What Does a Virtual Executive Assistant (VEA) Really Do? It’s More Than You Think
“So, what do you do for a living?” or “Do you work?”. I HATE this question. “I’m a Virtual Executive Assistant (VEA)” just doesn’t self-explain like “I’m a nurse” or “I’m a dental hygienist". People just look at you and ask “What’s that?”. Ugh. My best friends and my own mother have no idea what I do even though I’ve been doing it for nearly 4 years. My mom once told someone “She does financial things for financial people”, because my clients were mainly financial advisors and insurance companies. Ok, fair. I did do financial things for financial people, [...]
Hiring Etiquette: What Employers and Applicants Keep Getting Wrong
Hiring Etiquette Is Not Optional What we have learned from hiring people, getting it wrong, and fixing it Hiring is one of those things people assume they are good at because they have done it a few times. We thought that too. At Northern Primrose, we have hired a lot over the years. Different roles. Different levels. Different seasons of growth. And yes, we have made mistakes. Some small. Some expensive. Some embarrassing in hindsight. What matters more than that is that we noticed them and changed how we hire because the process was not working as well as [...]
2025 Year in Review: A CEO’s Honest Reflection on Growth, Hiring, and Hard Lessons
2025 Year in Review: This is a candid look back at what we built, what broke, and what this year taught us about growth, hiring, and leadership. There’s always a point in December where the calendar finally stops asking questions. No more meetings to prep for. No more deadlines pretending they’re urgent. Just a quiet stretch where you can actually look at the year instead of sprinting through it. This is that pause. 2025 wasn’t a year of tidy growth or clean wins. It was a year of figuring things out while they were already in motion. Some things [...]
Your Calendar Is a Reflection of Your Priorities: Edit Ruthlessly
You can say whatever you want about your priorities, but your calendar doesn’t lie. It’s the clearest measure of CEO time management there is. You can talk about focusing on strategy or investing in your people, but if your week is packed with reactionary meetings and admin tasks, you’re not leading… you’re surviving. Your calendar tells the real story. Your calendar is your mirror. It shows how you make decisions, how you avoid discomfort, and where your business is leaking energy. If it’s crammed with noise, it’s time for a reality check. Because here’s the thing most CEOs won’t admit: [...]
If It Feels Hard, You’re Missing a System
Running a business shouldn’t feel like dragging a tractor through mud. If every week feels like a scramble, you’re not bad at what you do… you just don’t have enough structure holding things up. Most owners think ease comes from working fewer hours or hiring more people, but that’s not it. Real ease shows up when everyone knows what’s going on, where to find what they need, and what “done” actually looks like. Ease isn’t luck. It’s built piece by piece. The way you organize the back end of your company matters more than most people want to admit. [...]
Letting Someone Go: The Hardest Part of the Job
Letting someone go is the hardest part of running a team—but sometimes, a bum just belongs on a different bus. In this post, we talk about how we handle offboarding at Northern Primrose with dignity, clarity, and a 24-step process that’s always evolving. We also unpack the role of feedback, why cultural fit matters, and why “I take feedback well” isn’t always true in practice. At Northern Primrose, we’re in the business of building efficient, values-driven teams. We help businesses streamline, scale, and succeed—not just by putting bums in seats, but by making damn sure they’re in the right [...]
A Day in the Life as a Virtual Executive Assistant
Days at Northern Primrose vary from VEA to VEA, however, our structure, vision and values are the same. We provide top-level administrative and operations support so our clients can focus on growing and scaling their businesses. We provide affordable solutions to clients who aren’t ready for full-time administrative support, but recognize that they need to delegate their administrative work in order to scale and grow. As an Operations Strategist, it is my responsibility to ensure that clients' operations are running smoothly, that junior executives are up-to-date on task details, and that we are efficient in delegation while offering solutions [...]
Work from Home Life – From One of Our Own, Claire Myra
Working from home sounds like a dream, especially when you’re used to starting your workday extra early to get yourself ready, commuting to your workplace, and spending money on food.I want to talk about the ups and downs of working from home. Sometimes working from home isn’t as glorified as it seems. It can become lonely, boring and distracting some days.Take it from me - I’ve always wanted a work-from-home job because to me it meant lounging in my sweats, not worrying about putting makeup on, and saving money on gas and food. I work from home now and although [...]
Say It to My Face (Nicely)
Northern Primrose started as just me—a solopreneur, accountable only to my clients. Fast forward five years, and while we still prioritize client feedback, we've expanded our approach. Now, we actively encourage our team to both give and receive feedback. Feedback is essential for growth—whether between colleagues or between leadership and the team. Continuous improvement stems from continuous feedback. When these conversations flow easily, collaboration thrives, and that’s where the magic happens. Building a Culture of Feedback vs. a Culture of Silence Creating a feedback-driven culture—especially in a remote workplace—is a challenge. Too often people choose silence, hoping issues will [...]
Strategy Meets Execution
Growth is exciting, but without the right mix of strategy and execution, your company is like piling up fancy dishes for a dinner party and forgetting to wash them—impressive at first, but eventually, it’s just a mess. Too often, I see visionaries within companies (usually the CEO) come up with incredibly big plans, only for those plans to die a slow death on the side of their desk, waiting for “when things slow down.” Years pass, and those great ideas stay just that—ideas. Don’t get me wrong—those ideas ARE great. But if they never make it out of the planning [...]
Why Mindset Matters More Than Talent
In this gig economy and remote work era where being a social media travel influencer is an actual job, oh, the times have changed. The days of climbing very slowly up the corporate ladder, doing the same thing day in and day out, while waiting for the folks on top to retire are becoming rare. Our digital world is moving at a super pace and companies are looking for the best employees who can keep up. You may have heard the saying, an organization is only as strong as its people (or some version of this saying). Truer [...]
