Is It Possible To Make A Living As A Virtual Assistant?

The short answer is yes. People often ask me what I do for a living and I use to say "I am a Virtual Assistant". This response usually was received with blank stares and quizzical looks.  Some people would often be brave enough to ask "What's that?".  While the Virtual Assistant industry is a million possibly billion dollar industry it is still very much a mystery to most people.  Many people even are fearless (or just rude) enough to even ask me how much I make. My response always is "enough to pay for the life I want"!

Don't let me mislead you though. Working as a freelance virtual assistant/bookkeeping/customer service representative/office manager/writer/marketing professional/ etc. etc. (the roles are endless) is not an easy ride. This is not a get rich quick venture! Time, energy, hard work and money go into making you successful! Even working from home you have expenses such as Internet, computer hardware and software, a telephone is a must, cell phone, and advertising.

On top of performing tasks and projects for your clients you also have to manage your own business. In the beginning I probably worked 10-12 hour days but only a portion of that was actually billable to clients.  In the first year my company was anything but profitable. I barely made enough to cover my expenses, but I continued to push through and the second year was much better. The thing about being a contractor is that you could lose business at any time for any reason - even if you perform perfectly - you could still lose a client or two at any given moment and this could greatly effect your own finances.

Other factors contribute to the success or failure of your organization too. As more and more people are out of work due to our current US economy and job market and more people choose to change their work environment and freelance in order to have a more flexible schedule the market is being flooded with competition. Competition comes from all over the world too and sometimes it's amazing to see what people are willing to work for creating difficulty for skilled professionals to make a decent living.

As I hang in there and continue to be productive though it is a choice I am glad I made and over the last couple of years have shown a small profit (even though it was invested right back into my company).

Why is everyone in such a hurry?

For the last few years I have lost the desire to be in a hurry. What was I in such a hurry for in the first place? Was I trying to hurry to the finish line? What finish line? The end of life? What would anyone hurry there for? Was I in a hurry to get to work and be mistreated by employers, co workers, and customers? Well, all that would happen when I got there - why hurry to that? Was I in a hurry to get home to an empty house? Not really.  

Now, I don't own a clock (other than the one's that are on our pc's, cell phones, or appliances & to be honest if I could get rid of those too I would), I try to remain flexible so that if an activity or event comes up I want to participate in comes up I am free to join! I am in no hurry to wake up in the mornings - I will wake up when I wake up! I don't rush through my morning routines anymore - I spend time with my beloved Rottweiler outside having coffee and enjoying whatever season it is. I don't hurry through my work day anymore, the tasks will be accomplished when they are accomplished. I reach out to friends and loved ones to spend quality time with them more. I want the people in my life to know I loved them and treasured the relationships we shared. 

All around me though I see people hurrying from day to day, cramming so many things into a given day that they barely have time to stop and actually enjoy the people they interact with. There seems to be such a disconnect between people and I wonder what are they all in such a hurry for that they can't even stop and enjoy their day to day life? 

Doing the right thing.....

Doing the right thing isn't always the easy thing to do. In this particular case it's actually very difficult because I am having to ask someone who has kept a secret for 37 years to now reveal this secret in order to protect a child.

My only hope is that by making myself available for support that this person will want to do the right thing too in order to protect the child.

Have you ever wondered how many puppies and kittens are born in the USA each year? 


70,000 puppies and kittens are born each year. Only 10,000 human babies are born each year. Wow! That means your baby would have to take in 7 puppies or kittens or some combination of in order to provide good homes for them all to stop having to euthaniz those new puppies and kittens every year! Guess you better stock up on the pet supplies too when you have a baby shower! 


Here's a statistic for all those people who get mad at Corinne T. Smith Aniaml Center everytime they beg for someone to rescue and animal to prevent euthanizing it.  


Over 6 million animals are euthanized in shelters simply because no one rescues them. Next time you are angry at Corinne T. Smith Animal Center you should think how much it cost to house these animals because someone has abandoned their animal, turned it loose, abused or neglected its needs and the puppies or kittens end up at the shelter.  


