As the old saying goes “Time flies when you’re having fun!” I honestly cannot believe it’s been 18 years since I started my business. But when I look at my son who was 2 when I began this adventure and see that he’s just turned 20 I’m amazed! Time if truly flying by!
This Wednesday, August 15th is my 18 year anniversary of being self-employed. This is the longest I’ve ever been employed! This is the third longest I’ve done anything, third to being a mom, 36 years, and being married, 34 years.
I can say I’ve truly seen the evolution in the business world in the last 18 years. From a home-based secretarial service business with local clients to a virtual assistant team model with clients and team members coast-to-coast, truly amazing. When I think about clients or team members now the only “location” of consequence is their time zone!
Technology has come along way in making my business easier and so much more productive. I started my business with a word-processing typewriter, honest. Then “advanced” to a dual 5 ¼” floppy drive computer with dot matrix printer (only slightly quieter than a pneumatic nail gun!). Now my office has two desktops, a laptop and a shared wireless network. Still amazed.
I’ve watched my revenue continue to grow every year, not because my client base has grown but because of the number of services I can now offer. Actually about three or four years ago I cut my client list from 28 down to 14. Most of the clients I let go were very small and couldn’t generate the income I wanted and needed. Today I’m back up to 18 clients and my income continues to grow. I love the fact that I can be selective in my choice of clients! Something I never thought I would or could do 18 years ago.
My advice to new VAs, build a strong business foundation, set up your business correctly from the start, make sure you’re working legally in your state, speak with a CPA to get the best advice, keep your records up to date and accurate, don’t mix business and personal monies, have a separate room for your office with a separate phone line, buy the best equipment you can afford, have the skills necessary to compete in this industry (there are a lot of outstanding professionals in the VA industry today), and always make time for marketing your business and for professional development. There’s always room for improvement!
One last thing, don’t be afraid to ask questions! There’s no such thing as a stupid question, only stupid answers! VAs are very willing to share their knowledge. Use that sharing attitude to help you build a business that is successful and one that you can be proud of.
© 2007 Cheryl K. Callighan, MVA/Coach and owner of the University of Virtual Assistants (www.uofvas.com), has more than 30 years of executive administration and 17 years as the owner of eOffice-Virtual Assistants LLC (www.eoffice-virtualassist.com). Contact Cheryl@uofvas.com or Cheryl@eoffice-virtualassist.com.
