VA “Kats”
Hello Kats! Tell us a little about yourself first.
I’m a mother of two and a loving wife. I love the outdoors and that is a bit ironic. Because I work from home and stay home but the outdoors is my passion. I am way past going to the mall, I only go there when I need to buy things. For leisure, I am a biker(Cyclist), I ride about four to five times a week. I consider myself a casual biker for now but I plan to join endurance races in the future like Duathlon if I am able to.
What was your profession before you became a VA?
I used to work at an onsite BPO. I got tired of the daily commute. Everyday it takes about 2 hours, time which I could have spent with my family. A friend from the BPO industry referred me, she was also tired of the daily commute. I found out about different administrative and admin positions. It opened new doors for me. Being a VA also improved my physical and mental health. I get to sleep more, take care of the household and my family, especially my two kids, they do not feel neglected anymore and were happier that I was always there to take care of their needs.
How is your IVA PRO Experience?
I do not like to be comfortable with only one job or task, I prefer to learn more and keep striving for something better. When I discovered IVA, I was able to spread my wings a little more. I started as an acquisition and lead manager. I preferred being in IVA rather than get a direct client, this is for my peace of mind and security with the job. Even if the client lets go of you IVA helps you find another client immediately and you are not left in the wind. After a while an opening for management in IVA was announced, I tried applying and got hired. Now I am in management and I also have a client. There were challenges at first but I was able to pull through with the help of IVA.
Share with us some of your achievements.
The biggest achievement for me is Time. Time which led me to realize that has transformed the way I lived. Among these are:
Time saved from daily commute
Quality time with the kids
Time for myself and Leisure
Better Sleep and health, I am well rested and ready to be more productive
How much time you put into being a VA can increase your salary
For more opportunities to do more and earn more
Some realizations also came to such as Stress is relative. But you can manage it better if you had the time to do so. Another thing I realized is that before, I hated going to team buildings when I was in the BPO, because that was time I could have with my kids. Now I love going to IVA team buildings, as I get to interact with my colleagues and other agents, helping and guiding them on how to be better and successful in being a VA.
Any message to future aspiring VA’s?
Change is constant, especially in this industry. You have to be brave enough to go out of your comfort zone. If you do not take risks in making that change, nothing will happen. You need to understand that regardless of your previous profession and position you start again from scratch when it comes to being a VA. You need to learn new things, be receptive to criticism and most importantly trainable and open to learn new things. This is different from a regular corporate job where your tasks are fixed and information is fed to you. Being a VA means to open to research, learning new things and how to deal with clients directly. Last but not least is to be humble, as “humility is the foundation of all virtues.” -Bob Marley
