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 [...]
Heart Failure & How My Business Thrived Without Me
To be honest, I never imagined being here. Heart failure at 45 was not something I saw coming. I gave up alcohol nearly seven years ago, don’t smoke, exercise regularly, and eat a balanced diet of good food. So having to talk about my end-of-life directives and what I wanted for a funeral wasn’t something I had prepared for. For the past six months, I had been experiencing a racing heart and palpitations intermittently. I chalked it up to perimenopause and never got it checked. Usually, these episodes subsided within minutes. But on November 27th, as we were [...]
Top Skills Needed to be a Virtual Assistant
Dreaming of working from anywhere in the world and setting your own hours? Good news: that could be your new reality as a Virtual Assistant (VA). In today’s digital age, businesses are eager to streamline operations and boost efficiency —the solution is working with a Virtual Assistant. However, to become that go-to person a company relies on, mastering top VA skills is crucial. Here’s a look at the essential skills needed to be a virtual assistant in Canada. Essential Skills Needed to be a Virtual Assistant These are the foundational skills every Virtual Assistant needs—sharpened over a lifetime and non-negotiable [...]
How Technology is Shaping the Virtual Assistant Industry
You've probably come across countless "How Technology is Changing X" blog posts, but here's the truth: technology is transforming our world at an unprecedented pace. While classic combos like peanut butter and jelly are timeless, the digital tools reshaping the Virtual Assistant (VA) industry are anything but static. Here's what we've noticed: Expanding Virtual Assistant Duties Our executive assistant company is always taking on new clients and that means we get to work with so many different types of leaders in many different industries. What I've seen lately is that our Virtual Assistant clients are now reaching out for help [...]
Certifications for Virtual Assistants in Canada
International Virtual Assistants Association (IVAA) Certification Sure, anyone can become a Virtual Assistant (VA), but here's the catch: not everyone will be good at it. Online courses and recognized certifications for virtual assistants can help you stand out in the sea of digital fish. A professional certification course goes into all the aspects of being a VA, so you’re not left scrambling to fill in the gaps on the first day at your new job. We recommend taking a Virtual Assistant certificate if you want to join an executive assistant company in Canada. Ready to level up? Check out our favourite [...]
Learn How to Become a Virtual Assistant in Canada
Are you that friend who's always initiating plans? Coordinating schedules, finding the best meet-up, and remembering small details like allergies and plus-ones? It sounds like you're a Master Planner, treating group outings like a second job. So why not turn it into a full-time gig? Becoming a Virtual Assistant in Canada could be your next big move, and here's how to do it. Skills Needed to Become a Virtual Assistant You'd be surprised that many of the skills needed to become a Virtual Assistant (VA) are ones you most likely already possess. Like the Master Planner of your friend group, [...]
What Does a Virtual Executive Assistant in Canada Do?
If you don’t have an assistant, it’s probably because you’re the assistant… If you’re tired of spending hours on administrative tasks and want to focus your energy on doing shit that will actually move your business forward, then it’s time to hire a Virtual Executive Assistant in Canada. What is a Virtual Assistant? A Virtual Executive Assistant (VEA) is like having your own fairy godmother—minus the wand and sparkles—but with all the magic to make your operational challenges disappear and defeat those villainous administrative tasks. In Canada, Virtual Executive Assistants like the Northern Primrose team are hired sidekicks, who provide [...]
5 Most In-Demand Virtual Executive Assistant Skills in the Digital Age
Being a virtual executive administrative assistant is about way more than responding to emails and coordinating busy calendars. It's about being the wizard behind the scenes who can do everything from strengthen client relationships to improving business operations – as well as utilizing tech to the company’s advantage. Mastering virtual executive assistant skills is essential for thriving in this multifaceted role. The best virtual executive assistants know that tech skills aren’t just handy to have but essential to a company’s growth in this fast-evolving digital era. An executive administrative assistant who is well versed in AI tools, email marketing and [...]
How to Work With a Virtual Assistant
Here are some tips to help you work efficiently and delegate effectively with a virtual assistant. Make a list of all of the things that you either a) hate doing within your business or b) are huge time sucks in your business. These are the perfect things to hand off to your new VA. Invoicing, setting up appointments, Zoom calls, updating website, email marketing, invoicing, social media updates… this is just the start. Set up a weekly time to connect via video conference. We suggest this for a couple of reasons. Number one, it helps you build a connection [...]
How to Prepare your Business to Hire a Virtual Assistant
“I know I need to pass some things off because I'm working myself into the ground, but I'm such a control freak that I have a hard time picturing what that would look like.” Do you know how often we hear that sentiment from people reaching out? ALL. THE. TIME. It’s overwhelming. Everything about owning and running a business. Responding to emails in a timely manner. Managing invoicing your clients. Paying your own bills. Keeping track of all of the things. And then let’s not even talk about social media, email marketing or the dreaded CRA. Where do you find [...]
9 Tips to Boost Your Remote Productivity
Remote work has become a norm for professionals worldwide. This newfound flexibility, however, comes with the need for self-discipline and effective time management. If you're looking to supercharge your remote productivity, here are my top hacks to help you stay focused and achieve your best work.
Want more time? 5 big tasks you can hand off to your virtual executive assistant
One of the biggest challenges that all business owners eventually face, particularly as their company grows, is the amount of tasks that start piling up. They become stretched too thin trying to keep up with the essential tasks it takes to run their business, while trying to also focus on productivity and growth. Stress builds, mistakes start to happen leading to setbacks, missed opportunities, unhappy clients and burnout.
5 Social Media Tasks Your Virtual Assistant Can Do Daily
Many business owners have a love-hate relationship with social media. At minimum, they may see the value of having a social media presence and so will share a post from time to time for basic upkeep. Their potential clients may not necessarily follow them on social media, but they will poke around to see when was the last time the business posted something, what kind of posts they share, and if their tone of voice and what they offer aligns.
