A fast-growing business might look like a dream come true. But rapid success can bring its own problems, especially when your systems can’t keep up. For Gillian, founder of Location Creation, working with a virtual assistant for her small business gave her the structure and support she needed to get back in control.
ABOUT
Industry: Creative & Film Production (Shoot Location Management)
Company size: Small, founder-led business with a freelance team
Who we supported: Gillian, owner and founder
About the business
Gillian runs Location Creation, a UK-based film and TV location agency that sources and manages properties for productions including feature films, television dramas, commercials, and fashion campaigns. From small beginnings – Gillian initially rented her own home out for film, magazine and documentary shoots – Location Creation now has over 100 UK properties, an international presence, and a client roster that includes Coach, Ninja and Cult Beauty.
Why did Gillian contact Timpi
Location Creation was growing quickly, and Gillian was beginning to feel overwhelmed by the work involved, but she didn’t have the headspace to change anything. But that changed when she saw our name in an email from one of her location owners. After checking us out on Google, she recognised the value we could bring. Within half an hour of getting in touch, she was on a call with us. And the rest, as they say, is history.
Gillian's Challenges
Location Creation had expanded quickly with more houses on the books, client relationships to manage, enquiries coming in, and a growing freelance team to coordinate. But the systems behind this growth hadn’t kept pace. Take bringing new properties on board, for example. This is essential for driving long-term growth, but it was consistently the first thing to be dropped when things got busy because there was no process to protect this essential task. Gillian needed to find a way to balance urgent needs with strategically important tasks.
With no support in place, Gillian was doing everything herself, from client management to coordinating her freelance team. This, coupled with a lack of structure, left her working from early morning to late evening, with weekends feeling similarly stretched. As Gillian told us, “I felt like everything was slightly running away from me. I’d start the day and then suddenly end the day really late and think, this is ridiculous. I need to get more help.”
How a Timpi virtual assistant supported this small business
We matched Gillian with Frankie, one of our exceptional Timpi VAs. Having a background in PR, Frankie understood the pace Gillian needed and hit the ground running.
Gillian and Frankie begin each week with a status call where they agree on the week’s priorities. Frankie leads the call and uses Trello to track progress. By methodically working through the task list, Gillian and Frankie can be clear on the status of each project, giving them a clear picture of where things stand and helping Gillian feel more in control.
New properties are essential for Location Creation’s long-term success, but Gillian found them challenging to prioritise when doing everything herself. Frankie now leads this important aspect of the business. After restructuring the process, she now manages the new-business pipeline and ensures a steady stream of new locations. Once a property is approved, she onboards it and then shares it with relevant clients, helping ensure a steady stream of properties for Gillian’s discerning clients.
Gillian’s inbox used to fill her with dread. But now Frankie makes sure Gillian’s emails are organised, filed and appropriately actioned. By triaging Gillian’s emails, important information is identified immediately, client service has improved, and Gillian no longer carries the mental load of wondering what she might have forgotten to reply to.
Beyond the day-to-day tasks, Frankie has helped tighten up how Location Creation handles its client and booking pipeline, a part of the business prone to last-minute changes. By building in clearer processes, things run with more consistency even when enquiries or shoot dates shift at short notice. Gillian describes it as “A machine that works now… Frankie’s made the business work smoothly.”
With so many invoices and payments, Gillian was overwhelmed with financial admin. Having Frankie on her side means she no longer has to hold any of that in her head or find the time to deal with it herself. Frankie takes care of everything invoice-related, ensuring invoices go out on time and that overdue payments are chased promptly and professionally. As well as easing Gillian’s mental load, this has also improved cashflow.
Frankie’s familiarity with the business is enhanced by her ability to see it with fresh eyes. As a result, she often helps Gillian think through decisions with the benefit of an outside perspective. As Gillian says, “Frankie brings an indispensable outside perspective that most small business owners don’t realise they’re missing. It’s incredibly valuable.”
The Result
Since working with Timpi, Gillian has changed from being exhausted and overwhelmed to running a thriving business she’s squarely in charge of. Having a virtual assistant for her small business has given her a steady stream of new business, solid cashflow thanks to diligent invoice management and a clear weekly structure in place that means nothing gets forgotten. And most importantly, the business no longer depends on Gillian holding it all in her head, because she now has a partner and a system to keep things moving.
