When I first began thinking about being a VA back in 2006, I was still working the typical 9-6 everyday job.  I knew I needed and wanted to make a change, so I looked into starting a home business of some kind.

I suppose I had the same reasons for wanting to work from home as most do: my commute was a major pain.  When I first started with the company, I could get from my garage to the office garage in 25 minutes or less.  By the time I left, the drive took anywhere from 60 to 90 minutes each way.  Sometimes I felt as if I needed a helicopter to get to the office on time.  Also, it was no longer exciting once I got to work.  Usually working for an entertainment public relations firm is fun, interesting, and different everyday.  By the end, everyday seemed almost a carbon copy of the day before.

Anyway, the time had come for a major change.  Finding a way to work out of my home seemed like the best choice for me.  However, in trying to find just the right thing, I kept coming across Work-At-Home businesses and jobs for the stay at home mom.  Many required the applicant to be a mom in order to apply.  I’m not a mom so despite my 16 years of experience, I didn’t qualify for most.  Still others were call center jobs for much less per hour than I was currently earning.  I already handled a busy switchboard amongst my many other duties; I wanted to get away from the phone for a bit.

Finally, I realized I needed to be more specific to achieve my goal.  Eventually after some more searching, I came across the term Virtual Assistance and better yet, a book on the subject.  I bought the book, read it from cover to cover and knew this was it.  Often, since I left my 9-6 job people have asked me ‘Do you think you made the right decision?’  It’s the same question I asked myself when I first left.  Ultimately, the answer is yes.  I had gone as far as I could in my last regular job.  It was time to shake things up.  True it was (and sometime still is) a gamble, but I had to take a chance or always wonder.

Almost 2 years later, I still think it’s the best decision I’ve recently made.