Gemma Vallender Virtual Assistant

21/04/2026

𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐝𝐢𝐝 𝐈 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐚 𝐕𝐀?

For those of you who don't know me, for years I had always wanted to be my own boss, but what could I do?

Not being creative, like my mum who was a hairdresser throughout her career, plus a great baker especially children’s cakes. She could've had her own hairdressing salon but that wasn’t the path she chose.

My dad on the other hand did have his own haulage business, starting out in partnership, with a van delivery service, then a sole trader as a truck driver delivering across parts of Europe.

So, I guess somewhere in me there was always an instinct to be my own boss and run my own business.

When I had the option to take voluntary redundancy I decided I no longer wanted to work for someone else and now was the time to be my own boss and set up my business.

With my background in project management, administration, organisation, finance and working with multiple clients I thought why not use these skills, become a Virtual Assistant and help other businesses with their admin, help them grow and give them some precious time back to focus on their business goals. So, I launched Gemma Vallender Virtual Assistant (GVVA).

Here are just some of the reasons I decided set up GVVA:

• The flexibility to create my own working hours that suit my work-life balance
• To be able to work from home or anywhere with a secure internet connection
• Use the skills I have accumulated in my career to help multiple businesses to grow theirs
• To give business owners time back so you can choose to either focus on your business or take time back for yourselves
• Working with different businesses and projects, I never get bored
• To enjoy my work; and by giving time back to others, you can enjoy your work too

If you want to know more about me and how I can help you with your business admin, take a look at my website or book a 30-minute free discovery call, to see how I can give you time back in your day.

www.gvva.co.uk
[email protected]

08/04/2026

✨ 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐃𝐨𝐜𝐮𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 – 𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐝𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦? ✨

𝑭𝒊𝒓𝒔𝒕 𝒊𝒎𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔 𝒄𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒕 – 𝒆𝒔𝒑𝒆𝒄𝒊𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒚 𝒊𝒏 𝒃𝒖𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒔

Have you ever looked at a word document or PowerPoint presentation and thought everything in this says exactly what it needs to, but it doesn’t look professional and showcase my business how I want it to?

The way your documents look and read isn’t just about how pretty and easy to read they are for your audience, it also creates that professional and trustworthy feeling your business deserves.

Yet, for many growing business owners, this often means:
• Rushing to finish documents late at night
• Using mismatched templates
• Spotting typos after you’ve already sent them
• Spending far too long formatting instead of focusing on your clients

📌 A simple tip:
Create consistent templates for your proposals, reports and presentations. It instantly saves time and keeps your branding professional.

However, if document admin isn’t where you want to spend your time, in my Virtual Assistant business I have helped my clients with just that:

✅ Formatting documents to ensure they have their business branding included
✅ Creating templates for reports, letterheads and invoices
✅ Making sure their logos and contact details are showcased
✅ Formatting PowerPoint presentations and ensuring branding is included

I gave their documents the professional finish for their business, as well as giving them time back to focus on what they do best.

If your documents need polishing and you’d rather focus on growing your business, feel free to drop me a message — I’d love to help. 😊

www.gvva.co.uk
[email protected]

03/04/2026

✨ Long Easter Weekend… or just another workday?

As many people enjoy Hot Cross Buns, chocolate eggs and a few days to recharge, lots of small business owners are doing something very different…
💻 Catching up on admin.
📧 Organising your inbox.
📅 Planning the week ahead.
📊 Updating CRMs.
Because when you run your own business, Bank Holidays can feel like bonus admin days — not actual time off.

But it doesn’t have to be that way.

As a Virtual Assistant, I help busy business owners free up time by taking care of the tasks that quietly eat into evenings, weekends, and yes… Bank Holidays.
Some of the areas I can help you with:
✅ Inbox & diary management
✅ Streamlining processes
✅ CRM updates
✅ Document formatting
✅ General business admin
…so you can finally step away without your to‑do list following you around.

I offer flexible support — whether you need a monthly retainer or ad‑hoc help — you only pay for the hours you need.

