Good Day to You! It truly is a good day!

Greetings from South Florida!

I was born and raised in Battle Creek, MI (me and Tony the Tiger) I moved to Florida so long ago it almost seems like I am a native. My entrepreneurial drive was awakened at an early age. My teenage years were spent running a student-operated business through the local Junior Achievement program. I was mentored by executives of several corporations — Kelloggs, Clark Equipment, and Ralston Purina. This early introduction to the business world made it perfectly clear to me that I had the ability to be successful in whatever field I chose.

I ran to Southwest Florida in 1981 leaving behind the cold weather and "small town life." (Geeeee… now the thought of living in a small town sounds enticing!) I landed in Ft. Myers (west coast of Florida) where I lived for the next 19 years.

My passion with computers began when I managed a restaurant and needed to learn graphic design for advertisements, menus, and special promotions. This led to the exploration of the Internet when it was still new to home users. Because of my curious nature, it was natural for me to want to learn more. I started doing research for my job, for fun, and for friends and family. I learned how to navigate the Internet quickly and efficiently.

When the owners made the decision to sell the restaurant, I campaigned for a job with a small local newspaper publisher. And yes, "campaigned" is the right word to use. It was a small family-run company who was hesitant to take on an employee, but I wasn't prepared to take no for an answer. I composed a plan showing them how they would save money (and time) by hiring me. They found merit in my plan and decided to hire me on a trial basis. I was with the company for the next five years and took them from manually producing a newspaper to composing it entirely on the computer and sending it digitally to the printer.

Then they decided to sell the business. So, when I read about Virtual Assistance in Inc. magazine, I knew it was the profession I had been seeking. With this work, I could learn about any type of business and could be valuable to any type of business owner. I wasn't going to have to worry about the owners selling the business again! (I was starting to get a complex.) Within a few hours of reading the article, I had applied to the VTP program. And a few grueling months later, I successfully completed the program.

Within two years, I had created a niche for myself working with authors and celebrities managing both their personal and professional lives. But not all of my clients fit neatly into my niche —I also work with an urban planner, college professor, copywriter, literary agent, and Scottish folk singer that spends summers in her homeland ­ Scotland.— Scotland.

Four years ago my husband (who I met online) proposed and I realized that if I wanted to get married I had to find a VA to help me with the planning. So I started working with Barbara Williams. (It never crossed my mind to hire a wedding planner.) Thanks to her help, the wedding — which was a real virtual affair, I never met the photographer, DJ, pastor, florist, or others before the wedding — was perfect. Five of my clients came to my wedding and we had a great time.

Along with my husband I got a few bonuses! I now have three daughters and a grandson. Recently, we decided to give up the hectic pace of South Florida and moved to rural North Florida. We have several acres and I can frequently be found outside in the gazebo working (a big thanks to the inventor of wireless technology).

I like to stay busy and am grateful to Stacy for bringing Virtual Assistance to the attention of the world. I feel very blessed — I have a wonderful family, my clients are not only clients but also friends, and I've met the most wonderful caring people through my virtual business. I try to give back to the virtual community as much as possible. I recently became the Virtual Assistant Coach at iVillage.com, and started TheVirtualToolbox.com, a resource site for entrepreneurs and enjoy helping others develop their virtual businesses.

email: spotlightshanebowlin@assistu.com

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