Priority VA is a Remote Executive Assistant company based in Georgia. Since 2013, the company has provided US-based Executive Assistants to businesses and entrepreneurs all over the world.
Table of Contents
About Priority VA
Priority VA was founded by Trivinia Barber, a CEO, author, podcaster and speaker who is committed to creating leaders who “don’t do it alone.” Trivinia founded Priority VA after growing tired of seeing hardworking growth-minded entrepreneurs get overwhelmed and burnt out while scaling their business to the next level.
If that sounds like you, you’re not alone. In fact, you’re in good company. Priority VA has served notable clients in the online space such as Ray Edwards, Todd Herman, Simple Green Smoothies, Caroo and Social Media Examiner.
When you work with Priority VA, its team of Kolbe-certified Talent Acquisition Specialists work with you to find an Executive Assistant best suited to your needs. The company seeks to foster integrity-driven relationships between executives and their EAs based on your company’s values, vision and culture. This service is preferable for leaders seeking long-term contracts rather than one-off project work.
Priority VA Services
Priority VA matches executives with teammates who are ready to serve as an Executive Assistant, Project Manager, Integrator or Chief of Staff.
Priority VA provides leaders and Executive Assistants onboarding prep steps to help ensure a successful long-term relationship. Once you’re matched with your EA, it is up to you to continue to engage and communicate your needs and expectations.
Here is a list of tasks Priority VA assistants commonly carry out for their executives:
- Calendar Management
- Travel Management
- Inbox Management
- Schedule Management
- Document Creation and Formatting
- Market Research
- CRM Management
- Project Management
- Event Management
- Writing and Editing
- Customer Service
- Affiliate Management
Priority VA Plans and Pricing
Priority VA offers three tiers of support with first-class talent only based in North America through Priority STAFF (fractional support), Priority MATCH (direct hire placement) and Priority HIRE (direct hire placement and EA mentorship) services. The company’s direct placement services are customized to your needs as an established, growth-minded entrepreneur.
Priority VA Alternatives
Priority VA seeks to redraw the boundaries of what an EA can do. It invests in ongoing training from world-class experts to make sure its team is up to speed on the latest tactics, tools and strategies. If you’re just getting started, or aren’t able to invest in hiring a right-hand Executive Assistant for a least 10 hours a week at this phase of your business, this might be a little more than you need at the moment.
Three of the highest rated US-based virtual assistant companies are ClearDesk, Time Etc and Boldly. These companies also put a lot of emphasis on matching up clients with assistants to form long-term, strong working relationships.
Your Turn
Have you worked with Priority VA? If so, please leave a review below to help others with their decision.
They’ll tell you to be your authentic self, but if you are then they’ll make fun of you like a bunch of mean girls on their podcast https://trivinia.com/season-2-episode-22-behind-the-scenes-inside-the-mind-of-our-talent-acquisition-team.
You’ll want to compare how many of their good reviews are actually their employees and not their “matched” EA/VA candidates in order to push down the real experiences of candidates.
I’ve worked for Trivinia and Chris on and off over the past three years. Creating the right match for me and their clients is their top priority and if there isn’t anything, at the time, that is a good fit, they are always good about giving me other opportunities to make certain I have an income. I couldn’t be happier with my past and continuing experience with Priority VA.
I have worked in companies in the past where you just don’t know where you stand and can be “let go” if you sneeze wrong. Ok, so that may be a bit of an exaggeration, but maybe too far off. With Trivinia and the team at PVA you know exactly where you stand. If you have done a great job, you will be praised. When you have made a mistake, it is not a big deal, but rather a learning opportunity. I have no doubt that Trivinia has our back and she is an amazing leader! So thankful to be working with her and this rockstar team!!
I took my first assignment as a VA with Priority VA back in 2017, and began a long and very fruitful relationship with them that I cherish! Trivinia and her team are hard working, honest and real – through and through.
They are a “no nonsense” crew who care deeply about their clients and go above and beyond to make sure that their needs are met. Whether you are a busy business owner looking to scale, or a hungry VA looking to be paired with someone who needs what you offer, you won’t find a better place than Priority VA!
I had originally applied for Priority VA in an effort to find something that I could do part-time and still be at home with my sons while making a reasonable hourly wage (because DoorDash when you are still in a post-partum mindset wasn’t cutting it). I had applied for a posting that looked fun and manageable with my schedule at 10 hours a week.
The processing was really quick, I had to take a skills assessment (which, to me, wasn’t out of the norm since I used to work at a software company prior to giving birth to my youngest), then was asked to provide additional information about me, followed by submitting a video where I was supposed to tell why I was interested in the position (I hate hearing myself recorded, so this was tough for me).
I had my interview the following day with the owner, Trivinia, who was super straight to the point about the position and what would be required (good and bad). The more we talked, the more that we seemed to click, and she asked what I thought about her. I was honest and said that I appreciated someone who is straightforward and said that I think we could be friends outside of work and that she seems pretty cool (I like having friends who will tell me what they are feeling instead of me trying to guess). She then asked me what I was doing later that day, in which I entered interview stage two but not for the position I had applied for. It was to work for Priority VA itself.
I jumped at the chance (obviously, I did after all come in with an “I need a job right now” mindset). I met with Jess for my second interview and it was like magic, everything seemed to fall into place and I was beyond elated.
Since then, we’ve had 100% staff turnover, hired a beyond kick – booty (not sure if I can post the other word here) team that is going above and beyond to work on improving the company and the experience felt by all. We want to help make our Clients, and our EAs feel appreciated and that their time is worth the investment.
