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How to start over… in the middle

I guess you could say I am in the middle of my working life… maybe a little further. We won’t discuss actual numbers. The job I have had almost my entire adult life has ended and I am the sole owner of a new company. It is all up to me to make it happen. So…… where to start?

It was almost instinctual for me to just get things going. The thought of it not happening was not even a possibility in my mind. It never occurred to me that what I was doing might not succeed. Looking back I knew that if I had even started to think that way it would have never worked. It’s like when you are doing something that you have done a million times and you know what you are doing… you know you will get it done. You have done it so many times the possibility of it not getting done doesn’t even enter your mind. It’s like washing clothes, checking and returning email, going to the grocery store. These are all every day tasks that we don’t even think about. That’s how I was when I was setting up and starting my business. I had done these kinds of jobs for so many years, done them so many times, that all I could think about was “how many clients I could handle” at once. I didn’t think “if” I would get any clients. I didn’t think “when” would the clients start calling. As I set up my phone service, my thoughts were making sure I didn’t miss any phone calls from “all” of the clients that would be calling. As I set up my post office box I wondered if it would be big enough to hold all of the mail I would get… like checks from clients, etc.

It was this way of thinking that kept me driven to keep going until what I considered success was reached. I didn’t slow down. I didn’t get nervous if I didn’t get any calls for a few days. I knew if I kept pushing hard enough I would be making money in no time. Every day I thought of new ideas to get new business. I decided to improve my website, go to networking meetings with other businesses, create a presence on social media like Facebook , LinkedIn, and Twitter. I worked hard and I worked fast because I couldn’t afford to just sit around without any income.

Now my perseverance in finally paying off. I have several clients, some on a regular basis. I am generating income. I am still…and probably always will be… thinking of new ways to help my business as well as my client’s business grow . It’s solely up to me now to make it happen. There can’t be any excuses. There is no one else to help. It wasn’t easy, but despite what could have happened I was able to start over…in the middle.

 

P.S.

Since I am just starting this ritual of blogging please feel free to leave a comment at the bottom of this page. I would appreciate any feedback anyone has.

Thank you!

 

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Start…. to Start Over

Twenty four years ago I started my job as a receptionist. I answered phones, filed, and other basic office tasks. I took the job because I needed to make money for my new family. I was 21 years old and I had just had a daughter. Things got expensive real quick!

It’s in my nature when I am in a situation to listen, learn what I can, and try to improve things. It doesn’t matter if it is considered my “job” or not I still do what is best for the situation and get the job done the absolute best that I can do it. I am a bit OCD about getting things finished. This philosophy is how I moved from receptionist to service manager to warehouse manager to office manager to operations manager/executive assistant. For 24 years I have held all of these positions… at the same company….and now the company is closing.

A person might think that if after 24 years of being with a company and they are faced with losing their job that things would be pretty bad. After all, 24 years is close to half a person’s career life span. Somehow, however, I managed to look at it in an entirely different way. I had 24 years of experience that I could put into action. All of that knowledge just couldn’t go to waste so I decided take the chance and ….. START OVER.

I didn’t think of it immediately. While my company was closing I sent out some resume’s. I got some responses but in the end I wasn’t willing to just start a job at a new place doing the same thing. Same job, same work, different company, and less pay. This did NOT sound appealing to me. I needed to do something I WANTED to do, not that I had to settle for. You know as you get older you want nicer things, maybe a nice car or house. If your lucky you might be able to afford to pay people to do the things that you once busted your but to do yourself. Well that is how I decided I would be with my career choice. When I started 24 years ago it wasn’t a “career choice”. It was a paycheck. Now I am making the decision to start my career. That is why I started my company Virtual Office Assist, LLC. I love the behind the scenes action that makes a business prosper. Since that was my passion and I had 24 years of experience doing just that I took the leap and started my own company.

I couldn’t be happier that I made that decision! I went from knowing my job of 24 years was ending to starting a new, exciting chapter of my life. One I CHOOSE to start. Not one that I have to because I am just starting out in life.

I went from START….. TO START OVER and I am so glad that I did!!