About Gem
Hi, I’m Gem,
There’s a version of me that spent years being good at jobs that never quite fit, spotting gaps or mistakes, building systems – even if they were just my own – to streamline any job into one that not only elevated the positions I was in, but had every team and touchpoint I handled running smoothly.
I love working with people. I started in retail, then moved up to assistant manager positions, in particular at an artisan burger bar, where I got a team running smoothly enough to serve over 200 covers in four hours, deliveries included. I made sure everyone felt like a person, not a number on a rota. I’m still proud of that.
After a few years of working until 3am, I wanted something more stable. Corporate life has edges, though, and they wore on me. The relentless push for output, the targets, the same pace expected whether you were running on empty or running on full. I knew how to do the work, and I enjoyed the work. I just couldn’t make peace with the shape of it. So when I stepped away, I knew one thing: not an office.
Then an old colleague posted that she needed an associate virtual assistant. I applied on instinct, and just like that I was inside a world I hadn’t known existed.
Hi, I’m Gem,
There’s a version of me that spent years being good at jobs that never quite fit, spotting gaps or mistakes, building systems – even if they were just my own – to streamline any job into one that not only elevated the positions I was in, but had every team and touchpoint I handled running smoothly.
I love working with people. I started in retail, then moved up to assistant manager positions, in particular at an artisan burger bar, where I got a team running smoothly enough to serve over 200 covers in four hours, deliveries included. I made sure everyone felt like a person, not a number on a rota. I’m still proud of that.
After a few years of working until 3am, I wanted something more stable. Corporate life has edges, though, and they wore on me. The relentless push for output, the targets, the same pace expected whether you were running on empty or running on full. I knew how to do the work, and I enjoyed the work. I just couldn’t make peace with the shape of it. So when I stepped away, I knew one thing: not an office.
Then an old colleague posted that she needed an associate virtual assistant. I applied on instinct, and just like that I was inside a world I hadn’t known existed.
Hi, I’m Gem,
There’s a version of me that spent years being good at jobs that never quite fit, spotting gaps or mistakes, building systems – even if they were just my own – to streamline any job into one that not only elevated the positions I was in, but had every team and touchpoint I handled running smoothly.
I love working with people. I started in retail, then moved up to assistant manager positions, in particular at an artisan burger bar, where I got a team running smoothly enough to serve over 200 covers in four hours, deliveries included. I made sure everyone felt like a person, not a number on a rota. I’m still proud of that.
After a few years of working until 3am, I wanted something more stable. Corporate life has edges, though, and they wore on me. The relentless push for output, the targets, the same pace expected whether you were running on empty or running on full. I knew how to do the work, and I enjoyed the work. I just couldn’t make peace with the shape of it. So when I stepped away, I knew one thing: not an office.
Then an old colleague posted that she needed an associate virtual assistant. I applied on instinct, and just like that I was inside a world I hadn’t known existed.
I started as a general VA, then I started doing the tech. Sales pages. Funnels. Automations. Email sequences.
Something clicked. I wasn’t just completing tasks, I was building things, following the logic through, testing it, and watching a sequence fire exactly as it should. I’d always been a tech person (I built my own PC in six weeks). I’d just never been in a job that asked for it.
One client changed everything. A tech VA arrangement grew into something closer to a virtual COO role, and I ran bundles with more than 75 contributors. It was the hardest work I’d ever done and the most alive I’d ever felt.
I started as a general VA, then I started doing the tech. Sales pages. Funnels. Automations. Email sequences.
Something clicked. I wasn’t just completing tasks, I was building things, following the logic through, testing it, and watching a sequence fire exactly as it should. I’d always been a tech person (I built my own PC in six weeks). I’d just never been in a job that asked for it.
One client changed everything. A tech VA arrangement grew into something closer to a virtual COO role, and I ran bundles with more than 75 contributors. It was the hardest work I’d ever done and the most alive I’d ever felt.
Here's what I learnt along the way
- I love building - systems, automations, I love mapping out the processes.
- I love mapping customer journey's - spotting gaps and finding the flaws before it gives someone, usually you, a headache.
- I love planning a funnel - the way other peopler plan trips, holidays or events. I map it all out, and get chills when the funnel is built and runs smoothlybecause the flaws and the journey is mapped and clear before the funnel is even built.
Now work looks like slow mornings,
too many cups of tea, and a quality manager that's a cat..
My best thinking, in my own rhythm, with no KPI hanging over my head.
For a long time I didn’t know that was allowed.
Now, I work with women who are building something real: coaches, course creators and digital product creators whose tech is eating their time, tripping them up or leaking money through setups that almost work. I know what it is to be capable and still feel like something is wrong. Most of the time it’s the system, not the person using it.