Hilde van den Braak has been a Personal Assistant for over 28 years and has worked in a variety of roles, latterly as PA to one of the most senior managers in a multinational company. In late 2010, Hilde founded her virtual assistance practice Hilde and Susanne Virtual Assistant Services. Together with her sister, Hilde supplies world class personal assistance in a virtual environment. You can connect with Hilde right here at Virtual Assistant Forums, on Twitter and LinkedIn. And don't forget to stop by her blog to learn more about her business philosophy.
Hilde shared with us her personal startup story, as well as what she thinks matters most when it comes to being a small business owner and virtual assistant.
What is your company name? Is there a story behind the name?
Our company name is
HildeandSusanne.net. The story behind it is simple: I had no idea what to call my company. Once we decided that my sister would join us for the Spanish speaking customers, the company name was easy: both our names.
How long have you been a virtual assistant and what drew you to start up your practice?
I have been a virtual assistant since September 2010. My decision to start my own company as a virtual assistant was triggered by the fact that my husband and I wanted to move to Spain to be with my sister’s family. Spain is in a deep financial crisis and my Spanish is not good enough yet to work as a secretary. The most logical step was to start my own company.
What was the startup phase like for you? Please share your biggest triumphs/hurdles from this time.
The start up phase was spread over 2 years. We had set a date for moving to Spain (August 2010). Once I decided that I was going to be a virtual assistant, the plans and thinking was spread out over the 2 years. The building of a website (my husband did that), the business plan took roughly 6 months to put together.
The biggest triumphs were that I found my first client when I still worked in my regular job, and the fact that the move to Spain was very smooth, despite the August heat.
The biggest hurdle was adjusting to a completely different budget (i.e . no money to spend on business).
What is your specialty/niche and how have you established yourself as an expert or leader in your field?
I am a secretary/personal assistant. That is my niche if you would call it that. I have been a secretary for over 28 years and I reached the top of my profession, always with very happy bosses. My last job was the assistant to an Executive Director in Royal Dutch Shell plc, one of the biggest companies in the world. It was an amazing experience from which I can draw for many years to come.
What new education or training have you pursued since starting your VA practice and how has it benefited your company/your clients?
There are many things that I have had to learn. In Shell we were quite isolated from social media and once I got home (after 12 or more hours in the office) I never touched another computer. I have learned, and am still learning, about social media networking. This benefits my company in obvious ways.
The other very important thing I’m learning is communicating via email, Skype, etc. which is definitely different from being in an office. This benefits my clients, since they have to get used to working with a virtual assistant as well.
What do you plan to learn next and why?
I am currently learning to build my website. My husband made a beautiful one, but I want to manage it myself and include my blog.
How many hours a week do you work? What is your schedule like?
Approx 40. I work from 09.00-12.00 and from 12.30ish-15.00. Then lunch. I always work in the evenings after 20.00ish. I also work in weekends, but only a little bit in the mornings.
What’s on your to-do list today?- 4 hours of PA work for my biggest client
- 2 hours of working on my website and learning
- 30 mins of Twitter
- 30 mins of forums, LinkedIn, etc
What’s your definition of success?
First and foremost I need to be happy, healthy and content. Success for my business would mean I would reach approximately the same income as I did when I was a PA in the corporate environment (i.e. a
lot) and that my clients would feel that I contribute to their success.
What are the top five tools or resources you use on a regular basis in running your own business?
I have six as they are equally important.
- Myoffice.net
- Microsoft Office
- The Internet
- Skype
- Telephone
- Dropbox
What’s your number one source for new clients?
LinkedIn
Who is your ideal client? Has your ideal client profile changed at all since you first started your business?
My ideal client is a small company with different needs. Basic PA work such as calendar and travel management, but also broader tasks, such as marketing or corporate/legal such as a conflict of interest register. The best is a little bit of everything with me being the go-to-person for all issues. My ideal client hasn’t changed since I started my business (yet).
What is your most important business policy and how did it come to be a part of your operations?
My most important business policy is ethics and values. I have strong values and will not do things that against those.
What was the most recent local networking event you attended and how did it go?
None yet, but will be going to a lunch meeting of Twitter users in Seville in the new year (my Spanish just isn’t good enough yet).
What is the one thing you ‘wish you’d known’ when you first started out?
I wish I’d realized that I benefit most from structure in my day. It’s taken me a while and some frustration before I realized that I work best with set times and set breaks.
What do you love most about being a virtual assistant / self employed businesswoman?
Being my own boss. I can spend the money - if any - the way I like and spend my time the way I like.
What’s your best advice for aspiring VAs thinking of starting a new practice?
Start with a plan. Think about why you want to do this, how you think you’ll manage setting up a business, what your added value will be for your clients and what you will do when things don’t go the way you plan/hope.
What’s the biggest mistake you’ve ever made in your business and how did you fix it?
I have not made a mistake yet in my business, but I do have a funny – very embarrassing – story
About 17 years ago, I worked for a very Dutch company, with a boss who was really a gentleman. Trousers weren’t allowed for women yet, everyone used polite forms (a distinction in the Dutch language) and everything was quite strict and old-fashioned.
I was going through the mail with my boss, he on the one side of the desk and I on the other. It was getting a bit boring and I was rubbing the table leg with my foot. He sometimes looked up and at one point asked: is everything okay Hilde?. Yes, I said, Fine – wondering if he noticed I was getting bored. And again he asked: Hilde, are you okay?. Only then did I notice that I wasn’t rubbing the table leg, but I was rubbing his leg.
The embarrassment I felt was
unbelievable, but at the same time I knew I had to fix this situation. My boss was also embarrassed. I apologized and turned it into a joke. He laughed and we could continue with the mail.
Please take us on a tour of your home office – can you describe how you have it set up and what you love about it?
My home office is our big dining room table. It looks out onto the square in front of our house. I have a decent office chair and my laptop is set to the right height. It truly is lovely. Our whole family (including my sister’s family) eat every day at this table, so it is a happy place which represents our new life.
What question do you get asked most often about your business and how do you answer?
How does it work? My answer is:
The same as in any office, only in different locations.
Looking ahead, what’s your five year plan?
Good question! My five year plan is to continue to build my business, based on a better understanding of social media networking and hopefully referrals from my clients. My plan is also to have become integrated into the Spanish community.
Interview with Hilde van den Braak of Hilde and Susanne Virtual Assistant Services
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