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Now CPD Accredited

ActiVAte Mentor Lead

Become a virtual assistant in 12 weeks

A comprehensive, step by step virtual assistant course to fast track your success

WANT FREEDOM, FLEXIBILITY & FUN IN YOUR LIFE?

Next LIVE Cohort starts in September 2026

ADVANCE VIRTUAL ASSISTANT ACADEMY

BUILD A BUSINESS AND A LIFESTYLE THAT YOU DREAM OF AS A VIRTUAL ASSISTANT

When you’re first starting your own Virtual Assistant business, it can be confusing and overwhelming to know where to start. At Advance Virtual Assistants Academy you will get a step-by-step framework so that you can start your professional VA Business from scratch.

WE'RE HERE TO HELP YOU NAVIGATE THE PITFALLS.

Are you fed up with the 9-5 and want to create freedom and flexibility for yourself?

Have you downloaded every freebie going and now are completely overwhelmed and don’t know where to start?

Are you ready to invest in yourself in the one programme that has proven results?

ActiVAte VA Program can take you

FROM

TO

Introducing...

Advance Virtual Assistants Academy

ActiVAte

Now CPD Accredited

A step-by-step, mentor-led program designed to help you create your VIRTUAL ASSISTANT business with clear direction and proven methods.

ACCESS THE TRAINING MODULES

10 modules (we are the ONLY VA training academy that delivers our training LIVE), bonus modules, tech school, masterclasses, live project, workbooks and many templates.
PLUS
We have the exciting NEW AI for VAs BONUS module.
AI is infiltrating all areas of our lives; in this module, we show you how to embrace it!! It is truly a game changer

WHAT IS INCLUDED IN
ActiVAte?

Immediate access to all of the step-by-step program, delivered through webinars, worksheets, reading materials, and many of my own templates to save you reinventing the wheel. In addition to:

The Curriculum

ActiVAte covers everything that you will ever need to know to ensure your successful VA business. To include mindset, business strategy, legal and finances, working with clients, marketing, tools and technology, systems and processes, working with associates and our new 'live’ project.

Module 1: Let’s Get Started

Putting in strong foundations is essential to ensuring that you build a successful business. In this module, we get clear about your WHY, work on your mindset, and start to draft your vision and values.

MODULE 2: RESEARCH, RESEARCH, RESEARCH

Getting clear about the industry, what is already out there, and what you can offer helps you gain clarity on what is needed and how you can fit into the industry. In this module, we undertake market research to get clarity on our ideal clients and what services we would like to offer.

MODULE 3: Branding ACADEMY

How you show up to potential ideal clients is very important. In this module we will cover all aspects of your business branding.

Module 4: organisational structure

Not everyone’s cup of tea – but essential nonetheless! In this module, we make decisions about the structure of your business and cover the legalities that you will need to consider.

Module 5: financials & LEGAL

Having knowledge of the accounting processes that need to be in place will give you peace of mind and confidence. Understanding your finances and putting in best practices from the outset will pay off in the long term.

Module 6: working with clients

The actual know-how. In this module, we will walk you through the processes step by step, from start to finish. From discovery calls to offboarding.

Module 7: Marketing

This is an essential piece of the puzzle. In this module, we introduce the basics of marketing, including how to be visible. To attract, sell to, and retain your ideal clients.

MODULE 8: SYSTEMS & AUTOMATION

Implementing robust systems is essential for growth for both you and your clients. We share the systems we use in our business.

MODULE 9: TOOLS & TECH

Fast track to our preferred tools and software available to you. In this module, we will talk about all of the tools that we use and explain how we use them. Our new Tech School has many mini-trainings to show you around some of the tech that you will encounter.

Module 10: success path

So what is next? You have set up a fantastic business and are working with your ideal clients – in this module we look at potential growth ideas for your VA business.

BONUS: AI for vas

Love it or hate it, there is no denying this is the way the world is going. In this pre-recorded module, we share the power of AI and how you can embrace it in your business.

live project

An opportunity to undertake a live project to reassure you and give you 100% confidence,to be ready to hit the ground running when working with your first clients

How do I know ActiVAte is the right programme for me?

I am the founder of Advance Virtual Assistants Ltd, which I started in 2017. I, with the help of my team, have grown the business to a six figure business.

