Virtual Ventures

Virtual Ventures is the podcast for Virtual Assistants and Online Service Providers who are building sustainable, professional businesses. Hosted by Cat Tobin and Ellie Clogher, co-founders of the Society of Virtual Assistants Ireland, the show dives into the real conversations happening inside the industry. From client relationships and contracts to boundaries, systems, pricing, and growth, it’s all on the table! Expect practical advice, shared experiences, and thoughtful conversations that support you at every stage of your virtual business journey.

Virtual Ventures is a business podcast hosted by Society of Virtual Assistants Ireland, with 9 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

Society of Virtual Assistants Ireland hosts Virtual Ventures, a business show with 9 episodes published.

Our AI reads these to draft pitches. Use them as grounding for a pitch that cites a real guest and a specific topic.

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  Episode #9

  Behind the Laptop with Andrea Poole of Vale View Virtual Assistant

  Aug 17, 202643 min

  In this Behind the Laptop episode of Virtual Ventures, we're joined by SVAI member Andrea Poole, founder of Vale View Virtual Assistant, to hear how she went from redundancy in a large bank to winning Administrative Service Provider of the Year within her first year of business. Andrea shares how she came to the virtual assistant industry after redundancy and a year off with her children, why self-employment was never on the cards for her, and what those first few months of putting herself out there really looked like before her first client came along. We also talk about associate work and why Andrea completely changed her mind about it, specialising versus keeping a variety of clients, the challenges nobody warns you about, and the boundaries she set from day one that she's grateful for now she's at capacity. Tune in to hear Andrea's honest reflections on starting from scratch, finding your first client, and the community that made all the difference. New episodes of Virtual Ventures are released every second Tuesday. About SVAI The Society of Virtual Assistants Ireland is a professional community supporting Virtual Assistants and Online Service Providers to build sustainable, well-run businesses. Learn more about us: https://virtualassistantsireland.ie/about/ Join SVAI: https://virtualassistantsireland.ie/join-as-a-va/ Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/virtualassistantsireland/ Connect with us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/virtualassistantsireland/ Follow Andrea on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vale_view_virtual_assistant/ 0:00 Intro 0:16 Behind the Laptop with Andrea Poole 1:18 Redundancy and a year off with her kids 2:14 Finding the virtual assistant industry 4:52 Discovering SVAI and doing the Bootcamp 8:02 What the first few months really looked like 9:50 Landing her first client 13:01 Changing her mind about associate work 18:45 Specialising vs generalising 21:28 The challenge nobody warns you about 26:01 The work phone and setting boundaries 32:31 Winning Administrative Service Provider of the Year 36:03 Finding community after 15 years in corporate 40:00 Andrea's recommendation: pen and paper 42:05 Outro

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  Episode #8

  Setting And Raising Your Rates As A Virtual Assistant: What VAs In Ireland Are Charging

