When I set up www.katebacon.com in 2003 I didn't have any bigger ambition than to run my own VA service from my home office.
Six years later and I've turned into a serial entrepreneur with not one, but three businesses! What happened...and could you do it too?
I'm a big fan of making meaningful connections (not just in business but in my whole life) and simply by enjoying meeting people new ventures have emerged when the time has been right.
I "fell" into my niche of "Virtual Assistant for your Coaching Practice" as the result of meeting a Brighton-based life coach who introduced me to the wonders of virtual assistance. His connections led to my building my practice around the coaching profession and, directly, to my own coach training with one of my wonderful clients - Coaching Development!
So what about this new venture? Again a colleague contacted me as she had a client who needed some help with his small property portfolio. My first thoughts were: sure I can help with some aspects, but you're not getting a VA running around showing people houses!
I spoke to my accountant who has many business clients with second incomes from property, and approached a national organisation in the field. I decided to turn down the offer of advertising on their site for £1000+ (I'd approached them with the idea of writing an article of benefit to their members , extolling the virtues of VAs).
Never one to be defeated, I started to think about other people I knew in the property business. Immediately I knew I had to call Peter Stanley of Property Made Simple. I'd sat next to him at a Cashflow Game run by Judith Morgan, who has coached me through the growth of my business (thank you Judith!) You see these connections really work, especially when you are in the flow and following your intuition. (By the way, I hold Peter responsible for inspiring me to buy my first home two years ago...sometimes all it takes is someone to push you out of your comfort zone for you to take life changing action).
So it was Peter I called up last August to suggest we set up a virtual lettings company. I didn't know a whole lot about lettings (except that I'd been a tenant for many years and knew that lettings agents, on the whole, didn't provide much of a tenant focused service). Peter, however, has emerged from former bank manager to property investor and mentor and knows everything there is to know. Coupled with my expertise at running a business virtually (especially coming up with innovative ways of virtual administration) means we are the ideal team!
Lettings Made Simple launched at the end of last month with the strapline: "Life should be simple, so let's keep it that way". It will evolve into a completely e-mythed business - which means we can run it from anywhere in the world with an Internet connection and, as directors, we'll be hands off for most of the day to day running of our enterprise. (Obviously this is polar opposite to VA work where we are only able to bill our clients for the hours we have put in ourselves).
What this has taught me is that as VAs we have valuable skills that are truly transferable - how many business ideas can't be run on a virtual basis? My message to you is this...get thinking, you never know what you can come up with. I can't wait to hear of your new successes in other virtual fields!
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