Why I Became a Virtual Assistant— And What That Means for Your Business

When I first started my freelance Virtual Assistant career, I believed it would just be a holdover gig until I decided what I really wanted to do with my life... I believed that no one could make a truly sustainable business out of it— what, sorting through people's inboxes and pushing digital paperwork was going to pay my bills? Yeah, right! But I was wrong... and learning why changed how I support every client I work with. I quickly learned how vast the field of Virtual Assistance is: with a laptop and a solid Wi-Fi connection, you can do anything you're willing to put the time into learning. And the endless resources are awaiting you on the wild frontier of the Internet! Self-teaching new skills is by no means an easy task, but it is possible... with enough determination and the right tools. And further beyond that, as I've mentioned in other posts across my profiles: Virtual Assistance is one of the few industries that offers the opportunity to integrate with almost every other industry on the planet!

The Search for Something Different

I needed a career that didn't fit the 9-5 mould because I was undergoing medical treatment, recovering from an eating disorder and an addiction that almost killed me. I remember walking into one of my health worker's offices, sitting down on the sofa, and spending the best part of an hour listening to her explain (in frightening, vibrant detail) just how close I was to death if I didn't make some serious changes. At the time, I was a waitress at Denny's, and I had collapsed during a shift— one of the changes my doctors had been urging me to make was my job. I also remember reading an article talking about the "pioneers of the digital age" (since VA work wasn't so popular yet in Canada, at the time) and thinking: hey, hold on, that could work. The flexibility, the autonomy, the ability to fill my empty hours while making an extra buck or two (again, completely misguided concerning how much money you can actually make in this work)? It would only be a bridge until I finished school, right?

Nope.

I was lucky enough to land multiple clients at once who were interested in training me on-the-go for a modest check (I'm still forever grateful to those who took me under their wings and taught me how to take the first steps towards flight). My first 3 contracts were part-time, but I worked a little over a shift at the diner without any of the negative effects by the end of the day. It wasn't paying break-the-bank wages... but by the end of that first month, I had savings— for the first time in my life! It wasn't much, but it was a start. And I wasn't resting on my laurels, either: I earned every dollar, and I repaid their investment in me by going above-and-beyond the call of duty. I relished every challenge and leapt at every chance I was offered to climb the ladder to my comfortable perch now. It was hard: a lot of late nights, early rises, and long days. But in the end, it was worth it— because (bit by bit) I built an impressive portfolio boasting a wide array of services that would've been so difficult to gain the traditional way.

This lifestyle certainly has its boons and its drawbacks, but I found fun in navigating the fluctuations of the career and proudly stand atop every single achievement that I fought so hard for. Because every single one is attached to a client whose life I made easier through the honest reaping of hard work (and remembering the little things: like coffee orders for a stressful day, haha!).

The Dream Underneath the Job Title

I knew from the day I was old enough to truly understand what a job is, that I wanted mine to be centred around helping people. A wild concept in today's world, some cynics may say! I didn't know what exactly that would look like, not then... But I knew I didn't want a tiny niche in some soulless office, or to become a fancy status symbol that spends more hours on the golf course than on the job site. I just wanted to get my hands dirty alongside the people doing the good work of running something they truly believe in!

It's not about being needed— whether by some suit-clad stockholder that doesn't even know my birthdate but knows I make them money; or by the kind of genuine entrepreneurs that I choose to work with. It's about caring. Simply put: I care about the people I work with. I care about whether or not they had a good day. I care about their ability to sleep well at night, knowing they've done the best they could for today. I care about the light in the eyes glowing brighter as they watch their dream bloom to beautiful fruition. Which means I would never make it in a job that didn't allow me to reach as many hearts as I could. Once that realization hit me like a freight train, the words "Virtual Assistant" stopped sounding small... and started sounding like the vehicle for the actual mission. To leave my mark on the world, one client at a time!

Reframing What "Virtual Assistant" Actually Means

So, to circle back to what I said at the start of this article: in a way, I was half-right... but still mostly wrong, haha! I was right in the sense that inbox management and data entry aren't what pay my bills. Because being a Virtual Assistant is so much more than that... It's not "just admin", or "just slapping content together", or "just tossing up a quick website". It's reliability, expertise, and partnership stacked together.

What does that look like? It means showing up where I'm needed most and following through on whatever tasks I can take off your (probably already buckling) plate. It's about the real skills from real people in really interesting positions. It's how every business runs better when the leader at the helm isn't worrying about their calendar, and they hold the confidence of someone who knows they always have a backup plan just a text away.

It looks like knowing someone you trust is already finding the data so you don't have to, and putting it all in a presentation before you ask. It looks like not realizing 3 tasks had been taken off your to-do list before your 10am was even halfway done, and only noticing when the benefits crop up without your input. It looks like being calm when faced with a crisis, because your go-to is already fixing the problem before you even open your laptop... and when you do, she's sending you an email detailing which solutions are the most efficient versus the most effective!

So, Why Should You & Your Business Care About That?

One of my favourite sayings is: one of your most precious resources is TIME. The more you can delegate, automate, and designate to someone else's bandwidth; the more you have for yourself (and for the things that matter outside of your business, because it's too easy for entrepreneurs to neglect themselves for the betterment of their goals— It happens to us all in the early stages, haha!).

But it won't protect your time if you can't fully and willingly hand off the reins, and you can't do that until you know that whoever takes them will love your business as you do. A good Virtual Assistant understands the simple facts: to you, this isn't just a brand... It's your brand. The one you conceived on the merits of your own ingenuity, the one you pour your heart and soul into from the moment your eyes open 'til the second your head hits the pillow. The one that you christened in your own blood, sweat, and tears— and the sacrifices you made (and still make) for it.

If I could go back and tell a business owner one thing, it would be this: never miss an opportunity to onboard good help, even though it can be so hard to find. And if you're still figuring it out, that's not a problem. That's exactly where the right support finds you!