My Freelance PA & VA Story #career
"That which you or I think is most unique about ourselves we hide. In ordinary discourse, in the normal state, we share our common self, our superficial self. Yet what is most unique about us is what has the greatest potential for bonding us. When we share our uniqueness, we discover the commonality in greatness that defines everyone on the planet." — Robert E. Quinn
Hi my name is Stefanie and I am a 26 year old Freelance Personal Assistant and Virtual Assistant based in London. I have decided to start a business blog and where else to start but with my own story? At the age of 16 I left school with 10 GCSE’s all grades (A*-C) and I decided to attend 6th form to undertake A-Levels. At this stage in my life, I really did not have a clue what I wanted to do. I had always thought about going to university, but was unsure what field I wanted to specialise in. In year 2 of my A-Levels I was attacked on a bus and shortly after this I had a very bad case of Glandular Fever. I could not keep up with the workload, so in April 2006 I quit my 6th Form education. After recovering from the attack and Glandular Fever I started to apply for office jobs. In August 2006 I was offered a job at Lidl GmbH. I was hired as a Mystery Shopper and an Administration Assistant and this is where my business journey began.
Over the next year I thrived at Lidl. I was working alongside a great group of people from all different walks of life. I got along really well with everyone from the maintenance warehouse workers all the way up to the regional director. Over the course of the year my job became increasingly more and more varied. On a Monday I could be running out of stores with alcohol, conducting mystery shops and test purchases. On Tuesday I could be auditing store accounts and arranging stock transfers. Wednesday I could be managing a team and be walking the streets promoting a new store opening with free goodie bags. Thursday I may be working in the warehouse taking stock, arranging store deliveries, or working in the customer service department. And Friday I could be the Regional Director’s PA. This job was the making of me and it really encouraged me to aspire to greater things. I gained experience in so many different business areas and I could never thank Lidl enough for the opportunities that they gave to me.
In 2007 I went back to college and undertook an Access to Higher Education qualification in Social Science and Humanities. By 2008 I was attending Greenwich University and undertaking an undergraduate degree in Human Resource Management. I was still working at Lidl part time and I also started working for the university itself. I was an Open Day Assistant and assisted with student enrolment and campus tours.
I was born with quite a severe facial deformity and in January 2010 it started to give me some problems. One morning I woke up and I had a headache. I did not think anything of it. I had been working hard in my second year at university and I had two jobs. I just assumed it was due to tiredness and stress. As the day progressed, the pain started to spread down the left hand side of my face. By 7pm that night I was in complete agony. I had taken Ibuprofen and Paracetamol and it had not made any improvement. After this day I have never been pain free.
In April 2010 I started working for Chartwells, part of Compass Group (the largest catering company in the world). I was hired to work part time as an Auditor, Trainer and School Kitchen Monitor. I was later hired to work full time as a HR assistant.
In July 2011 I graduated with a First Class BA Honours Degree in Human Resource Management. It had been the toughest 2 years of my life. But I had done it; I had competed with daily pain and tiredness, held down three jobs and completed my degree. After 5 years of working for Lidl it was time to move on. I had been offered a full time position working as an Auditor and HR Assistant at Compass. Although Lidl had been so good to me, I felt like it was time to move on.
In the August of 2011 I undertook orthognathic/maxillofacial surgery to correct my facial deformity. It was hoped that I would make a full recovery and this would alleviate the chronic pain I had been experiencing. After the operation I was completely rigid from the chest upwards. I could not lift my head off of the pillow or even raise my arms without assistance. On top of that, my face had been broken into small pieces and placed back together like a jigsaw. I was in so much pain and I was on a liquid diet for 3 months and a soft food diet for a further 3 months. I started to develop reoccurring sinus infections and even more pain. I had to have all of my titanium plates and screws removed in 2012. 3 months after my original operation I returned to Compass and tried to get back to normality. It was not to be. With all my appointments and my on-going issues I felt compelled to hand in my notice. I have never accepted defeat in my life and this is exactly what it had felt like to me.
During my recovery period I hit some very low moments. It had seemed like my career was all mapped out for me and now it had been taken away from me. I spent my time in self-reflection and evaluating what I wanted from life. I really took a step back and thought about my passions, my core values, my targets and my skills. As I was unfit to work at the time, I pooled all of my energies into creating a blog and charity project. I had felt so alone in my journey and I did not want anybody else to feel this way. In November 2012 I created Jaw & Face. This is a charity project that I continue to run, alongside King’s College Hospital and Saving Faces Charity. I blog about my experiences, support and mentor patients, conduct research and write self-help books for charity.
After recovering from my surgeries and undertaking physiotherapy, I needed to do something new with my life. As my Nan always said; you cannot live on love alone. The charity project was brilliant, but now it was time to concentrate on my career. From a young age I have always had a fascination with creating businesses. I remember being 6 and having a notepad full of business ideas. I would spend hours pretending I was a hotel owner/ manager. I would draw out and brainstorm everything from the room layouts and décor, to the prices and breakfast menus, all the way to the staff wages and rotas. I did not want to jump back into the busy rat race and exhaust myself with things that were out of my control. I wanted to be my own boss, to work with likeminded people and be involved in a career that allowed me to build on my existing skills.
I did not want to start off too quickly, so I decided to create SG Virtual Office UK in 2013 and work as a Virtual Assistant. It fitted perfectly with my appointments and other family commitments. I started being hired by friends and family. As the business developed, my family and friends started to recommend me to their own friends and business contacts. Being purely a ‘Virtual’ Assistant was too restricting, so I started to undertake short term Personal Assistant contracts. It was so nice to be out and about again and having contact with the outside world.
During this time I realised there was a market for sole traders and small businesses that need some additional support. It is daunting running a company or your own business. I have been fortunate to have over 8 years of varied corporate experience and a degree in business. Most people do not have the opportunities I did. So this is where I step in!
I have no hesitation in saying that my services are unique. I am a highly experienced Personal Assistant with both education and practical experience to back it up. I have no problems in helping my clients with any aspect of their business and I will even teach you how to do these things for yourself. I understand running your own business can be overwhelming. It is important to keep costs low and this is why I offer all sorts of contracts (hourly, flexi, short term and long term). I provide over 100 services and I have never come across a job that is too big or too small. I am a great people person and a dedicated worker. I am not only a Personal Assistant; I am a business consultant and team member. I treat my client’s company like it was my own and always maintain the highest level of professionalism.
It has not been an easy road, as you can see. But I finally feel like I have found something that makes me truly happy. This career has allowed me to work with some amazing people and contribute to the smooth and happy running of several businesses. I absolutely love the variety of my job and waking up every morning to a new and exciting challenge. My work allows me to incorporate all the expertise I have learned over the past few years and expand on my own skills and learning.
This career may not be for everybody though. So I advise that you look at the positives and the negatives of this career choice before you take the plunge. In the following weeks I will be discussing what I get up to on a daily basis and discussing the qualifications and skills required to become a first-class Personal Assistant.
If you are looking to hire a Personal Assistant and you believe I could help you or your business, please do not hesitate to contact me. I offer an optional free face to face consultation for all clients in the London area and telephone consultations for those clients outside of London.
To find out more about the services I provide, visit my website services page: www.stefaniegrant.co.uk/services
To receive a free quotation or to book a consultation please visit:
www.stefaniegrant.co.uk/hire-a-pa
pixelskylines
germansingergirl
yousharknotpass
jacobvanloon
izzy806
gummygunk
2087
dailybridgerton