  Aug 4, 202633 min

  In this episode of Virtual Ventures, we're talking about setting your rate as a Virtual Assistant, how to work out your number, when to raise it, and what VAs in Ireland are actually charging right now. We share our own experiences of figuring this out when we started, both landing on €25, with very little Irish data to go on and an industry where nobody really wanted to talk about money. Looking at overseas rates or sites like Fiverr and Upwork can leave you completely out of line with the Irish market, and we talk about why that happens so often. Our Irish VA Survey Report gives us real numbers to work with this time, including the shift that saw 58% of respondents charging between €31 and €45 an hour, up from 43% the year before. We look at what's behind that rise, from the cost of running a business to growing confidence across the industry and more VAs specialising in higher-level services. From there we get practical, walking through how to calculate a rate that actually works, starting with what you need to live and enjoy your life, then reverse engineering that while allowing for non-billable hours, expenses, subscriptions, insurance, and the holiday cover no client is paying for. We also talk about comparing your number to the market standard, the signs it's time to raise your rates, how to communicate an increase to your clients, and why "charge what you're worth" isn't always the most helpful way to think about pricing. Tune in to hear real numbers, honest experiences, and a practical way to set a rate you can sustain. New episodes of Virtual Ventures are released every second Tuesday. Download the Irish VA Survey Report: https://svai-survey-2026.subscribepage.io/ About SVAI The Society of Virtual Assistants Ireland is a professional community supporting Virtual Assistants and Online Service Providers to build sustainable, well-run businesses. Learn more about us: https://virtualassistantsireland.ie/about/ Join SVAI: https://virtualassistantsireland.ie/join-as-a-va/ Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/virtualassistantsireland/ Connect with us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/virtualassistantsireland/ 0:00 Intro 0:12 Today's topic: setting your rate 0:31 What we charged starting out 2:35 Nobody talks about money 4:39 Getting misguided by overseas rates 5:42 Irish clients coming back to Irish VAs 8:00 The Irish VA Survey Report 9:02 What VAs in Ireland charge now 10:22 Why rates have gone up 12:29 The fear of raising your rate 13:13 Separating your rate from your worth 15:03 Working out what you need 16:32 Accounting for non-billable hours 18:21 Expenses clients never see 20:13 Comparing to the market standard 22:45 Starting lower and moving up 25:20 Signs it's time to raise your rates 26:21 The annual review approach 28:29 How to introduce a new rate 30:09 "Charge what you're worth" 32:26 Where to find more support 33:04 Outro

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  Episode #7

  Taking Holidays As A Virtual Assistant: How To Actually Switch Off

  Jul 20, 202636 min

  In this episode of Virtual Ventures, we're talking about taking holidays from your business, why so many business owners struggle to properly switch off, and how to prepare so you can actually take a real break. Our own experiences shape a lot of this one, from Cat sneaking into the bathroom on a family holiday to catch up on emails, to Ellie nearly bringing her laptop to Portugal on her first ever week off. There's a real difference between a working holiday and a fully switched-off one, and blending your life and business so freely can quietly turn into working all the time, everywhere. The mindset side of taking time off comes up too, including FOMO, imposter syndrome, and the guilt that keeps so many self-employed people glued to their inbox, and why stepping back can actually show you how much value you bring. The second half is practical, covering how to plan your time off, communicate with clients, and use our go-to Do, Diary, Delegate, Ditch system for deciding what needs handling before you go, plus a few of our favourite tips for making the whole process feel easy. Tune in for real experiences, practical planning tools, and a reminder that you're allowed to properly switch off from your business. New episodes of Virtual Ventures are released every second Tuesday. About SVAI The Society of Virtual Assistants Ireland is a professional community supporting Virtual Assistants and Online Service Providers to build sustainable, well-run businesses. Learn more about us: https://virtualassistantsireland.ie/about/ Join SVAI: https://virtualassistantsireland.ie/join-as-a-va/ Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/virtualassistantsireland/ Connect with us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/virtualassistantsireland/ 0:00 Intro 0:14 Today's topic 0:33 Cat's experience switching off 2:36 Working holidays vs real holidays 5:02 Ellie's first time off 8:00 FOMO and imposter syndrome 11:05 Why planning matters 12:29 Pick your dates 16:57 Reverse engineering your calendar 19:02 Working with a team 20:06 The 4Ds system 23:20 Delegating to peers 26:06 Communication with clients 27:24 The guilt of being unavailable 28:23 Brain dumps and email apps 31:47 Buffer days and catch ups 33:42 Working holidays trap 35:22 Outro

