Case Study: From Plate-Spinning to Partnership – How Sarah’s VA Changed Everything
Background
When business owner Sarah Dena first considered hiring a Virtual Assistant (VA), she was filled with hesitation. She knew she needed help but feared the financial commitment and whether she could truly let go of control.
“I was dropping plates, bowls, spoons, forks, knives, frying pans… it was a show. I buried my head in the sand and prayed for a miracle.” – Sarah
Before working with a VA, Sarah resisted the financial commitment:
“I was scared about making the financial commitment. I looked at it as an expense that would weigh me down. But very quickly I felt free of that burden, because the value was so immediate.” – Sarah
The Challenges
Sarah’s main concerns before hiring a VA were:
Cost and affordability.
Fear of embarrassment over the mess in her business.
Worrying she wouldn’t know how to delegate.
Fear that she and her VA wouldn’t “get on”.
“I was really scared I wouldn’t know how to delegate or I wouldn’t like delegating. But the reverse actually happened - I’ve found out I really love it.” – Sarah
The Solution: Partnership with Laura
Through The Virtual Colleagues, Sarah was matched with VA Laura Gane. From the very first call, the connection felt different.
“It wasn’t an interview, it was a connection. We talked about who we are, what makes us tick, not just what we could do for each other. It was joyous. Calm. A meeting of hearts and minds.” – Sarah
Lauras initial thoughts were “Where has Sarah been all my life? Within 10 minutes, I felt safe, authentic, and open — something I hadn’t felt with clients before. By the end of the call, I knew this was going to be a special partnership.” – Laura
Instead of focusing only on tasks, they invested in building trust. They used the Emotional Culture Deck (ECD) to accelerate the relationship, openly discussing how they needed to feel to make the partnership work.
“I laid it out honestly: I’ll be guarded, I’ll be defensive, I’ll be embarrassed sometimes. But I also knew Laura would see the best of me too. It was about being upfront.” – Sarah
Early Wins
In the first few weeks, both sides invested time and honesty.
Sarah’s priority was creating conditions for openness:
“What was important was giving it time and being committed. I wanted an environment where either of us could say, ‘I don’t understand this’ without judgement.” – Sarah
Laura’s first focus was understanding the whole business, not just ticking tasks:
“I scrolled through LinkedIn, pieced together projects, and asked a lot of questions. It wasn’t about ‘I do emails, I do diaries’. It was about curiosity and finding where I could add value.” – Laura
One early breakthrough was implementing Asana:
“At first, I thought, oh no, she’s trying to systemise me. I resisted. But now, if it’s not in Asana, it doesn’t get done. It’s transformed how I work.” – Sarah
Overcoming Challenges
Like any relationship, not everything went smoothly. But they had the tools and trust to manage difficult moments directly.
“We’ve had times when things went wrong. But because we’d already set expectations with the Emotional Culture Deck, we could call out the feeling - like disappointment - and then move towards clarity together.” – Sarah
“If Sarah had spoken to Jess first about issues arising, instead of coming to me, it would have felt like cheating. But instead, we worked things out directly, which built even more trust.” – Laura
Both agreed that their relationship thrived because it wasn’t transactional:
“Other business owners talk about their VA experiences as a transaction. For me, it’s been transformation. That shift in mindset is everything.” – Sarah
Results & Impact
For Sarah
Systems & Structure: With Asana and other tools, chaos turned into clarity.
Confidence: “Within a week, I felt different. Free, clear, capable. Confidence is 95% of the game, and Laura gave me that. How do you put a price on that?”
Intentional working: “I now plan, prioritise, and schedule. I’ve unlearned bad habits and relearned better ones. It’s transformed me and my business.”
Resilience: “Six months ago if I got knocked down by a bus, nobody would know what was going on. Now, Laura could literally run my business.”
For Laura
Renewed confidence: “This relationship has transformed how I see myself as a VA. It’s proven how powerful investing in connection is.”
True partnership: “Your actions as a VA might seem small, but the ripple effect can be huge when you’re trusted to be inside the business. When things went wrong, we fixed them together. That trust showed me the power of true partnership”
Purpose: “Your action might seem small as a VA, but the ripple effect can change everything.”
Lessons Learned
Invest in connection, not just tasks.
Early honesty, emotional awareness, and time spent building trust set the foundation for long-term success.Delegation is a skill.
Sarah had to learn how to delegate effectively without overloading or retreating.Transformation over transaction.
The most powerful VA relationships are partnerships, not task lists. “AI can do tasks. A VA gives you transformation.” - Sarah
Communication is everything.
Trust is earned quickly with openness. It took days, not months, to shift mindsets and embed new systems. They managed challenges without escalation because they committed to openness.
Final Words
“To VAs: know and value your worth. To business owners: stop treating it as a transaction. If you want real change, commit to the partnership. That’s when transformation happens.” – Sarah
“For me, the biggest takeaway is connection. It’s the cornerstone of a successful relationship. That’s when the ripple effects start to change everything.” – Laura
