• Swindon & Wiltshire Professional services
• Wednesday October 15 2025

Wiltshire admin firm celebrates 10th anniversary

Wiltshire-based Boatman Admin Services is celebrating a decade in business, having helped 160 clients and grown turnover by 146 per cent.

In 2015 director Emma Boatman left the corporate world to launch Boatman Admin from a laptop at her kitchen table.

Today, she leads a trusted multi-associate team, mentors other VAs, and has supported over 160 UK businesses by giving them back the time they need to succeed.

Emma and her team work with solo founders and scaling businesses in the fields of

60+ businesses, and 146% growth: Wiltshire firm celebrates a decade of success design, law, financial services, and even artisan chocolate.

The company’s evolution from solo venture to team of five accelerated during the pandemic, when the furlough scheme led to increased demand and the introduction of her associate model.

“In the early days, I had zero confidence. I’d spent years in pharma support roles, but I didn’t believe I could make it my own,” said Emma.

Then I just saw a gap; my accountant needed help, and I thought maybe I could fill it.”

Over the past decade Emma has been recognised with a #ialso100 Award at the House of Lords, shortlisted for VA of the Year in the South West, and named one of the region’s Most Inspiring Women by The Business Exchange.

2024 also saw Boatman Admin introduce an Online Business Manager (OBM) service for clients, offering management-level support and stopping bottlenecks.

“Being a VA goes well beyond just having a laptop – there’s process, structure, insurance and onboarding,” said Emma.

“Growing to a team of trusted associates has been invaluable – as Steve Jobs said, ‘great things in business are never done by one person. They’re done by a team of people’.”

Pictured Emma and John Boatman