Lemons And Virtual Assistance

Posted by admin on Jul 28th, 2009 | no comments home title

It’s amazing how life can take a turn for what seems to be the worst and later you find that your circumstances brought about the best for you in the long run. We’ve all found it difficult to believe that things will turn out for the better while we were going through a major challenge. At some point you begin to ask yourself, “What do I do now?”

The old saying “When life gives you lemons…make lemonade,” remains true and has become a positive response to bad news lately. So, to make lemonade or sustainable income, as it was in my case, the first thing I needed was a quick inventory of what I had. Next, a list of what I needed. And lastly, coming up with a plan to get me where I wanted to be.

Inventory

The inventory list consisted of skills, equipment, tools, etc., that I owned and would enable me to accomplish what I did best, administrative support. No better way to remind yourself of your skill set than a quick update of your résumé.

I had a home office, desk, computer, fast internet access and a printer. Through social networking I maintained contact with previous managers, mentors, colleagues, relatives and friends. There was a plethora of information on the web and I had several friends that were entrepreneurs in their own right.

Needs

As in the past I needed a job that provided me with ample income. Did I want a position at a company? The majority of the support I had provided to executives over the past five years could have been accomplished from my home office. What about starting my own business? If I started my own business, what would be fair compensation for my services?

After a little soul searching and research all of the questions above were answered. I found that I could start my own business offering administrative support as a Virtual Assistant (VA). The start-up capital required would be reasonable due to the fact that I already had a fully-equipped home office established.

Other than the obvious, like a business name, bank account and a dedicated telephone line, there were only a few things that were necessary to get started. For my computer I needed accounting software and an electronic fax service. There were legal documents, applications and registrations to acquire and file. A company logo, business cards and stationary needed to be designed for marketing, networking and correspondence. And lastly for my virtual business, I needed a hosted website.

Plan

My plan began with advice from those who were already in business as VAs. After some in-depth research and planning, my needs list turned into a chronological “To Do” list. Immediately I took action on the items one by one.

The company name required the most research because I wanted a name similar or exactly the same as the URL for the website. With an estimated 4,000 VA businesses in the U.S., and a worldwide industry growing at a remarkable pace, the name required the most consideration.

Once the business name was determined, the remainder of my plan fell into place. Everyone I came in contact with at the bank, telephone company, county or state offices, mirrored my enthusiasm for my new business. That’s not to say there were no challenges. But I overcame these challenges and, in doing so, I gained a lot of knowledge and experience from them.

Starting my own business doing what I enjoy and do best – providing administrative support – could be considered “Fate” but in my case it is also a “Choice.” My career of “Choice” was Administration. And it is a blessing that my “Fate” is continuing my career of choice as a Virtual Assistant.