Over 6 million you say? That means aproximately 135,000 animals per week are euthanized in the USA or 20,000 every 24 hours.  There just are not enough responsible pet owners to rescue all these abandoned, neglected, abused, surrendered animals.  64% of all animals taken into shelters nationwide have to be euthanized for this reason. 


These poor animals are not "problem" animals. They were just unloved and rejected.  Most of the animals at the shelters are strays or surrenders because someone did not think about the responsibility of being a pet owner. These animals are at the shelters because someone did not think their decision through before breeding or buying an animal and when the fun was over or they became frustrated with the animal they simply "threw it out" like garbage.  Hmmm wonder what some of these people would think if their parents had simply "threw them out like garbage" just because their parents became frustrated, or didn't realize the responsibility involved in being a good parent?


 50% of the over population problem is because of non-neutered males.  Let's face it folks, the females have to have a partner in crime!  Purebreds account for 30% off animals in shelters.  Just because your baby is papered doesn't mean they need to be bred. For every home breeders sell a puppy or kitten too a home for a rescue animal is taken.  Many purebred animals are also born in MILLS and we all know how that can end too. Many of these purebred animals end up in the shelter.   Visit a shelter and watch a puppy being euthanized for every puppy your "miracle of birth" delivered. Animal overpopulation has reached a crisis point in this country.


WHY SPAY OR NEUTER, YOU ASK? 


Did you know that dogs are healthier when they are spayed or neutered? There are some diseases that happen less often in animals that have been spayed or neutered. That's a good reason to give your dog the operation, isn't it? It's a very responsible thing to do. Spaying will reduce the risk of breast cancer. Almost 50% of unsprayed dogs develop breast tumors. Benefits to your pet after neutering mean that females have less chance of ovarian cancer or uterine infections if it is done before their first "heat". Each cycle they experience increases the chances of illness greatly, as much as ten times each! Spaying early almost eliminates this risk. Uterine disease is no longer a problem after spaying. Pyometra, (an infection that can be fatal) and uterine cancer are no longer a risk. Ovarian cysts that can be sometimes very painful are no longer even a consideration after spaying.  

Neutering significantly lowers the risk of prostate gland and testicular cancer in male dogs. Almost 60% of intact males suffer from prostate cancer, why not make the odds a little better? Neutering eliminates the risk of testicular tumors as well. Males who are neutered have less of a desire to roam, fight, mark and be destructive. 

Another benefit is that you will not have to clean up the mess which happens during each heat cycle!

Behavioral wise, your pooch or feline will be calmer and more reliable. You also won’t have male strays staying at your house trying to get to your female.  And you will not have to deal with your dog trying to get out to get to the opposite sex by fence climbing, dirt digging, or any other way they can use to get out.  This is their instinct, you can't stop it.  With cats, it's prowling, spraying and fighting!  From a behavioral standpoint, neutered animals are more reliable, stable and have about sixty percent (60%) less problems than those left "intact."

It takes only one escape to find a female and become a villain of pet overpopulation. One cat and her kittens will produce over 420,000 cats in about seven years!  No wonder there are so many freaking strays in my neighborhood! My neighbors say they bring them to keep mice, snakes etc. away but come on, does a spayed or neutered cat keep critters away any less better than a non-spayed or neutered pet............OF COURSE NOT! Use your brain people! 

Spaying and neutering also prolongs a pets life. Let's face it folks. ALL of us pet lovers want our companions to live as long as possible! Almost by twice the life span in cats, and a significant number of years for dogs. A spayed or neutered pet is more likely to wander less, and runs less risk of being hit by a car, or being attacked by wildlife.

It will cost you a lot more to care for the puppies created by the dog!  If you have a litter and take proper care of it your cost factors are much more than this procedure would ever be.  It will also cost less than the vet bills incurred from your male running after the female in heat up the road, and getting injured by a car. There are programs for assistance for those who cannot afford to get the procedure done.   

One female dog has a litter of 4 puppies. She has the same number of pups twice a year for 6 years. If every puppy born from every litter during those six years has four puppies, how many puppies will have been produced during that 6 year period?

If allowed to breed, one female dog can cause the production of 67,000 puppies within 6 years!  

Statistical Information provided by ASPCA