This is yours is our celebration of the people and teams behind the businesses. Pink Spaghetti is a great example of how one person’s strengths can become another business owner’s superpower – bringing organisation, support and a little more breathing space to busy working lives.
Here, we meet Pink Spaghetti – the people keeping businesses organised, supported and moving forward.
As part of This is yours, we shine a light on the people behind Pink Spaghetti and the work they do to help other businesses thrive.
Pink Spaghetti provides dedicated virtual assistant services to small businesses, sole traders and busy professionals. Founded by Emily Airey, the business provides flexible, reliable support that helps clients streamline their operations, manage the everyday and find more time to focus on growth.
In our conversation, Emily shares the story behind Pink Spaghetti, what she’s learned from building the business, the realities of supporting other business owners and some of the practical insights she would pass on to others.
“I LOVE a list and also helping others bring order to their busy lives. I started my business when I realised that I really enjoy doing the things that others don’t have time or simply don’t want to do!”
Emily Airey
Founder, Pink Spaghetti.
In this interview, founder Emily Airey shares the story behind starting Pink Spaghetti, from leaving her corporate career and taking the leap into business ownership to building a team and creating a business she genuinely enjoys running. She talks openly about the risks, challenges and self-doubt that came with those early days, as well as the milestones that gave her confidence along the way.
Emily also shares the lessons she’s learned about finding the right clients, trusting your decisions, creating strong foundations and why having the right processes and documentation in place can make such a difference as a business grows. Alongside practical insights for fellow founders and business owners, she reflects on the importance of asking for support, learning as you go and having the confidence to give something a try, even when you don’t have all the answers.
“I started Pink Spaghetti after leaving my corporate role and looking for something new. I’d never really considered starting my own business, but the franchise opportunity came into my inbox at exactly the right time. It appealed to me because I could use my experience in project management and operations to help other businesses get organised. After working through the financials and business planning, I reached a point where I thought, “This is what I need to be doing.” I signed the contract and went all in.”
“The biggest challenges in those early days were financial uncertainty, finding new clients and proving myself when I was still so new. I definitely experienced self-doubt and imposter syndrome. One of my biggest lessons was realising how important it is to document everything. Initially, I just wanted to get on with the work and earn money, but I soon saw how much time and uncertainty could be avoided by having processes and information written down.”
“That first year brought some big moments. I started winning clients and securing retainers, which gave me confidence that people trusted the work I was doing. I also took on my first member of staff and was incredibly proud to win a Rising Star award within the franchise. Since then, I’ve built a team, developed long-term client relationships and created a business that gives me a level of flexibility and enjoyment I didn’t have in my corporate career.”
“Putting proper documentation and processes in place became a real turning point. It helped me manage client expectations, protect data and make it much easier to hand work over as the team grew. I now do this from the very beginning with new clients. I use shizl for myself and also for some of my clients, which gives us an accessible way to get the documents we need without the huge overheads of traditional legal support. Having those foundations in place gives both me and my clients confidence to focus on building the business.”
Lucy Guest Marketing
Lucy Guest Marketing is a Leeds-based marketing business helping service-based founders build brands and websites that reflect their expertise and support growth. Led by Lucy Guest, it combines strategy, branding, websites and practical marketing support to help businesses show up clearly, confidently and consistently.
Rise Up Networking
Rise Up Networking is a business community connecting founders, entrepreneurs and professionals through networking events and collaboration. It focuses on building strong relationships that create opportunities, partnerships and both personal and professional growth.
