Woman’s business started during furlough receives recognition from Theo Paphitis

A WOMAN said starting her own business offering virtual assistance to her clients was the “best thing” she’s ever done.

Tasha Dove, who founded Dove Virtual Assistant after being furloughed during the Covid pandemic, urged others questioning whether to start their own business to “go for it”.

The entrepreneur, from Ferndown, has recently moved her office into a garden award and even won an award presented by Theo Paphitis.

Ms Dove said: “I was working for an electrical company and I got a bit fed up with making lots of people money and not myself and thought I am going to do it on my own.

“I handed in my notice, got my website and I was pretty naïve, I thought customers would fall into my lap.”

Ms Dove was then started a new job but got furloughed in October 2020.

She then decided to have another go at her business, making sure she understood what work needed to go into it.

The businesswoman very quickly got her first client, and quickly built up the business to now having 11 clients and looking to employ an assistant.

She entered the Small Business Sunday competition run by Dragon Theo Paphitis and won, giving her the opportunity to meet the Dragon at a large networking event in Birmingham.

She continued: “I am a virtual assistant. We do all the admin, finance things for my clients, invoices, reconciliations.

“Most my clients are electricians and I said I give am more personal than accountants and I care about their business.

“I am interviewing this week for an assistant so I can take on more clients.

“I have got clients who say I have changed their lives. If you are passionate about helping people and have got confidence to start your own business than do it.

“I have always had confidence but because I have always worked for people all my life I didn’t have that boost of confidence to make it on my own.

“I now have an amazing bunch of clients, making even more money than I ever have before, I am my own boss.

“It is the best thing I have done in my life, why didn’t I do it years ago?”