VIRTUAL REVOLUTION

Angela Tormey, Director Essential PA

As virtual assistants become more popular in ireland Niamh MacSweeney spoke to entrepreneur Angela Tormey about her vision to set up her own virtual PA business.

Essential PA is a virtual business solutions company. Angela Tormey saw a gap in the market and decided she could provide a virtual PA service to clients who require administration, book keeping or secretarial assistance. Leaving school at 16, Tormey quickly worked her way up the corporate ladder in various UK companies from Saatchi and Saatchi to AT&T. She was made redundant twice within a 12 month period and admits that this knocked her confidence. “I was on the tube one day thinking what am I going to do next and then I say an article in the Times newspaper about virtual assistants.”

The Vision

Although the industry was well established in the US and Canada, it was a relatively new concept in the UK. Undeterred by this uncertainty, Tormey was clearly inspired and knew immediately that the time was right for her to start out on her own. “I always wanted to work for myself; I knew I had the experience and the skills. Then it was a matter of doing research to look at the industry and my competitors, to see what they were offering and to see what kind of money I could make."

Initially Tormey started in London coming up with the corporate identity and the company name. “It’s a difficult industry to start out in because finding clients as a virtual assistant is all about networking.” In 2004 Tormey and her partner relocated to Wexford and since then she has been building and developing the business.

Support Network

In the beginning Tormey felt isolated working from a home based office. But gradually she began to build up a client base and before long she had made a name for herself. She attributes some of this success to the support she received in the early stages of her endeavor.

“I am a member of the International Association of Virtual Assistants (IAVA), which is a UK based association with somewhere in the region of 350 members from all over the UK and Ireland. We all communicate with each other through a cyber chat forum and we get a lot of support from the IAVA and each other.” Wexford County Enterprise Board are also credited with being a great support. “Securing a grant helped, but I probably could have asked for a lot more assistance which is something I only realised over time. Once you start to build relationships within these organisations and you see what facilities are available you think to yourself I could have asked for more help, not necessarily financial but mentoring and advice,” she reveals.

Driving Ambition

Tormey openly admits that she hated school, but when she left she didn’t know what she wanted to do. What she did know was that she loved delivering, loved being able to complete a project and knew that she had the ability to problem solve. Although she may have over twenty years experience working for renowned companies and although she is clearly forging a successful business in her own right, she still finds it difficult to define success. What also becomes apparent is her inability to sit back and allow things to progress naturally. Instead Tormey constantly questions her business plan and takes a very proactive approach.

“Obviously I have the business plan; I know where I want to go, but every day I ask myself how I can differentiate from my competitors. Everyday I look at the business and ask myself what changes I should be making, what direction I am going in and how am I going to be able to grow this business,” she says. Tormey explains that when running your own business there is a huge sense that it is a never ending process. “I never feel satisfied because there is always something around the corner. When I secured my first big client I said this is great, I’m doing really well, but still I want to gain more and more.” This is a quality that encourages her entrepreneurial drive and determination. Her insatiable appetite to is an attribute that has obviously been instrumental to her achievements.

Striking A Balance

Working for oneself obviously requires an entrepreneur to work long hours to develop the business and Tormey is like so many others in that regard. She too finds it difficult to switch off and strike a good work-life balance, but she admits that this is her “baby” and naturally she wants it to be the best that it can be.

Plans For The Future

Tormey has ambitious plans for the future. She is in the process of installing a new phone system, which will give much more functionality to her clients and will ultimately give clients a more personalised service. “I am working with Xgraphix on the website, we have redesigned the site and are adding a front end login facility. There will be a messaging board and a shared diary facility, something that will continue to evolve and ensure our clients’ lives are made easier,” she says.

Greatest Challenges

Tormey maintains that when starting out in business believing that you will succeed in what you are doing and not giving up is difficult. However, “when you are passionate or driven you want to do a good job and knowledge is power. The more experience you have the more knowledge you have and the more you will be able to use that knowledge to succeed,” she concludes.

Contact: angela.tormey@essentialpa.ie or Tel: +353 (0) 53 9128731

UP CLOSE WITH ANGELA TORMEY

Who In Life Has Inspired You? My mother came from Bridgetown, County Wexford but moved to London in the 60s. I remember her telling me that it was quite common to see signs up stating ‘no Irish need apply’. Unfortunately she passed away in 2002, but she left behind a substantial estate, which she amassed, from nothing. Despite a lack of formal education, she was a bright, intelligent woman who invested wisely in property and shares. Who Is Your Most Respected Entrepreneur? Oprah Winfrey, because she is a woman who came from a difficult childhood and has succeeded in becoming a household name. Although her success has been unbelievable she hasn’t forgotten her roots. She is always at the forefront of charity and rather than being business driven she has achieved a good balance. Most importantly she has battled with so much and has stood up and believed in herself. What Has Been Your Greatest Achievement? Coming back to Wexford, setting up a business in quite an unknown industry and supporting my partner and myself for the last two years. Are Entrepreneurs Born or Made? I believe they are born, but I also believe that encouragement from your family makes a huge difference. My parents were working class Irish, who moved to London during the 60s. Growing up my mother always encouraged us to try harder. It’s because of her I have the determination and drive to keep seeking the next challenge. As an adult I can now see that she was encouraging us to be the best we could be, that despite our background we could achieve anything if we set our mind to it. What has been Your Biggest Extravagance? Apart from my house, probably my car, which is an X5. I love my cars!