Freedom and Flexibility as a Virtual Assistant – Finding Your Best Lifestyle

Freedom and flexibility as a virtual assistant is the Association of Virtual Assistants theme for July. In our first blog of the series, we shared how freedom and flexibility is the number one reason for becoming a virtual assistant and that, more importantly, 98% of virtual assistants are experiencing the freedom and flexibility they desired when becoming a VA.

Last week, AVA member Lee Edralinda of Virtualee & Co shared her story of leaving corporate behind eight years ago and building an all-woman powerhouse team. You can read Lee’s journey here. 

This week, AVA member Ashley Nicholes shares how she enjoys freedom and flexibility. Additionally, she shares how being a VA and Certified Online Business Manager has allowed her to do work with the clients that best fits her lifestyle. 

Here is Ashley’s story. 

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When I was slogging from corporation to corporation looking for my purpose, I couldn’t have imagined one day I would be able to do my best work on my own terms while making such a bigger impact on the world. 

Have you ever thought to yourself, “I am meant for more in this world” and not in the motivational speaker way? But really, I am not meant to sit in this cubicle for the rest of my life or work for one company at a time. Yeah, that was me. 

I remember jumping from job to job thinking it was going to be the answer. It wasn’t until I realized, “I needed to work for myself and support more people.” 

Being an administrative professional in the virtual space is the best career for my personality and doing business on my own terms because I am introverted and need the time and space to do my best work. I love getting my work assignments from my clients, then being able to map out how I am going to complete the work, diving in for an extended period of time without the distractions of an office or other things outside of my zone of genius. And if I get stuck, I can go for a walk to clear my head.

Also, I’m able to take on clients and projects I want to work on. I love being able to pick and choose what I work on without the pressure of being the “other duties as assigned” person within a corporation. 

With the flexibility of my position, I am able to work the schedule I want and work from anywhere I can get a wifi connection. In a pre-pandemic world, if I needed a change of scenery, I could pick up my laptop and work at a coffee shop or hop on a plane to visit another city for a few days. The flexibility allows me to set up my work schedule, so at different times in the year, I can ramp down my workload to accommodate family events, traveling, and just taking some time to reset. 

If you would have told Corporate Ashley trapped in her cubicle that the life she is living now was possible, she would have never believed you. 

About the author

Ashley resides in Salt Lake City, UT. She is a professional VEA, and newly certified Online Business Manager (OBM), who helps entrepreneurs & executives gain more time in their genius zone through systems and processes, systems, stability, and scaling. You’ll find her to be skilled as a strategic planner, an adept researcher, and a strong business development pro! Ashley is a lifelong learner who excels at deciphering complicated problems and providing solutions, improving processes, and identifying best practices. She specializes in streamlining communication platforms and document creation. 

Connect with Ashley on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashleyanicholes/

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