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  Episode #6

  Behind the Laptop with Anne Marie Maher

  Jul 6, 202638 min

  In this Behind the Laptop episode of Virtual Ventures, we're joined by SVAI member Anne Marie Maher, founder of Maher Support Solutions, to hear how she went from redundancy to launching her own virtual assistant business just five months ago. If you're thinking about becoming a virtual assistant, or you're brand new to the industry, this episode is for you! Anne Marie takes us through exactly what it looks like to start a VA business from scratch: taking time to figure out what she actually wanted after redundancy, using supports like her Local Enterprise Office and a career coach, along with doing the SVAI Bootcamp to get herself moving. We talk in detail about finding your first client as a brand new VA, the imposter syndrome that comes with saying yes to work outside your comfort zone, and why you don't need a niche, a website, or a social media presence before you get started. Anne Marie also shares how she's built a varied portfolio of clients rather than specialising in one service, why leaning on community and mentors is better than trying to figure it all out alone, and how she manages work-life harmony now that her business is based at home. Tune in for practical, honest advice for anyone at the very beginning of their virtual assistant journey, including the two words Anne Marie says changed everything: just start. New episodes of Virtual Ventures are released every second Tuesday. About SVAI The Society of Virtual Assistants Ireland is a professional community supporting Virtual Assistants and Online Service Providers to build sustainable, well-run businesses. Learn more about us: https://virtualassistantsireland.ie/about/ Join SVAI: https://virtualassistantsireland.ie/join-as-a-va/ Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/virtualassistantsireland/ Connect with us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/virtualassistantsireland/ Connect with Anne Marie on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anne-marie-maher/ 0:00 Intro 0:12 Behind the Laptop with Anne Marie Maher 1:12 How Anne Marie got started 5:47 Discovering the term "virtual assistant" and finding SVAI 10:04 The Bootcamp, mentors and Local Enterprise support 11:45 Landing her first client 13:14 Building a varied portfolio of clients 16:14 Introvert vs extrovert, and networking without it feeling like networking 21:36 Capacity, onboarding and where she's at now 24:31 Saying yes before feeling fully ready 30:32 Work-life harmony working from home 32:25 Anne Marie's advice to her day-one self 34:44 Business bucket list and where to find Anne Marie 37:08 Community, not competition 38:03 Outro

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  Episode #5

  Income Ceilings For Solo VAs: What To Do When You Reach Yours

  Jun 22, 202628 min

  In this episode of Virtual Ventures, we're talking about income ceilings as a solo Virtual Assistant, what they are, how to recognise when you've hit one, and what your options actually look like when you get there. We share our own experiences of reaching that point in business, from trying to work more hours and taking on more clients to realising that doing more isn't always the answer. We explore some of the most common ways VAs can break through an income ceiling, including reviewing rates, auditing your client base, moving away from purely time-based work, creating packages, specialising, introducing additional income streams, and looking at one-to-many offers such as digital products, training, and consultancy. We also talk about the mindset side of hitting a ceiling, including comparison, frustration, burnout, and the feeling of being stuck, and why having a community around you can make it easier to see the opportunities that are available. Tune in to hear practical ideas, real experiences, and questions you can ask yourself if you're looking to increase your income without simply working more hours. New episodes of Virtual Ventures are released every second Tuesday. About SVAI The Society of Virtual Assistants Ireland is a professional community supporting Virtual Assistants and Online Service Providers to build sustainable, well-run businesses. Learn more about us: https://virtualassistantsireland.ie/about/ Join SVAI: https://virtualassistantsireland.ie/join-as-a-va/ Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/virtualassistantsireland/ Connect with us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/virtualassistantsireland/ 0:00 Intro 0:18 What is an income ceiling? 2:28 The mindset side of hitting a ceiling 5:03 Cat's experience with burnout and overworking 7:34 Raising your rates and creating packages 10:15 Ellie's experience hitting an income ceiling 12:15 Diversifying your income streams 14:07 You don't have to break through every ceiling 14:46 One-to-many offers and passive income 16:01 Done For You, Done With You and DIY offers 20:22 Specialising and increasing your value 21:36 Auditing your client base 24:13 Where to start when you've hit a ceiling 26:48 You're never stuck in a box 27:38 A question to help you move forward 28:11 Outro

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