Web URL: http://www.sunnywords.com
Years in Business: 7
Type of Business: Writing & Editing Services
Works: private clients, 100% virtual; publications, 80% virtual
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/annalisamichalski

Ruth: Welcome to The Naked VA blog AnnaLisa. It’s great to have you here and be able to share more about you with the readers. Tell us about Sunny Words Writing Services.

AnnaLisa: Sunny Words Writing Services focuses on writing and the planning and polishing steps that come with it. There are different types of editing. The one in demand most among my private clients is developmental editing. I also offer research assistance, manuscript/document planning, ghostwriting, and plain-old final proofreading. My goal in the next year is to broaden my freelance journalism experience. I love working behind the scenes, but I confess I've developed a taste for bylines, too!

Ruth: Would you share what led you to consider a virtual profession and how you got started?

AnnaLisa: I definitely took the long, roundabout road. My initial goal was to teach high school English. It was the only career I'd considered. But a degree, a license, and several years into the profession, I knew I was competent but would never truly be GOOD at it. Teaching is a lot more about people management than about the material being taught. And I do not enjoy managing people. [I want to be inside the words myself, not merely overseeing what others do with them.]

But I'd always loved spreadsheets, word processing, organization, and minding minute details, and I had experience from office temping between school terms. So when I left teaching, I applied for an administrative assistant position in a local advertising and marketing agency.

Fortunately, the women who owned the company were good at maximizing people's strengths. After a few months, they saw that I was a good admin but a good proofreader, too. They created a new position in the company that made me responsible for dozens of those picky-detail administrative jobs but also put me to work proofing print ads and editing web material for their clients. That's where I first began to see where my words fit, professionally. And I absolutely loved it.

The "virtual" part of it came along when I was pregnant with my first child. I really didn't like the prospect of handing my new baby over to someone else at the end of my maternity leave. At the same time, I didn't want to leave my job, but it wasn't entirely suited to telecommuting. So when a friend of a friend mentioned virtual assistance--something I had never heard of before--it seemed the perfect solution.

Ruth: Along the way have you had a mentor or sponsor to support, guide, encourage and open doors for you?

AnnaLisa: Yes, many--some who probably have no idea how much they influenced me!

Nancy Cross and Marga Cahoon of Cahoon and Cross, my ad agency bosses, were the first people in the professional world to recognize my underlying talents. And they don't know this, they also gave me an inside glimpse at how small business works. I don't think I'd ever have considered doing this on my own if I hadn't seen them in action firsthand.

When I began planning in 2006, I read countless discussions through online forums like VANA, Mompreneurs, and SBIF. Once I began really fine tuning, I became a regular at VAF, too. I've also learned specifically about the challenges and triumphs of the writing industry through freelance writer blogs. I couldn't even begin to name all the individual people I learned from in the virtual world.

By 2010, I was thinking about rebranding to focus entirely on wordsmithing. I shared the notion with my colleague-friend Tracy Delcamp. Her genuine enthusiasm and encouragement--and her insistence that it was a perfectly marketable idea--are what really pushed me from the wondering stage to action. I am as grateful to Tracey for that as for her referral, which brought me one of my favorite long-term clients.

Ruth: If you could share a nugget of insight or bit of advice for someone considering a virtual career such as yours what would that be?

AnnaLisa: Dreaming is good, but researching is better. Read everything you can get your hands on, and stay up to date. You can't possibly know too much. True, over-thinking details that don't matter much can easily become an excuse to procrastinate, so be vigilant for signals it's time to move on. But always, learning should come before setting an actionable timeline.

Ruth: Now tell me, what bits of advice would you give someone seeking a virtual professional such as yourself?

AnnaLisa: Three things:

1) Look for someone who specializes. A lot of people offer "proofreading" among other unrelated services. Some of them are indeed excellent proofreaders while others aren't as meticulous. Examine your prospective's whole website. One or two minor typographical or grammatical problems are not necessarily deal-breakers, but errors that are flagrant, happen often, or compromise clarity are signs the contractor's best talents lie outside proofing.

2) Know that "proofreading" and "editing" are not the same thing. Proofreading involves surface errors--things like spelling, punctuation, grammar, usage, and formatting hiccups-while editing requires more depth. Editing may entail, for example, simplifying complex, hard-to-read paragraphs; organizing content more logically; or checking for missing details.

Sometimes a client isn't sure what kind of service his or her project needs, so I request a small sample to review. I've had situations where clients see the assessment and opt to do more revision on their own before hiring help, or even decide it's just not a good time for that particular project. Honest assessment is good for everyone: Clients are necessarily concerned about both quality of work and their budgets; and to work effectively with all clients, I need a realistic idea of how much time to reserve for each.

3) Be prepared to find specialties within specialties. Even experts have preferences. My finest work is with nonfiction books and articles, academic writing, and business documents. I accept very few marketing copy writing projects and avoid SEO writing altogether, but on the other hand I am a very good editor and proofer of both.

Ruth: These tips are sure to be helpful in discerning if an editor or proofreader is a better fit for an immediate need. Any last thoughts or comments you’d like to share with our readers?

AnnaLisa: No doubt it takes commitment and, sometimes, significant trial and error. But once you figure out what you're good at and how those skills are marketable, you can find or create a job you love. And if you have no idea where to start, look to the wisdom and experience of those who know you. Feedback is priceless.

Ruth: Thank you, AnnaLisa.

If you’d like to meet AnnaLisa and take advantage of her wordsmith skills visit her website.



About The Naked VA Blog-------------------------------------
The Naked VA (www.thenakedva.com) is authored by Ruth Martin of Maplewood Virtual Assistance. The blog and site are focused toward virtual professionals of varying niche specialties with topics and resources for working online.