A ‘behind the scenes’ account of how and why I became a Freelance Virtual Assistant.

Roll the clock back two years to the time we don’t speak about. 

As a Professional Singer by trade, my days were spent desperately sending out CVs, trips to the food bank, and using my one daily walk to figure out what the hell I was going to do.

I’d been a self-employed freelance entertainer my whole adult life.

On paper, my experience looked pretty unsatisfying to potential employers for ‘proper jobs’. (That oh-so cherished phrase we freelancers love to hear!)

I hadn’t worked in an office since my temping days at a fruit factory in South East London 15 years prior, so I didn’t stand a chance of getting an admin-related job ……

OR DID I???

Jump to a year later after hanging on to my career for dear life, the bookings came flooding back, the diary started to fill and I started to get my life back on track.

But one phrase kept repeating in my head like Janice’s laugh from ‘Friends’ …. you can’t un-hear it.  (You’re hearing it now aren’t you?)

DIVERSIFY

DIVERSIFY

DIVERSIFY

Other than being a great band name, I couldn’t understand it.  Ironically at this point money wasn’t an issue anymore.  I was back on track financially and happy to be back on stage.

However, something in me was calling out to try something new.

It could have been a mild form of PTSD, the absolute fear of being plunged back into the unknown, but then again, as a freelancer, you’re well-equipped for this and you make good friends with the unknown very early on in your career!

I just had this hankering to have some new experiences and try things a different way.

Cue the little trolls in my head …. “You don’t know how to do anything else.” “You’ve got no experience.” “As if any company will want you”…..

Then as fate would have it, via the wonder of Facebook, I saw a post from a fabulous Singer I had worked with called Rachael, who I knew had branched out to work as a PA some years previous and had started her own company providing her services as a Virtual Assistant during the lockdown.

“Looking for freelance administrators to join my Business Startup, My Freelance Admin, due to demand.”

Why not?  Come on little trolls, let’s give it a go ….

I believe my message to Rachael began with ‘I’m probably not as experienced as some….

To which she called me out straight away and said I was ideal for this kind of work, that of course I had admin experience having run my own self-employed business for many years, and that she’d be happy to have me on board!

What a difference a day (of Facebook) makes…..

After a formal interview, a CV and skills check and completing the onboarding processes, I was ready to start my freelance admin journey!

And what a journey it’s been so far!

A Day in the Life of a Freelance VA

At My Freelance Admin the range of clients they have and services they offer to Entrepreneurs and Startups is astounding.  It makes for a marvellous and varied work day, which as a serial freelancer is right up my street!

Today for instance:

• I started with an hour of LinkedIn outreach for a Creative Coach.
• Then an hour of logistics planning a trade show visit for a non-alcoholic drinks brand Company Director.
• Onto 2 hours of social media content creation for a Staffing Agency. 
• Followed by 2 hours facilitating a Facebook live workshop for a Singer-Songwriter.
• And finally …… writing this blog!

Not bad for someone with ‘no experience’!! 

HANDING OVER THE REINS

As I soon learned, delegating parts of your work from your business you’ve loved and curated from scratch can be a scary thing, and the client needs a rapport with their freelancer more than anything to feel in safe hands.  And client liaison is most definitely a skill I’ve perfected over the years!

With My Freelance Admin’s flexible booking structure, some of those bookings are regular slots and some were booked on an ad hoc basis.  Enabling me to fit the work in around my schedule, leaving space for prioritising the time-sensitive tasks, and time for practising new songs and annoying the neighbours!  Visit our ‘How It Works’ page to learn more about …. well…. how it works!

 But here’s an important question ….. Does diversifying my income make me a jack of all trades, master of none?

NO!! And here’s why.

I still have the same amount of music bookings as I did before, and still have the same amount of hours in a day.  I just use them far more efficiently!

Instead of taking every Singing booking offered to me despite the distance and travel time, working for My Freelance Admin has given me the freedom to choose my work to fit around my life.  Which, let’s face it, was always the main perk you hope for with being a freelancer, but in reality, sometimes you have to take the rough with the smooth.  And don’t even get me started on the cost of travelling right now …..

Additionally, with the skills and experience I’ve gained from working with different industry professionals and many different software platforms, I’m able to apply it all to my own business and work in a far more efficient capacity.

In summary, I would say working as a freelance Virtual Assistant for My Freelance Admin has completely propelled my career in a direction I never thought I had the right to even think about.  It has also enabled me to use my finely tuned freelancer skillset and self-employed business experience to help other Entrepreneurs with their business needs.  

The remarkable variety of backgrounds and journeys of all the Virtual Assistants here at My Freelance Admin means that Rachael can work with you to find you the ideal freelancer or team of freelancers to suit you and the needs of your business.

If you’re thinking about delegating any of your tasks or building a freelance virtual team, book a call with Rachael to talk it through and see if hiring a Virtual Assistant is the right fit for you.

Written by Debbie Watt