You don’t need more advice. You need someone who’s been here before.
There’s a particular kind of frustration that comes with building a successful business and yet still feeling like it’s running you.
I work with established business owners and CEOs to bring structure, clarity, and calm to the way their business runs so they can step back from the day to day and focus on what they’re actually here to do.
trusted by
introducing
I’m Katie Macdonald, founder of Virtually Does It.
As an Online Business Manager, Strategist and Operations Expert, I specialise in helping coaches, consultants, and service-based experts who have outgrown how they built things. Business owners generating real revenue but whose systems, processes, and operations haven’t kept pace with their growth.
Sometimes I come in to support, design and implement, building the infrastructure, workflows, and processes that let a business run smoothly and the owner step out of the bottleneck. Other times I work fractionally, stepping into an ongoing role inside the business to provide senior operational expertise without the commitment of a full-time hire.
Either way, I don’t just hand you a template and wish you luck. I learn how your business actually works and build something that fits.
Starting small
A hand drawn logo and a tweet about boiling an egg!
In 2009, I came across an article about virtual assistance and something clicked. I began to wonder what it would be like to run my own business. I wasn’t a risk-taker, but curiosity won! I came up with the name Virtually Does It, sketched a logo at the kitchen table, and asked my husband to bring it to life in Paint Shop Pro (the height of sophisticated design back then!). I launched in 2010 with a Mr. Site website-in-a-box, and a handful of blog posts. My very first client found me on Twitter after a tweet about boiling an egg on an Aga! What began as a small side-hustle grew steadily into full operational and strategic support, and by 2012 I was running the business full time, supporting entrepreneurs and CEOs who need structure and clarity as they grow.
still doing what works
Here’s what hasn’t changed…
The work nobody sees until it's missing
Strong systems aren’t loud. You only notice them when they’re gone. When something falls through the cracks, when a client feels the friction, when you realise the business is running on memory and goodwill. I build the things that quietly hold everything together.
Where the vision becomes something you can actually run
Having a clear vision isn’t the problem. Most established business owners know where they want to go. The gap is between that vision and the daily reality of running the business. I work in that gap, translating strategy into operational structure that functions in real life, not just on paper.
The moment you stop being the bottleneck
There’s a very specific shift that happens when how the business is working finally catches up with the growth. Things stop depending entirely on you. Your team can move without waiting. You can be away for a day (or a week) and the business keeps running.
built on trust
My work is built on trust, clarity, and strong operational foundations.
I don’t chase trends. I don’t believe in cookie-cutter systems or one-size-fits-all frameworks. After more than a decade working behind the scenes of businesses at every stage of growth, and a background supporting senior leaders within global organisations, I know that what works is what fits.
I meet each client where they are and build from there. With structure that’s right for how they work. With tools that actually get used. And with the kind of steady, experienced guidance that makes space for them to lead their business their way.
I bridge the gap between the vision and the day to day reality of running a business. And after 15 years, it still feels like the most important work I do.
Katie’s Notes.
Weekly thoughts on building better businesses, making better decisions and creating more space to think.
outside the inbox
Behind the scenes
Food
I have a passion for food and cooking, and my latest love is cooking pizza in our outdoor pizza oven (it’s a weekend all-weather ritual here). I bake sourdough every week, and have a long list of restaurants to try.
Travel
I love to travel, the kind that gives you space to think, new places to explore, and a change of pace from everyday life. The UAE, Italy and National Parks in the US top the charts so far.
Home
My husband and I literally built our home from the ground up while building this business as a side hustle, working full time, and relocating, so I know what it means to build something meaningful, one careful brick at a time!
Featured in
Working 5-9: How to start a successful business in your spare time.
I’m proud to be profiled in this book by Emma Jones, Founder of Enterprisenation, which celebrates entrepreneurs who started small as a side-hustle, and created a successful business they love. Dreaming of starting a business but not quite sure where to start? Then this inspiring and practical book is for you!
support where it matters the most
Meet the Team
I’m delighted to work with a small team of associates who share the same core values, ambition and solid business experience.
Katie
Katie is the founder of Virtually Does It. She blends operational expertise with steady, practical guidance, supporting business owners with the systems and structure they need to run a business that works in real life (not just one that looks good on paper!). With a background supporting high-profile leaders, she brings calm, clarity, and grounded strategy to every stage of growth.
Amy
Amy had a strong PA career within FTSE100 companies supporting senior leadership teams before becoming a VA in 2017. Amy’s skill set in both traditional PA and administration support, and online business tools mean she supports a wide variety of clients, making what goes on behind the scenes work better!
Hayley
Hayley is an experienced VA with over 18 years in Business Administration. Hayley loves supporting our clients, whether corporate or freelance, to achieve their goals and make their business life easier! Hayley also supports with virtual minute taking and governance if required. She is also a professional declutterer!
She’s smart, and works really well when you let her understand your business and what you’re trying to achieve. The chances are that she’ll have ideas you won’t have had. And that if you run with them, you’ll get a better, more value-added outcome, than you’d imagined. She’s also a lovely person, meaning that you’ll have fun working together.
I know myself to be very stubborn. For someone who works as a change agent, I recognise my own limitations to bringing in new ways of working and doing things differently. You help me. You nudge and challenge my thinking, which I always appreciate. You work with humour, insight, wit and precision. You are an absolute asset.
Katie makes the most enormous difference to my day. Not only is she exceptionally good at her job – professional, diligent and reliable. She is also just an absolute pleasure to work with. I honestly don’t know how she juggles her many clients as I always feel she is there just for me. It is simply brilliant!
I’ve compared working with Katie like gathering all of the ingredients you’d want for breakfast, only to find it all perfectly cooked and waiting for you the next day. It really is that simple. And that good!