How I Became a Virtual Assistant for Photographers
We were driving down the highway when he turned to me and said, "I know you love your job, but you LIGHT UP when you talk about working for yourself”.
I paused… But I loved coaching. I’d been a swim coach for over 4 years. I had settled upon the decision that it was a decent career, and I was decent AT it… so I would keep pursuing it.
But I lit up? Talking about something else?
My (then) fiancé looked over at me. “You should pursue that”, he urged.
That one conversation catapulted the start of how I became a virtual assistant for photographers. But I’m getting ahead of myself…
After that conversation, on that open Texas highway, I began thinking and dreaming and scheming, as I always do. I eventually decided to start my actively pursuing my photography business again, with the goal of going full time. I started working part-time as a swim coach, so I could ramp up my photography clientele.
At the end of 2019, I went full time with my business… the some month I found out I was pregnant. I remember lying in my bed wondering how I was going to be make it all work. But if there’s one thing about me, it’s that I will jump in with two feet.
So I did.
I worked my ass off growing a business. And growing a tiny human.
And then, the pandemic hit 6 weeks before my baby was born.
We were, like everyone else, thrown into the dystopian-feeling world of COVID-19. And everything had to shift.
It felt like we were living in a snow globe & someone had just shaken it up. We brought home our baby to a quiet house, meeting relatives through window and across the front lawn. My photography business came to a screeching halt. Quite the plot twist, but here we were. Every single person faced the invitation to adapt.
So that’s what we did.
I slowly started shooting again, but something was nagging at me. While I was building my business back up, something felt off. I loved the admin, loved the marketing, loved the computer work. I enjoyed having my camera in my hand, but I noticed it wasn’t the part I looked forward to.
If this isn’t the biggest clue on how I became a virtual assistant for photographers, I don’t know what is.
The next year of my life felt like it was in fast-forward. The pandemic was lingering and rocking everyone’s world. I felt like I was wrestling with my business. I wanted balance… sustainability… joy… but it wasn’t CLICKING.
I’ll never forget the day I sat down and said to myself: what if I was a virtual assistant?
Immediate pull. I wanted that.
I started exploring. Talking with my photog friends, researching what services a VA could offer, and looking into logistics. When considering my own desired balanced life, this made a lot of sense. I now had a 1 year old, and I knew I wanted to be able have more flexible work. Childcare wasn’t an option with the pandemic, and I needed something adaptable. And necessity is the mother of invention.
One of the best things I ever did for myself, was say YES to the gut intuition I was having that this is what I wanted to do.
I began to prep to add VA services as a “side hustle” to my photography. As I wrote content and business drafts, everything flowed out of my head seamlessly. I had so many juicy ideas, and everything felt SO FUCKING RIGHT. I knew I was on to something.
I launched my virtual assistant business in November of 2021.
I was sold out in 3 weeks with full time work.
And, I was hooked.
I loved the work. I had found my “power alley”. And there was no going back.
Within in a few months I had started to grow my team and expand my services. After that? I held on and said yes. The business grew and grew. We had the honor of serving dozens of photographers all over the country. Did I know that one simple conversation in the car one day would catapult how I became a virtual assistant for photographers? No. No I did not.
But every damn day I am grateful for everything this has become.
And now? My “side hustle” has grown up into an admin agency for photographers with The Focus Collective.
As I launch this week, I can’t stop thinking about this story. How everything evolved. And I am feeling profoundly grateful. And freakin’ pumped for the next chapter. There are so many good things to come. Thanks for sticking around!