How Being An ‘Accidental’ Virtual Assistant Changed My Life
When I became a VA, didn’t even know what it was… Sounds a bit farfetched, right?
I was working as a PA/EA for a business man in the big city and when I found work closer to home, I was asked to find a replacement. After a few interviews I thought I found ‘the one’, after all time was running out. I was asked to still do certain tasks from home as the replacement was not trusted or experienced enough yet. After a month my previous employer decided that the new ‘me’ was not the right ‘me’ and sent her on her way. This meant that I would continue doing most of the work I did for him, remotely.
Eventually we re-located back to our home town. I was expecting my second daughter at the stage so finding a new job was next to impossible. I carried on with my previous employer’s work from home and it came to me… If I can do his admin from the comfort of my living room, why can’t I find more clients willing to send work my way?
So the hunt began. After a few hours I discovered that I actually already had a title, Virtual Assistant. Hmm what about Virtual PA, Virtual EA or Virtual Administrator? Doors started opening, opportunity beckoned.
Through a lot of searching and advertising I found my second client. After that lots came and went and I found that word of mouth in this industry was key. Unfortunately being from a small town the market wasn’t as broad for me.
I started looking for international companies looking for freelancers. After a lot of ‘hit and miss’ opportunities I found a reputable transcription company taking on new transcribers. Not that I had any experience and I had to do the qualification test about three times… But this was my chance to learn a new skill and broaden my horizons.
After working for this company for a while I could successfully add transcription to my list of skills. I obtained another temporary client from there and I discovered it’s not only about skills. Determination, perseverance and patience are three of the most pertinent traits that were required the months that followed.
Not being able to really go on ‘leave’ and not worry about work, sitting down at your laptop after you put the kids to bed (and then getting up again at 4 a.m.) to reach a deadline, the ‘no work no pay’ problem… Luckily the pros out weighed the cons and today I can officially say, I will never turn back.
A week ago I had the privilege of joining the VA Connect team which was the deciding factor to whether being a VA is really worth it.
Stumbling into this trade was an adventure. You learn something new everyday, the people you meet and come into contact with has such a vast array of knowledge, experience and advice. I wouldn’t have it any other way.