BEYOUROWN Meets Nehal Chohan

Nehal Chohan, the founder of the award-winning business Tidy Notes Virtual Assistant, shares insights into her career journey, leadership philosophy, and strategies for navigating the ever-evolving business landscape.

Nehal’s professional trajectory has been marked by a dedication to business support roles across various sectors, including law firms, research institutes, libraries, and local councils. Drawing from her experiences in these diverse environments, she cultivated a profound understanding of systems, productivity, task management, and information handling. This foundation led her to pursue a master’s degree in Library and Information Studies, solidifying her expertise in information management and research.

Following a career break to focus on family and relocation, Nehal found herself at a crossroads during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Recognising the need for adaptation, she seized the opportunity to establish Tidy Notes VA, an award-winning virtual assistant company tailored to her unique skill set and industry insights.

Central to Nehal’s leadership philosophy are self-belief, faith, and confidence. Embodying these qualities, she took the leap into entrepreneurship, trusting her instincts and vision for success. Overcoming initial challenges, such as acquiring clients and stepping out of her comfort zone, Nehal persevered, ultimately positioning herself as a trailblazer in the virtual assistant industry.

In navigating the dynamic business landscape, Nehal remains vigilant about industry trends, leveraging cutting-edge technologies and insights from industry leaders to stay ahead of the curve. Her commitment to innovation extends to fostering a culture of flexibility and personalised support within her organisation, ensuring clients receive tailored solutions to their unique needs.

As a leader, Nehal prioritises building high-performing teams based on trust, reliability, and honesty. Through clear communication and decisive action, she empowers her team members to excel and achieve their full potential.

Looking to the future, Nehal’s top priorities include scaling her business while maintaining a steadfast commitment to quality and client satisfaction. By investing in automation and strategic planning, she aims to streamline operations and serve as a role model for clients seeking to optimise their business processes.

Nehal’s journey exemplifies the transformative power of vision, resilience, and adaptability in navigating the complexities of modern entrepreneurship. As she continues to inspire and innovate, Tidy Notes Virtual Assistant stands poised for sustained success in the years to come.

Could you please provide a concise summary of your career journey, highlighting key milestones that have contributed to your current leadership position?

My background has always been in business support roles from law firms and research institutes to libraries and a local council. I was always in a role that supported organisations behind the scenes with those all important tasks that people are oblivious to. In my early 20’s I worked for a prestigious law firm in London in the information and library department assisting lawyers with their pursuit for information and it’s there that I learnt about systems, productivity, task and email management. Most importantly, professionalism. I progressed from one task to another and always reaching for the next. Realising I hit a ceiling, a studied for a masters in Library and Information Studies via distance learning to become a Librarian. People don’t realise but you have to be qualified to be a Librarian.

There is a lot more to it than stamping books! It’s about information management and research. After a couple of years career break to move abroad, raise a family and move houses, I was back into work but nothing aligned. During Covid-19, I realised I had to make a change and found a VA business is exactly what I needed to do considering my background. So here I am, founder of an award winning virtual assistant company, called Tidy Notes VA and nominated for another award.

What do you believe are the most important qualities or attributes that a successful business leader should possess, and how do you embody them in your leadership style?

For me the most important qualities are self belief and faith. With this, I have a successful business and instead of playing small and safe, I’ve gone big. I believed in myself when I said yes to the idea of starting my own business. I had faith when I had no idea how I was going to run my business or where to get clients from. I have belief and faith in myself that I could do this, including leading a team which I’ve previously told myself I didn’t have the personality to do. This brings me to the other quality of confidence. Through coaches and programmes, I have become confident and embody this more than ever in my business.

Can you describe a significant challenge or setback you’ve encountered in your career, and how did you overcome it to achieve your goals?

I set my business up while I was still employed and it took time to get clients. When I had a couple of clients and employed at the same time, it was hard work and I couldn’t go to the next level. I took the decision to leave my employed role even though I didn’t have the number of clients or finances I would’ve liked. Again, it was self belief and faith that clients would come. I overcame the challenge by stepping out of my comfort zone and going to events and networking to increase my visibility. 

In a rapidly changing business landscape, how do you stay informed about industry trends and adapt your strategies to remain competitive?

I enjoy staying well-informed of business technology, particularly systems and processes, as these are areas where businesses often require assistance. I actively engage with a few reputable platforms to maintain my familiarity with them. Additionally, I stay connected with prominent figures in the Virtual Assistant realm to stay informed about emerging trends and innovations.

What is your approach to building and leading high-performing teams, and how do you motivate your team members to achieve their best potential?

With a team of associates and VA’s, I have built this based on trust, reliability and honesty. By having clarity on what I want is how I lead my team to be clear on what tasks they need to complete for clients. Being decisive is also important, as my team see me as the leader and look to me for help, advice and a way forward on client tasks. I also acknowledge the work and praise my team for their efforts.

How do you effectively balance short-term financial goals with long-term strategic planning to ensure the growth and sustainability of your business?

I have a vision of where the business needs to go and what it will look like. I have made steps in the right direction and carefully manage investments by spreading costs or focusing on one strategy at a time. I also have to be strategic in how much work is outsourced to associates and getting that balance right.

Can you share an example of a major decision you had to make that had a significant impact on your organisation? What was the outcome, and what did you learn from the experience?

I made the decision to take on more associates to alleviate my time in order to focus on brand visibility, processes and personal development. It’s making the decision to ensure the foundation is strong from the outset to be able to handle business growth and enhanced client satisfaction. I learnt that clients don’t necessarily need me to do the tasks and trusting that the person I assign to the task is the best for them.

What role does innovation play in your business strategy, and how do you foster a culture of innovation within your organisation?

It’s important for us to work with clients in a flexible way. We are supporting their business, and it needs to align. Although, it’s a virtual business, some clients have really welcomed ad hoc face to face support from me. I’ve found more business owners feeling overwhelmed with tech and providing the hands-on support has been so valuable. I also found, some business owners need 1:1 support to build the foundation of their business and working with them to build this is vital for their understanding so at some point we can step away knowing the client is aware of how to run the function we set up together.

How do you handle ethical dilemmas and make difficult decisions when they arise in your role as a business leader?

I’ve had an ethical dilemma with a client, and honesty is the best. I explained to the client that the task they wanted me to do was not aligned to how I work and I won’t be able to proceed.

 Looking to the future, what are your top priorities and goals for your business, and what strategies do you plan to implement to achieve them?

My priorities and goals revolve around establishing a robust foundation for my business, facilitating its scalability through effective team leadership that consistently delivers high-quality work for our clients. I am investing in streamlined systems to automate various functions within my business. As a example of excellence, my business serves as a model for our clients, reflecting their aspirations. The ultimate aim is to empower clients by demonstrating how they can build a successful business without being bogged down by tedious, time-consuming tasks.

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