Why do some virtual assistants get a steady stream of associate work while others struggle to even get a foot in the door? Getting associate work is one thing, but keeping it is another.

“Getting associate work is about creating an opportunity. Keeping associate work is about building trust, and those are two very different skills.”

This week on the podcast, I’m using my eight years of experience building and running Virtually Priceless, and working with dozens of associates, to explore what lead VAs are really looking for. Often it comes down to why agencies use associates in the first place. It’s not just about finding someone to complete a list of tasks, but knowing they can trust that person to represent their business.

I’ll dig into the difference between being easy to work with and being a pushover, why it’s not good to rely on one source of VA work, and how successful associates stand out. I’ll also explore the importance of knowing your numbers and being realistic about how much work is actually available, and choosing associate work strategically.

Key takeaways:

• Before you approach an agency or lead VA, ask yourself what problem they’re trying to solve, what would make their life easier, and how you can show you’re someone they can confidently trust with their clients.
• Be professional, organised and reliable, from the very first interaction. Do what you say you’re going to do, communicate clearly, follow the processes in place, and if something isn’t going to hit the deadline, flag it early and suggest a solution.
• Remember you’re a business owner, not an employee. Associate rates are generally lower for good reason, but that doesn’t mean you should automatically accept any rate you’re offered. Understand what you need to earn, how much capacity you have, and whether the work is profitable for you.

This week, ask yourself one question: if you were an agency owner looking for someone to represent your business, would you choose you?

If the answer is yes, brilliant. If there are a few things you can improve, that’s absolutely fine too, because sometimes a few small changes in how you position yourself can make a huge difference to the opportunities that come your way.

Timestamps:

(00:00) Introduction to the podcast episode

(01:40) Why agencies and lead VAs use associates

(03:35) Being easy to work with

(05:36) It’s not just about getting the opportunity, it’s about what happens afterwards

(07:38) Remember, you’re running a business too

(09:23) Business relationships are everything

(10:56) Introducing my guide to help you become an in-demand associate VA

(12:30) The one question all associate VAs should ask themselves

Ready to win more work, build trust and become a lead VA’s first choice?

⬇️ Download my new guide to becoming an in-demand associate VA: https://thevahandbook.mykajabi.com/associate-guide

🔗 Resources

Join ⁠VA Handbookers Facebook group⁠: https://www.facebook.com/groups/vahandbookers/

✉️Subscribe to ⁠The VA Handbook: https://the-va-handbook-ltd.kit.com/

Over 700 respondents filled in this year’s UK Virtual Assistant Survey, and the insights are very interesting. Hourly rates are stabilising, networking and word of mouth are key, VAs are outsourcing far less, the biggest challenge (and complaint) is training and AI wasn’t what everyone was expecting.

"In this completely digital age that we live in, face-to-face and human contact is so important still. There's just no change in the fact that people work with people." - Gwen Backhouse

This week on The Visionary VA Podcast, I am joined by Gwen Backhouse, award-winning virtual assistant, owner of Curlew Secretarial Solutions, and the person behind the Society of Virtual Assistants (SVA).Gwen shares her personal VA journey, how her business has evolved and what has changed most over the years. We also explore how she became interested in community, raising standards and joining the Society of Virtual Assistants.Then it’s on to the 2026 UK VA Survey, where we analyse what the results mean for the industry. We cover rates, outsourcing, AI, challenges, to niche or not to niche, and so much more.

Key takeaways:1️⃣ Get out and go networking. People want to know who they're going to be working with, so work out who you want to work with and be where they're going to be.2️⃣ Don't run and hide from AI. The biggest opportunity right now is clients who don't know how to use AI, or are scared of it, and are asking for support.3️⃣ Get your best practice in place, and do your homework on training. Insurance, contracts, ICO registration and legal policies are the basic things you only know if you know.

After listening to this episode, I really urge you to grab a copy of the 2026 UK VA Survey. It is a fascinating read which you can use not only as a benchmark, but to also decide what actions you need to take for your business.Timestamps:(00:00) Podcast episode starts(01:04) Gwen's VA journey(03:44) How has Gwen's VA business evolved over the years?(07:42) How the VA industry has changed(13:05) Taking over and the origins of the SVA(14:48) The SVA's role in the industry today(19:15) Introducing the UK VA Survey 2026(20:03) What was the most surprising finding from the survey?(23:02) Biggest changes over the last 3–5 years(25:34) What VA services are growing and disappearing?(27:15) The impact of AI on VAs(30:49) The shift to specialist and strategic work(32:55) Where VAs are finding clients(37:17) Biggest challenges facing VAs(40:23) Biggest opportunities facing VAs(41:57) Survey trends: concerns and reasons for optimism(43:33) How to use the survey to benchmark your business(46:41) How will the VA industry look in three years' time?(48:27) Where to get the survey report

About Gwen:

Gwen Backhouse is an award-winning virtual assistant with over 12 years in the VA industry, built on a foundation of 24 years in business administration. She runs the Society of Virtual Assistants (SVA), where she is dedicated to setting high standards, sharing resources, and advocating for the essential work virtual assistants contribute across the UK. Through her own business, Curlew Secretarial Solutions, Gwen delivers personalised support that empowers her clients to focus on what truly matters to their businesses.