I have designed and created all of the courses in the Academy, based on my own methods for success.  Additionally, I manage my team of Virtual Assistants serving Advance clients in the Agency and I still work directly with clients to remain relevant to you.

I am a lifelong learner, investing in my professional development in order to add value to your learning experience.  I am a Certified Director Of Operations, I have undertaken several Launch Strategists courses and I have a deep knowledge of funnels and automation.  Additionally, I have the experience of setting up my team of associates and the success of Advance Agency which all contribute to the knowledge that I can share with you.  Prior to being a business owner, I obtained 20+ years experience of running other people’s businesses.

I am passionate about helping aspiring virtual assistants like you and feel strongly about doing everything within my power to help you to create and scale your VA business to meet your vision.

Advance Virtual Assistant Academy is an SVA approved trainer.

Paula-Edwards-Founder-Advance-Virtual-Assistants-LTD

*** NEW FOR 2026 ***

Utilising AI in your business and in your clients' business
and
New training masterclasses in our Tech School

What are you waiting for?

ActiVAte is a comprehensive course, delivered by an experienced expert, in a holistic and supportive way.

82% of our past students signed their first client before the end of the course

I am about to complete the Advance Virtual Assistant Course with Paula and I can’t recommend it enough to anyone who is considering becoming a VA. Paula has an energy and an enthusiasm that is so infectious. Not only is no question too silly to ask during the course, you really strongly feel that she wants you to succeed. She speaks so eloquently and peppers her tutorials with real life stories that make learning more relatable and therefore easier to understand.

Connie Anderson

Thank you for today, the course is actually as amazing as I hoped it to be. It feels like wherever you are in your journey there is something to pick up, the interaction makes it feel like we are all participating in everyone's growth. One lesson in, and it is so rewarding.

Giulia Iseppi

I also wanted to say how much I’m enjoying the course. Thanks for all the hard work that’s gone it to making it so good!

Lucy Horsefield

The mentor led programme has been the perfect way for me to learn. I like to learn whilst doing and seeing , so the live calls are just what I need to make me show up and do the work. Paula has made our weekly sessions interesting and interactive and they perfectly compliment the online materials. I'll be referring back to these often because there are so many valuable resources, from pre-made templates to tech tutorials. I'm so glad I signed up for the mentor-led programme as I never would have made it this far if I'd just had a bunch of documents to read on my own.

Katie Vines

Having recently completed the Mentor-Led Advance VA Academy Course I can whole-heartedly recommend this to anyone considering becoming a Virtual Assistant. The course structure is designed in a way that ensures everything you need to get started within the industry is covered in a succinct and methodical way. I thoroughly enjoyed the twice-weekly live sessions. The weekly ‘teaching’ session was always hugely beneficial and packed with useful information. I also particularly liked the ‘hot seating’ sessions where we were encouraged to bring questions to the table. Paula’s enthusiasm and warmth made everyone feel at ease as she created the perfect environment where people felt comfortable enough to ask questions and lean on one another for support. This is also evidenced by the fact I have made true ‘Business Buddies’ during the 14 weeks, as many of us are still meeting regularly for continued support despite the course concluding.

Lisa Jones

The Investment

Are you ready to create the FREEDOM in your life?

Full payment

One time payment
£ 1500
  • The ActiVAte Course
  • 30 minute 1:1 kick off call with Paula
  • Weekly LIVE training sessions
  • Weekly Q&A calls
  • NEW: AI for VAs module
  • Tech School: Fast track your tech learning
  • Lifetime access & future updates
  • BONUS: Free welcome gift from Paula
  • BONUS: Free lifetime access to the Advance Alumni UpLevel Lounge
  • PAY IN FULL BONUS: 50 minute 1:1 call with Paula (to be used with 12 months post course)

6 months

payments
£ 255
  • The ActiVAte course
  • 30 minute 1:1 kick off call with Paula
  • Weekly LIVE training sessions
  • Weekly Q&A calls
  • NEW: AI for VAs module
  • Tech School: Fast track your tech learning
  • Lifetime access & future updates
  • BONUS: Free welcome gift from Paula
  • BONUS: Free lifetime access to the Advance Alumni UpLevel Lounge

12 months

payments
£ 130
  • The ActiVAte course
  • 30 minute 1:1 kick off call with Paula
  • Weekly LIVE training sessions
  • Weekly Q&A calls
  • NEW: AI for VAs module
  • Tech School: Fast track your tech learning
  • Lifetime access & future updates
  • BONUS: Welcome gift from Paula
  • BONUS: Free lifetime access to the Advance Alumni UpLevel Lounge

What are you waiting for? ActiVAte is a comprehensive course, delivered by an experienced expert, in a holistic and supportive way.

