A lot of people don’t know this about me but I actually have my MBA, and I planned weddings during school to pay for my grad school loans. Instead of following my dreams to be a full time planner, I did what I was “supposed to do” after graduation and got a job as a banker (the perfect career for someone who had to get a tutor to pass accounting and finance, right?). I spent the next 4 years learning a lot, but dreaming even more. Thanks to Matt’s encouragement and lots of prayer, I finally quit my full time job to pursue wedding planning full time.
A few weeks later, I attended the Creative at Heart Conference for the first time in Charleston, South Carolina. While my experience was completely a blur because I couldn’t believe that something like this actually existed, I brought home so much with me, most notably my notes from Shay Cochrane’s talk on “Finding Your Niche.” It wasn’t until I heard Shay do her talk again in July at C@H that everything I had been working towards clicked and I knew wedding planning wasn’t the path I was meant to go down.
It’s so funny how things come full circle, and I’m so grateful that Matt gave me the opportunity to figure it all out. I didn’t wake up one day thinking, “I want to be a Virtual Assistant” but I knew I was crazy detail-oriented, super organized, loved planning and cared for others work like it was my own. Being able to serve creative small business owners was never on my radar, but by taking the time to understand my strengths and my weaknesses, I’ve found myself exactly where I’m meant to be.
If you’ve been thinking about becoming a virtual assistant, my best advice would be to start small – maybe even start as an intern if you can. I did, and I was 29 years old with my MBA. My family and friends thought I was crazy, but now that I’m no longer the intern- I set my own hours, I work from home, and I could not be happier. Taking the time to learn and better yourself and your skills is so valuable. No matter where you are in life or how hard you’ve worked to get there, changing directions is okay, and in my experience, is absolutely vital to your success and never gets old.
xoxo!! em
