home from home pa
Blog.
Why I set up another company and why I was crazy – or not – as the case may be!?
You know that well known saying, “It takes a village to raise a child” (and don’t I know it!), I’m thinking this phrase is more and more apt for other sides of life, the further down the road I go with this new venture.
I launched Home From Home PA just last month, on the heels of my first business Home From Home Design, and I’m now appreciating how much effort, time, and sweat it takes to build a successful business. Granted, I’m only into my second month, however I’m realising there’s just so much to learn, and how much there is out there to gain – just from the virtual assistant world gurus out there in my computer screen.
The idea started last year when a friend had started her journey into becoming a VA and I had no idea what one was. That was until I joined a few social media support groups, and, boy oh boy was there a whole new world out there I’d been missing out on! Serious FOMO ensued!
I’d been in the PA/Marketing world before I chose to be a stay at home mum, and had never even thought I could access getting back into the world of work virtually. That was until I saw how much money could be made from this lucrative business. You just need all your ducks in a row, and at this point mine were still swimming, nose diving and pecking each other!
So what is a Virtual Assistant (VA), I hear you ask? Well a VA can be anyone who who wants to work for themselves with flexible hours, doing what they would have done in their normal 9 to 5 job. VAs cover a broad range of support services. Granted, you have to pay your NI, taxes and insurance, not to mention GDPR and Data Protection Policies, but – and heres a huge BUT – you have a business, in your own terms, your hours. You can work around your family, something which is so important to me, plus you can niche in whatever you had your 9 to 5 in. So from an admin extraordinaire, to a dog grooming daycare, to a bookkeeping business – basically any business where you have access to a laptop and a phone, and the expertise, the VA world is your oyster.
Why would someone hire a VA? Well it depends on the business. Maybe they need cover for maternity leave? Maybe they’re a small business and need to outsource their social media marketing. The absolute main advantage is they can hire you without paying for the employee catches, NI and tax. Either for a package or a retainer or per the hour – you both decide on which is best for you and your business, because, just like people, businesses come in all shapes and sizes.
So, back to my start up – after a few weeks of launching my website, having my first ‘discovery call’ and peering at copious amounts of ‘how to grown your audience’ pieces, I’ve taken a leap and enrolled myself onto a ‘How to SEO the heck out of your business’ type course. I’ll let you know how I get on and maybe share a few pointers.
Don’t get me wrong, I have done lots and I mean lots of research before I embarked on this crazy – or not – adventure! I am a researcher by trade. I make notes. I can’t help it. I filled 2 note books in just researching VA businesses before I even bought the domain. Bought courses on the best way to get started and how to build a WordPress website. I am totally appreciative of these amazing people who share their worth. I mean they could have kept their prized knowledge to themselves, but thank God for me, and thousands others they didn’t. I’ll share their amazing stories on another blog.
So now you know essentially what a VA is and how I got there. Here’s to all the start ups – to the crazies that put their dreams to the test and launch head long, like one of those toboggan runs that just wont stop (I’m thinking Cool Runnings here!) Come along for the ride with me! Two businesses in three months, I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Claire xx