Today we’d like to introduce you to Chelsea Cole.
Hi Chelsea, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I started my business for a very practical reason: I wanted the American dream of owning a home. My boyfriend at the time, now my husband, casually mentioned one day that I couldn’t live with my mom forever and that eventually I would need to buy a house. With my background in public health, I am a natural researcher, so I immediately started researching the cost of homes and quickly realized that I needed to make more money to reach that goal.
My first thought was to get a part-time job. I have always been multi-faceted and ambitious, so the idea of juggling multiple projects or roles never intimidated me. But instead of another job, I ended up coming across a TikTok from a young woman who transitioned from being a teacher to becoming a virtual assistant. That one video sent me down a research rabbit hole. I found a course that taught me how to start and grow a VA business, took it in 2021, and officially launched in 2022.
Once I started getting clients, something felt off. It started feeling like just another job, and I knew I wanted purpose, not just extra income. I asked myself what I was passionate about, and the answer kept coming back to public health, the field I had spent my entire academic and professional life in. So I leaped and began branding myself as “The Public Health Virtual Assistant.”
From there, everything clicked. I found my ideal clients almost instantly because I was already in the space. I was in a Facebook group called Black Ladies in Public Health and decided to write a post asking consultants what they would want support with if they had a VA. Not only did it validate the need, but it also helped me shape my services, and my first client came directly from that post.
What got me from those early stages to where I am today has been a mix of coaching, collaboration, social media, networking, and lead generation, but more than anything, it has been about delivering a quality service. When you provide great work and operate with integrity, people refer you. Your name travels into rooms you haven’t stepped into yet. That has been one of the biggest blessings of my business journey.
I’m proud to say that the goal that inspired all of this has been achieved. I am now a homeowner in East Orange, New Jersey, and I have built a business that gives me both purpose and fulfillment.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It has definitely not been a smooth road, but I would not change any part of it. Every challenge came with a lesson, and those lessons helped shape both me and my business. If I could go back in time, I would go through all of it again because each obstacle made me better.
One of the first hurdles I had to overcome was a mindset shift. In the beginning, I treated my business like a side hustle. It was simply a way to make extra income. But as I began taking on clients and seeing the impact of what I was doing, I had to shift from thinking of myself as someone doing tasks on the side to seeing myself as a business owner providing value, strategy, and support. That shift changed how I showed up, how I priced, how I communicated, and how I positioned myself.
Another major challenge was people. From the very start, I knew I wanted to build an agency because I did not want to be limited by how many hours I had in a day. I always envisioned a team structure. But building a team for something that is yours is completely different from managing people in a nine-to-five. I had to learn how to hire, how to fire, how to onboard, how to delegate, how to lead, and how to hold standards.
There were growing pains. I had contractors quit on the same day and even right before a client meeting. I had people make mistakes that I had to apologize for. I had someone attempt to take clients from the agency. At the time, those moments felt heavy, but looking back, they were leadership lessons. They taught me discernment, structure, boundaries, and how to build a stronger foundation. Today, I am blessed with an amazing team, and I am grateful for those early challenges because they taught me what it takes to hire well and to build a team that aligns with both my values and the vision of the company.
Another struggle was learning to trust the process. In entrepreneurship, especially in the beginning, it is easy to constantly wonder where the next client or the next check is coming from. I had to remind myself that what is meant for me will be for me and that God’s timing is perfect. The right client is always around the corner. Once I embraced that mindset, things started to flow more easily. I stopped chasing and started attracting.
Overall, the road has been bumpy, but it has also been rewarding. The obstacles built my resilience and prepared me for the season I am in now.
As you know, we’re big fans of The Virtual Collab. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
The Virtual Collab is an Executive Virtual Assistant and Operations Management Agency that supports public health and social impact entrepreneurs. We specialize in the operational backend of businesses and organizations, including executive assistance, operations management, project management, strategic planning, and system implementation. We also offer Director of Operations services and consulting for founders who need a strategy around people, processes, systems, and automation. In addition, we facilitate professional and business development trainings and workshops for teams, organizations, and consultants.
At the core, we are known for building sustainable businesses. Our clients come to us feeling overwhelmed, overworked, or bottlenecked in their operations, and we help them reorganize, streamline, and structure their business so they can grow without burning out. We are proactive, forward-thinking, process-oriented, and deeply invested in the longevity of our clients’ businesses. Our goal is always to make the CEO’s life easier and to ensure that the business can run smoothly with or without them in the room.
One of the biggest things that sets us apart is our niche. We intentionally serve public health and social impact founders, consultants, and organizations. Many of us on the team have backgrounds or experience in those fields, so we understand the language, the culture, the missions, and the ecosystem that our clients operate in. That familiarity allows us to be more strategic and more supportive because we are not just doing tasks; we are understanding the work, the communities being served, and the broader impact.
Another differentiator is our team. We are a diverse group of professionals with different lived experiences, professional backgrounds, and skill sets, and that makes our support more dynamic. I am especially proud of the quality of service we provide. Our onboarding is thoughtful, our offboarding is structured, our communication is clear, and our team management is intentional. Because of that, a large percentage of our business comes through referrals. When someone says, “I heard about you from so-and-so” or “Someone mentioned your name in a room,” it reminds me why quality and integrity matter.
What I want readers to know is that you do not have to build alone. If your business is growing, if you are becoming the bottleneck, or if you feel like everything is stuck in your head, that is usually the sign that it is time to bring in operational support. The Virtual Collab helps entrepreneurs reclaim their time, scale sustainably, and operate like CEOs. We are the right partner for growth-oriented founders who are ready to stop surviving and start operating with clarity, structure, and support.
What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
I see the service provider industry, particularly in administrative and operational support, expanding significantly over the next five to ten years. We are already seeing more people starting businesses, freelancing, and building multiple streams of income. Entrepreneurship is becoming more normalized, not only for solopreneurs and small businesses, but also for professionals who previously would have stayed strictly in nine-to-five career paths.
As more entrepreneurs and organizations emerge, the need for strong backend support will only grow. Businesses cannot scale without systems, operations, project management, and administrative infrastructure. Historically, larger organizations hired in-house employees for these roles, but I believe we will see an increase in outsourcing and contractor-based support. Even mid-sized and large organizations are realizing that fractional support, agencies, and specialized contractors provide flexibility, cost-efficiency, and expertise that may not be accessible with traditional staffing models.
I also think we will continue to move toward a more contractor-based society in general. Companies are becoming more agile, and talent is becoming more independent. Service providers will play a key role in supporting that shift, especially in helping founders operate more efficiently and sustainably.
I hope that as the industry expands, we continue to prioritize excellence and quality. Service providers have a tremendous impact on the businesses they support. When we show up prepared, strategic, and committed to great work, we can help entrepreneurs grow, scale, and reach their goals faster. I am excited to see where the industry goes because administrative and operational support is not just task work; it is foundational to sustainable growth.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://thevirtualcollabbycy.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thevirtualcollabbycy_/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheVirtualCollabCY/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-virtual-collab-bycy/
