Ever since I could remember, I have always been a planner. It doesn’t matter if I am making a decision about school, career or my personal life. I always carefully research, plan, organize, and analyze any big decision or opportunity before taking action.
That is until the day I became a full time Virtual Assistant.
It started out as a simple “side hustle”. I was a Financial Analyst (perfect career choice for someone who plans and over-analyzes) and wanted to a make extra money in addition to my salary. Like any good planner, I wanted a little extra cash for my husband and I so that we could reduce some of our debt and build our emergency fund. This way we would be prepared for any unforeseen events or financial emergencies.
I had tried out other side hustle business ideas in the past that had only left me stressed, overworked and in more debt due to high startup costs. I needed something that gave me the flexibility to work during my own free time and did not cost too much to get started.
Like always, I did my due diligence. After searching online for flexible virtual jobs and I found my answer when I came across the title of “Virtual Assistant”. I quickly learned that it was a field filled with a broad range of skills and possible services that I could offer. As a Virtual Assistant, I could work with entrepreneurs by sharing my unique skill set thanks to my own previous business experience as well as nearly 15 years in the Finance world.
Once I felt like it was a good fit for me, I carefully planned out my Virtual Assistant business. I read numerous blogs and joined Virtual Assistant Facebook groups for advice on what I needed in order to get started. Within a month, I had everything organized. From bookkeeping and client invoicing (yes, that’s the Financial Analyst in me) to my website and marketing strategy. At the end of that month, I was fortunate enough to find my very first client!
I quickly found that having one client in my business in addition to my full time job was enough work for me and provided me with the additional monthly cash that I needed for our savings. The work was flexible enough for me to do in the evenings and on weekends without having to leave my home. The best part, I loved the work that I was doing. It was the first time in my life that I felt like I was doing work that added value and was appreciated.
Then one day I decided I had had enough in my corporate career. It felt like I had hit a wall. After nearly 15 years in the corporate world, I was tired of it. I knew I had more to offer than just sitting in a cubical every day staring at spreadsheets. I was tired of just planning and analyzing a corporation’s income statement. I had also reached a point in my career where I would probably need to go back to school in order to move ahead or to move into another field within Corporate America. The thought of going back to school only to risk feeling the same unhappiness that I was feeling in yet another corporate role scared me. After a serious discussion with my husband, I walked into my boss’ office with my letter of resignation.
And just like that, my side hustle turned into my full time job.
It was not how I planned it. This was only supposed to be a side hustle. There was no plan to grow this into a full time job. Nevertheless, here I am and I’m loving it.
I love the appreciation I receive from my clients for my hard work. I love learning new skills to add to the VA services I can offer. Best of all, I now get to continue my research, planning and organizing of my own business in a field that’s filled with so many opportunities.
Learn more about Giselle by visiting her website!
My professional background includes a degree in Finance with a minor in Management Information Systems from the University of Texas at Austin, as well as 14+ years combined experience in Financial Analysis and Entrepreneurship.
- My Journey From Side Hustle to Full Time VA - June 20, 2017
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