“I’m passionate about so many things. I worked as a consultant a couple of years ago clocking in at least 45 hours a week. 

​On the side, I started a passion project called Giving is Social. I really wanted it to get off the ground but there was no way I can manage it while holding a demanding corporate job...

​So I watched how successful people do it—they had people working for them. “Maybe I can have someone working for me,” I daydreamed one day.

​‘But I’m just an employee!’ I debated with myself.

Then I saw the real cost of my time. It didn’t matter that I wasn't a CEO. My time is as valuable as one.

​So, I looked at my potential costs if I continued trying to do everything on my own—the stress, the time with family and friends I’d lose, and  dreams unfulfilled. Then I looked at what I was earning back then. I actually could afford to hire a virtual assistant for a few hours a week!

​2013 was the start of my journey working with virtual assistants.

I’ve created three brands that run on automation and delegation, and I’ve set up a company employing a team of VAs. And I’ve assisted people virtually myself to know how it is to be on the other side.”

— Joanna Blanding,
Founder of The Collective.