Stella Stead
Director

Above and Beyond Consulting

Clarity, confidence and composure

With over 20 years’ experience in the childcare industry, Stella started Above and Beyond to empower educators into leadership positions, giving them the skills and knowledge to thrive and the confidence to lead outstanding organisations. As the sole operator of Above and Beyond, Stella approached us to take on the areas in which she lacked confidence and help improve her professional image.

Time constraints

As the Founder and sole operator of her consultancy, Stella’s focus has always been on delivering exceptional outcomes for her clients. While prioritising client work, Stella found that she simply did not have the time to work on copywriting, designing collateral, or marketing to new clients. Running a business on her own became increasingly challenging, leading to overwhelm and uncertainty above the direction of her brand.

Insufficient tool capability

While Stella had a deep desire for beautiful, functional designs for her website, marketing materials, and resources, she admits that her skill set lies elsewhere. Stella found herself wasting hours using tools that she had not been trained in and becoming frustrated when the end result did not match her vision or expectations.

Lack of professional support

Working as a sole operator has its perks – but it also has its difficulties. Struggling to define a consistent strategy for her website and marketing, Stella found that the backend and marketing sides of her business were becoming burdensome. Feeling isolated and lacking support, Stella yearned for someone to bounce ideas off, and with whom she could share her vision.

Consistent, clean marketing materials

Taking the burden off Stella to learn new graphic design and copywriting skills, Empire Virtual Support took over the writing and design of Stella’s marketing. Starting with just one project, EVS now broadly supports Above and Beyond, working closely with Stella to ensure her ideas and vision are brought to life. Working with an experienced team of writers and designers, Stella now has peace of mind that all materials will have consistent branding, language, and imagery.

Implementation and support of backend systems

Lacking the skills to implement new backend systems and feeling overwhelmed by new software and platforms, Stella handed over her backend systems to Empire Virtual Support. Our team has supported Stella by;

Improving website functionality and expanding content as the business grows
Revising web and social media copy and graphics to improve professional imagery and engage new clients
Establishing protocols for conference programs, providing a single point for speakers and attendees to access necessary data

Trusted, flexible support

Everyone in our specialist team is an expert in their field, providing Stella with professional support when she needs it most. With our flexible outsourcing options, Stella has much lower costs than she would hiring a full-time staff member, and can instead pay for what’s needed a month to month. During periods of intense work, Stella is able to communicate as often as needed to share her ideas and have work delivered in line with negotiated timelines, all while only ever paying for the time that is used. When less work is required, Stella is under no obligation to engage EVS with work, alleviating financial stress and further building rapport between her and the EVS team.

Clarity and confidence

By taking over areas of the business that caused stress, Stella now has the headspace to focus on what she does best – using her considerable experience in the industry to deliver workshops, resources, and mentoring to her clients. No longer ‘in charge’ of every detail of the organisation, Stella can hand over her ideas to the Empire team, knowing that her vision will be realised without needing to give it a second thought.

Professional, long-term growth

With a new website and consistent social media support, Stella now has a professional brand she can be proud of. With all materials and resources in the one place, and consistency in the resources she provides, Stella has set herself apart as a leader in her field, immediately capturing the attention of potential clients and speaking opportunities.

A trusted support network

Engaging a trusted, experienced, Australian based team gives Stella the support she desperately sought in key aspects of her business. Having worked together for a number of years, the Empire Virtual Support team has built a trusted, respectful relationship with Stella, giving her peace of mind that she always has someone to support her and her business.

From Chaotica to Optopia

Real Stories. Real Impact.

