Are you interested in learning more about the story behind Admin Army?
Hannah, one of the Virtual Assistant’s on the Admin Army team, sat down with the big cheese, Irene, to talk all things admin… and find out a little more about her and the business along the way.
“Work Smarter Not Harder.”
That is the motto behind everything Irene does and is the business philosophy for Admin Army.
Getting Started
Irene had always wanted to own her own business, but she had never settled on what it would be. It was a chance conversation with an acquaintance that sealed the deal and set her on the journey to starting Admin Army.
“My husband, Rich, got a promotion and so we were moving to Hawkes Bay. When this person heard I was leaving my job to move, they said ‘great, you’ll be able to help me with my admin now’. Turns out, they were right”.
That was exactly the push Irene needed to step out of her comfort zone and use her skill set of admin, bookkeeping and an in-depth understanding of small businesses, to build the robust machine that is Admin Army today.
Any excuse to not have to get a real job!
What’s in a name?
Deciding on a name was a slightly more difficult challenge. Irene knew she wanted something that allowed her to show off her personality and differentiate herself from the other providers in the marketplace. After some thorough research and throwing out some not-so-individual ideas, Admin Army was born. It gives Irene the chance to have a lot of fun within the branding while expressing the service offered to business owners… Admin Army is down in the trenches with them waging war on business admin.
Irene has come a long way from her first job working as a librarian after school and on weekends. It was a great job with interesting people, and she was earning the massive sum of $5 an hour! Now all these years later, she’s following her dream and turning Admin Army into a full blown Army with a team of people ready and willing to help her clients.
Who is her dream client?
“Someone who is pretty switched on themselves and is completely capable of doing all of their admin and bookkeeping tasks. However, they know that it’s not the best use of their time. They really understand the value of the service we provide. They really embrace having a VA as an extension of their team. Working with clients like this means we get to make a difference. We see their businesses flourish and celebrate their success with them.”
Owning your own business certainly has it’s ups and downs. It means not being able to switch off completely and always having the business ticking away in the back of your mind. However, for Irene, it means she’s in charge of her own destiny. She gets to decide on the direction of the business and make things happen. It’s meant learning to have faith in her own abilities that she can drive this machine to success, and to get out of her head and back herself. It’s opened her up to an incredible community of small business owners who share knowledge, support, advice and drive each other to achieve greatness. When it comes down to it, in Irene’s words, she’s “Living the Dream”.
Quick Facts:
- Bookkeeping or Admin – Bookkeeping
- Xero or MYOB – Xero (Not surprising given she’s a Xero Adviser!)
- Mac or PC – PC
- Dogs or Cats – She can’t choose. While her dog Gryff is Admin Army’s Demolition Expert, prior to Gryff, her heart belonged to an amazing cat called Grover!
- Mexican or Pizza – Mexican
- Stay in or Go out – Stay in
- Gin or Tequila – Gin. Although this was definitely the hardest question of the lot!
Background
Irene is the Managing Director of Admin Army. Based in the Hawkes Bay and servicing businesses all over New Zealand, she and her team of bookkeepers & VA’s are passionate about helping you to grow your business by creating order from chaos and making sure that the tasks that keep your business moving are delivered on time and exactly as you want them.
You didn’t get into business so you can spend all your time on paperwork, admin and accounts. Admin Army are your troops on the ground. We take care of all those required tasks that you don’t love, so you can focus on those you enjoy.
Are you interested in finding out what working with a great Virtual Assistant team is like? Contact Irene today to book your free, no-obligation discovery call to see if Admin Army is the right fit for your business.