Learn | Transform | Grow

About Us

Going Beyond

Virtualy – Training & Coaching operates remotely, hence there are not many expenses to consider. We also reach more people locally and internationally.

What makes the business even more appealing is that we teach individuals to work remotely too. More people want a flexible lifestyle and not have to go into an office. This has become evident after what happened with the pandemic.

Also, the pandemic forced many people to start small businesses. These small businesses do not have a big budget but need skillsets in their business, like social media marketing, bookkeeping, and proofreading.

Virtual Assistants are still quite new to the South African market, but business owners are starting to realise the benefits of Virtual Assistant services.

We are happy with the business model that we’ve built. The process to sign up for training is easy and simple and will be even more effortless as the business grows and develops with more tools.

Virtualy – Training & Coaching sends a monthly newsletter to our members, i.e. trained and followers on our database. Most of these individuals have invested in other services and products that are offered by Virtualy.

We pride ourselves on the relationships that we‘ve built with our clients, as well as with people who are interested in the training, but not ready for whatever reason, over the past few years. Our clients are extremely loyal and market our business on our behalf.

That being said, nothing could be possible without the great team that we have to help Virtual Training to help others.

meet our amazing team

The Faces Behind our Success

We Couldn’t Do It Without Them

Sonja Arendse

Founder

“I have learned that if you have a desire to be someone or do something, then only YOU have the power to make it happen. Do not listen to others but believe in yourself whole heartedly. Persevere and you will reap the rewards!”

I started working at the age of nineteen after I landed a position at one of South Africa’s leading insurance companies. At the time, I knew nothing about the Financial Service Industry, but I have always been determined to learn and grow.  Over the next eighteen years, I worked my way up the ranks and gained extensive knowledge of this industry. I subsequently worked for various companies and industries in the UK and South Africa.

I enjoyed working, but for a long time I had felt smothered by my unchanging routine. I wanted to do something that I loved, for my own growth, something new that was flexible and varied that would inspire me and help others. One day, while surfing the Internet searching for something ‘better’ I came across a job description I had never heard of before: Virtual Assistant. I was excited at the thought of being able to work for myself by assisting a variety of clients with admin tasks they did not want to do themselves. Then and there, I decided to set up my business as a Virtual Assistant.

It took me five months, with a whole lot of research and trying out different things, to launch my own Virtual Assistant business. At the beginning of the pandemic, I started sharing my Virtual Assistant knowledge with people who came to me for guidance after they were retrenched. Ultimately, this led me to take the plunge and launch Virtualy – Training & Coaching, so I could help people become VAs, full-time and part-time. Today, I love every single day of training and guiding people to launch their own businesses and earn a good living as a Virtual Assistant.

I’ve spent over twenty-two years of my career working for large corporate organisations, in the energy and telecommunications sectors, helping to set up their Customer Care, IT Operations and IT Support facilities. During this time, I took on a training role, where I was also responsible for creating work process manuals and ensuring these became registered standards of practice. It was while training staff that I discovered I have a passion for educating and coaching people in both their business and personal lives.  

Acting on my passion, I decided to take a sabbatical and become a qualified life and business coach, and Enneagram Practitioner. Since then, I have worked at Director-level for two coaching and business advisory companies, clocking up over 1000 hours of personal and business coaching for junior managers, executives and business owners, while also being responsible for providing personality assessments for clients and other coaches.

At the beginning of the pandemic, I met my now business partner, Sonja Arendse, on LinkedIn. I was very taken with the idea of people in our current unstable economy being able to use their existing skills to become self-employed as a VA, so I attended one of Sonja’s Virtualy Training info sessions.  Fast forward to 2022, and I saw on LinkedIn that Sonja was looking for a business partner. Having been impressed by how thorough the info session was, and discovering how Virtualy’s trainees are making a great success of their VA businesses, I jumped at joining Sonja as a partner in the business. I love teaching our trainees how to set up their own successful business.

Kefilwe Manyaka

Director

“I am passionate about guiding people into understanding their greatest strengths, shifting their mind-set out of fear and giving them the tools to be present and productive, in their lives and in their livelihoods.”

BRIDGET ROSSER

Virtual Assistant 

“It’s not as difficult as you think it is. Give yourself a chance – you might surprise yourself!”

I have over 16 years experience as an Administrator and Personal Assistant, assisting CEOs, Managing Directors, Financial Managers and Sales & Logistics Managers, among others, to manage their day-to-day work responsibilities in an efficient, well-organised manner.

In 2020, at the height of lockdown, I was retrenched and after struggling to find full-time employment, I decided to research becoming a Virtual Assistant. Thankfully, I came across Virtualy – Training & Coaching, and the rest, you could say, is history.

In October 2021, I started my Virtual Assistant journey with Sonja Arendse being my first part-time client, thereby becoming ‘Virtual Assistant to the Virtual Assistant Trainer’. I assist Virtualy with their Social Media Management as well as with administrative work such as creating their handbooks, proofreading etc.

I feel so fortunate to be able to be Virtual Assistant and Social Media Manager for Virtualy – Training and Coaching. It’s extremely important as a Virtual Assistant to find clients who are the right fit for you and I’m so lucky, Virtual is the perfect fit.  The team at Virtualy – Training and Coaching can help you get set up as a Virtual Assistant or, if you are a business owner, they can help you find a suitable Virtual Assistant for your business.

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