My journey to becoming a virtual assistant hasn’t been easy and hasn’t always been clear to me, but I am glad I figured it all out in the end! Becoming a virtual assistant is one of the best things I have ever done for myself. It’s kind of a long story but lets start from the beginning…
Early Days
When I was 14 years old, I started my first job working at Mass General Hospital in Boston. From that point on I knew I loved helping people and I especially loved administrative work. I liked solving problems and handling the small things so everyone else could focus on bigger issues. At 17 I went on to work at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, in both radiology and OB/GYN. From there I ended up working for New England Physical Therapy, which was one of my all time favorite jobs! The patients were like family and so were my co-workers. Here is where I really got to be myself and connect with people. It only increased the joy I felt from helping others and being a part of a team. After working for NEPT, I ended up working in radiology again at Brockton Signature Healthcare. Throughout all of these positions, I still had this nagging feeling that I needed more, but I still wasn’t sure of what it was. This was my last position in Boston before I decided to take the leap and move to charming Charleston, South Carolina. Little did I know, this move would end up being the catalyst to my virtual assistant journey.
Charleston
I moved to Charleston in August of 2018 and it was the best decision that I ever made in my life! I literally decided to move to Charleston in June of 2018, gave my notice in July and was gone two weeks later. I had no job, no apartment and no car (it literally broke down 5 hours before we got on the road, but that’s another story). I was staying in a hotel and looking for jobs everyday. I was happy I moved, but also having a nervous breakdown every five minutes. I was extra stressed because my mom came with me (whom I take care of) and it added on to the importance of me finding a job and a home. I wanted to make sure we both had a place to rest our heads. About 10 days after moving I found a job working front desk at Marriott. I never worked in a hotel before, so I honestly thought I wasn’t going to make it, but I needed the job.
A week after I started working, we had an apartment. A month after that, I had a new car. A few months after I started working, I became a front desk supervisor! A few months after that I started working in human resources. Things were great and moving in the right direction. I was happier than I had ever been and work was great. I made new friends that became family, and work was awesome. I loved connecting with everyone and building relationships. Even though everything was great, I still had this voice in the back of my head telling me to start my own business. I’ve felt like this for years but something ALWAYS came up, or I would make an excuse. It was heavier on my mind lately and I didn’t know why.
The Pandemic
Right before the pandemic, I was starting to feel like my business needed to happen ASAP. I loved my coworkers, but I needed more. I was getting tired of clocking in and out, and having a boss. I was ready to be my own boss, but didn’t know how or where to start. I also needed the motivation, but had none. That is until good ole covid came around. Imagine going away for your birthday and the day you come back, you get a call saying you’re being furloughed. Yep…that’s what happened. We did have some kind of heads up, but we honestly didn’t think it would lead to that. None the less, I was furloughed and didn’t know what was going to happen next.
Initially, we thought this whole thing would blow over in a few weeks and we would be back to work. Of course that’s not what happened, but we were all optimistic at first. I tried to make the best out of the situation and told myself it gave me more time to think about my future and finish my MBA (yes I was in my masters program when I left Boston and when covid started. No pressure!). I finished my MBA in August of 2020, and I was ready to take on something new. I came across a program called 90 Day VA by Esther Inman, and that completely changed my life. I took a chance and signed up for the program as soon as I finished my MBA, because I’m nuts and didn’t think I needed a break. I’m glad I did though! It taught me some of the most sought after skills I would need to become a virtual assistant.
I finished the 90 Day VA program in October and officially registered my business in November. The clients didn’t start pouring in like I imagined, so of course that worried me and I took a job I really didn’t want, to pay the bills and pass the time. I took a contract insurance specialist job and kind of put my VA dreams on hold. That is until the new year came and I decided that I needed to get my shit together and stop blocking my blessings.
New year, new goals!
So January came around and I realized I need to start putting myself out there and start looking for clients. They weren’t just going to find me. I actually had to talk to people for this to work. So I went on Indeed, not expecting much, and found a virtual assistant position based out of Philly. I didn’t think I should apply because I wasn’t ready, but then I said “what’s the worse that could happen?“. So I applied and had an interview a few days later. A couple weeks after that I started my first paid VA position! Of course I had imposter syndrome, but I pushed through and I loved it! I can’t forget to mention that my contract job laid us all off a couple weeks after I started my new position (during our lunch break…nice). Thank god I decided to stop holding myself back when I did!
About a month after I started my VA position, I was picked up by an awesome agency and added 4 more clients to my roster. A few months after that I received a referral from my first client and two weeks after that I received another referral from my newest referral. Things have been so great and I still can’t believe it. I’m not exactly where I want to be in my VA journey, BUT I am well on my way an excited about the future! I always dreamed of starting my own business and I still can’t believe it happened. I said it before and I’ll say it again, getting out of my own way was the best thing I ever could’ve done for myself.
I’m finally living out my dream of working for myself and working remotely!
Creative Ambition Virtual Solutions 