About Us
From Virtual Assistance to Visionary Leadership
Our story began in 1998.
That year, Justine Parsons launched Your Virtual Assistant after being made redundant. Over the next two decades, Your VA became New Zealand’s leading virtual assistant agency, helping business owners delegate tasks and reclaim their time.
But working alongside growth-minded, values-driven founders revealed something deeper. These women weren’t just short on hours, they were carrying the whole business on their shoulders.
What they needed wasn’t simply more hours back, they needed a business that could run without them being in every corner of it.
That realisation sparked our evolution. The Lever was born.
What we do today
A New Way To Lead
- Implement self-managing systems - Clarity, structure, and transparency that keeps things moving without you.
- Create confident, accountable teams - Decisions made at the right level and ownership without bottlenecks.
- Focus on freedom to lead - Step away from operations and into the strategic work that grows your business.
We design businesses that give founders their lives back.
That means more than operational efficiency, it’s about energy, time, and wellbeing.
When your business runs without you, you don’t just scale, you reclaim the life you built it for.
How we work
We don’t just hand you advice, we embed a team structure that makes your business self-managing.
At the centre is your Business Operations Manager, leading the rhythm and creating clarity. Around them sits our specialists who step in only when needed.
Together, we act as an extension of your business so you don’t have to carry it all alone.
We’ve worked with business owners who once felt tied to their businesses, until they made the shift. Each of these businesses built something that works without them needing to be at the centre of every decision and that’s exactly what’s possible for you.
Sandra Julian
Auaha
Went from running every detail of her business to stepping back so confidently that she sold it and moved into consulting on her terms.
Emily Umbers
AUSTRALIAN INTERANTIONAL DEVELOPMENT NETWORK
Transformed their operations and empowered their team to manage a newly integrated system with confidence, while shifting their focus to strategic growth.
Lianne Fraser
Celebrants Aotearoa
Transformed a scattered, admin-heavy operation into an aligned, self-sufficient team, creating a sustainable future for their organisation.
Meet the Leadership Team
Our female-led team brings decades of experience in business ownership, strategy, finance, and operations. We’ve been in the trenches, we’ve navigated growth challenges, and we know what it takes to turn a business from overwhelming to thriving.
Justine Parsons
Justine founded New Zealand’s first virtual assistant provider in 1998 and has spent over two decades helping business owners step back from the daily grind. Her journey from overwhelmed operator to strategic leader shaped The Lever’s mission, to help entrepreneurs build self-sustaining businesses. A champion of female-led businesses, she empowers leaders with smart systems, strong teams, and practical solutions to create lasting change.
Sue Balcomb
Sue brings a unique blend of corporate and entrepreneurial experience, turning ambitious plans into practical realities. She’s passionate about creating order from chaos, streamlining operations, and mentoring teams. Her leadership ensures that The Lever delivers innovation and sustainable growth for every client.
Leanne Mulcahy
Leanne is a business leader, mentor, and strategist with experience in business ownership, consulting, and cultural transformation. She ensures that the systems and strategies we implement aren’t just functional, they genuinely support people. She believes that business success isn’t about doing more; it’s about focusing on what truly matters.
Marg Palmer
Marg is a finance expert with a deep commitment to the community. With years in banking and business ownership, she understands the value of every dollar and takes a relationship-driven approach to financial management—ensuring integrity and trust are at the core of everything The Lever does.
“They’re like employing the Swiss Army knife in business. We don’t need anyone else.”
“…our organisation has made huge strides that have helped me to be able to focus on strategic priorities, thus enabling our team to sow the seeds of growth and love of the outdoors with New Zealand youth.”