Our Virtual Assistant Spotlight Series focuses on members of Meadows Resources Virtual Assistant Team and how they came to decide a career in virtual administration was the best fit for them. Below we speak with Amanda:
When did you decide you wanted to be a virtual assistant and what made you consider the change?
I originally went to Texas A&M for music and then went into accounting but realized accounting wasn’t what I enjoyed. I went into business and fell in love with marketing. My next thought was what can I do with marketing? I started working with Houston Area Council and the American Women’s Business Association and became their Publicity Coordinator and I would say that is where my career in virtual marketing took off.
Did your career background and experience fit into the general realm of virtual assistant work or was this a complete change in career?
It felt like something I was always supposed to do. I did go to college as a music major. From looking at that to where I am now is a huge jump. I ultimately didn’t want to be a music major and thought “Well maybe I can become a music teacher.” I then really thought I wanted to do accounting after jumping into business and then moved to general business as my concentration as a start with the notion that I could change my mind later. I was like “I will take this accounting class,” and realized it wasn’t for me. I then went to marketing, but before went to management briefly. I decided “Let’s do marketing,” but stuck with a general business degree to learn a bit of everything. I always felt strongly about marketing even through the changes in major I made in college.
What were your first thoughts when researching the scope of work of a virtual assistant?
I think with anyone there is a slight moment of anxiety. You think “Can I really do this when it comes to a career?” I was a college student, so any change has that moment of fear, but definitely, in a virtual position, I feel like I had that moment of can I do this, and also had that moment where I am like yeah I can do this! I thought, “I can sit in front of my computer for 20 hours a day just to make sure I learn as much as I can.” I worked in offices from high school until now, so now I love working at home.
What ultimately made you decide this was the right career choice for you?
Lindsey Meadows made me feel this was the right choice. We are part of the same organization ABWA and she emailed me one day to reach out about this opportunity and was more than happy to show me helpful websites, Canva, Hootsuite and other platforms. Since then I had a conference call once a week and Lindsey was the deciding factor and showed me this is what I wanted to do.
What steps did you need to take to become a virtual assistant?
I had to learn from different websites, different products what I could use to help along the way. Taking some courses for certifications and different aspects of virtual marketing like learning about Facebook and the different form of virtual marketing. They are good to have and good refreshers.
How did Meadows Resources help with the entire process of becoming trained in virtual administration?
She pretty much took me under her wing and she put me on all her accounts like Hootsuite or Canva and I have a portion of her accounts. She did it at a time when she didn’t have to.
What advice would you give to anyone on the fence about switching their career or simply becoming a virtual assistant out of college?
Personally, you need to go out and market yourself. meet people, join organizations. The only reason I have made the foundation I have today was because I met people and showed them what I can do.
How could someone that is considering switching benefit from Meadows Resources?
Lindsey (Meadows Resources) is an amazing person and would do anything to make sure her clients are successful in what they are trying to do, whether its virtual marketing or anything outside of that field. She is open to listening to problems outside of work, and she is open to having me come to her with just life problems. She shows that she cares enough and wants to help anyone who may need it. It’s good to have someone and a program that is focused on knowing you as a person instead of just someone behind a screen.
Bio:
Amanda is a senior business major at Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas. She plans to graduate in December 2017 with her major as well as two minors; one in English and the other in music. In her spare time, she plays the piano, steel drums, and enjoys singing. She is an active member of Maroon Steel, the only steel drum ensemble at Texas A&M, ABWA (American Business Women’s Association), and HAC (Houston Area Council). She enjoys meeting new people, learning how to become a better business woman, and playing music with peers.
Amanda’s other passions include making people aware of the number of kids who remain in the hospital for the holiday season. Every year she actively has her friends, family, and peers create home-made holiday cards for children at Texas Children’s Hospital, a hospital in which she has personally spent a lot of time due to her Cleft Lip and Palate. In December 2016, she single-handedly delivered over 900 cards. She thoroughly enjoys giving back.
Amanda is extremely devoted to marketing and has dedicated all of her free time to learning the ins and outs of the field. She currently manages social media marketing for SVSM Enterprises,LLC, a real estate investing company based out of Houston, Texas, as well as RockIT Consulting, an information technology consulting company based out of Houston, Texas. Amanda also manages the website and the Facebook page for HAC. She is currently studying all aspects of virtual marketing and hopes to one day own her own company in the field.
If you would like to hire Amanda or any of our other virtual administrators please schedule a FREE Discovery Call with us so that we can learn more about you.
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