The story of Moneypenny
Working flexibly, wherever and whenever you want—Marianne, the founder of Moneypenny, saw this as the ideal nearly 25 years ago. Fittingly, she calls in remotely from France to share the story of how her company, Moneypenny, came to be.
As a virtual assistance agency, Moneypenny connects virtual assistants (VAs) with clients looking for flexible support in administration or marketing. Marianne also reflects on the highlights and challenges of entrepreneurship—and, of course, on the collaboration with Tentoo.
Moneypenny: born from the need for flexibility
Marianne Sturman started her entrepreneurial journey in 2000, a year after the birth of her child. As an account manager in the telecom sector, she found that the traditional 9-to-5 office job didn’t fit her lifestyle. Marianne explains, “With a laptop and a phone, I could just as easily work from home. As a new mother, I wanted more flexibility and control over my time.” She decided to quit her job and co-founded Moneypenny with a business partner. While her partner worked as a virtual assistant, Marianne focused on sales. “I quickly realized that many people prefer working from home. I wanted to create flexible and meaningful work opportunities for them,” she says. The biggest challenge was the resistance to remote work, which initially led to a lack of assignments. “I suggested to clients that the work could still be done in the office but with flexible hours,” Marianne recalls. “That way, we could still offer VAs some flexibility. Today, that resistance is completely gone, and we no longer accept office-based assignments. But that shift took years.”
Moneypenny's choice: Efficiency, tailored solutions and personal approach
From the very beginning, Marianne has consciously chosen to outsource payroll administration and contracts. “I strongly believe in ‘practice what you teach,’ which is why we outsource this. I don’t want to employ too many people myself—I don’t find that efficient.” For the past few years, Moneypenny has been working with Tentoo, a decision Marianne says was driven by their tailored solutions and personal approach. “We considered many options, but Tentoo stood out because of their cost transparency and user-friendly online portal.” The portal plays a crucial role, especially when onboarding Moneypenny’s many Virtual Assistants (VAs). “The portal makes the entire process efficient. Information is presented clearly and customized to our needs,” says Marianne.
Getting paid per assignment, full freedom
Tentoo handles the payment of all VAs for Moneypenny based on per-assignment payroll. This means they are paid per assignment and work under a so-called "contract for services."
For Moneypenny, this setup removes the burden of administrative and tax responsibilities. Additionally, VAs automatically build up entitlements to social security benefits (unemployment, sickness, and disability insurance) and receive their payment within seven days through Tentoo.
1. Work based on a "contract for services"
2. You agree on work arrangements together (tasks, hours, salary, etc.)
3. The worker is officially employed by Tentoo on a temporary basis
4. Once the assignment ends, so does the collaboration
5. Ideal for businesses with many (short-term) assignments
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