Media Mavens: In Conversation with Stephanie Faria

​​After being laid off as a result of working in the events industry when the pandemic hit, Stephanie Faria started to recognize that the way we did business was changing. With her educational and work background in Business and Administration, she quickly recognized a space in the market to support the businesses who were forced to take their efforts online to ease the transition – and with that, her own business was born. Now, the Founder and CEO of FARIA Virtual Assistants Inc., Steph makes sure business owners have the resources they need to feel supported and achieve their goals.

We sat down with Steph to talk about how FARIA came to be, the many ways VAs can support your business, how social media has supported FARIA’s growth, her favourite tools for online business, and more.

CLEO: You started your virtual assistant business, FARIA, when the way we worked was drastically changing. What prompted you to create your virtual assistant business? 

Steph: I started FARIA during Fall 2020. Because of the pandemic, businesses were forced to drastically reduce capacity and shift to online. Not all of them were able to make a smooth transition, especially small businesses. Many businesses couldn’t keep up with the administrative side of their dreams, which made it challenging to grow. I saw a gap in support for these businesses that I could help given my educational background in business and professional experience in administration. After being laid off from a position in event coordination due to the pandemic, starting the company felt like the natural next step. We leaped at the opportunity to support business owners and started offering services.

CLEO: The Cleo Social team knows firsthand how supportive it is to have the support of FARIA Virtual Assistants. For business owners or solopreneurs reading this who may not be as familiar, how can virtual assistants support their businesses?

Steph: Virtual Assistants can be there for you in many ways! For social media, we have a great community manager on our team who is excellent at providing additional options for scheduling your content, proofreading, and analytics. 

For other industries, we work on various projects which can include all sorts of things like taking over customer service emails, managing calendars and scheduling, doing research, light bookkeeping, brain mapping, and more. There are so many ways we can help relieve the pressure on entrepreneurs! If you’re a business owner considering hiring a VA, we always recommend booking a complimentary consultation to discuss the support you’re looking for. 

CLEO: Speaking of digital opportunities, social media can play such a vital role for online businesses. How have you used social media to grow your business and connect with clients or other entrepreneurs?

Steph: It totally does! Social media has helped get our name out there - and it also was our first proof of existence before we got our website. Online, we share what we’ve been up to and what our clients are up to, but also use it as a way to expand our network. 

I also feel it offers an extra creative outlet that people can connect with. It’s where I can be more myself and show off the heart of our business – the more human side. Social media has helped me connect with clients and other entrepreneurs because in doing what I love and sharing my experiences I find people are more comfortable reaching out! Having active social media also allows opportunities for finding new events and companies you wouldn’t otherwise know of. Those are often my favourites because you can meet people in person.

CLEO: Your team works with many tools to help your clients – from Google and Microsoft Suite products to Mindbody and Flodesk. What digital tools are part of your own business tech stack that you couldn’t live without or tools you’ve used with clients that are worth checking out?

Steph: Oh gosh haha this would be quite the list! Between our own use and client work, my absolute favourites would be Notion, I do my best brain dumping and mental decluttering here, Flodesk for beautiful emails and we also love Calendly for allowing people to book with us directly whenever is most convenient for them. I prefer G Suite over Office 365.

CLEO: As someone building a company that supports other companies, how do you balance growing your own business when providing services to help others?

Steph: I make sure to practice what I preach! I have a very well-mapped-out inventory of my working capacity and make sure to keep this in mind. I have my own client list and make sure to commit to only as many as I can hold time for. I also have certain days per month that are specifically set aside for operational needs like invoicing, payroll, consultations, content etc. On these days, I make sure I don’t schedule meetings. This way I can balance both sides of being not just a Virtual Assistant but also a Founder & CEO. 

I also have my fantastic team of VAs. We speak just about daily in the group chats but we also like to have check-ins bi-weekly where we can touch base with each other and just make sure everyone is on track and feeling confident in their work. 

CLEO: How have you used the online space to grow your own business?

Steph: As a Virtual Assistance company we are entirely online! In terms of business growth, we’re listed on a couple of directories, Freelancing Females and Women Who Freelance, which is a great way to meet new clients outside of great referrals from existing clients. Outside of that, as I mentioned, social media has been a great way for us to meet other business owners.

We’re designed to be completely virtual although we do sometimes make personal appearances! Like our Mingler in October as well as other networking events and volunteer opportunities.

CLEO: And a fun one to finish off, what’s your favourite way to take a break from work?

Steph: I really love getting a nice facial (either hydro, LED Red, or toning), going for a dinner in the city, or travelling! I love learning new things and always hold space to try something new. Some of my “hobbies of the quarter” have included dance, boxing, skating, yoga, and painting, but I always fade off and circle back to my true loves of self-care, dinner, and a tropical getaway if I can.