We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Ashante Wright and Brittany Johnson a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Ashante and Brittany, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Alright, so you had your idea and then what happened? Can you walk us through the story of how you went from just an idea to executing on the idea

Our journey began in 2020 when we began working on the same team in a small department at a juvenile court, right in the midst of the pandemic. Initially, we were just coworkers, navigating the challenges of remote work and the complexities of our field. When we returned to the office in mid-2021, we finally had the chance to get to know each other better.

While we loved our work of helping those that come into contact with the juvenile justice system, we often found ourselves discussing side hustles and our dreams of escaping the traditional 9-5 grind to become entrepreneurs. Initially, we were all set to start a mobile bar. We dove into researching licensing, vehicles, and the nitty-gritty details. But just a month into our planning, Brittany had a lightbulb moment: why not start a virtual assistant company to fund our mobile bar? She proposed the idea to Ashante, and it just clicked.

From April 2022, we began meeting every Saturday at the library, keeping each other accountable and dedicated. We brainstormed names and researched the services we could offer, legally registered the business, developed a marketing plan, and set up our website and social media. Our combined skills in different fields gave us a unique edge, allowing us to support other small business owners effectively.

The turnaround was incredibly fast because we were so motivated. Within a month of our first setup meeting, we officially launched A2B Virtual Associates in May 2022. It’s been an exciting journey from coworkers to business partners and friends. Neither of us could have foreseen the incredible experiences and opportunities that have come our way.

And who knows? Maybe we’ll still open that mobile bar one day!

Ashante and Brittany, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

We are the co-founders of A2B Virtual Associates, a company born out of a shared vision to support small businesses, startups, nonprofits, and other organizations making a positive impact in our community. Our journey began in 2020 when we were working together in juvenile justice. Through our varied educational and job histories, we realized we had a diverse set of skills that could benefit many businesses in need of support.
At A2B, we provide a wide array of services designed to alleviate the everyday burdens faced by our clients. Our offerings include administrative tasks such as calendar management, research, grant writing, and scheduling. We also specialize in social media management, including content creation, email marketing, and networking/branding, as well as financial services like payroll and invoicing.
Our mission is to solve the problem of time and expertise that many business owners struggle with. By handling the mundane, day-to-day tasks, we enable our clients to focus on what they love about their business—whether that’s big-picture strategizing, customer service, optimization, growth, or simply reclaiming some time in their day.
What sets us apart is our unwavering commitment to our clients and our core values. We pride ourselves on continuous learning, integrity, innovation, accountability, reliability, collaboration, and community-building. We’re our clients’ biggest cheerleaders, always looking for opportunities to promote their work and connect them with resources and partners that drive their growth.
We’re especially proud of our work with nonprofits and collaborations with business development organizations, through which we offer discounted services. Supporting those who are making a significant impact in our community, especially for underserved populations, is deeply rewarding. These partnerships allow us to be part of something bigger than ourselves, contributing to meaningful change and uplifting those in need.
At A2B, we are a dynamic team with a broad range of skills and a fearless approach to tackling new challenges. Our dedication to learning and our genuine passion for helping people truly set us apart. We’re here to support people from behind the scenes so they can shine and focus on what matters most to them.

Where do you think you get most of your clients from?

The best source of new clients for us has undoubtedly been our partnership with the ECDI/WBC of Northern Ohio. Through this collaboration, we’ve had the opportunity to work with clients from a wide range of industries, such as food, technology, and pet care. One of the most rewarding aspects of our business is getting to engage with such a diverse group of business owners and gaining insights into industries we never imagined we’d be a part of. This experience has allowed us to continuously learn and adapt to new systems and processes, which we find incredibly fulfilling as lifelong learners who love facing new challenges.
Additionally, we have to give an honorable mention to another one of our favorite sources of clients: referrals from our current and past clients. These referrals are a testament to the quality of our work and the relationships we’ve built, and we’re deeply grateful for the trust and support from our amazing clients. We love y’all!

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

Building our social media audience has been all about consistency, understanding our audience, and genuine engagement. From the start, we made it a priority to post regularly and share valuable content that resonated with our followers. We took the time to understand who our audience was and what they cared about, which helped us tailor our content to their needs.
We also stayed up-to-date with social media trends, incorporating them in a way that felt authentic to our brand. Innovation was key—we experimented with different content types and leveraged new platform features. Engagement played a crucial role as well; we actively interacted with our followers, responded to comments, and celebrated their achievements, which helped build a loyal community.
For those just starting, our advice would be: stay consistent with your posting, understand your audience, keep an eye on trends, be willing to innovate, be daring, and engage genuinely with your followers. Building a social media presence takes time, but with dedication and authenticity, you can create a thriving online community.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://a2bvirtual.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/a2bvirtualassociates/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/a2bvirtualassociates/?_rdr
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/a2b-virtual-associates/