If you’d like more time to focus on your business and not in it, (and actually enjoy your breaks), book a free 30‑minute discovery call: [email protected] or visit my website: www.gvva.co.uk

Wishing you a Happy Easter — and hopefully a work‑free long weekend! 🐣✨

16/12/2025

Last week I went to my Stevenage Morning Women In Business Group, where we had a festive theme with Secret Santa and our one minute pitches. Kerry Ayling who runs this lovely group on behalf of Louise Yexley, gives one lucky member the chance to speak for two minutes the following month for delivering the best pitch.

I am delighted to say I won this months pitch with:

🎄 '𝗧𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗡𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗕𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗗𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀 🎄

‘Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the land,
Small businesses were busy, with tasks out of hand.
Emails were stacked like gifts in a heap, 🎁
Calendars bursting—no time for sleep! 🥱

Budgets and spreadsheets were scattered with care, 📉
Risk registers waiting for someone to share.
Project managers sighed, advisers did too, 😟
“Who’ll help us finish before the year’s through?”

Then down from the cloud with a jingle and cheer, ☁️
Came Gemma Vallender—your VA so dear!
An organisational goddess, with skills shining bright, 🧚‍♂️
Bringing calm and order on this festive night.

She proofread your papers, made typos all flee,
Updated your CRM like trimming a tree. 🎄
Meetings arranged like stockings in line, 🧦
Appointments scheduled—oh, isn’t that fine?

She tamed inbox chaos, cleared diaries with grace,
Wrapped up your admin at Santa’s own pace. 🎅
So if you’re snowed under and time’s running thin,
Make room for magic—let the joy sweep in! 🪄

Her gift is your time, her magic is clear, 🎁 ⏲️
Gemma brings peace to your business all year!
Here’s to bright lights and a season of bliss,
Merry Christmas to all—may your goals top the list! 🎄🎅

For those small business that need a little bit of extra help getting your admin organised get in touch and see where I can help you reduce the load so you can focus on what you do best and grow your business.

Email me at: [email protected]

www.gvva.co.uk

09/10/2025

✨ What would you do with an extra hour each day? ✨

Would you spend more time on your hobbies, read a book or learn a new skill.
Perhaps you would work on that task that is always on your to-do list that you just never have get time for.
Do you want me time to spend with your family?
Or just relax and get enjoy some me time?

We all know what it’s like to need 1 more hour in the day to be able to do everything we want to do. What if I told you I can give you that extra hour?

By delegating some of your regular admin tasks to me, Gemma Vallender Virtual Assistant, you can do just that.

Here’s some examples of where I can help you:
✅ Project Support – Building detailed spreadsheets, timelines, and budgets
✅ CRM Management – Keeping your client data accurate and up to date
✅ Diary Management – Streamlining your schedule to ensure dedicated time for appointments, focused work and essential tasks
✅ Email Organisation – Flagging key messages and sending daily/weekly task reports
✅ Process & Procedure Documentation – Creating branded, easy-to-follow guides and templates

Whether you are a solo entrepreneur, small business owner, project manager or part of a growing team, I’m here to help you stay organised and focused on what matters most.

If you’re looking for that extra hour each day or just want some help with your admin, reach out to me Gemma Vallender Virtual Assistant, your Organisational Admin Goddess. 🧚‍♀️

Let me know what you would do with that extra hour, or 5 hours in the working week.
Think of all those things you could do! 😁

For more information on my services see my website: www.gvva.co.uk or drop me an email: [email protected]

08/08/2025

As it's International Cat Day I thought I would share my two office assistants. One sitting making sure I am doing my job, the other deciding I need some help my with my filing. 😊🐈‍⬛️🩵

16/07/2025

💼 Employer NI Costs Are Rising – Here’s How You Can Still Get the Support You Need💡

With the UK increasing employer National Insurance contributions, many small businesses are facing tough choices. Hiring new staff is becoming more expensive, and for many, it’s just not feasible right now.

Maybe you were thinking about bringing on a part-time assistant, maybe you just need someone to help manage your diary, stay on top of emails, or handle the day-to-day admin that eats into your time.

