About Me

Hi, my name is Jan Harris and this is a little background on me and the things that led up to my becoming a virtual assistant.

I actually started out my career with dreams of being an elementary special education teacher in the early 1990's. After graduating from college I found there were no job openings. I worked as a substitute teacher for a few years but never found a permanent position. That is when I began my career as an administrative assistant in the corporate world.

I worked my way up the administrative ladder to the highest level I could obtain. I received my master level certification from Microsoft® and earned a professional certification in marketing. After fifteen years I had worked my way up to a high level position with good pay. Then the economy changed and I was laid off. Where I live in the Midwest of the U.S. there are very few high level administrative positions and the pay has dramatically decreased in recent years.

I actually fell into a career as a virtual assistant without even knowing what that was. In order to survive financially, I started working from my home as a virtual assistant for business owners I knew personally - without even having my own website.

Now this is not how I would suggest you start out as a virtual assistant, but it demonstrates that you can get started in this business no matter what your circumstances. I never received the level of respect and appreciation for my work as an employee that I have as a virtual assistant.

This is an exciting career and a great time to start a virtual assistant business. I hope this website inspires you to get started if you have not already, or provides you with some useful information to help build your business if you have started one.

I have always wanted to own my own business but had fears and pressures to "pay the bills" like everyone else. Losing my job and the security it provided was the push I needed to pursue my dream. I now love working at home and I love the exciting life of an entreprenuer. It has its challenges but the rewards are far greater than any job has ever provided me.

If it is your dream to be self-employed, I hope you too will find the courage to pursue that dream.

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