I’d invite anyone who has previously applied to give it another go, you might like what you experience! If you feel that it isn’t for you, we understand, and we truly do wish you all the best in your future endeavors (because doing what’s best for you and your family is what’s best!).
Stay tuned for great things, we’re working to make them happen.
I LOVED PRIORITY VA!
If the opportunity arises, I’ll be back immediately.
On-boarding was fine; no complaints here.
Excellent GROWTH opportunities. “PVA Community” is very resourceful and ready to help if you come across any hiccups along the way. A family-type atmosphere. You aren’t just a name, and they seem to strive at creating a good work culture for VA’s.
I highly recommend these guys!
I have worked with PVA for over 6 years and have nothing but the best to say about PVA and Trivinia. In fact, I am still with my original client that PVA placed me with all these years later. The team has always been professional, reached out to just check on me and always quick to respond if I reached out. Multiple PVA team members have also hopped on a call with me with no notice if I encountered an issue ( tech, platform etc) and needed some support. Trivinia is amazing at matching the right VA with the right client, but even with that, I have been able to meet the client before hand to see if it was a good fit and I have never been penalized for turning down a client. I have two other PVA clients as well, that I have worked with going on over 2 years at the moment. Payments are always on time and I don’t have to chase it, that’s a huge win for me being in the VA industry almost 20 years. Trivinia and team have always been courteous, understanding ( jumped into help when I suddenly became ill), professional and supportive.
Do not deal with Priority VA as it’s a very unprofessional company.
They have a lengthy application process and will cancel your interview upon short notice with a rude email. Do not waste your time if they contact you or by applying to them or to use them for recruiting purposes.
Unprofessional and not versed in HR practices.
I have been a VA with Priority VA for several months now and I cannot speak enough to this wonderful group of people. Their passion and professionalism for this industry is unmatched! I feel nothing but support, even in the smallest areas, with my current matched client. The on-boarding process was smooth and the overall communication has been exceptional. I sincerely hope to be an excited member of the PVA team for a very long time.
I applied to Priority VA and was accepted as an assistant. This is my experience with the agency.
During my application process, I was traveling. I mentioned this to the agency and let them know my responses may not be immediate. The last part of the application was a series of online tests via email, none of which had any deadline. I was sent a test on Sunday afternoon and by Tuesday morning I received a vague rejection letter from Priority VA saying “Thanks but we’ve moved on with other applicants”. I was super confused since I was still in the middle of the application and they seemed to like me.
I emailed back respectfully asking if they could clarify why they were moving on. Right after I sent the email, I noticed another email from the recruiter, Kate, saying “We think you’re great and we’d love to have a chat with you!” I asked her to dismiss my previous email (realizing they clearly made a mistake) and said I’d love to chat. I received an email back about the accidental rejection email and Kate’s only response was “That’s a message that’s sent automatically when we haven’t heard from you.” No apology. No sympathy. No attempt to make things better. Nothing. ⛳ I was annoyed, but didn’t read into it too much and moved on.
Fast forward. I’ve been accepted into Priority VA, added to a FB group for assistants where I’ve introduced myself, and even chatted with the owner, Trivinia, about meeting up with her when she’s in NYC. I had a Zoom meeting with Kate last Thursday about a position. It sounded great and I was definitely interested, but I was looking forward to speaking with the client directly, which I mentioned to her. After the call, she told me she would email the client a bit about me and we would take it from there.
That was the last I heard from her before receiving a calendar invite the following Monday to have a Zoom meeting with her and the client. She never explained to me the purpose of the Zoom meeting (or to find out if I was even available on Tuesday morning; we had to reschedule). I was under the impression that I would chat with the client before a final decision was made. On Tuesday I received a contract from Trivinia, again, with no explanation – just a copy asking me to review. I thought that perhaps the agency was simply being proactive and that surely they would tell me directly and explicitly if an official decision had been made.
On Wednesday evening, I decided to email Kate to clarify the purpose of the call. She emailed back early the next morning and that’s when she first told me that they had officially placed me with the client as her assistant. She then told me that the agency did not let their clients and assistants meet with each other before being placed together and a contract being signed. She told me that if I did not want to be placed with the client, she would need to be informed in the next two hours. Unfortunately, I had to decline (for many reasons that I thoughtfully considered – it was a hard decision), but I asked to have a call with her about the agency’s protocols so we could make sure we are on the same page going forward.
I then received an email back from Kate stating exactly what the protocol was and that if I wasn’t comfortable with it, I might not be a good fit for the agency. I was meeting with my boss all day that day and unable to formulate a thoughtful response. Eight hours later, Kate emailed me again saying since she hadn’t heard from me I must not be a good fit for the agency, but thanked me for my interest. I was immediately removed from the their FB group.
I continue to be thoroughly baffled by Priority VA and Kate’s behavior. Essentially, I was revoked from Priority VA because I asked reasonable questions and sought to learn more about the way the agency operates, which they should’ve been explicit and upfront with me about to begin with. I’m really disappointed with how I’ve been treated and how my time and their client’s has been wasted.
I received a marketing email from Trivinia. I sent a response email asking that she remove me from her distribution, as I had not signed up for this or I would report it as spam.
I then received a phone call from this woman, who started out the conversation saying how my email response was indicative of my personality scolding me and insulting me, calling me honey & harassing me because I did not want to receive her marketing emails. She mentioned I had applied for a VA position & by applying I agreed to receiving them. I suggested perhaps like other companies indicate, she have a line indicating why I was receiving the email. I find it sketchy as she doesn’t offer an unsubscribe as is required. If ANY one in Toronto Ontario, or across Canada for that matter has used or thought about using this unprofessional woman, think again. I am still baffled at her arrogance and ignorance. Can’t stop shaking my head at this one.