But with rising overheads, you’re left wondering:
“Do I take it all on myself and risk burnout, or sacrifice growth and client time?”

Here’s the good news: you don’t have to choose.

As a Virtual Assistant, I’m self-employed – which means to work with me there are:
✅ No NI contributions
✅ No pension contributions
✅ No holiday or sick pay to cover
✅ No need for office space or equipment
✅ You only pay for the hours you need – whether that’s 1 hour a day or 10+ hours on a monthly retainer package

I can help with:
🗂️ Diary management
📧 Email organisation
📝 Document formatting & proofreading
📞 Supplier & client communications
…and more!

Let me take the admin off your plate so you can focus on what you do best – growing your business, engaging clients and reclaiming your time.

🎁 I offer a free 30-minute consultation – no obligation, just a chat about how I can support you.
📍 Visit www.gvva.co.uk to learn more about my services and pricing.

Let’s make business easier, together.

08/07/2025

🎇GVVA June Review
The thing I love about being a VA is not just the work to help small businesses, financial and mortgage advisers and freelancers with their admin, but also the flexibility of being my own boss, flexing my time and networking with fellow business owners to find out how you run your business.

Here’s the spotlight of what I got up to last month.

🏖️Holiday
The first week in June was my annual trip to Cornwall with family, enjoying plenty of Cornish Cream Teas, sandy beaches, mackerel fishing and a 16-mile bike ride along the Camel Trail from Bodmin to Padstow. 😊

When I came back it was back to business mode.

👩‍💻Client Work
• Created new templates for an ad-hoc client
• Project Coordination for retainer clients
• Updated Client project database
• Created email templates
• Newsletters
• Authority letter completion
• Cover work for my VA buddy

💬Networking
• I went to my Stevenage Women in Business meeting, where I presented for the first time with ‘Who I am and why I decided to become a VA’. I have to say I was nervous but overcame this and was spot on for the 10 minutes allocation.
• I attended Stevenage Business Buzz in my ambassador capacity at the Cromwell hotel, with our lovely host Greenall.
• I also went to Biggleswade and Hitchin Business Buzz and Howdens Quarterly Networking.

If you looking for help to streamline your admin on a regular or ad-hoc basis, so you can focus on what matters most and grow your business, reach out and see how I can help, email me at [email protected]

(GVVA)

www.gvva.co.uk

10/06/2025

Looking forward to donning my ambassador hat on for our lovely and lively Stevenage Business Buzz Networking on Friday.

If you're looking for like minded business people to network with in your local area, come along to this one. Link and details are in the post below.

Look forward to seeing some new faces on Friday. 🙂🐝

21/03/2025

This morning I attended the Howden Hosts Networking event at The Bedford Swan Hotel and Thermal Spa. It was a great event hosted by Kevin Henman and I met some new connections and caught up with some exciting ones.

There was also a Heads and Tails quiz, I do love a quiz even though I don't normally win. 😊 However on this occasion it came down to a tie breaker and I actually won 🎉. Thank you to 🍰 Julia Brightman 🍰 of Creme Brew Lait, for creating the lovely hamper for the prize.

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At Gemma Vallender Virtual Assistant I help busy mortgage, financial advisers, project managers and small businesses with their administration and project management tasks.

If you need more time in your day to reach more clients and grow your business then reach out to me to see how I can help and give you back your time. 🕘

www.gvva.co.uk

03/11/2024

For all you business owners in the local area, come and join us at the Stevenage Business Buzz Networking on Friday.

For just £10+ VAT you can network with local businesses from 10am - 12pm.

A R K invite you to network with us 🔗

Just one week to go until the next Business Buzz in the heart of Stevenage High Street. Come and meet lots of local businesses in a relaxed environment and network over coffee.

🗓️ Friday 8th November
🕰️ 10am -12
📍 Drapers Arms, Stevenage
🎟️ £10+vat

Book your place today. Pre-booking is essential.
https://www.business-buzz.org/hertfordshire/stevenage/