August 2, 2024

Why I Chose to Start My Own Virtual Assistant Business

A brief history of my health

I wanted to be open and honest with you all about my struggles I've had and why that has led me here, starting my own VA business. Since I've been young, I've had many different health challenges. That eventually worsened when I was in college at UW-Milwaukee. It was becoming difficult to make it to class everyday and so I switched my major to one that could be fully completed online. I realized that online learning was my favorite way to learn. I could complete homework on my own time and usually ahead of time and not worry about being late to class. After graduating in 2014, it opened my eyes to other online possibilities.

Unfortunately, my dreams were sidelined shortly after graduating as I began getting extremely fatigued and was sleeping up to 18 hours a day. Doctors were running a multitude of tests on me and could not find a cause for my fatigue so eventually I was diagnosed with CFS or Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. About 10 months later, I began experiencing severe vertigo out of nowhere. The room would spin for days and I would need assistance to walk, it was awful and I became extremely depressed. Again, doctors ran me through a litany of tests and could not find a cause. It was at this time that I became legally disabled and could not work as I could barely even function. I was only in my 20's and I felt like the rug was ripped out from under me. I no longer felt like me. I didn't know what was happening or if I would ever recover. On days that I didn't have the room spinning, I would still feel like I was constantly on a boat in the ocean.

Fast forward to 2018 and three surgeries later to remove Stage IV Endometriosis that was adhered to most of my abdominal organs. I ended up having a full and total hysterectomy and was forced into surgical menopause a week before my 30th birthday. I was so hopeful that this was the cause of all my struggles for years. It's been 6 years and while a portion of the vertigo and dizziness has improved, I still get vertigo and feel like I'm on a boat. I cannot go far in a car due to motion sickness and I cannot travel. I've had multiple different diagnoses over the years with treatment that has been unsuccessful. Overall, it's been awful and I continue to search for a cause and will never give up; However, I have been working on trying to adjust to my new normal and it's been frustrating to say the least. I've been focusing heavily on keeping my mental health well. I realized I needed to pivot to a career that allows me a way to fulfill my passion of helping others while gaining back a sense of independence that I've been missing in my life for so long now.

A starting point

While the pandemic was horrible all around, it did provide a way to show how many careers could operate efficiently while being remote. This helped open a pathway for some of us disabled folks who could try and gain a sense of financial independence and flexibility being able to work from home. I began volunteering online as a starting point to see how well I could do. I volunteered as a Crisis Intervention Responder online through IMAlive.org for a year and a half. While it was extremely heavy and stressful at times, it was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life thus far. I also started volunteering with the Sierra Club Wisconsin Chapter in October 2020 and still attend virtual meetings and help with a lot of behind the scenes work today. I feel a sense of accomplishment when being able to get an infographic made in Canva or to help research and provide data on a specific environmental issue. I was proving to myself that I could do this despite my limitations in life. I began to research what type of careers I could do from behind the scenes while still helping others. Eventually, I began and completed the SheCodes Front-End Web Development course. It spoke to my organizational skills and gave me a creative outlet, but I still longed to help others. Then I realized that I already possess a lot of skills and abilities despite my disability that could be helpful to others.

Starting my own virtual assistant business

I definitely don't like being the center of attention so creating and promoting my business is something quite foreign to me. I've thankfully had a lot of help from a very successful businesswoman who is spectacular in lifting other women up. Through this new experience she helped me realize that all these years that I believed were “useless” due to my health struggles, actually gave me a lot of experience in skills that are sought out by other small businesses. I will forever be learning new techniques and skills, especially with social media always changing, but the foundation is something I've always possessed. I'm extremely motivated, driven, and have excellent time management and I can thank my OCD for my organization and attention to detail skills.

I will be offering web design and development because I still very much enjoy it, but I also wanted to be able to switch up the day to day routine by offering various administrative tasks as well as graphic design options. I may branch out to other areas if and when someone would need it; However, my type A personality needs to keep a healthy work-life balance. I've decided to tailor my focus on women and mom owned businesses as well as marginalized communities and the non-profit sectors. I feel strongly about helping lift one another up. If I can help ease the stress of an individual running a business so they can focus on changing the world, then I will feel accomplished as well. I feel like this is what I'm meant to do while allowing me to fulfill my passion of helping others in a way that works for me and my disability. So here I am, taking the plunge into the business world with many unknowns, but a lot of hopefuls! I thank you for taking the time to learn more about me and why I went the VA business route.

Remember to be kind to yourself.