In August 2015, Brittany Barry was greeted with an unexpected email from her employer, U.S.-based virtual assistant firm Zirtual, as she settled into her home-office for the day.
The email bluntly informed her the business was shutting down, leaving her and its roughly 500 other employees without a job. Although she’d never dreamed of becoming a business owner, Barry immediately reached out to her clients—C-suite executives and busy entrepreneurs—informing them that she was starting her own company.
“Zirtual’s collapse was a big blow financially and I think motivationally,” Barry tells Business Report in the Entrepreneur feature from the current issue, “but I really believe that God had me in that role for two years to prepare me for my own business.”
After just six months at Zirtual, Barry’s writing, editing and social media marketing skills allowed her to rise through the ranks, securing a position on the management team. Having gained an in-depth knowledge of the industry, Barry launched own her virtual assistant business, Professional Virtual Solutions, just months after losing her job.
By December 2015, Barry had already landed 20 new customers, thanks to referrals from clients that followed her from Zirtual. She brought on a marketing and training director as well as a sales director and began hiring virtual assistants who work as contractors.
“What we do is fill that void for small business owners and entrepreneurs who can’t afford to or don’t want to hire inside help,” Barry explains. “There are also very high-level executives that just need that extra set of hands.”
While her goal for 2016 was to hire three additional virtual assistants and acquire 10 more clients, she closed out the year with 15 assistants serving over 50 customers.
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