When we tell people about our plans to travel for six weeks, the first question they ask is: What about your jobs? What do you do? Bret is an actuary. He is a mathematician for insurance companies and works for an amazing company that allows him to take time off to explore interests and rejuvenate. They call it The Willis Choice Plan and it works because they pay him to take a sabbatical – a50% of his regular salary, while he’s away. This allows him to take four weeks of leave plus two weeks of vacation, at the total cost of just two weeks’ pay.
I am a Virtual Assistant. Several years ago it became apparent that Bret’s job would involve more and more travel. Although I don’t go with him often since we have kids, there are times when he travels to some really amazing places and I am able to join him. Once the kids were all in school and I was looking for a new career, I wanted to make sure whatever I found would allow me to continue travel with him as the kids got older and eventually moved away.
It was during this time that I found the Virtual Assistant profession. I work from home with a very select group of clients. I have never met any of them in person and not a single one lives in my time zone. The tasks I do for each client vary slightly, but in general I work in my sweet spot doing things for them that I love and they do not. For most, it is marketing. Social media updates, ezines, basic html, shopping cart management, etc. In general, I oversee and manage the parts of their business that keep it running smoothly; allowing them to focus on the parts of their business they love. The beauty is, modern technology allows me to do all of this from where ever I happen to be. In the summer of 2012, that means I’ll be working in the American West.
What I do as a Virtual Assistant may be different than what another Virtual Assistant does. If you are looking for information on the VA profession or would like to do a free search to help find the perfect VA for your business, you’ll want to check out Assist U. It is the premiere training for the Virtual Assistance profession.
