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The reason she caught my eye is two fold: My online business has grown so much I can't do all the tasks.
Corrie has helped me to feel comfortable in taking the next step, to hire a virtual assistant.
Also I need someone to write for a new business I am starting up.
I needed a ghost writer.
I was fortunate to get VA, Corrie to answer a few question for this article.
Sheila - When and how did you start your Virtual Assistant business...
tell us your story! What was your first concrete step? Corrie - I started my business in 2006 with the encouragement of a friend online.
I'd been doing the work myself for years and wanted to help others, but I didn't know how to do it.
She encouraged me to start it and then she hired me to do work for her as soon as my site was up and running.
My website was the first concrete step to my business.
It didn't really feel like a business until the day it went live.
Sheila - Did you run into difficulties in starting your business? How did you solve those problems? Corrie - The most difficult thing to deal with was the fear of someone not being happy with my work.
I kept telling myself it's only bad if I don't do the work.
I won't be successful if I don't have some negative feedback.
You can't learn and change if people don't tell you you're doing things wrong or that you're not quite meeting their standards.
The more feedback you have, the better your business will be and that will help you reach higher levels of success.
Sheila - Do you specialize in any particular area? How did you choose your specialties? Corrie - I have a number of things I do and don't do so I would say I do have a specialty.
I enjoy working with home business owners rather then corporate companies.
I chose my specialty based on that reason.
If I don't enjoy working with a specific type of business, there is no point in working it.
Home business owners have a harder time reaching success when they don't have a large budget.
My rates fit perfectly into their budget so they can spend the money needed to allow me to help them grow.
Sheila - What do you find the most challenging about running your business? What is the most rewarding? Corrie - The most challenging part was building trust with my potential clients.
You have to start somewhere but there are people that do not want to be that starting point.
Once I had a few clients, I started asking for testimonies so I could add them to my site.
When I did that, it helped increase my client list because the trust was there.
The most rewarding part is when a client comes to me and says, "I wouldn't have been able to do this without you.
" I love those comments.
It makes me remember why I do my business.
Sheila - How much time do you spend on your business? Is this your full time job? Corrie - I work my business like a job so I do it 40 hours a week.
It is a full time business for me.
I don't say it's a job because to me that's when you work for someone else.
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