ExcellentEmpire Virtual Support5.0★★★★★ Based on 10 reviews fromSee all reviewsJoel S. ★★★★★ Charlie and the team at Empire are fantastic! They deliver a very high quality service and advice, always with a smile on their face.Whenever I throw a problem at Empire team it’s sorted quickly and to a very high standard. I would recommend them to anybody looking for virtual assistance and bookkeeping services.Response from the ownerThanks Joel we appreciate you taking the time to share :) Vanessa A. ★★★★★ The team at Empire are professional, experienced and always there when you need support. As a small business owner, having this level of support is a game changer. I highly recommend if you need to level up, connect with Charlie. Thank you team at EmpireDhania M. ★★★★★ Before we engaged Empire Virtual Support, I was finding it really difficult to stay on top of all of the tasks that I needed to do. When I did have time, I was finding myself mentally depleted, and just not able to focus. As a business, we weren’t realising our full potential. We had this vision of what we wanted to be, but we weren’t taking the right steps or achieving that. So I really needed to find support, so that I could focus on that bigger-picture stuff.Now, I feel like I don’t have to worry, I can pass on tasks to people I trust who are really competent at what they do, really enjoy what they do and are so approachable. Each individual person that I’ve worked with at Empire has been able to collaborate with me in a way that understands what my business problem is, and provide solutions. I have found a lot more clarity in what it is that I need to focus on and can work on growing my business into the business that I want it to be. It has been an absolute weight off my mind having Empire along for this ride, I really feel like they’re part of the team. And they’re working towards these common goals with us. I keep finding new things for them to do and it always surprises me that it’s just so easy for them to just pick up and run with.Big thanks to Charlie and the team, highly recommend!Valerie MacIver Public R. ★★★★★ Charlie and the team at Empire Virtual Support are like an extension of our team.We’ve worked together for more than four years – they are great with time management and full of ideas.Empire Virtual Support have helped to save time and money. It’s like having a weight lifted off your shoulders!Kim B. ★★★★★ It is a relief to have found Empire Virtual Support’s services. They were recommended to me 3 years ago, and I haven’t looked back.I find the team responsive, skilled and thorough. I have been very happy with my website updates as they grasp what I have in mind. I can highly recommend their skills and warm, professional and personalised support.Response from the ownerDelighted to support you Kim :) Stella S. ★★★★★ For me, the value of working with Empire Virtual Support is that I am a lot less stressed. I can tell them what I want, and they make it happen. It’s wonderful because it’s a fraction of the price I would be paying if I had a full time employee. We’ve got a great relationship and I love that they’ve been able to do everything I have ever asked them to do. Working with Empire Virtual Support has helped me bring my business to another level!Response from the ownerThanks Stella, look forward to continuing to work together :) Juliet D. ★★★★★ Charlie and the team from Empire Virtual Support are fantastic to work with, I highly recommended them.Response from the ownerThanks Juliet, we are glad to be able to support your wonderful business! Rosie G. ★★★★★ Charlie has provided administrative support to my solo private practice for most of the past year – it has been such a pleasure to work with someone so switched on, intuitive and respectful. She has taken the time to get to know my business and set up effective communication systems. She works independently yet checks in with me and asks questions when needed. Highly recommend Empire Virtual Support .Response from the ownerThanks Rosie, a pleasure to be part of your team :) Linda M. ★★★★★ An incredible addition to my business. Super efficient, reliable and always thinking ahead. Thanks to Empire Virtual Support, we’ve implemented systems and platforms that we’ve put off for years because it was too onerous. They sorted it out in a matter of days! Fantastic attention to detail and a joy to have on the teamFiona T. ★★★★★ We’ve been working with the team from Empire Virtual support for over a year now. We initially bought them on to support us in a marketing function, and since then, they have taken on a large number of responsibilities across the business. There’s actually very little in the business now that they are not across, and we get a really great consistency of experience and service, which has been amazing. Our experience is that every time someone is brought in, they’re in the right person for the task. The most valuable part of their support is the fact you’ve got all these skills in one place, it’s like having a dream team working alongside our inhouse team.Having Empire Virtual Support on our team just gives us so much more confidence to scale, we know that we going to be able to fulfil both our growth ambitions and the requirements of our clients. And that a really great place to be in, to not have to stress about delivering and also to do it in a financially sustainable way.From a personal perspective, as CEO and Founder, having Empire on the team has meant I can focus on the things I should be doing in this role; working on our vision, our positioning, continuing to innovate. I can be 100% focused on the future that is ahead of us and the growth ambitions I have for my business.