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I cannot imagine being an administrative assistant in a traditional office again!" Interview with Kathy A. Ritchie, the Master Virtual Assistant
Please tell a few words about yourself, your qualifications and your work history. My name is Kathy Ritchie, and I'm the owner of Ritchie Secretarial Service (www.thebestva.com), and the editor of the RSS Herald (www.rssherald.com). June 2003 celebrates the 7th year in business for Ritchie Secretarial Service! I am a Master Virtual Assistant with over 20 years in the administrative assistance/office support field. I'm also a certified Master of MS Word, as well as several other certifications in my portfolio. My background includes positions such as executive secretary, marketing secretary, showing (Real Estate) secretary, receptionist, and office manager. I've held these positions in such varied industries as funeral homes, technical universities, county municipalities, chain saw shops and HVAC shops. This experience brings a unique perspective on my ability to work with my clients. How did you become a a freelancer? How did the internet help you in this process? I became a freelancer the day I answered an ad for a typist. I found out this position would be for the local independent newspaper, and home based. We needed to work out the differences between their Mac system and my PC. After a week trial, the position was mine! I realized then, if I could work from home for one client, I could work from home for many clients. I began immediately marketing my services in the Denver-Aurora Urban Center, then expanded online. Putting my business online was the single most important decision I made for Ritchie Secretarial Service. Not only did it allow for much more exposure, it broadened the potential client base tremendously. As a result of the internet, I now have clients in every time zone in the US as well as in Canada, Spain and Brazil. Tell a few words about organizing your work (do you share assignments
with others or do everything on your own, how much do you work a day, your
schedule, etc.)
Do you think it makes a difference where you and the buyer of your service live, or geography has absolutely no importance today? Do you miss personal interaction with your clients or telecommunications technology totally make up for it? It's been my experience that most of my clients don't worry that I'm not near them. I do have several local clients, but still rarely ever meet them. Most clients prefer communication via phone, fax, email, and so on. Geography is no boundary. I do miss personal interaction with people, not just clients. Which is why I try to make the yearly IAVOA (International Association of Virtual Office Assistants www.iavoa.com) conference (www.vaconference.com). There I am privileged to interact with some of the best VAs in the industry and encourage new VAs. As part of my dedication to the Virtual Assistant industry, I produce a monthly newsletter, the RSS Herald www.rssherald.com. This is a free publication for virtual assistants and other virtual workers and is filled with timely tips, insightful articles, and news of our industry. The RSS Herald is the official publication for IAVOA.com, VACertification.com, Virtual Assistance U (www.virtualassistanceu.com), A Virtual Solution.net & .com (www.avirtualsolution.net or www.avirtualsolution.com), and VAConference.com. This is also a way I'm giving back to an industry that has enriched my life, and given me confidence to succeed. How does working from home affect yourlifestyle? Working from home enables me to be much more productive than I ever was in a traditional office. There are very few distractions, and none of the office politics or gossip that used to drive me crazy. I'm able to multi-task my five local clients, and 15 (full and part time) national and international clients. After working from home, I cannot imagine being an administrative assistant in a traditional office again! What would you suggest to people who want to start a freelance career / want to work independently from home? Have Patience! Brush up on the necessary skills - if you're looking into a virtual assisting practice take VA training courses, such as those taught by Janet Jordan at VAU, www.virtualassistanceu.com to gain the necessary skills to make your practice a success. Find a mentor to help you with the multitude of questions you're bound to have. Read industry publications (for VAs www.rssherald.com). Develop your target market and again, have patience. Success doesn't happen overnight, but it can happen if you work hard! www.thebestva.com Ritchie
Secretarial Service
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