Ashley Boyd is a Systems Support Virtual Assistant, Certified Dubsado Specialist + Automation Junkie. When she first started her VA biz in March 2021, she just wanted extra income for her family, hoping for around $1000 each month on limited hours. Fast forward 1 year later, and in 3 months in 2022 she had already made more than in 2021 total and is on track to at least 3x her business this year. She recently increased her rates from $40 to $50/hour, has a full client roster, and just hired her second team member. Now she says, "Our family has a LOT more financial freedom than we've had in the past. Plus, it's such an outlet for me amongst the chaos of 3 kids under 6!" Here's a sneak peek at a Day in the Life of Ashley Boyd: I try to get up between 5+5:30 every day to enjoy some warm coffee and get SOMETHING done before the kids are up at 6:15 on school days and 8:15 on non-school days. Sometimes I just plan my day and watch TV, some days I knock out some client work. Once the kids are up, I switch to mom life. School
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Day in the Life of a Virtual Assistant: Elizabeth Birenbaum
Elizabeth Birenbaum is a Virtual Assistant specializing in admin, social media management, and graphics creation. If you had asked Elizabeth several years ago if she would ever want to work from home and run her own business, she would have said HECK NO. Her VA journey started in late 2020, as she was furloughed from her position at a local events company in California during the pandemic, when she came across an Instagram post from a friend saying she was starting a social media management business and needed help. Elizabeth immediately sent her an email telling her she was interested. Six months later, she had two clients. She said, "Signing my second client made me realize that OH SHOOT, I HAVE A BUSINESS and I better learn how to run it as such (and not as a hobby). That's when I signed up for THE START. Since graduating from THE START, I have increased my rates three times and I now have five clients that I work with on a regular basis and two that I work with on a more on-demand basis. I work about 80 hours a month and think I am at capacity for hourly VA work!"
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Day in the Life of a Virtual Assistant: Ebony Smith
Ebony Smith is an OBM + Ops Specialist + founder of the Artistry Marketing Group. Early in April 2020 both she and her husband realized that they had missed so much time in their daughter's first 4 years from working. As she put it, "Let's face it, with a traditional 9-5. You have limited time with your child in the morning and in the evening you may pick them up, make dinner, enjoy a little family time, start the bedtime routine and back at it again the next day. I realized then I couldn't continue operating that way." In March 2021 she officially started her OBM business. Now she says, "I have a great roster of DREAM clients. I am no longer burnt out, I cut my work time in half, reduced the number of clients that I take, increased my rates, and set boundaries from the beginning. My life is completely different, I am present for my family. I homeschool my daughter (never thought I would do that) and I just enjoy making these memories and soaking up these moments with the kids." Here's a sneak peek at a Day in the Life of Ebony Smith: I've had a
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Day in the Life of a Virtual Assistant: Diana Haug
Diana Haug is a Virtual Assistant and Online Business Manager who came from the corporate world of wine. She was working her butt off 50-60 hours per week and often found herself frustrated with the lack of support and resources. She said, "The more I spoke up, the more I was gaslit, talked down to, and blamed for things out of my control. Self worth came into question, my ability to lead came into question, and my overall state of well being was not in a good place." So in early March 2020 when the world turned upside down, she realized she was unhappy with her situation so she quit her job, moved to Mexico, then bought an RV to travel the Pacific Northwest while growing her VA business. In May 2021, she signed her first VA client. Eight months later, she raised her rates. She says, "Today, I am completely booked out and forever grateful for my wonderful clients. I'd say my life is very different now that I've started my VA business. The freedom and flexibility is in full force and I no longer cringe every time my phone rings (like I did in the corporate world)." Here's
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Day in the Life of a Virtual Assistant: Lauren Petraglia
Lauren Petraglia is a virtual assistant and the owner of LNProduction VA. Before starting her VA business, she was in healthcare doing COVID-19 clinic coordination and care for at risk populations. She said, "I had no time for anything but work. I never got to see or spend time with my family and my weekends were always at risk for mandatory OT. I ended up getting really sick and knew I couldn't continue the work I was doing without serious risk." She started her VA business with the hope to have a steady income and freedom to be a whole human being, not chained to a computer, while still being able to make a difference in small businesses. She started taking clients in November 2021, is now at capacity with clients, and is currently set to gross $42,000 in her first year with room to grow. As she puts it, "There are definitely hard days, but it's nothing in comparison to what I was doing before. I have more time with my family and can plan time off without being worried." Here's a sneak peek at a Day in the Life of Lauren Petraglia: I wake up at 6:00-6:15am. I
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