Our Business In A Box

 

We love answering this question because we have so many good reasons to share. 

 

When Vicky Matthews and Caroline Gowing decided to start up Pink Spaghetti, they absolutely knew what they wanted to create because it is what they always wanted for themslves: the opportunity to use excellent skills gained during their corporate careers but in a flexible way so that the holy grail of work-life balance is actually a real possibility. 

 

At the same time they found they were creating a supportive working community that shares skills and experiences, providing all the benefits of working with a large group of colleagues without the restrictive commitments of being an employee. 

 

The best thing is that when we asked some of our Virtual Assistants what they think, they have absolutely confirmed that Pink Spaghetti works for them too. So here is the list of really good reasons that a business in a box could be for you. 

 

The precious freedom to decide how you are going to carve up your day is not to be underestimated. No longer will you miss out on special family events because you couldn’t have the day off. You can still choose to be as busy or as unbusy as you like because you are, after all, running your own business. It’s your call. 

 

This fits in neatly with autonomy because it’s up to you to choose your clients and the work you do, allowing you to concentrate on the skills that you find most rewarding. And then still be free to nip out for school runs, playdates and teenage taxi runs. 

 

We cannot all be experts at everything, and Pink Spaghetti allows each VA to offer clients not just her or his own skills but also access to the specialist skills within their network. It’s a no-brainer offer, and our VAs’ clients have often commented on the value of this specific benefit. Community is also more than sharing skills, as we make friends across the network and provide morale-boosting and practical support for each other when tough days turn up. 

 

As most of the world has now discovered, virtual work is not only possible but can also work really well. Thanks to technology we can easily meet face to face, share documents and generally deliver work at a time of our choosing. There are of course many pros and cons to both home and office-based working but, interestingly, many people who had to make the leap with little warning in 2020 found that without distractions of office life, they became much more efficient. We had already discovered this great pro quite a while ago and our clients have been the beneficiaries of greater efficiency and cost-effectiveness, long before the pandemic. 

 

We really love hearing that we’re approachable because that’s important to us. Franchise operations can be hard-nosed arrangements in some cases with franchisees having to work all hours to make a margin, with little support beyond the essential structure and brand. 

 

We aim to be fair and reasonably priced because we know from research that women especially find it harder to raise the money required for starting a business. We want to support women like ourselves, so putting a major financial barrier in the way doesn’t make sense. 

 

We know our model works because of what our franchisees say and what their clients say. It is possible to make a good living within reasonable hours and that makes sense to us. 

 

We offer training opportunities because the value of learning doesn’t stop when you’re a VA with Pink Spaghetti. 

 

But don’t take it just from us as franchisors. 

 

This is how Michelle, one of our lovely VAs and franchisees, sees it. 

 

After redundancy, Michelle saw Pink Spaghetti as a good way of stepping out of the public sector into a new venture and a more flexible way of living. She really liked that the ‘package’ was already branded and ready to market, and also liked the opportunity to be part of a virtual team for support rather than working alone. Another attraction was that development is still an option and that she could enhance her skills and productivity more quickly than if she’d gone ahead on her own. Another great benefit was the reassurance of knowing she had an option to get advice and cover for emergencies. 

 

In her own words… “Since starting my Pink Spaghetti franchise my life has changed somewhat. Obviously as my children have got older they need taxi services more frequently! The flexibility that I have means that I don’t have to miss athletics morning or taking them to a show, dentist appointments etc. I have that flexibility. Of course sometimes I use it to pop to the gym myself! Having a Pink Spaghetti franchise has enabled me to organise myself in a better way. My husband has a very busy job, he works late and long hours: I’m not saying I don’t work the hours myself, but it has enabled us to have flexibility and run things the way we want to.” 

 

 

We’re really proud of our business in a box because we know it meets a need for both our franchisees and their clients. The proof of its success is in the wonderful group of Virtual Assistants who work hard in a way that suits themselves and provides a community at the same time. 

 

To find out more about joining us all you need to do is get in touch with us today.