Rescue Desk

I discovered virtual assistance while doing some career research late last summer.  When I read the term and skimmed the article, the heavens opened up and a light shone down. OK, maybe it wasn’t THAT dramatic. But a light bulb certainly flicked on overhead, and I giddily thought “That’s it!”

I imagine this happens to most people when they reach a clearing in the career jungle. These are the people who work hard and, when prompted, dutifully download the skills needed for career upgrades. But, these folks also know – deep down – that what they’re doing day in and day out simply “isn’t quite it.” So, they always have one eye on the daily task list, and one eye secretly focused off to the side, keeping tabs on the exciting things might be catching up. Maybe it’s a hobby that’s turning into a passion, or excelling at a new skill or trade, or daydreaming about owning a small business one day.

Whatever it is, the hope is that their day job will merge with those off-to-the-side pursuits. That’s the moment they hit the clearing and, with any luck, say “That’s it!”

When I reached my clearing, I looked straight ahead, but decided the path just left of center was the one for me.  I knew it was a risk (straight ahead is almost always the safest), but the entrance was well-lit and I had faith it was the right direction.
 
So, when I made the decision to channel my years of experience in media, publishing and communications into launching a Virtual Assistant practice, like any good Virgo, I dug into every piece of research and market study I could find. The more I read, the more confident I was that the path-just-left-of-center was exactly where I wanted to head.

I have quite a few manager/coordinator/editor titles on my resume, but never once did “executive assistant” make it on the list.  Naturally, I wondered if there were others like me - people with experience, but never the official title. I was thrilled to find that the backgrounds and experiences of each VA were as different as the people themselves.

Some were MBA-wielding ex-executives. Others were 20-year veterans of the executive support field. A number of them were graphic designers, Web developers or other “techies” who, through the aforementioned career upgrades, also excelled in database management, writing and project management. Quite a few were military spouses with business training out the wazoo, but needed a portable career. And there were just as many who, like me, had a smorgasbord of skills and simply wanted nothing more than to offer their knowledge and expertise to others who would benefit from their experiences.

So, I’m proud to join the ranks of virtual assistants. If the increasing number of industry resources, associations and VA-focused tools are any indication, we’re on the cutting edge of business.

There’s a man I’ve known for more than 10 years who has been through all the ups and downs of entrepreneurship. His timeline for the past 10 years goes something like this: He started a small, family-run publishing business. He sold the small family-run publishing business for a hefty sum. He then lead a corporate Web division with gigantor profits within the first few years. He made to the leap to run a venture-capital-driven start-up. He then had to close the doors to said start-up for various reasons. He’s since started a new Web-driven business and, to date, it’s gone from a few-person operation to a multi-national company with content contributors from all over the world.

This man is a former boss, who has easily made the transition to mentor and friend over the years. He’s one of the first phone calls I made when I was neck-deep in business planning for Rescue Desk.  “I’m so excited about doing this, and I know I’ve got the skills. And Lord knows there’s a market for this,” I told him. “But, I could use a few words of wisdom from someone who’s been there. What’ve you got?”

“You know what they say, Rach,” he said. “The definition of an entrepreneur is someone who would rather work 16 hours a day for himself if it’ll keep him from working 8 hours a day for someone else.”

Considering I’d just spent another 8 hours tethered to a cubicle, trying to guide a huge project through a complex bureaucracy that was akin to herding cats, I knew he’d hit the nail on the head.

It was EXACTLY what I’d needed to hear because it was EXACTLY what I was chomping at the bit to do.

So, when I’m feeling discouraged in the world of small-business ownership, I pull this little nugget of truth out from behind the files and papers piled high on my desk.
 
Lord knows I’ll happily plug along herding my own cats for 16 hours if it means I don’t have to herd someone else’s cats for eight.

Starting Rescue Desk has been almost 15 years in the making. Not that I knew it in the early years of my career, of course. But, looking back, I have no doubt it’s precisely it’s where I’m supposed to be.

I grew up in a newspaper family. My mom is an editor and my dad a retired publisher, and my sister and I spent summers and school breaks delivering newspapers and interning in the business office. I even got my first professional byline long before I graduated from college with a degree in journalism. But, that’s not what’s guided me to where I am today.

Variety, movement, resourcefulness, curiosity, creativity, kindness, independence, intelligence, humor, and an overwhelming need to help. These are the qualities I have inherited, are the cornerstone of the values I hold dear, and are what need feeding every day.

I spent quite a few years hanging around the corporate ladder, going gangbusters learning and excelling in the skills I needed to succeed and happily scrambling looking for ways to make everyone’s job a bit easier. My enthusiasm and dependability earned me promotions and merit raises even when it “technically isn’t in the budget.”

But, the ever-present challenge was finding ways for my work to feed all the sides of my character all the time … not just some of them some of the time.

I’d have the chance to use little creativity, but those opportunities were few and far between. My curiosity would be appreciated, but sitting in a cubicle 8 hours a day quashed any sense of independence.  I’d laugh at a coworker’s irreverent sense of humor, but had to do so quietly because a hard-nosed supervisor was lurking nearby. I’d get accolades from a colleague because I’d used my know-how and resources to lend a hand, but be scolded later because my “priorities don’t involve helping XYZ department.”

The only way I could be true to the real me and channel everything I am and everything I know into work that was fulfilling was to write my own job description. I dutifully made lists of my skills, streamlined it with what I truly enjoyed doing, researched into the wee hours of the night, and did some real soul searching.

That’s when Rescue Desk was born.
 
I spend my days doing exactly what I love doing – growing and learning new skills, using my resources, practicing brain-teasing problem-solving, exercising my creativity, meeting and helping fascinating people grow their businesses, and reveling in the challenges of running my own business.

Most importantly, though, is being grateful every day for the opportunity to be true to all the wonderful things that make me … well … me.