How Busy Keys came to bee
Welcome to my first blog post, I hope you you enjoy finding out more about my business journey. So I had found a business role that felt right for me and my circumstances, believe me there had been a disastrous attempt at working in a MLM company along the way.
Finding the world of Virtual Assistants was a game changer for me. I had come across it briefly when searching for options and dismissed it as I didn't know where to start. I have since learnt that making the being definite about the decision to start is the best start point when wanting to start your own business. However with a little push from a friend who also became my first client I realised I could help other businesses and I did have enough skills to build on. So the journey to VA began. I read and researched as much as I could and began my preparation.
There was and still is so many things to think of. What do I need, where will I find clients, what can I offer and how much should I charge? There were just a few of the questions that buzzed around my head. Setting my charges was definitely my toughest decision, that one stayed on the list a while. Gradually most of the questions got answered and my excitement began to build, I could actually see how I could be self employed as a VA at last.
My biggest personal challenge was that I didn't have any capital to use for starting up. As you can imagine there are many potential expenses that creep in at the beginning. Whilst part of me wished I could take a course to better prepare me before launching my business or pay for a website or marketing, I knew I didn't have these options. This did make me nervous especially when I heard other peoples preparations (lesson: don't compare to other people, we all have our own journey) but hey I like a challenge and there are plenty of free resources available if you take the time to look. Hours of reading and listening to webinars on the internet made me realise that waiting for everything to be perfect would stop me from ever launching.
One message I think is very important for everyone to remember in all aspects of life for many reasons is " there is no such thing as perfect and that's OK."
So I arrived at the fun stage, well fun in my eyes. Deciding on a name and a logo. I wanted to bring a personal touch in here as for me this helps me stay enthusiastic and connected to my business. I knew I wanted to include a bumble bee in my logo somehow as this is a mascot in our house so the name had to fit with that. I sat down to brainstorm ideas with my other half and "Busy keys" just came to me. So with the help of a very clever friend and a skill swap: 1 logo in exchange for grooming a less than impressed long haired cat! My logo created!
I was ready as I was going to get so it was launch time. I set up my Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/busykeys.co.uk
and decided to attend a free local networking event run by http://www.ladieswholatte.com
I made my own business cards to keep costs down but the main thing was to get my details out there. I wont deny humble beginnings are a tough journey and I still have a lot to learn, I find new things everyday to add to the list but my take home message from this post is:
If you want to start your own business or idea and have a way to begin then don't let lack of capital hold you back, just be realistic and plan carefully!
The advantages of spending as I earn is that I have put less pressure on myself to make back a deficit. It may make my growth slower but that's the organic way for my journey to go at an achievable pace.