Amy Metherell has over 15 years of administrative experience in various industries, including manufacturing, real estate, accounting, SaaS, and more. She has a BA in Business Administration and a Masters in Information Systems
She started her virtual Assistant journey in 2011 when she left her corporate job to have more flexibility and time with her family. She has been providing virtual support services to businesses ever since and also co-runs a company of VAs who work with marketing agencies.
1) How did you get started working from home?
In 2010, my 3 year old daughter broke her femur and needed to be in a half body cast. I had to work from home while she was in the cast because it took 2 adults to move her. My company was not pleased, but did let me. I found I was way more productive while working from home, so I asked if I could work from home more and they said no.
I started my search for a work-from-home solution via networking. I found a part-time position I could do on nights and weekends and took it to get my foot in the door. That changed into a full time position, so I was able to quit my corporate job.
I loved working from home, but had so much time on my hands so I decided to try my hand at doing some VA work on the side. I got three clients in the first week and made it my goal to do that full time and quit my other job. A year later, I quit my job and was working my VA business full time.
2) How did you choose the work-at-home career you do?
I knew I had the admin skills, so I knew this would be where I would excel. I knew there were other VAs out there, but I felt I was quicker and more efficient.
3) How did you get started (basic initial steps)?
I put up a very basic website that I did myself using a WordPress template. Then I started networking on social media to get clients.
4) How did you get your first client or customer or job?
I started listening on Twitter to people asking for VA referrals. I would reach out, direct them to my website and told them to let me know if they wanted to chat. I got 3 clients in the first week of doing this. After that, it was all word of mouth.
5) How do you market your business?
I never really did. I relied on word of mouth. Now that we’re a larger business (43 employees), we still don’t really do any marketing besides my podcast and word of mouth. When you provide excellent value, your customers will tell everyone about you.
6) What does your usual day look like?
I get up at 4:30am and get prepped for the day by drinking a full glass of water and a cup of tea. I clean up my inbox and check my calendar. Then I get my daughter ready for school and go for a run after I get her to school. Then a shower and then working until 3 when my daughter gets home. The work will be sales calls, new client kickoff meetings, podcast recordings, hiring/interviewing, etc.
7) What do you know now that you wish you knew when you started?
I wish I had known how much other people would be integral in the growth of the business. When I started, I assumed I’d be doing it alone forever. I had a business coach to make sure I was doing the right things (I had no idea what needed to be done to run a business) and I’m a huge introvert, so I was OK with doing it alone. But once I started working with other people on my team, it was amazing how quickly we grew. They help with the things I am not good at.
8) What advice would you give someone who wants to work from home?
Get your foot in the door with something. And network online to find opportunities. And if you are starting a service-based business, you don’t need much more than a website and some hard work.
Find Amy Metherell Online:
Website: InBound Back Office
Twitter: @AmyMetherell
Instagram: @amymetherell
Facebook: InBound Back Office
[click_to_tweet tweet=”Discover how Amy Metherell Didn’t Take No for an Answer and Created Her Own Work At Home Job @AmyMetherell #workathome #successstory #successprofile #homebiz” quote=”Discover how Amy Metherell Didn’t Take No for an Answer and Created Her Own Work At Home Job @AmyMetherell #workathome #successstory #successprofile #homebiz”]
