in being able to meet the organisational demands of our rapidly growing company with a low overhead cost base.

We are a membership organisation run by volunteer professionals. We engaged Bay Tree VA after going through a recruitment process to find an outsourced solution to help run the membership side of our organisation.

Since our BTVA has joined us we’ve noticed a fantastic improvement in how the organisation is running. She is very efficient, works well with our committee and is a helpful and approachable point of contact for the organisation. Our BTVA is proactive and happy to undertake all manner of tasks to help the organisation run smoothly. These include: looking after new and existing member enquiries, communications and updates; sending e-newsletters; updating our website; organising and minuting our AGM and committee meeting.

We’re pleased we partnered with Bay Tree VA and are very happy to have our BTVA included as part of our team.

We used Bay Tree for over 9 years in different ways as our company has grown. We employ staff for the manufacturing and production side of our business and then have close working relationships with outsourced providers who look after our other business needs. Before Bay Tree we hadn’t worked with a virtual assistant so we started with projects around our busy times at trade shows — updating our CRM system and sending out marketing information. The role quickly developed into providing customer service/sales assistant type support e.g. being the contact for wholesale/food service enquiries, attending trade fairs with us, completing complex paperwork for new distributors or regarding new lines, promotions etc. In addition, she’s handled numerous ad hoc projects including arranging ‘roadshows’ of meetings, travel bookings etc.

Our BTVA has always been quick to absorb information and has a really good understanding of how our company ticks. This has meant she can talk directly with contacts so that I get involved at a certain point, saving me loads of time. Our brand has lots of personality and our BTVA has fitted into the team with her professionalism and efficiency, providing support that has been invaluable.

In the four years that our BTVA has worked with us, the value of the flexibility and adaptability has been a huge asset to both me personally as CEO and the rest of the team.

When we started working together, our BTVA came onboard to help with client relationships and business development. Over time, we were able to use her skills in other areas of the business such as HR and sales support, particularly helpful when there were workload pressures on individuals or we were recruiting and needed a resource to bridge the gap and keep some continuity going.

As a small team we have to wear many hats. Sometimes there are too many hats and not enough heads! It’s at those pressure points when a Bay Tree VA can really make a difference.

I have a great relationship with my clients and give them a good service. The values of the business are critical to its success and developing the team is key to continued growth. I love my work, particularly the people, but I was suffering from work overload. I was drowning.

It was my accountant who suggested I speak to Bay Tree with a view to getting some support. When I met with Jane I was very comfortable discussing the calibre and qualities in a VA that I was looking for. I felt that there needed to be an obvious chemistry from the outset as we would need to build trust and be comfortable discussing issues as they would inevitably arise.

I have been really impressed. Chantelle has many great qualities and interacts with the whole team. I am happier and confident that she will deal with my clients in the appropriate manner. She has a broad skill set and plenty of experience. Most recently, whilst working on a project at a large stately home, her flair and passion for interior design came in very handy.

The main benefit is you’re getting an intelligent but affordable resource. Our Bay Tree VA makes suggestions and offers solutions. She gives her thoughts based on experience from working in other situations which is really helpful. [Louise] is now a trusted colleague and sounding board who can put up with my sense of humour and somewhat creative style of management. For me, that’s the value of a Bay Tree VA.

The Board appreciates the proactive approach Bay Tree take. Our virtual assistants alert us to potential issues before they become a problem which is very helpful. They have a great understanding of the secretariat function and legalities such as GDPR. It’s the combination of being friendly, accessible and professional that makes Bay Tree a great support to the Board of EES and has improved the experience for our members.