Part-Time Executive Assistant + Business Development for UK Founder

I run three UK businesses: a premium garden design-and-build company, a reformer Pilates studio and a business coaching brand. I spend my days working in them, and I need someone working on them: a sharp assistant who takes development projects off my list, gets them done properly and comes back to me for feedback.

THIS ISN'T FOR YOU IF
You need to be told how to do every task. You're after inbox or diary work. You haven't done business development before. You wait to be chased.

WHO WE ARE
The main business designs and builds gardens for homeowners across Leicestershire and the surrounding counties. There's also a reformer Pilates studio, and my personal brand, where I share what I've learned about growing a business. This role sits completely outside the day-to-day running of all three. You won't be dealing with clients, staff or site teams.

THE ROLE
Every day I add tasks to a written list. You pick them up, work out the best way to do them and get them done, then send me the finished work for feedback. It's 10 to 15 hours a week, working on the businesses rather than in them. You report to me, but you won't need me beside you to get going.

WHAT YOUR WEEK LOOKS LIKE
Most of the list is business development. One day it might be pulling our numbers together so I can see where enquiries come from and what they're worth. The next it might be putting a new strategy into practice, building a process, researching a market or turning a rough idea into a plan with the steps and costs laid out. You'll use AI tools heavily to do this faster and better, and you'll know when to check their work.

You'll also schedule our social media. Someone else already makes the videos, around ten a week across the three businesses. You'll plan when and where each one goes out, write or check the captions, load them into the scheduler and keep the posting calendar up to date, then send me the plan for sign-off.
Tasks come in writing, so you can work the hours that suit you. We'll talk over messages, and I'll give feedback as work lands.

MUST-HAVES
You'll answer each of these Yes or No, so read them properly.
1. At least three years in business development, or as an executive assistant or virtual assistant working on growth projects for a business owner.
2. Excellent written English, with the OnlineJobs.ph English test showing C1 or C2 on your profile. It's free and takes 30 minutes if you haven't done it yet.
3. Real business development experience: you've pulled together business numbers, built processes or put new strategies into action, and you can show examples.
4. Confident using AI tools like ChatGPT or Claude to get real work done, from research and analysis to drafting and automation.
5. Happy working on your own from a written task list, and asking for feedback rather than instructions.
6. Your own computer and stable internet, with a backup for power and internet.
7. Able to commit 10 to 15 hours a week, long-term.

NICE TO HAVE
Previous experience of ---------- is a strong preference and will put you near the top of the pile. Scheduling social media in Meta Business Suite or a similar tool, strong spreadsheet skills and experience with UK or small businesses all help.

HOURS AND PAY
$7 to $10 USD an hour depending on experience, for 10 to 15 hours a week, worked when it suits you across the weekdays. Long-term and work from home, with room for more hours later if it works well for both of us.

HOW TO APPLY
Use 15 Apply Points.
Start your application with the words COPPER BEECH on the first line. Applications without it are deleted unread.
Under that, copy the seven must-haves and answer each one Yes or No.
Then send us:
Five sentences at most on a business development project you delivered: the goal, what you did and the result, with numbers if you have them. No company names needed.
Which AI tools you use every week, and one thing you've used them for that saved real time.
If you've used ---------- , for how long and what for. If not, which project management tool you've used instead.
A link to a 60 to 90 second voice recording telling us about a task you took from a one-line brief to finished without being chased. Vocaroo, Loom or Google Drive, open to anyone with the link.
Your expected hourly rate in USD.
What other work you do at the moment, and how many hours it takes.
Your earliest start date.

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT
Shortlisted applicants get a paid trial task: about two hours, based on the kind of work on the list and is due within 72 hours of being given. The best go through to a video call with me, and we're hiring within two weeks of this post going live.
Thanks for reading to the end. Most people don't.
Miles