Have you ever wondered how you got from Point A to Point B?

I find it fascinating how much my life has changed since a little less than two years ago when I took an early retirement package from a Fortune 500 corporation.  I had worked 18 years and wasn't sure I should retire - after all - I was only 51 at the time. After much consideration I decided to start my own business. I felt my history with training and my insatiable interest for all things new would be valuable assets for this new venture. 

It took a while to think about the direction I wanted to take, the various options open, and the niches I could target.  Over the past two years, I've had times where I devoted much more of my time on personal matters than in business.  That in itself is one of the perks - and drawbacks - of being self-employed.  You can do as much or as little as you want or need.  I was fortunate enough to be able to take the time for getting married, selling two homes, buying another, caring for a sick family member, and spending time with family as I started my new business. The benefits are obvious, but it would be folly to underestimate the drawback of being self-employed.  If you're busy elsewhere, no one else is tending to your business.

During the period of time I was busy with personal matters, I kept my business active by continuing work for my first client and sub-contracting for other Real Estate Virtual Assistants as I gained knowledge and expertise in my chosen field. The day finally came when I was able to devote my attention on my new business. It didn't take long to build up a client base once I had time to devote to networking. It's been an interesting ride. I now have several clients and have made many new contacts and friendships throughout the industry.

It's great now to have proven ability to provide premium real estate virtual assistant services to Realtors throughout the United States and Canada. It's a hard but extremely satisfying business. My past employment experience, my never-ending curiousity and my ever increasing experience in writing copy and in web design enables me to target the best use of the internet for you, my clients, and to work with you to build content-rich, productive websites geared to gain new business.

If you want to start your own business, be prepared to:

·         Find something that interests and challenges you.

·         Find a niche.

·         Choose your target audience. 

·         Work hard to get your name and domain in front of your target audience.

·         Decide your goals - Financial independence? Satisfaction of owning your own company? Freedom and flexibility? Ability to be your own Boss?

·         Write a business plan with those goals firmly in mind. Your plan will be drastically different if you want financial independence than it will be if you simply want flexibility and freedom, or to indulge a passion or hobby.

·         Whether or not you want to be financially independent, a business cannot sustain itself from the beginning. Be prepared to work a lot of hours, and not necessarily from 8am to 5pm - for the planning stage, implementation, and finally, the day-to-day running of your business.

I've listed many steps for beginning your own business. There are many books written on the subject. If you are a self-learner as I am, you'll read a little, experiment a little, and work a lot. I chose not to spend a lot of money on the "schools" that would certify me for a price. I've been successful and busy. You may choose to get the certification.  In the end, your business will be what you put into it.

 Welcome to my blog - I hope you learn something from me, and in turn, I KNOW I will learn something from you!