SmartPA are the leading providers of outsourced administrative, secretarial and PA support to businesses around the world.
Who are SmartPA?
SmartPA is a business support and administration franchise transforming the way professionals work.
With more than 10 years’ experience offering remote administrative support to over 5,000 business clients globally, demand for our services has grown almost 30% in the past year - now is the perfect time to launch your franchise business under our SmartPA brand. We offer lifetime business support from the minute you sign up with us.
Our business equips you with all the tools you need to succeed, including a six-week accredited training course to get you started and ongoing support from a dedicated team. When you join SmartPA as a franchisee, you become part of a supportive community of over 300 SmartPA Partners and can tap into a wealth of expertise and business knowledge. You’ll reap the rewards of flexible working and being your own boss, with all of the support and guidance you would gain from working in-house.
Why now?
Franchisees who work full-time earn, on average, between £84,000 and £120,000 each year (and those working part-time earn between £30,000 and £48,000 on average).
We don’t restrict you by geographic territory and our recurring revenue model means that you can secure repeat business, ensuring a stable source of income and limitless earning opportunities. SmartPA have worked with brands such as Krispy Kreme, BBC and Total Oil. Launching your business with us gives you the opportunity to tap into our trusted brand and achieve instant recognition.
Key Features
- COVID-resistant business
- UK funding available
- Work virtually from home
- Enjoy flexible working hours
- No restrictions on geographical territory
- Recurring revenue model
- Six-week accredited training programme and lifetime business support
- We secure your first client on your behalf for free, worth £6,000 per year
- Access to our global peer support network of over 300 SmartPA Partners
- Work under our trusted brand and achieve instant recognition
*Full UK funding is available for this franchise opportunity, meaning you pay nothing upfront. International funding pending.
To take the next step towards owning your own SmartPA franchise, request your free consultation by registering your interest below:
SmartPA | Our Origin
When Sarra Bejaoui started her career as a receptionist with an Edinburgh design and marketing agency on Dublin Street South, she always knew that one day she would have her own business. However, she was determined to do things differently to other companies and build something with ethical values at its heart. Driven by Sarra’s passion for people, that same office building she worked in is now the headquarters of SmartPA, the market leading outsourcing, virtual assistant, and business support brand.
Co-founded in 2008 alongside CEO, Andrew Wright, SmartPA rapidly grew to become experts in administrative and call handling services, with female empowerment at the heart of its operations.
Staff are recruited on a partnership basis as part of a revolutionary ethical franchising model, ensuring SmartPAs, many of whom are women returning to work after a career break, keep all their own revenues without any extra charges after a one-off set-up and marketing fee. Unlike the cut-throat culture adopted by other companies, which impose charges long after the franchise is set up, SmartPA franchisees we like to call Partners, keep every penny they make once they’re up and running.
This innovative model means the SmartPA brand now spans the globe with a roster of highly trained 50,000 SmartPAs in 20 countries, supporting over 3,000 clients, while our specialist training programme has been accredited by the Continuing Professional Development Standards Office (CPDSO), earning the global gold standard.
From our roots in Edinburgh
Both Sarra and Andrew have never forgotten their roots, growing up in Edinburgh council estates, with a strong ethos of promoting equality running throughout the business.
“My hunger for success and need to be the best version of myself has always been present and I try to mirror this in everything that I do” Sarra says. “I wanted to create a business that empowers people to be the best version of themselves as well.” Sarra began the firm as a service to help time-poor, high-net-worth individuals.
Andrew, whose extensive business experience includes the hospitality industry and food tech, was among her clients. With the global financial crash looming he suggested a switch to B2B [Business-to-Business], as increasing numbers of firms sought cost-effective support just to survive the meltdown. This became the smart-pa.com brand offering agile PA and call handling services to business here and offshore.
“Sarra completely inspired me,” Andrew recalls. “She is a very empowered female herself and has a great ambition.”
To a global success story
We quickly chalked-up a string of milestones as we moved from supporting one-person start-ups and SMEs to securing the first corporate accounts.
The number of SmartPAs has grown from just 50 a decade ago, with trained and vetted support staff offering executive and administrative services. They work in ‘SmartPods’ providing a main point of contact, backed up by colleagues with a huge range of skills and experience. This industry-leading innovation mitigates against the risks and impact of sickness, holidays and staff attrition while cutting costs for clients.
We now have partners in Dubai, Malta, the US, Ireland, France, Malaysia, South Africa, Bulgaria, Germany, Spain and Japan. Meanwhile, the establishment of business outsourcing hubs in Malaysia and South Africa is helping deliver fair wages across disadvantaged communities, while our head office in Edinburgh deals with client engagement, marketing, business, support and finance.
With an eye on the future
Demand continues to grow for our services and e-learning packages in the post-pandemic business landscape.
A pioneer in remote working long before the Covid lockdowns, all SmartPAs are put through a rigorous eight-to-10-week training programme. Staff and Partners are kept abreast of the latest industry practices and procedures in areas such as cyber security, with the best training available and the innovative SmartPod solution providing them with support.
