Outsourcing gives Georgia clarity and headspace

Can you tell us a bit about your background and your role at de koffiesalon?

I’ve been a manager at de koffiesalon for quite a while and officially became director in 2024. I actually started here as a side job while studying. As the business grew, I was asked to support management alongside the former manager. We expanded and opened two locations at once. I just sort of grew into the role and eventually left the path I was on in my studies—because I loved it here so much.

My dad is the other director, and by now, loads of family work in the business. My sister, my mum, even my partner—we’ve truly become a family company. I run all the locations—we now have nine: three in Amsterdam, one in Rotterdam, and five at Schiphol Airport. We also have our own bakery, which I started with my partner Roel and a colleague who’s now a close friend, Sulaika.

For a long time, we tried to work as a centralised management team, but we’ve just grown too big. Most locations now have their own manager, and I’m their go-to point of contact together with the management team. We try to speak with all the managers once a week, and from that meeting lots of tasks and follow-up points come up.

We’ve been doing events for years—ranging from small weddings with a mobile coffee bar to massive festivals. Before COVID we did more of them, but now we focus on a few big ones. Twice a year, we’re at Awakenings, which is our largest event. It requires loads of planning and attention, but it’s so much fun to do.

Do you notice a difference in how busy your locations are during holidays?

Definitely. The biggest shift came when we opened airside at Schiphol. That was in November, and it really changed everything. While things quiet down in Amsterdam when locals go on summer holidays or ski trips, Schiphol gets hectic.

We now catch the very first waves of the holiday season. This upcoming summer will be busier than we’re used to. I notice it in my own rhythm too—I hardly get those quiet in-between moments anymore like I did in previous years. It’s non-stop now.

Was that one of the reasons you needed a virtual assistant?

Yes, I just noticed I far prefer being hands-on. I love having a chat with someone and staying around for a personal talk—just because it’s enjoyable. Or if something breaks, I want to deal with it myself. Those might seem like small things, but I enjoy doing them and they help me stay connected with what’s happening on the ground.

But then the emails pile up, admin needs doing, receipts need submitting, and people show up at the door wanting to collaborate. It all just kept stacking up. I eventually thought: what am I even doing? There was no structure left. It turned into: “I’ll just quickly do that email before bed.” But of course, you never do that with full attention. You miss things, or don’t take the time to look into something properly—even though you want to.

“At some point I thought: what am I even doing? There was no structure left.”

How does VA Joshi support you?

At first, I didn’t even know what kind of support I needed. Joshi just started picking things up gradually. We’re now at about 20 to 30 hours per month, and I love it. She does a kind of first sweep of everything that comes in—flags the urgent stuff, asks: “Shall I take this off your plate?” Just creating that overview was the first step, and it made such a difference.

She started with my inbox. That already gave her a great insight into what I’m working on, what’s coming in, and who needs attention. From there, we looked at how to simplify things.

One great example: our staff often claim travel expenses. Joshi looked into how we could make that easier. She suggested the NS Business Card and set up a subscription. Now employees can access that system themselves—which will save us all so much time. Not just for me, but for her and the staff too.

She picks up loads just based on her own knowledge and experience. Sometimes she’ll suggest something and I’ll think: Why didn’t I think of that ages ago?

Joshi also now handles part of the recruitment planning for our HR colleague. That saves so much hassle. I always forget that travel time needs to be factored into appointments. Joshi caught onto that immediately and now leaves buffers. She also adds school events and emails from my kids’ school to my calendar. That’s when I thought: Oh yes, this is brilliant!

Even small personal things like that really make a difference. My work and personal life blend together a lot—so it’s a huge help to have someone thinking along with me.

“She started by just creating structure, and that alone was amazing.”

And how does remote collaboration work in practice?

You don’t really feel the distance at all. We use WhatsApp a lot, and I know exactly when she’s available. I don’t expect her to reply within ten minutes, and that’s totally fine. Everything I send her gets picked up. I can literally see the number of unread emails go down. I now only have to check my designated ‘to do’ inbox, where she puts everything I still need to handle myself.

Once a week we check in via call. It’s: “How are things? I’ve still got this open. I saw this email—shall I deal with it?” And I can say whether it needs following up.

I’ve never felt like anything gets missed or dropped. Of course, it takes a little time to get used to letting go. You’re used to doing things your own way, and then suddenly you’re asking someone else to take over. You do wonder: Will they do it the way I would? But honestly, I’ve had zero issues. Joshi’s doing a fantastic job—and in some cases, she does it better because she has the time and headspace to handle it properly.

“You don’t really feel the distance at all.”

What’s the biggest benefit of working with a virtual assistant?

For me, it’s the clarity that Joshi creates. Everything’s just become more efficient. She can focus for half an hour straight—and that always works better than me trying to do the same thing while multitasking with random bits of paper around me.

This is her area of focus, so she’s better at it than I am. It feels like such a luxury to have someone do all that for you—but in the end, it enables you to do much more yourself, because all those little loose ends are taken care of. It gives you headspace—especially for the parts of the job you love.

At first, I thought: I’m not even busy enough to need a personal assistant. But now I’m the one telling others: You should absolutely do this!

“It feels like a luxury—but it delivers so much.”

Have you experienced any downsides to working with a virtual assistant?

Honestly, none at all. There’s nothing I’d want to change. It’s running so smoothly. And it’s great to know I can raise things if needed. There’s space to give each other feedback. We always talk about what’s going on or what could be improved during our weekly check-in.

What’s your experience with Moneypenny as an agency?
The whole process went really smoothly. I spoke to Charlotte about what I needed, and within a week I had my first meeting with Joshi. She got started right away. I gave her all my logins, and off she went.

It’s reassuring that an agency like Moneypenny builds that trust straight away. When you hire someone on your own, it feels different. Joshi sometimes handles sensitive info and always checks first: “Is it okay if I do this, or would you rather handle it yourself?” But I’m not worried at all. I’ve literally placed my entire life in her hands!

And the safety net Moneypenny provides is a real bonus. Your account manager checks in with a bit more distance, which is helpful when you have practical questions—like how time tracking works. You don’t need to bother your VA with that, which makes collaboration even easier. That extra layer of support is valuable—for both me and for the VA.

Would you recommend working with a virtual assistant to other entrepreneurs?

Absolutely. Whenever someone says they’re overwhelmed or can’t find time, I say: Get a VA! At first, it may feel like a luxury—like it’s over the top to have someone organise things for you. But it gives you such peace of mind and lets you focus on what you’re good at.

Every entrepreneur should have a VA. And it doesn’t have to be as full-on as the way I work with Joshi. Even a small subscription where you outsource a specific set of tasks can make a huge difference. It’s about letting go of those to-dos that would otherwise keep following you around—so you have space for other things. It’s not a luxury. It’s just a must.

Want to learn more about de koffiesalon? Visit their website here.

Need extra support or holiday cover this summer?

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