Why is Nancy’s Virtual Office Your Business Solution? May 4, 2009
THIS is a Tale of Success:
I fell in love with paper pushing at an early age, but it is my father who I credit with the success of my administrative endeavors.
Growing up poor in a coal mining area in the Appalachians of West Virginia and surviving the depression, Dad learned the value of, 1) finding solutions for problems and, 2) having a trade to fall back on. I can’t tell you how many times I heard Dad say, “Don’t say I can’t. Just find a way to do.” On top of this code of belief, from the time I entered Junior High School until I graduated from High School and got married, Dad insisted I learn to type and take shorthand and bookkeeping classes in case something were to happen. I suppose nowadays most people wouldn’t consider excelling in office prep classes as much of an accomplishment as I did, but that’s exactly what I did. I typed like a whiz, took great short-hand (a lost art now) and learned good basic bookkeeping skills. In those days, coming from the “old-timey” background of which I was raised, it was expected that a young girl learned how to take care of a family, husband and house and that’s what I did – I just had something to fall back on just in case.
When my children were aged five, seven and ten, my husband died in an unexpected accident and I realized I had to be the sole wage earner for my family. Providentially, I had the background to get me started. Up until then I hadn’t even thought about Dad making me take those classes. I went out and bought a book on resume writing and wrote a killer resume that nicely presented my meager background of high school honors classes, office prep classes, some volunteer work and my penchant for always having a book in my hand. I landed a job as a receptionist in an extremely busy orthodontist practice in Palm Springs, California – no small feat in the 1980’s when our country was experiencing a stock market crisis and economic downturn that rivals the one we’re in now. I remember I started at $8.00 an hour and felt fortunate.
Soon I was managing a satellite office in Palm Desert and did so well I wanted more. I enrolled in part-time classes at the local college and took Small Business Management and Computer Bookkeeping. With A’s in both classes I decided I wanted to keep going, so I took some general education classes toward a degree. I soon landed a scholarship to Sonoma State University and earned my Bachelor’s Degree. Dad didn’t live long enough to see me graduate from college but he was there in my heart and my mind. He was the one who instilled in me the desire to succeed in life and master the art of whatever I chose to do by finding the right solution.
I carried my degree on to the corporate world and went on to become a first-class administrator. One day I decided that the ultimate success for me would be to be able to do what I enjoyed and was good at, stay at home with my family doing it, and be able to help others find solutions for their own success – So my solution was to establish my own business – And I did!
So now you know why I say, “My Business is Your Business Solution.”
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