82% of our past students signed their first client before the end of the course

Other ways that you can work with me

UpLevel Lounge

VA
Coaching

Get VA
Ready

DOWNLOAD OUR FREE COMPREHENSIVE SKILL ANALYSIS AND ULTIMATE SERVICES LIST FOR VAs

You’re going to get…

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Mindset Reset

You may have heard us say….  Mindset Is EVERYTHING.  Working on having a positive, growth mindset is essential to your business success.

Who Is My Ideal Client?

Doing this work is very important.  We start our own business to create a life of FREEDOM.  So ensuring we work with people who inspire us and we love the work we do with them is essential.

Securing New Clients for Virtual Assistants

“This e-book is invaluable” – so we have been told. In here we walk you through the process that we used to build our business.

150 Services a Virtual Assistant Can Offer

That’s right – 150 services (and there are possibly more!)  This amazing list will help you to identify skills that you have that you could sell and may pique your interest in new skills that you’d like to offer.

Skills Analysis for Virtual Assistants

A comprehensive sheet that helps you to define the services that you would like to offer to your clients.

Virtual Assistant Starter Checklist​

A simple checklist to help you work through the steps to set up your Virtual Assistant business, avoiding endless Googling and overwhelm.

Advance Virtual Assistants Ltd
Website Privacy Notice

1.   INTRODUCTION  

This privacy notice provides you with details of how we collect and process your personal data through your use of our site www.advancevirtualassistants.co.uk.

By providing us with your data, you warrant to us that you are over 13 years of age. 

Advance Virtual Assistants Ltd is the data controller and we are responsible for your personal data (referred to as “we”, “us” or “our” in this privacy notice).

Contact Details

Our full details are: 

Advance Virtual Assistants Ltd 

Paula Edwards 

Email address: info@advancevirtualassistants.co.uk

Postal address: 85 Great Portland Street, London, England, W1W 7LT

Telephone number: 07885 274 858

It is very important that the information we hold about you is accurate and up to date. Please let us know if at any time your personal information changes by emailing us at info@advancevirtualassistants.co.uk 

 

2.  WHAT DATA DO WE COLLECT ABOUT YOU, FOR WHAT PURPOSE AND ON WHAT GROUND WE PROCESS IT 

Personal data means any information capable of identifying an individual. It does not include anonymised data.

We may process the following categories of personal data about you:

  • Communication Data that includes any communication that you send to us whether that be through the contact form on our website, through email, text, social media messaging, social media posting or any other communication that you send us. We process this data for the purposes of communicating with you, for record keeping and for the establishment, pursuance or defence of legal claims. Our lawful ground for this processing is our legitimate interests which in this case are to reply to communications sent to us, to keep records and to establish, pursue or defend legal claims.
  • Customer Data that includes data relating to any purchases of goods and/or services such as your name, title, billing address, delivery address, email address, phone number, contact details, purchase details and your card details. We process this data to supply the goods and/or services you have purchased and to keep records of such transactions. Our lawful ground for this processing is the performance of a contract between you and us and/or taking steps at your request to enter into such a contract. 
  • User Data that includes data about how you use our website and any online services together with any data that you post for publication on our website or through other online services. We process this data to operate our website and ensure relevant content is provided to you, to ensure the security of our website, to maintain back- ups of our website and/or databases and to enable publication and administration of our website, other online services and business. Our lawful ground for this processing is our legitimate interests which in this case are to enable us to properly administer our website and our business. 
  • Technical Data that includes data about your use of our website and online services such as your IP address, your login data, details about your browser, length of visit to pages on our website, page views and navigation paths, details about the number of times you use our website, time zone settings and other technology on the devices you use to access our website. The source of this data is from our analytics tracking system. We process this data to analyse your use of our website and other online services, to administer and protect our business and website, to deliver relevant website content.  Our lawful ground for this processing is our legitimate interests which in this case are to enable us to properly administer our website and our business and to grow our business and to decide our marketing strategy.
  • Marketing Data that includes data about your preferences in receiving marketing from us and our third parties and your communication preferences. We process this data to enable you to partake in our promotions such as competitions, prize draws and free give-aways, to deliver relevant website content and advertisements to you and measure or understand the effectiveness of this advertising.  Our lawful ground for this processing is our legitimate interests which in this case are to study how customers use our products/services, to develop them, to grow our business and to decide our marketing strategy.
  • We may use Customer Data, User Data, Technical Data and Marketing Data to deliver relevant website content and advertisements to you (including Facebook adverts or other display advertisements) and to measure or understand the effectiveness of the advertising we serve you. Our lawful ground for this processing is legitimate interests which is to grow our business. We may also use such data to send other marketing communications to you. Our lawful ground for this processing is either consent or legitimate interests (namely to grow our business). 

