I lived and worked in France for 22 years, where I built my career in a different language, within a different system, and often far outside my comfort zone.

I started out picking fruit in greenhouses where the temperature reached 50°C all summer long for two years. I renovated a dilapidated building. I learned the hard way how to navigate the French bureaucracy.

Early in my career, I worked in the United Kingdom as an administrative manager at a Knight Frank office, where I oversaw operations, accounting, and the day-to-day challenges of a dynamic, client-focused environment. This experience shaped my approach to structure, people, and responsibilities.

After moving to France, I was hired by a multimillion-dollar company that imported high-end Austrian boilers, where I managed accounting, inventory, and cross-border and cross-language deliveries.

Later, I co-founded and co-owned a specialty coffee roastery, where I managed a team of five people, worked more than 70 hours a week, and had a baby during that time. Then the pandemic hit, and like many business owners, I had to start all over again.

Since then, I have managed the accounts for a condominium association on behalf of a real estate agency, handled the accounting and human resources for another multimillion-dollar company in the metalworking industry, and completed an export training program through the Bordeaux Chamber of Commerce to better support international business operations.

At the same time, I’ve been working on personal projects, ranging from helping YouTubers to starting a blog about raising ornamental chickens (yes, really!), as well as training for half-marathons, rescuing greyhounds, and volunteering at a local dog shelter.

All of this helped me realize one simple thing:

Small businesses don't go out of business because they aren't trying hard enough.

They face challenges due to excessive workloads, a lack of clarity, and too many competing priorities.

Experience—especially across different countries, languages, and company sizes—teaches you what really matters.

My name is Sarah Rose, and as a bilingual virtual assistant, I help independent entrepreneurs and business owners by offering a full range of administrative solutions and virtual services designed to optimise their operations and increase their productivity.

hello@sarahroseVA.com