No longer an employee: seven years self-employed as a Virtual Assistant

On 26 September 2019 I posted this on Facebook. It was my last day being employed by someone else, for the first time since I was 14.

I’d spent six years on Heathrow Boutique. At the beginning of that year I gave myself a target: have enough clients by September to quit my job and become self-employed full time. I started the year with one client. Nine months later I had three, and that was enough to make the leap.

Seven years on, I’m still here. So this feels like a good moment to look back at what it has really been like.

It all started by accident

Back in 2014, a friend’s wedding hair and make-up business was getting too busy for her to keep on top of the admin: the emails, the paperwork, making sure bookings were up to date in the calendar. I offered to help, and Assisted by Beasley was born.

For five years I built it up alongside my job. I watched her business grow into a phenomenal agency, and I was there alongside her for the hard work, the late nights and everything in between. It showed me what good admin support can do for a small business, and it showed me this was what I wanted to do.

What nobody tells you about leaving the pay packet behind

Being an employee comes with a kind of security you don’t notice until it’s gone. The same pay, on the same day, every month. As a freelancer you invoice your clients and hope they pay you on time, and there is still a family to provide for, a house to keep and a car to run.

It’s a strange mix. I’m in complete control of how much I earn and when I earn it, and at the same time it’s out of my hands. You work hard to win clients and to build relationships and a reputation, and you learn never to take any of it for granted. It’s something you have to nurture and grow.

I stopped trying to do everything

In the beginning I thought I needed to wear a lot of hats and offer every single service out there. I can’t. Nobody can.

Over the years I’ve worked out what I’m good at and, just as importantly, what I enjoy: getting an inbox under control, keeping a diary running smoothly, digging into a piece of research. That’s better for my clients too. They get someone doing work she’s good at and loves, not someone muddling through.

The freedom is real

I became a Virtual Assistant because I didn’t want the restraints of 9 to 5, Monday to Friday. I wanted to be able to say “on Monday I’ll work 10 till 2, on Tuesday 10 till 3”. Seven years in, that’s still the best part. My work fits around my family, not the other way round.

Was it worth it?

There’s always that uncertainty in the back of your mind. Am I doing the right thing? Is this all a bit too risky?

Looking at that Facebook post now, I’m so glad I gave myself a date and stuck to it. And I’m still grateful to the friends and family who encouraged me to keep going, even when I didn’t think it was a possibility.

Hard work really does pay off.

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