Where to find Gwen:

Society of Virtual Assistants (SVA) 👉 https://societyofvirtualassistants.co.uk/Gwen's LinkedIn 👉 https://www.linkedin.com/in/virtualassistantcumbria/Society of Virtual Assistants (SVA) LinkedIn 👉https://www.linkedin.com/company/society-of-virtual-assistantsSociety of Virtual Assistants (SVA) Facebook 👉 https://www.facebook.com/societyofvirtualassistantsSociety of Virtual Assistants (SVA) Instagram 👉 https://www.instagram.com/societyofvirtualassistants

Resources 🔗 UK VA Survey 2026 👉https://societyofvirtualassistants.co.uk/product/uk-virtual-assistant-survey-report-2026/Society of Virtual Assistants (SVA) shop 👉 https://societyofvirtualassistants.co.uk/shop/

How do you go from 19 years as a primary school teacher, through two redundancies, to fully booked as a VA within six weeks? This week I am joined by Any Other Business founder, Martha Kilner, who shares her story.

We also talk about how she's transitioned into being the operational backbone of the businesses she works with, and why Virtual Assistants should embrace AI rather than shy away from it.

"I think generic VA tasks will be redundant... and the VAs who have moved on to being the operational thinkers and the true right-hand person in the business will be the ones who'll be fully booked." - Martha Kilner.

That shift, from generic tasks to operational thinking, is exactly what AI has made possible for Martha. We explore what AI actually means for the industry right now, how she uses it to become better and more efficient at her job, what it does well (and not so well), and the tactics she uses to get the most out of it.

She also shares what VA tasks are at risk with AI, what isn’t going to be replaced, and the importance of keeping up to date. There’s also a rapid-fire question round (most underrated AI feature, most used AI tool, etc) and her prediction for the VA industry by 2030.

Key takeaways:

1️⃣ AI won’t make VAs redundant, but it will make some generic tasks redundant. Move from task execution to operational thinking, where you become someone your clients rely on.

2️⃣ It’s important to spend time getting the foundations right with AI. If you don’t, it will just churn out rubbish that isn’t useful for anyone.

3️⃣ When you become more efficient, you need to stop charging by the hour and penalising yourself. Base your pricing on the value you're giving to your client.

Pick one AI tool. Whether that’s Claude, Copilot, Gemini, ChatGPT, or whatever is best for you, and go all in on it. Spend the time getting it set up properly, the way you'd brief a new team member.

And if you don’t know where to start with AI, Martha reminds us that asking “what do I want it to do?” is much more helpful than “what can it do?”

Timestamps:

(00:00) Podcast episode starts

(01:30) Martha's VA journey

(03:40) How has your business changed over the years

(05:47) Impact AI has had on business

(09:22) What tasks don't you outsource to AI?

(10:06) Is AI going to make VA jobs redundant?

(11:16) Advice for VAs feeling they're behind

(13:18) Will AI always be a specialist skill?

(14:22) Has AI changed your mindset on pricing?

(16:55) Checking the quality of AI's output

(19:24) Keeping up with the latest in AI

(21:54) Deciding what is genuinely useful for businesses

(23:02) Common mistakes people make with AI

(24:08) Overhyped AI features in the industry

(24:53) Quick fire AI questions

(25:58) AI prediction for 2030

About Martha

Martha Kilner is the founder of Any Other Business, where she works as a Business Ops and AI Specialist for founders juggling everything at once, brilliant at what they do, held together by memory rather than a system. Before AOB, Martha spent nearly twenty years in primary education, including years leading on IT, unlikely training for building systems around how people actually think. Her flagship offer, The Smooth Operator Method, AI training sessions and whizzy tech skills help founders turn what's living in their head into something someone else could run.

Where to find Martha:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/martha-kilner/

Website: https://aobva.com/

Resources mentioned in this episode

Espresso AI newsletter: https://thevahandbook.mykajabi.com/espresso-ai-signup