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#1 (permalink)   12-13-2010 Streamatic Solutions New Member   Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Grande Prairie, Alberta, Posts: 37 Hello from Alberta, Canada! Good afternoon, I am new to the VA profession, but I am in no way new to the world of Administration; I have just launched my business from my fully functioning home office and am very excited to become part of a dynamic and growing industry. My first introduction to Administration cam in 2001 when I assisted my husband in setting up his corporation (he is a contract operator), I was also delegated as his bookkeeper/office manager, which I had to learn through trial and error (and a few tears). I have survived almost 10 years in this role. In 2002, after years of ‘considering it’ I obtained my Real Estate license. I loved having some control of my own time, being in business for myself and interacting with people (I am a people person and I genuinely care about helping people). In 2005 we moved to a new city and it was shortly after that that I decided that coming to an area where there were 100's of top Realtors I would not be able to compete while not knowing a single sole. Thus began my search for something new and something that I would be passionate about, administrative related but would provide me with a challenge. I defiantly got my challenge when I was hired on with a Land Broker whose primary dealings were with oil & gas land acquisition (peak of the boom), in one of their field offices as a receptionist and being trained as a Land Administrator. Within 6 months I found myself thrown into the chair where my trainer sat just the day before; one day warning, huge rush projects in progress, and very little training and even less experience. I can proudly say those projects (and many others) were completed within the energy companies time frame, I came out of it in one piece (and sane) and having learnt skills that many administrators learn in classroom or at a much slower pace. With the downturn I found myself laid off in the spring of 2009, I was devastated, but I was less concerned by the fact that I was losing my income then the fact that I would not be waking up everyday to go to a job that I was truly passionate about. I filled the next 9 months working for a For Sale By Owner company, while still longing to get back to the Land Administration world. I did get back, but with a different company who I would come to later realize was not challenging me but holding me back. And after a mutual release from that company I made the decision to break out on my own. I am excited to utilize my skills sets, passion for business, people and processes, experience and knowledge in various industries to assist my clients to be successful in their business, whether it is Real Estate, small businesses, contractors, or Energy companies. My husband and I have been married for 18 years, and currently have 2 children (18 and 16). In addition to building my VA practise, I am also working on earning my degree in Management through Athabasca University. I am excited to be part of this group; I look forward to sharing some of my knowledge and experience, as well as connecting with others in the industry. Thank you Kimberly Severson

#2 (permalink)   12-13-2010 lacombe New Member Company name: SJ Milligen VA   Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Lacombe, Alberta, Canada Posts: 46 Blog Entries: 1 Re: Hello from Alberta, Canada! Hi Kimberly. Congrats at starting a VA Practice!! You sound like you have lots of varied experience and lots of education to back you up. Good luck to you. I'm currently in the VA Certificate program at Red Deer College and absolutely loving it. But I only worked in banking before so I really am appreciating the business education that I'm getting. I'm in Lacombe in Beautiful Central Alberta. Welcome, this is a great forum. __________________ Sandra Milligen The VA Success Coach

#3 (permalink)   12-13-2010 Streamatic Solutions New Member   Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Grande Prairie, Alberta, Posts: 37 Re: Hello from Alberta, Canada! Thank you Sandra! how are you finding that program at RDC? I heard about, and often wondered if there was any value in my looking into, should they ever decide to run it as a distance educaiton program (I am in Grande Prairie), as I am already working on my B. Management degree. Your thoughts? Kimberly

#4 (permalink)   12-13-2010 Tess Senior Member Company name: Codehead, LLP Latest blog post: SEO Q&A   Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Portland, OR Posts: 9,131 Blog Entries: 3 Re: Hello from Alberta, Canada! Hi Kimberly, welcome to the community Thanks for taking the time to share the details of what brought you here! It sounds like you are not only very experienced, but very much aware of what you want to be doing - that energy and determination will serve you well in setting up and growing your own virtual assistance practice. Make yourself at home and I'll look forward to chatting with you on the boards. Here's to your success! __________________ Create a welcome packet for new clients with this guide and free templates! (Available in PDF and Kindle versions)

#5 (permalink)   12-15-2010 Streamatic Solutions New Member   Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Grande Prairie, Alberta, Posts: 37 Re: Hello from Alberta, Canada! Thanks Tess, I have really found these boards to be a huge resource in getting launched and getting my name out there. I look forward to starting 2011 strong, and really becoming a contributing member of this community. __________________ Kimberly, CEO / Administrator Streamatic Solutions Streamlining tasks and optimizing productivity