Sensitive Data

We do not collect any Sensitive Data about you. Sensitive data refers to data that includes details about your race or ethnicity, religious or philosophical beliefs, sex life, sexual orientation, political opinions, trade union membership, information about your health and genetic and biometric data. We do not collect any information about criminal convictions and offences.

Where we are required to collect personal data by law, or under the terms of the contract between us and you do not provide us with that data when requested, we may not be able to perform the contract (for example, to deliver goods or services to you). If you don’t provide us with the requested data, we may have to cancel a product or service you have ordered but if we do, we will notify you at the time.

We will only use your personal data for a purpose it was collected for or a reasonably compatible purpose if necessary. In case we need to use your details for an unrelated new purpose we will let you know and explain the legal grounds for processing.

We may process your personal data without your knowledge or consent where this is required or permitted by law.

We do not carry out automated decision making or any type of automated profiling.  

 

3.  HOW WE COLLECT YOUR PERSONAL DATA  

We may collect data about you by you providing the data directly to us (for example by filling in forms on our site or by sending us emails). We may automatically collect certain data from you as you use our website by using cookies and similar technologies. Please see our cookie policy for more details about this.

We may receive data from third parties such as analytics providers such as Google based outside the UK and/or the EU, advertising networks such as Facebook based outside the UK and/or the EU, such as search information providers such as Google based outside the UK and/or the EU, providers of technical, payment and delivery services, such as data brokers or aggregators. 

We may also receive data from publicly available sources such as Companies House and the Electoral Register based inside or outside the UK and/or the EU.

 

4. MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS 

Our lawful ground of processing your personal data to send you marketing communications is either your consent or our legitimate interests (namely to grow our business). 

Under the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations, we may send you marketing communications from us if (i) you made a purchase or asked for information from us about our goods or services or (ii) you agreed to receive marketing communications and in each case you have not opted out of receiving such communications since. Under these regulations, if you are a corporate subscriber, we may send you marketing emails without your consent. However, you can still opt out of receiving marketing emails from us at any time.

Before we share your personal data with any third party for their own marketing purposes we will get your express consent.

You can ask us or third parties to stop sending you marketing messages at any time by following the opt-out links on any marketing message sent to you or by emailing us at info@advancevirtualassistants.co.uk

If you opt out of receiving marketing communications this opt-out does not apply to personal data provided as a result of other transactions, such as purchases, warranty registrations etc. 

 

5.  DISCLOSURES OF YOUR PERSONAL DATA  

We may have to share your personal data with the parties set out below:

  • Service providers who provide IT and system administration services.
  • Professional advisers including lawyers, bankers, auditors and insurers 
  • Government bodies that require us to report processing activities.

We require all third parties to whom we transfer your data to respect the security of your personal data and to treat it in accordance with the law. We only allow such third parties to process your personal data for specified purposes and in accordance with our instructions.

 

6.  INTERNATIONAL TRANSFERS  

We may share your personal data within our group of companies which involves transferring your data outside the UK.] 

We are subject to the provisions of the UK General Data Protection Regulations that protect your personal data. Where we transfer your data to third parties outside of the UK, we will ensure that certain safeguards are in place to ensure a similar degree of security for your personal data. As such:

  • We may transfer your personal data to countries that the relevant regulatory authorities in the United Kingdom have approved as providing an adequate level of protection for personal data by; or
  • If we use US-based providers that are part of a UK regulator approved privacy framework, we may transfer data to them, as they have equivalent safeguards in place; or
  • Where we use certain service providers who are established outside of the UK, we may use specific contracts or codes of conduct or certification mechanisms approved by the United Kingdom regulators which give personal data the same protection it has in the UK.

