Carlana Charles longed for more in her professional life than what the corporate world had to offer and decided to pursue her dream of becoming a business owner. This is how Ciboney Virtual Solutions, a company Carlana is proud to proclaim is client-focused and solutions-driven, started.

With her passion for supporting professionals, executives and individuals, Carlana has made her skills and expertise more accessible to others by providing a service outside of the traditional office environment by working virtually. She devotes her time to her recently started Customer Relationship Management (CRM) consulting practice, where she assists organizations in addressing their customer service issues, as well as her Virtual Assistance practice, which caters to the administrative needs of busy professionals, small businesses, start-up companies, overwhelmed executives and just about anyone needing an extra hand in getting that all important job done in a cost-effective, timely and professional manner.

Here's what Carlana had to say about her successful virtual assistance practice, and the one thing she had to learn 'the hard way':
If you have any questions or comments for Carlana, feel free to reply directly to this thread!



How many hours do you spend on your practice daily?

Currently, I devote 10 hours a day to my practice since I became a Virtual Assistant in September 2006.

What is your niche or specialty and did you undergo any formal training in that area?

My background is in office management and administration and since starting my business I’ve added customer relationship management (CRM)

Prior to starting my VA practice I completed training and received certification in a variety of fields in business, such as Principles of Business and Management, Business Communication, Business Management, Office Procedures and Marketing.

When I started my practice, I initially intended to provide office management and administration support. Customer relationship management happened by chance when my first client asked me to handle a telephone and email marketing campaign for them. The campaign was not going well due to severe customer service issues within the company. I let the client know this; they asked me to provide them with a report on the extent of the issue and how I thought it could be remedied. I did, they were impressed and executed most of the suggestions, they referred me to another company they worked closely with and that’s how I got my start in customer relationship management.

What kinds of obstacles did you face during the setup and launch phase of your business, and how did you overcome them?

Interestingly enough the only obstacle I faced during the setup process was getting telephone lines and the internet! I’d just moved into my new home and had to wait for what at the time seemed to be forever for the lines as the house is in a new development and infrastructure was a work in progress. For 3 months I waited on the island’s lone provider to come and install my lines and operated with a virtual fixed line number forward to a mobile phone. Talk about large phone bills! I’m so glad those days are over!

What is your favorite part of being a virtual assistant and running your own business?

How could you just have one favorite thing about being a VA J? I guess I’d say the thing I love the most is that it has afforded me with the opportunity to live my dream of being a business owner working from home. Before I started my practice I worked about 10 hours daily, weekends too, just to keep ‘the man’ satisfied and ‘prove’ that I was an ‘indispensible’ tool to the organization. When I realized this was not how I wanted to spend the rest of my professional life, I left to pursue my dream. After all the hard work and energy I put into ‘the man’s’ business, I figured if I applied the same determination and intensity to my business I could attain my version of success.

What is the most expensive monetary investment you've made in your practice, what was it, and why was it necessary?

In the middle of January I replaced my very faithful, 5-year-old HP laptop because of problems I encountered due to picking up viruses from an unsecure network. I knew I’d have retire it one day, but I was planning to keep it until it just stopped working. The Windows platform is so susceptible to nasty viruses and is such a pain to troubleshoot and constantly interrupted me with my work, I decided to go with a Mac book Pro. To date it is the most money I’ve ever spent on one single item for my business but necessary since I always need to have my laptop if I’m away from the office for the day or off the island. Just knowing that I have a reliable machine when I’m away gives me a certain peace of mind.

How did you find and contract your first client?

Interestingly enough my first client came to me. I reached a phase in my career where I had plateaued and longed for more. I decided to resign and take a break for a few months and perhaps change profession. I was contacting clients I had worked with closely at my last place of employment to let them know that I was resigning. Three of the clients asked me if I would be interested in handling certain aspects of their operations on a contractual basis, I said yes and was in business soon after. I never got to take that break though.

What do you feel has been the single most important business policy you've set in place?

I would say under-promising and over-delivering. I always strive to give my clients the best service possible by exceeding their expectations, but I stop short of making promises. I then go the extra mile to create a favorable and lasting impression in a way they would not have anticipated.

As you built your new practice, was there anything you learned 'the hard way'?

Yes! Very early in my practice, I made the grave mistake of not getting a contract from a client because I was ‘tight’ with the company’s decision-maker. I would email her my invoice and it would be paid within days. I knew I had to get a contract but I didn’t want to ‘rock the boat’ as they never failed to pay. When she wound up in the hospital for 3 months the company argued they did not have a contract. Copies of invoices emailed to her in the past did not suffice. I had to work without payment for 3 months because I did not want to be disloyal to the client. I only got paid when she came out of hospital and was able to sort it all out. Always get a contract in print. I cannot stress this enough.

How many hours a week do you spend on marketing and networking?

I spend about two hours a week marketing and networking. I plan to diversity my efforts by March of this year. At this time I limit my marketing and networking efforts to online networking and word of mouth marketing.

What does a typical work day look like for you?

By 7:30 AM I’m in my office, checking email and voicemail and following up on calls. This usually goes on till 8:00 AM. I then check my diary to see what I have carded for the day and start on client work. At 10:00 AM I pause for breakfast. I then get back to work and continue till around 2:00 PM, when I stop to get some lunch and run to the post office. I get back at the office around 3:00 PM and the first thing I do is I check the telephone and my email and respond if needed. At around 5:30 PM I start wrapping up my day or sometimes go an hour later depending on the workload or my vibe. It may sound boring and regimented but I find I’m most productive working this way. Every hour I take a 10-minute break to check the forums, read the news, grab a cup of tea or coffee or surf the net.

What is that one tool you can’t work without?

My BlackBerry! It has become such an indispensible tool in my business as it keeps me in the loop when I’m not in the office. Thank God for gadgets!

How do you handle the stress of running your own business? What are your most treasured self-care tips?

My stress level isn’t what it used to be in the early days, which really was self-inflicted because I was biting off more than I could chew. I’ve discovered that playing smooth jazz in the background while I work helps me during the day. To get the stress off I pamper and treat myself to a trip to my manicurist once every three weeks and get a massage monthly from my favorite blind masseur. I also found that having Sunday lunch with my loved ones, picnics with my hubby, going to church, talking to God, and of course, engaging in retail therapy really helps with the stress of being a business owner.

What have you learned about yourself since being in business?

I’ve learned that that I am stronger than I thought. I’ve learned there is nothing I cannot overcome once I rely on the strength of God.

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