If you told me that I would be a Virtual Assistant 18 years ago I would have said, “yeah… NOT!”. Fast forward to 2022 and I have been self employed as a Virtual Assistant since 2004. 

For 23 years I worked as an executive or administrative assistant at various companies in the Greater Toronto area. I moved from one employer to another when my job role got monotonous, there were no challenges for me or when I would ask for more work, I got stonewalled. I wanted variety and was not getting at my 9-5 jobs.

One evening, I attended an information session at The Learning Annex, about working virtually. There, I learned about a Virtual Assistant Training Program being taught by a lady out in BC. I learned that I could have variety being a VA and knew that this was meant for me, but the training would cost $900; money I didn’t have at the moment. That night I asked God, “please bring me $900!” 

On September 9, 2003 I manifested that $900. How? I got to play the “Beat the Bank” contest on CHUM-FM (a local Toronto radio station). The object of the game is to beat the sound of the vault alarm in order to be eligible to win a prize. With each opening of the vault, the contestant has the option to stop and win the amount of cash just announced, or such contestant may continue to the next vault opening and hear a cash amount increase announcement or hear the vault alarm.

So, my first vault amount was $500.

I continued.

Second vault amount $550.

I continued.

Third vault amount $575.

I continued.

Fourth vault amount? $900!

I stopped as that is how much I needed for the training. Now I can take that Virtual Assistant program!

During the program I came up with my business name, Virtual Girl Friday. I registered it and had completed the first step to becoming self employed. 

Next step? Getting clients.

While working full-time, I had 2 side jobs – one as a minute taker for board meetings at various condominiums held in the evenings; and another on Sundays providing admin support to a mechanical engineer. 

In February 2004, the mechanical engineer mentioned a home builder looking for admin support. I met with them and we arranged a start date. This was my first referral from a client! I knew this would be the right time to give my 2-week notice at my employer. So, my last day as an employee was March 12, 2004. March 15, 2004 was my first day being self employed. I had now moved the Sunday work to one day during the week and started assisting the home builder 3 days a week.

I had my first 2 clients!

Instead of working a rigid 9 to 5, I had flexibility in my hours. The work was widely varied – filing papers, bookkeeping tasks, running errands for them, even having lunch with their kids! After my first week of being self employed, I was not coming home mentally or physically tired, I was energized!

18 years later I have assisted over 50 clients, worked virtually across Canada & the US in my travel trailer while travelling for 6 months and now work from my home in rural New Brunswick. I moved from a postage stamp home in Hamilton, Ontario to 60 acres in Anagance, a rural area of New Brunswick in June 2020, where my husband and I live off the grid. Our home is powered by solar and wind energy, heated by wood.