A Wild Woman Entrepreneur from Yourtown, USA writes:


I have worked full time for corporations during the past 20 years (or so) and am now interested in working for myself. During this time, I've been in an office environment doing everything from secretarial to office management type jobs. My husband and I are now living in a rural area and I still work in the corporate world with a hospital in a small town setting. We are building a rustic cabin which we
will be renting out to tourists this time next year. I want to be able to stay home and run the cabin rental plus work from home as a virtual assistant. Being a VA is very competitive and I would like some advice on this avenue of work, or even better, some links to possible jobs. Knowing I can't/shouldn't quit my full time job now, but would love to at least start out and build up a portfolio. I would appreciate anyone with any ideas. Thanks much!


Wild Woman Entrepreneur, Ikan Makeithappen writes: Market research is a great way to know what your competition is. Secret shop other VAs to see what they offer and how much they charge. First, I suggest creating a business plan for both business ideas. The SBA (Small Business Administration) is a great resource for this and they have many offices across the
country. Best of all, it is FREE. Creating a business plan that includes both ventures and having someone with experience read it is very helpful in building a viable businesses. A plan also allows you to set goals and think through how you will achieve them. A great way to start out is to offer services for a discounted price for a specific amount of time, say 6 months. This gives you a client or two (be careful not to take on too much too soon) and lets you work out your kinks. I would start locally, associates at work that have a home business? Your local Chamber of Commerce is also a great place to network. This is a place to start. Best of luck.

Wild Woman Entrepreneur Sense A. Bell answers:
The very first question I ask anyone planning to start out a business is: do you have what it takes to be an entrepreneur? Being an entrepreneur involves a much broader skill set than the skills you are trying to market. Some key attributes are: willingness to take risks, skill in marketing and positioning your business, skill in handling customer problems and complaints, and the vision to grow your business. Fortunately a lot of these skills seem to be comparable to those required of a virtual assistant. I highly recommend The E-Myth Revisited: Why So Many Small Business Don't Work and What To Do About It for anyone who is thinking about
starting a small business, or wondering why their business doesn't seem to be taking off. It will help you with your cabin rental business, as well, and you can click
our Resources page for more information about this title. You may already know about International Virtual Assistants Association (http://www.ivaa.org/), an organization dedicated to the advancement of the Virtual Assistant profession.

Wild Woman Entrepreneur Bea Smart says:
Lucky you! It sounds like you have a smorgasbord of work possibilities. That's smart. What is your goal? Do you want to eventually leave the corporate world completely? Or do you want to mix and match with multiple sources of income from all your jobs and talents? The savvy wild woman entrepreneur starts out with the end in mind. What's your vision? Write it all down. What does your home look like? What does your typical day look like? What are you doing for fun? C'mon, let your imagination go wild. Smell, see, hear, and touch the vision - no holds barred. Once you've done this homework, you are likely to be pumped. From that place of passion and excitement, you are now ready to create your action plan for how you will get there. I suggest hiring a coach or a career counselor. Spend as much time as you can around people who have done exactly what you intend to do. They will inspire and mentor you. Write your vision, then create the action plan. Read your vision often to keep yourself pumped and focused on the end result. Be smart - you can't do it all at once.