Hi! My name is Mary Albright and I am the owner of Can Do Virtual Assisting.

The story about my journey to virtual assistance is a little funny.

My college education is in environmental engineering. I worked for my state pollution control agency until funding was cut for my department. Being the most junior person, my position was eliminated. I had started a family and while I enjoyed raising my children, I wanted to work and contribute.

I owned a wedding consulting business and have owned a direct sales business as an independent consultant with The Pampered Chef® since 1999. I have succeeded in that business, earning top sales status in multiple years, multiple incentive trips and even had the privilege of being a speaker at National Conference.

But what worked well when my children were two and three just wasn't the best fit now that they were both in middle school.

Then I saw one of my friends post on Facebook something like this: "Doing my virtual assistant work from the lake and loving it!" I emailed her and asked her what she was up to. As she told me more and more, I found out that work I was already doing for peers and others could be considered virtual assistance. I did my research, and then applied, and was accepted, to AssistU. I graduated in July 2010.

When I shared with my friends that I was becoming a virtual assistant, I remember one of them said, "Mary, this is the best fit for you." That friend was the one who coined the label, "information hound." She uses it regularly to describe me. I am one of those people who can't stand "not knowing." It drives me absolutely crazy if I don't know something or don't know where to find it. At the same time, I'm realist enough to know that there will never be enough time in this world for me to know "everything." But I do my best to be prepared.

While I'm skilled at organization and seeing the quickest way to solve a problem, I truly enjoy working with Social Media. I also love to do email marketing and am a Solution Provider with Constant Contact.

Because I have an engineering background, I'd call myself an excellent problem-solver. But I will say that I can be creative when I need to. I can be a bit of a MacGyver when I need to be.

I was asked once why I chose Can Do Virtual Assisting as my business name. I found that whenever someone asked me for help, I'd reply, "Can do." I'm a bit of a classic war movie buff. There's an old John Wayne movie where he's asking a fellow sailor for help and that sailor's response was always, "Can do, sir!" I've always been one to not be paralyzed by the obstacles in my path, but to snap-to and find a way around the obstacle. Using "Can do" in my business name just seemed to be a right fit.

I love helping clients get organized. I love researching for them. Most of all, I love being part of the bigger picture of their businesses. I'm not in this just for the tasks for today but for the goals of tomorrow. I love working in that type of collaboration.

I live in the northern suburbs of Minneapolis, MN with my husband, Bryan and our two kids; Stefan and Caitlin. Bryan and Stefan are active in Boy Scouts. I'm proud to say that Stefan earned his Eagle Rank at age 13. Caitlin is a member of the Civil Air Patrol and her mother couldn't be prouder.

One more important thing you need to know about me is that I have O.D.D. – Obsessive Disney Disorder. I'm a complete and total believer in Disney Magic. There's always a trip to the Mouse House in the works. I have a Disney blog and I write for an online Disney newsletter.

For more information about Mary, please visit her website at www.CanDoVA.com.

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