Can you believe it’s 2 years ago this week that I set up my Virtual Assistant business 😀
It’s crazy how time flies when you’re having fun and I can honestly say that it has been fun, I’ve loved every minute of running my own business and thought I’d do a post on why I decided to become a Virtual Assistant.
It all began in 2000
My PA career started in 2000 when I began working as a conveyancing secretary (PA’s weren’t really a thing back then) for a small firm in Barnstaple Devon. I actually worked in 2 firms in Devon before moving up to Bristol in 2006 where I began working for a professional negligence law firm.
Moving from Devon to Bristol was a HUGE deal for a little country bumkin like myself as us Devon folk don’t tend to travel that far.
That would soon change after meeting my husband in 2008. We went through life very happy and content until we tried to start a family and ended up doing down the emotional roller coaster route that’s called IVF!
I won’t go into that now but suffice to say IVF didn’t work and in 2013 we found ourselves with a one way ticket to Taiwan. Yes, we were off to Asia to live.
Hello Asia
We lived in Asia for just shy of 4 years in total and had an absolute ball. At this point in my life I had never entertained the idea of ever running my own business but always knew I wanted to be successful in whatever job I did next.
During my time in Taiwan I wasn’t working so I used the time wisely and enrolled on a Management & Leadership Diploma where I ended up with 6 Distinctions and 1 Credit.
I was so proud of myself as I’d never written assignments before but really enjoyed learning again and knew I wanted to use my new found skills in the future.
Moving back to the UK
In 2017 we moved back to the UK and I started working as a Senior PA for an International Law firm in Bristol. I always dreamed of working for an international law firm and this was my opportunity. I was also managing a small team of PA’s (I knew that diploma would come in handy 😀).
I loved the new role, the only thing was, I was on a 12 month fixed term contract so I knew it was going to come to an end and that I needed to find something else.
What’s a Virtual Assistant?
It was early January 2018 when I sat down with my laptop and began looking for “PA jobs in Bristol”. It was then that I saw the words “Virtual Assistant” and was instantly intrigued 🤔
This is it. This is what I want to do. I want to set up my own business and become a Virtual Assistant.
Why?
- Because I’ve always wanted to be a success and running my own business was a way of making that happen
- I’ve got lots of PA experience
- I’m really driven and motivated and know I can make it work
- I wanted to prove to my friends and family that I can do this
- The thought of seeing my name on a logo really excited me
- We’d talked about getting a dog for years. Working at home meant we’d be able to do that.
- The flexibility of being my own boss
- Having days off and holidays when I want
- Doing work that I enjoy
- Meeting new people and making new connections
- Working with and supporting clients and making their lives easy also excited me
- Going to the gym whenever I wanted
- I could focus on my own personal development and learn how to use new tools and develop new skills
- I felt I’d reached the top as a PA. Running my own business brought so many new challenges with it – I was so ready for this.
And that was it, I grabbed a notebook and researched for weeks on how to get set up and what I needed to do and I can honestly say it’s been one hell of a journey.
Being a Virtual Assistant, or a Virtual PA as I like to call myself now was a natural and obvious move for me. I’d spent my entire career as a PA supporting busy professionals and helping their days to run smoothly.
The only difference now is that I’m not working for a company, I’m working for myself and this week I’ll be celebrating not only my 2nd business birthday but how much I’ve grown in those 2 years.
Not only as a person but as a business too. With a full book of clients and an associate (possibly 2 associates) on board, I’m bloody proud of myself and cannot wait to see what I’ll be writing this time next year.
