Business owner Amanda Johnson believes her service in the Royal Navy coupled with being an Army spouse gave her the skills, qualities and inspiration she needed to run her own successful company – and now she’s passing on her knowledge to other military spouses and partners. Army&You caught up with her to find out more…


WITH 23 years of military service, Amanda was able to call on some well-honed skills when she began training with Virtual Assistant Coaching and Training (VACT) – a company she now owns.

“The Armed Forces encourages you to be the best you can be, to believe in yourself and to live life to your fullest potential,” she explained. “I learnt the importance of clear communication, honesty, loyalty and integrity – qualities that underpin everything I do in my virtual assistant (VA) business. I inspire the VAs I train to have those same beliefs and standards.”

Amanda knows that finding a balance between work and family time is key to making military life work and is keen to train up other military spouses and partners to become VAs. Her husband Andrew is an Army veteran with 25 years’ service and they also have two little boys.

“I’m a firm believer of leading by example,” said Amanda. “The clients I have and the VAs I train know they can have a healthy business and family life, integrated together.

“It’s seen as perfectly acceptable for spouses to change jobs every couple of years. As a VA, you’re a self-employed PA working with clients anywhere in the world and it’s a portable career that can go anywhere. No more searching for jobs every time you arrive at a new destination!”

For anyone starting their own business, Amanda’s tip is to research, research and research.

“Ask questions, build relationships and remember it takes time for  people to get to know, like and trust you,” she said.

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