Um, my name is Donna, and I hail from Worcester, Massachusetts. Don't know how to pronounce Worcester? Don't worry; you're not the only one Unless you live here, no one pronounces it right the first time.

I graduated from AssistU in 2002. Upon graduation, I got off to a wiz-bang start -- three clients within the first six months. All three were gone by January 2003. My mistake was accepting any client who was breathing . So I pulled back for a bit to lick my wounds and to think about where I went wrong. I recently (in April) jumped back onto my VA bicycle, so to speak (you'll find that I love metaphors). No clients yet, but I'm learning a lot, primarily because the Internet has changed a lot since 2003.

My hope is to support HR consultants because of my HR "brick and mortar" background. So far, though, I've been unable to ferret them out to let them know that I'm ready and eager to support them.

On a personal level, I've never been married, I love cats (I have one) and my adorable niece (2 years old, blonde hair and big blue eyes) and nephew (4 years old and shy) and my musical tastes run the gamut from Itzak Pearlman to Aerosmith and just about everything in between .

Gotta go for now. I'm trying to help a potential client get talked about in LifeHacker, and so far, I've had no success . If anyone's got any ideas, I'd love to hear them!

=>Donna

Hi Donna!.....

Kim Desroches-Noel

Donna, great intro Welcome to the forums!

I love that you shared your 'had 'em and lost 'em' story - and the secret of what you learned through the whole process. We so often forget that as business owners we don't have to work with every single potential client *and* we often don't learn the value of determining who our ideal client IS until after we've worked with one that is less than ideal But what a wonderful learning process all the same!

I'll look forward to chatting with you further

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Donna! I have a similar story of accepting a non-ideal client because "I needed the client" and having to get rid of them. I think that experience made my business much stronger in the long run.

I look forward to chatting with you more. I too have never been married and don't have any kids (which seems to be a rarity among VAs) and have an adorable niece with blonde hair and blue eyes -- only she's 4 (along with a 4 1/2 year old nephew and 1 1/2 year old nephew).

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Lanel Taylor, CVA ~ Virtual Bookkeeper
Taylored Office Solutions
Custom fit solutions for all your office needs.

Whooo HOOOO another New Englander! Welcome Donna! Thank you for sharing your story. It helps us newbies realize as well that we don't have to take everything that walks through the door!

I live in Pascoag, RI and I got Worcester just fine...LOLOL I'm about 20 minutes south of Worcester on the CT395 expressway. I live near Putnam.

Anyways, I'm glad to hear you're "back in the saddle" again and I look forward to reading your successes.

Lisa

Hi Donna,

Welcome to the forum. I also really enjoyed your intro. Good luck with the HR market and hope to see more of you around the forum.

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Michelle
http://www.virtualsos.com.au
Virtual Star Office Solutions

Hello Donna,

to the club!

Welcome, Donna. I'm glad that you are giving your practice another chance. Just remember to honor those strong boundaries AssistU taught you to create for yourself and to reach out when you need encouragement.

Warmly,

Lorri

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Lorri Morin, CPVA
www.virtualsynergy.net

Hi Donna! Welcome to the forums.

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Shari Sultana
Online Business Manager (marketing for retail ecommerce)

Welcome to the forums Donna!

Stacee

Hi Donna
I too am from Massachusetts, so I know how to pronounce Worcester.
Welcome and thank you for your story!

Julie

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Julie Phylis
ASAP Assistance - Your on demand assistant
www.AsapAssistance.net

Hi Donna,

Thanks for sharing your story. While I have no idea who Itzak Pearlman is, we definitely have common ground with Aerosmith. Best of luck!

Julia

Hi Donna, welcome to the forum! Even though I am from Iowa, I know how to pronounce Worcester as I have family in Hudson, MA, and have visited the area a couple times (SUCH a beautiful place!). I appreciate you sharing your story and wish you luck as you grow your business!

Hi Donna,
Welcome aboard! We're glad to have you hear. I look forward to hearing more of your stories and all that you will bring to the boards.

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Kimberly
Facebook Marketing Magic!

Hello Donna,

It's nice having you with us. My name is Brenda. Thank you for sharing your story. I always tell myself it's always good to learn from our mistakes in order to do better next time.

I am glad you are giving it a 2nd chance.

What type of services does your business offer?

I look forward to cheering you on with your venture.

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Brenda A. Jones
www.brevos.com