From Travel Agent to Aspiring Virtual Assistant

During PC (pre-covid) times life seemed very simple. I had been working in Travel for over 20 years and I was contentedly going about my days confident I knew what I was doing. Then covid struck and like many of us I found myself in the difficult position of having to reinvent myself!


Scrolling through Facebook one day I saw a friend post her company was looking for Virtual Assistants for her working from home moms business (WAHM). Thinking to myself, sure I can do this, I promptly sent a message. A phone call later and Bianca was willing to take a chance on me. Then to my horror I realised I had blithely signed up with a tech based VA company!  Anyone who knows me knows that the word technophobe was probably invented by someone who worked with me. I am convinced to this day that my IT department used to draw straws when they saw my number come up. If I had a penny for every time I heard “…but its just not possible that your COMPUTER is doing that” (implied here was user error alert), well lets just say I would have a lot of pennies!


Anyway a couple of months in I can now proudly say I am an AVA, that is an Aspiring VA. Everyday I learn something new and honestly its been so invigorating to be doing something outside my comfort zone! I won’t lie, its not easy and somedays I could quite happily throw my laptop out the window. But when I think back to my first few days when I was firmly convinced my team was speaking a foreign language, I realise I am growing daily. This is very much thanks to my amazing Bosses and  team who patiently answer all my questions  and who blow me away with their tech knowledge. I have done every training Bianca offers on her course from Technophobe No More to Canva, Bookkeeping, Social Media and so many more, and these have helped me have a much greater understanding of, and respect for what a VA has to offer! 


My journey continues, but what a journey it is, and I will continue to study and grow with my team! The joy of working from home and setting your own hours, and just just growing day by day is indescribable! If you are thinking about pivoting and becoming a VA ,watch out for the  WAHM relaunch of VA Bootcamp coming soon. If I can do this trust me you can! You just need the right team to have your back!


Bye for now until my next blog.. maybe by then I will be a tech VA.. Its possible!

Michelle Beukes