An Aberdeen woman who was made redundant in August 2020 is now enjoying running her own business.
Allison Thomson, 50, is the owner of VPA (Virtual Personal Assistant), which she started in January last year.
Allison’s experience in admin and secretary work spans more than three decades.
Her new business provides a wide range of administrative services to clients in sectors such as pharmaceuticals and training from a remote capacity.
Having never run her own business before, Allison is delighted to be working again after battling the lows of redundancy from her previous job.
Redundancy blow
Being initially placed on furlough then made redundant due to the pandemic left Allison in “a very dark place”.
“I’d been working since the age of 18 and never been made redundant before. I’d never been so low in my life,” said Allison.
However, an opportunity from a friend eventually set her on the path to finding work again through running her own business.
New path
“A friend of mine had come across a piece of work that she’d been asked to do but it was outwith her skillset,” Allison explained.
“It was a massive document from a client which needed a lot of sorting out. So, I did it and it turned out to be very successful.”
Within the space of a few months, this led on to further opportunities which inspired Allison to start VPA.
VPA
Operating from her desk at home, Allison enjoys implementing her diverse skillset into her varied range of work.
“Being a virtual personal assistant, the skills that I have are transferable; you could take what I do and go into any sector,” said Allison.
“I do a lot of Powerpoint work and document production, but I also touch on the financial side by helping with invoices and purchase orders.
“I’m so grateful with what I do now with VPA. I love it.”
Giving back
After successfully fighting back from redundancy, Allison also wanted to give back to those who had helped her son during the pandemic.
“My youngest son struggled through the pandemic. But being involved with the Northstar Devils football team really helped him get through,” said Allison.
“When they mentioned that they were looking for sponsors for their tracksuits, I thought ‘that’s what I want to do’.”
Northstar Devils coach, Andy Morrison, added: “Most teams have been struggling to get sponsors due to Covid.
“For Allison to give us the opportunity to do something for us was really good to see.
“It makes us look quite professional as a team when we turn up in our sponsored tracksuits and rain jackets. The boys love it as well.”