If none of the above safeguards is available, we may request your explicit consent to the specific transfer. You will have the right to withdraw this consent at any time. 

Where you are within the EEA:

We may share your personal data within our group of companies which involves transferring your data outside the EEA.

We are subject to the provisions of the EU General Data Protection Regulations that protect your personal data. Where we transfer your data to third parties outside of the EEA, we will ensure that certain safeguards are in place to ensure a similar degree of security for your personal data. As such:

  • We may transfer your personal data to countries that the European Commission has approved as providing an adequate level of protection for personal data by; or
  • If we use US-based providers that are part of an EU approved privacy framework, we may transfer data to them, as they have equivalent safeguards in place; or
  • Where we use certain service providers who are established outside of the EEA, we may use specific contracts or codes of conduct or certification mechanisms approved by EU regulators which give personal data the same protection it has in the EEA.

If none of the above safeguards is available, we may request your explicit consent to the specific transfer. You will have the right to withdraw this consent at any time. 

 

7.  DATA SECURITY   

We have put in place security measures to prevent your personal data from being accidentally lost, used, altered, disclosed, or accessed without authorisation. We also allow access to your personal data only to those employees and partners who have a business need to know such data. They will only process your personal data on our instructions and they must keep it confidential.

We have procedures in place to deal with any suspected personal data breach and will notify you and any applicable regulator of a breach if we are legally required to.

 

8.  DATA RETENTION  

We will only retain your personal data for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes we collected it for, including for the purposes of satisfying any legal, accounting, or reporting requirements.

When deciding what the correct time is to keep the data for we look at its amount, nature and sensitivity, potential risk of harm from unauthorised use or disclosure, the processing purposes, if these can be achieved by other means and legal requirements.

For tax purposes the law requires us to keep basic information about our customers (including Contact, Identity, Financial and Transaction Data) for six years after they stop being customers.

In some circumstances we may anonymise your personal data for research or statistical purposes in which case we may use this information indefinitely without further notice to you.

 

9.  YOUR LEGAL RIGHTS   

Under data protection laws you have rights in relation to your personal data that include the right to request access, correction, erasure, restriction, transfer, to object to processing, to portability of data and (where the lawful ground of processing is consent) to withdraw consent.

If you are within the UK, you can see more about these rights at: 

https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/guide-to-the-general-data-protection-regulation-gdpr/individual-rights/ If you wish to exercise any of the rights set out above, please email us at info@advancevirtualassistants.co.uk

You will not have to pay a fee to access your personal data (or to exercise any of the other rights). However, we may charge a reasonable fee if your request is clearly unfounded, repetitive or excessive or refuse to comply with your request in these circumstances.

We may need to request specific information from you to help us confirm your identity and ensure your right to access your personal data (or to exercise any of your other rights). This is a security measure to ensure that personal data is not disclosed to any person who has no right to receive it. We may also contact you to ask you for further information in relation to your request to speed up our response.

We try to respond to all legitimate requests within one month. Occasionally it may take us longer than a month if your request is particularly complex or you have made a number of requests. In this case, we will notify you.

If you are within the UK and are not happy with any aspect of how we collect and use your data, you have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), the UK supervisory authority for data protection issues (www.ico.org.uk). We should be grateful if you would contact us first if you do have a complaint so that we can try to resolve it for you.  

If you are within the EU and are not happy with any aspect of how we collect and use your data, you have the right to complain to the data protection authority of the country in which you are based. We should be grateful if you would contact us first if you do have a complaint so that we can try to resolve it for you.

 

10. THIRD-PARTY LINKS   

This website may include links to third-party websites, plug-ins and applications. Clicking on those links or enabling those connections may allow third parties to collect or share data about you. We do not control these third-party websites and are not responsible for their privacy statements. When you leave our website, we encourage you to read the privacy notice of every website you visit.

 

11. COOKIES  

You can set your browser to refuse all or some browser cookies, or to alert you when websites set or access cookies. If you disable or refuse cookies, please note that some parts of this website may become inaccessible or not function properly. For more information about the cookies we use, please see our Cookie Policy.