Meet Nicole Magelssen | CEO of Alpine Virtual Assistants

We had the good fortune of connecting with Nicole Magelssen and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Nicole, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
Sometimes the best businesses are ones you create by mistake. At least, that’s what I’ve heard. That’s what happened with Alpine Virtual. I never set out to run a virtual assistant agency. I started Alpine Virtual with the goal of having a few virtual assistant clients for myself while also working as a part-time in-person assistant. When COVID hit, I was laid off from my in-person job. I knew I still needed to find a way to make money, so I began to market myself and look for more clients for my VA business. Over time, I grew too much. I had too many clients and couldn’t keep up. I hired an assistant to help me. Soon they were booked out so I needed to hire another assistant…and then another one. By the time I had three assistants, I realized I needed to restructure my company to act more like an agency. We’ve grown and changed a lot since then. I didn’t intend to start an agency, there were plenty of times I wanted to give up, but it has been worth every bump in the road.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I am most proud of the work environment we have created for our VAs to thrive and the care that we put into our client relationships. I know that there are bigger virtual assistant agencies out there. I also know that at those agencies the owner doesn’t know each client and virtual assistant personally. They don’t have the dedication to each client having a great experience. At Alpine, you are not just another client. Being able to create a great match that gives the virtual assistant a job they love and the client the ability to let go of the work they don’t have time for is why we do what we do.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I would start by taking them to Sweet Bloom Coffee on donut Saturday. Their coffee is the best in town and you cannot beat the homemade donuts, they are worth waiting in line for. I’m really outdoorsy so we’d probably spend most of the time camping and hiking around the area. We’d stop at a lot of the mountain towns. We’d go to Mister Oso for churros and tattered cover for books.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I want to give a shout-out to Lisa Bakke and Amanda Nelson. They are two incredible core team members who have gone above and beyond in every way. When I announced I’d need to leave the country for an unknown amount of time (for family reasons) they did not hesitate to fill the gaps, ask hard questions, and keep things moving even in my absence. They always brainstorm how we can grow and pour their hearts into our clients and virtual assistants. I’m beyond grateful for these two who have helped improve Alpine Virtual daily.

Website: https://www.alpinevirtual.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alpinevirtual/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicole-magelssen/