Factoids:
Born: Baltimore-July 11, 1963 (I get a free Slurpee at 7-11 every year!)
Family: Only child of Doris and John.
Today: Married for nearly 17 years to my beloved, Dominic. No kids. Four cats. A chosen family I adore. A business that allows me to make a difference in the world!
Future: I live for today, baby!
A cool story:
The summer I was to be 16, my father told me to get a job as soon as school ended for the year. I didn't believe he meant it, so I didn't even look for one, and set about lounging by the pool every day. By the end of June, he asked if I'd found something, and when I said I hadn't, he told me I had a week to get a job, or he'd find one for me. I didn't believe him about that, either; apparently, I wasn't so quick, back in the day!
Ten days later found me in brown, double-knit polyester, taking orders at the drive-thru window of a fast food joint owned by a family friend. I hated that uniform; sweating in it was tortuous, and perpetually smelling like a french fry made it worse. In fairly short order, I hustled myself off and applied for a job at the Gap. It was while working there that I decided that the only work that would ever really be for me would be work that I found fun.
Fast forward 17 years. AssistU was newborn, and a friend-a wise and talented business man-asked me to share my exit strategy. "Exit strategy?" I queried. He countered: "You need to know how and when you're going to leave this behind, and what you want out of it when you leave."
I couldn't tell him then, because I'd not yet even really begun. And 10 years later (that's today, if you're trying to follow along), I'm delighted beyond words that I still can't tell him. In some respects, I still feel like I've not yet begun, or have only scratched the surface of what's possible. There's so much still to do and experience with AssistU, so many amazing people to connect with, and so much good to bring to the world. We really are changing work and changing lives.
I'm not anywhere near ready to think about leaving this behind. AssistU is just about the most fun I've ever had!
Additional Questions Answered By Stacy
1. Why is AssistU important to you, personally?Because it allows me to connect with the most fabulous people I've ever known; people invested in building high-quality lives.
2. What do you love most about your position as Owner, President & Chief Visionary Officer of AssistU?
That I get to create! My role is to continue to see things that don't exist, and create them. This allows us to constantly add new programs and keep the bar high for the VAs in our community. I really dig that so much of what I've created is now part of the mainstream-part of what's standard for the profession-even with VAs we haven't trained!
3. In your opinion, what are the most significant factors that set AU apart from any other virtual assistance training program?
Standards. We are the only organization with any standards of note, and ours are incredibly high. People can't buy their way in or out of our program. They get in (and out) based on merit. Along the way, though, what's cool is that they create standards of their own, and those standards help them create work, and lives, they love.
4. Home-based businesses are really hot right now and a lot of people interested in becoming a Virtual Assistant apply to AssistU. Only half the applicants are admitted into the VTP. In your opinion, what qualities does an applicant need to become an exceptional VA?
Exceptional VAs are people who are invested in relationships. They put people first; tasks second. They invest in others because it's what they love to do-not because it's what they're paid to do. Beyond that level of relational maturity, at the top of my list are integrity, proactivity, the ability to see "what's next" and provide it without being asked, and a perpetual sense of wonder.
5. If you could offer ONE piece of essential advice to all Virtual Assistants, what would that be?
Your standards can always be higher than they are right now.