I haven’t always been a virtual assistant. In fact, if you’d asked me years ago what I wanted to be, I’d have said a lawyer! Funny how life takes you on such different paths, isn’t it?
After college, I spent 4 years making hats, and I loved it. Being from Luton, the home of the Hatters, it felt quite fitting. But then came the shocker: I was sacked while on holiday because someone who’d left wanted their job back. Can you imagine? I know you couldn’t get away with that these days, but at the time, I was devastated. I hated being unemployed, I was only 19!
So, I tried lots of different things. I applied to be an air hostess (made it to round two, but I think I was too short!). I got offered a job with HMRC but turned it down to work in a dental practice, don’t ask me why. Then I even applied for the RAF to complete my dental training, but I didn’t have the right grades.
Eventually, I interviewed with a recruitment agency to help me find a job… and they offered me one instead! I started right at the bottom as an administrator, worked my way up, won awards, and then moved on to build and run an internal recruitment department for a well-known retail company. For the first time, I thought, yes, this is what I’m meant to be doing.
Life moved on, though. I got married, moved to Devon, and carried on with recruitment, managing national accounts and working with senior managers, one of which has become a very good friend and we co-work together. But after having my second child, I stepped away.
As the kids grew, I knew I wanted to work from home, I just wasn’t sure what that would look like. I became a networking leader, which turned out to be a huge part of my journey. I loved connecting people, seeing collaborations grow, and I even won a UK award for it. Somewhere in the middle of it all, I co-authored a book and it became a #1 bestseller!
And then… I stumbled across the world of virtual assistants. It was like everything clicked into place. All those years of experience, the skills I’d built up, the love of connecting and supporting others, it all led me here.
Now, I get to do work I genuinely love: supporting small businesses and entrepreneurs, helping them free up their time and find their flow. Looking back, my path has been anything but straightforward, but honestly? I wouldn’t change a thing.
✨ If you’re curious about how a virtual assistant could support you, I’d love to have a chat. Sometimes, just a little help behind the scenes can make a big difference.