Saturday, September 22, 2018

Studio Owner Support

VAs Blog, Webdate 31001.1

And so it begins. I find myself wanting to capture the details of my journey through the VA universe. It's a brave new world, where anyone with wifi and a laptop can provide an array of supportive digital tasks, as a Virtual Assistant. And so because I am white and nerdy I must blog. (Ok, well the white part is only because of the song, I don't think only white people blog. That would be super silly.)


My "mobile" office
My passion for all things technical and desire to systematize, combined with my strong sense of customer service and "work anywhere" attitude lead me to this place. People ask what I do, and often scratch their heads, saying "That's a thing?"

When I first began seeing myself as a VA, it was out of necessity. My girls dance. Dance is expensive. I am resourceful. I began helping with data entry at the studio they dance at. They used Mindbody and they hated it. So I took it on myself to research other software programs designed for Studio Management. I discovered Dance Studio Pro, The Worlds Best Dance Studio Software.

Hurtling through time and space, I have spent the last 18 months learning and improving my skills for my client. Then in the past month I have added 3 more clients to my roster. Susan shared about me in a professional group and referred me to a colleague. My clients are just amazing, I am blessed and so filled with appreciation for them, and I just genuinely like them all.


This is all I need to work.
About 6 months ago, I applied to DSP because they were hiring their first support person. I wasn't selected. But I didn't give up. I kept pestering them (professionally, of course) and last month I was hired to manage West Coast Support. Starting as an independent contractor, with a path to full time mapped out, I am loving the balance I have between the "job" and my VA business.

Now comes the real work fun part: find others with wi-fi and a laptop who also want to support Studio Owners and train them to do what I do. Build a strong network of Studio Owner Support and offer training, motiVAtion and connection to those who see themselves as ready to embark on this journey, too. To prepare, I have started using Adminja to keep my client tasks organized and prioritized. Next month, I will review it here on this blog, so be sure to follow if you'd like to know more about this new tool designed specifically for VAs.

In order to help grow, and then scale my business, I joined VAClassroom University, because I truly believe in lifelong learning (it's like the main reason we homeschool). There are so many courses, and certifications and then there is the community. So many seasoned professionals and inspired newbies- the entire VA industry is booming and it's exciting to be a part of the magic.
Join me and we will rule support the (Studio Owner) universe!




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