Our learning and development team are always striving to deliver the highest-quality courses with ongoing support for our SmartPA partners or ethical franchising part of the business includes training, business coaching, IT, technology, sales, and marketing. The world of business support and call handling is constantly evolving, and we continuously ensure that the training we offer is cutting-edge.
The next chapter
Sarra and Andrew are determined to continue disrupt and transform the way the world does business. They believe SmartPA can create a legacy of female empowerment, which is why we are currently developing ambitious plans for a not-for-profit outsourcing centre in Uganda, training up to 20,000 people, 80% of which will be women.
For more than a decade, we have worked to address the gender equality gap by creating opportunities to empower women.
Feeling really valued, feeling indispensable, and feeling like you are making a difference to people.
Life challenges took me to move home and hence change of job back into the Administrative sector. When I really understood I had the experience and ability to do this for myself - after all there wasn’t anywhere to go in my current job. I always had a deep desire to be a business owner, but just didn’t know in what field. When I found out about the support and guidance that SmartPA supplies, I didn’t look back
I was made redundant and had come across adverts for SmartPA but wasn't sure it was for me. A friend bought into SmartPA and I had seen lots of her posts. After 6 months of no luck with getting a job other than temping, I decided to take the plunge. My biggest achievement? Completing accreditation and launching it in lockdown.
“I had been toying with the idea of starting my own business for a couple of years. In all the industries I’d worked in there was always the same issue that senior management didn’t really understand the importance of good administration or what was really involved in keeping an office running smoothly. I knew about VA’s but I wasn’t sure if it was something I could really do on my own so kept putting it off. When I came across SmartPA and read more it lit up a light and made me realise that I could start my own business but not be totally on my own, there would be support AND be part of an already established brand. The best- selling point of the SmartPA brand is our fabulous head office and support network and access to a vast talent pool of accredited, professional partners from a wide variety of backgrounds offering a variety of experience and skills. Yes there are other VA’s out there and other VA franchise companies, but SmartPA is nearly 6 times the size of competitors… so to me it is definitely THE brand in this industry.”
I have found the support from SmartPA's Business Support Team to be invaluable, and my monthly call with them enables me to stay focused. It helps to put together an ‘Action Plan’ to ensure that I am taking all the steps necessary to help grow my business. They’re always quick to respond with any queries I might have, and are always friendly, helpful, and approachable.
"I certainly have that Friday Feeling this eve! I have just finished my first week as a fully accredited SmartPA Partner and am so blessed to have some fab clients already and amazing support from the Business Support Team and the SmartPA community. I was so worried about making the move into having my own business and now I feel so positive and ready for anything!!!"
“Having researched various startup options offering business support, I chose SmartPA for their professional approach from the outset. At no point did I feel under pressure to purchase the franchise and I subsequently received excellent advice and support throughout my training and recent launch. The training programme is the most thorough and enjoyable I have ever completed and receiving accreditation gave me the reassurance I needed to start my business. The on-going support from the Business Development Team and other SmartPA partners ensures there is always someone to help if you require assistance or you just need a bit of moral support. During the Covid 19 pandemic, the world is becoming accustomed to remote working and the SmartPA model is a fantastic, flexible option for anyone looking to start a rewarding new business that fits in with their lifestyle.”
"I have to say, everyone that I have spoken to so far has just been so reassuring and helpful and I really feel that if at all I start to struggle, I can contact someone for help and advice and not feel awkward about it... It's really strange, as I know I am only just starting out, but already I feel I am becoming 'part of the family' - and this is because everyone is so helpful and approachable. I have that nice warm fuzzy feeling - it's great! I really do mean everything that I say as the team is just amazing!"
My journey with SmartPA has been brilliant! I can't fault the whole process. Jo was amazing to deal with, I loved speaking to partners and Andrew the CEO. My workshop was really valuable too - it was all very reassuring. Training - I loved it!! Steven was brilliant, I'd always feel anxious before training but by the end I was absolutely buzzing! I signed up when my little one was really little and I had my hands full, but I haven’t stopped since I launched. SmartPA was the best thing I've done for myself and my children. The whole onboarding process, speaking to people - you feel so included and part of the community from the start."
My SmartPA journey from discovery to accreditation was possibly rockier than most, as we moved house 3 times, renovated one of them and began a new life in Hong Kong, all in the space of 9 months! The training team was unfailingly supportive and gave me all the time and encouragement I needed to persevere through the process. I was in the interesting position of learning about SmartPA’s culture and values while receiving that support from the Head Office at the same time! It gave me a great deal of confidence that I am investing in the right company.
Monica's Story | SmartPA Partnership
SmartPA Spotlight | Tracy Jones
SmartPA Testimonial | Angela Dewitt
Sarra Bejaoui | SmartPA Founder
SmartPA’s bespoke Insourcing model…
SmartPA Partner Nicola Connor | Testimonial
SmartPA Partner Angela Dewitt on working under the global brand name SmartPA
Become a Virtual Assistant in 6 Weeks
Meet our Partners | SmartPA
SmartPA Partner Spotlight | Tracey Jones
