Name of Business: Third Hand Secretarial Service LLC
Type of business: Virtual assistant/certified bookkeeper.
What does your business do? I assist small business owners with their bookkeeping and administrative tasks.
Why did you start the biz and when did your business open? I started my business in March of 1994 (15 years this week!) After relocating to a different part of the state and having to change jobs every year, I finally made my dream of owning a business a reality.
How many people in your company? Myself and 2 subcontractors
What's your office location like? My office is located in a spare bedroom of our home and is a nice size office. I also converted the closet into a complete office supply room so it is so great to now just go to one place for all my supplies. I have an office system which covers 2 walls – desk and hutch units so I have lots of book shelf space and also room for a 2 drawer lateral file. The room is painted a sage green and has lots of horse pictures as well.
What's the toughest part of running your biz? The toughest part is working from a home office – it is hard to get away from the business at times.
What's the most fun part? Having such inspirational entrepreneurs as clients. I have learned so much from them and truly appreciate the wonderful feedback that they have given me.
Anything you would have done differently? Belong to local networking associations such as NAWBO when I first started my business. I am a member of NAWBO for about 6-7 years now but sorry I didn’t do it much earlier. It is so important when you work virtually to get out and meet with other business owners – you can just learn so much from them.
Explain what's next on the horizon for you and your business? I am researching some new services that I can offer my clients and looking to build my subcontractor network by adding individuals who specialize in areas that I do not. Another area is begin writing articles and creating some other avenues of income.
What advice do you have for others? Go with your gut feeling and give it some time. It took some time before I was able to really build a strong client base – I just kept at it and didn’t give up. Also get the word out about your business because you never know who may know someone looking for that particular service or product.
How do you use OnlineBizU.com to help with your biz or sanity? I am a fairly new member and by glancing over the website quickly I was a bit overwhelmed by the wealth of information that Donna has made available. I am actually going to block off time on my calendar each week to go through all the resources. I am also looking forward to the monthly teleclasses.
Personal Info:
School (where, still in school, degree?) Belleville High School, New Jersey but have attended various classes throughout the years and attained my bookkeeping certification through the American Institute of Professional Bookkeepers 2 years ago.
Prior jobs or business? Worked as an executive assistant to the Treasurer/VP of Finance for a Swedish tool company – best job!
Favorite food? Ice cream
What are your pets' names? Had 2 dogs – Dino who was a black German Shepherd and Montana, a Boxer-Rhodesian Ridgeback mix. I miss them both.
What person or event in your life led you to go into business for yourself? I would say when Xerox word processors came out in the early 80’s I got the thought that this machine could make doing word processing from home a breeze.
Website URL: http://www.yourextrahand.com
Comments