Black Friday: How Your VA Business Can Cash In (Without Discounting Yourself to Death)
Black Friday. It’s a huge, unavoidable event in the retail calendar and one of the year’s biggest selling periods. With a significant majority of UK consumers tempted by these offers and a massive volume of spending happening online, you’d be mad not to look at how your VA business can benefit (be that in purchasing things for your business or selling your own offers.)
This event started in the US, traditionally the day after Thanksgiving, followed by Cyber Monday. Now, for most businesses, the entire Friday-to-Monday stretch is one big, noisy promotion. This year, it falls on Friday, 28th November 2025, with Cyber Monday on the 1st December 2025.
(Message from Amanda: “Yes, VACT Limited will be having a Black Friday promotion on our annual VA Membership, the Kick Start Your VA Business Course, and a few other cracking deals.”)
For many small service-based businesses, especially VAs, Black Friday can feel overwhelming. You see the crazy discounts from the big players and struggle to figure out if it’s even suitable for you to get involved.
My straight answer? Yes, it is.
It might have started in retail, but any business can use this window. Here’s my no-nonsense and honest advice on how you, as a Virtual Assistant, can get involved, get visible, and get new clients; without selling yourself short.
1. Be Selective – It’s Not Just About 50% Off
Don’t just slap a huge discount on your standard hourly rate or current packages. That’s a quick way to burnout and attracts the wrong kinds of client. You need to be smart and selective.
Sell digital planners / templates: Use it as a one-off sale for those low-cost info products, templates, or courses.
Boost Your Bestsellers: Offer a slight incentive (like an added bonus hour, not a huge discount) on your most popular services to top up your client pipeline.
Create a Niche, Limited Offer: Design a new, specific, small service that is only available during the Black Friday period. For example, a 2-hour ‘Q4 Planning Session’ or a ‘Social Media Audit’ for £99. It’s an easy entry point for new clients to test you out.
2. Ditch the Discount Mentality
When we think of promotions, we automatically think ‘discount.’ Get creative. Promotions are not just about lowering the price.
Value-Add, Not Price Cut: Instead of a 20% discount, offer a free add-on. Buy a 10-hour package, get a bonus hour free or if you create templates give a customised template pack (worth £X).
New or Exclusive: Could you launch a brand-new service or exclusive this weekend only available to purchase service.
Educational Incentive: Run a focused, paid training webinar on a common client pain point (like ‘Sorting Out Your Email Inbox Chaos’).
3. The Logistics: Get Clear BEFORE You Promote
Before you launch anything, you need a plan. Don’t wait until the day before to decide!
Your Capacity: If you’re offering deals on packages, work out exactly how many new clients you can realistically handle before you’re working 24/7.
Associate Check: If you work with Associates, speak to them now. Can they cope with the potential additional hours if you sell more than normal. Don’t over-promise your delivery capacity.
Your Campaign Plan: Decide in advance: Will you run one set offer for the entire period, or a different deal each day (Friday, Saturday/Small Business Saturday, Sunday, and Cyber Monday)?
4. Don’t Forget Small Business Saturday
Sandwiched right in the middle, Small Business Saturday is your chance to pivot the message. It encourages consumers to support small, local businesses over massive corporations. This is a perfect platform for you to raise your visibility as a UK VA and connect with other small business owners. Look out for the hashtags on social media and engage.
5. Look After Your Existing Clients
Your existing clients already know, like, and trust you. Why limit your offers only to new people?
Offer them something exclusive. It could be a priority pre-sale, a special ‘loyalty’ discount, or an add-on service they can bolt onto their current retainer. Don’t take the people who pay your bills for granted.
(I will be having special, private offers specifically for existing VACT clients.)
6. Build the Buzz – Tease It Now!
If you wait until 28th November to announce your deals, you’ve missed the boat. Start teasing the expectation now. Use your mailing list (you are sending regular emails aren’t you!) and social media to hint at the “cracking deals and special offers currently in the pipeline.” Generate excitement.
Stop! Don’t Get Carried Away
Now for the direct talk: Be realistic and honour your worth.
Work out the feasibility, cost, and time implications of every offer. It’s great to offer a huge discount, but if you sell loads only to find you’ve discounted too heavily and are now working for peanuts, you have a broken business model.
Smart Shopping for Your Business
While everyone is focused on selling on Black Friday, this can be a great time for you to purchase services or products for your own business.
But wait! Before you happily click ‘buy,’ apply the same scrutiny: do you really need that shiny object? Or is it just a fleeting Black Friday impulse buy? Stick to purchases that genuinely help you develop a skill or streamline your business operations.
If you are looking to upskill, VACT offers a wide range of discounted products and services on Black Friday, designed to give you a competitive edge:
Stay Relevant: The digital landscape changes constantly. Our CPD and monthly training webinars, taught by experts, ensure you have the most up-to-date, relevant information.
Diversify: Expanding your skills means you can offer a wider range of services, attracting more clients and increasing your revenue potential.
Boost Credibility: Committing to Continuous Professional Development (CPD) demonstrates to clients you are serious, knowledgeable, and reliable. This helps you justify higher rates and attract better clients.
Don’t wait. Take advantage of the VA Training Academys® Black Friday discounts when they are announced and invest in your future.
In business, having access to the right support and expert advice is critical. The easiest and most affordable way to get that is to join the VA Membership. (You know you can trial it for £30 for your first month don’t you?)
It’s our monthly membership site that provides VAs with over 200+hours of affordable, practical support (training webinars, templates, swipe copy) and weekly expert help via group coaching calls, co-working sessions, and a private support community.
