With 15 years in the hospitality industry I had decided to take a leap of faith and try a new career path. My job role had always been customer focussed and I wanted a job closer to home.
This was when I happened to come across a local business called fitnut ltd. I met with Penny McIntosh the Managing Director for the company and we quickly hit it off.
It started out as a part-time administration role. However, it quickly grew into a role where I was working full time and managing the business as her Executive Assistant from her home Office when she was out meeting clients or managing events.
In April 2014, I found I was expecting twins and they arrived healthy later in October of that year. Unfortunately, by the time I was due to return to work after my maternity leave the Oil Crisis had already struck Aberdeen. And within three months of my return I was made compulsory redundant.
To say that I wasn’t heartbroken would be an understatement. I had loved my job and had found great satisfaction within it. However, I had two beautiful daughters to look after and needed to find a job where I could be in control of my own destiny.
This was when I decided to take another chance and use the money from my redundancy to start my own Virtual Administration Service in Aberdeenshire. This way I could control the work I received and would also be in charge of how the business succeeded. It also made perfect financial sense as the cost for putting twins into Nursery or Childcare is far more than myself or my partner would ever take home. And by the time you factor travelling into it we would be losing money by me going out to work full time.
I found a website created by a lady called Joanne Munro called the VAHandbook. It was fantastic, she filled it will useful pieces of information on her journey and advice. I contacted her to ask her advice as someone who wanted to do this but was unsure. She came straight back to me and said she had no regrets. She also said that she was launching her very own Virtual Assistant start up program and she was looking for people to try it on for free. I couldn’t say no to an offer like that so I took part.
Joanne was very helpful and supportive she not only showed me how to set my skill set but what not to do as well. I still turn to her for advice or support when I have a really bad day but also when I have achieved something fantastic she is there to say well done!
I then attended some business start-up training days at the Business Gateway Centre in Aberdeen and Inverurie. Where I learnt about focusing on the correct marketing and other business management tools. Which I still use to this day.
I also spend weeks throwing business names back and forth with my family. I must have driven them insane with it.
In the meantime, I also got a part time job with Aberdeenshire Council which allowed me to cover my bills. Whilst I launched KeyStrokes.
Unfortunately, during November 2015 I fell and badly broke my leg. This left me in Hospital for two weeks and unable to walk for nearly two and a half months. However, through the miracle of Linkedin I managed to get my first client. I had already worked with Felicity when carrying out work for fitnut ltd. She managed her own Chiropractic Clinic in Banchory. And needed someone to help her schedule her appointments and manage emails for her. Along with any other tasks she could think of.
This gave me the confidence that this business would work as I found that I was easily able to provide her with the service she required as well as watch my two girls.
Now nearly two years since I registered the company name. I have employed someone to assist me with the business and we are taking each week as it comes.
I must say this is a very exciting time for us and I don’t regret starting this business. And I am loving the variety of different people I am getting to work with.
