We recently connected with Caroline Murray and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Caroline thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Risking taking is a huge part of most people’s story but too often society overlooks those risks and only focuses on where you are today. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – it could be a big risk or a small one – but walk us through the backstory.

I took a huge risk in 2022– quitting my job of seven years to pursue my own business! I was an elementary school teacher and reading specialist for seven years. I used to love teaching — it was what I always dreamed of being as a little girl, and I got my undergrad and master’s degrees in education. Long story short, I burned out, like many teachers do. As I was starting to burn out, I started my own Virtual Assistant business, Virtually Possible. This started as my “side hustle.” As things got worse in teaching, things seemed to get better in my business, and I completely fell in love with the work I was doing. I knew my business could grow even more if I took it on full time.

This was one of the hardest decisions of my life! For so long I identified myself as a teacher. Through a lot of personal growth, I learned that I can still be a teacher in other ways and still help others. Thankfully, with the support of my husband, family, and friends, I know that I made the right decision by leaving my job and taking this new journey on full time. Best decision ever!

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I was raised in Northern Virginia, and moved to Charleston, South Carolina for college. I truly fell in love with this city, so I simply never left! I worked as an elementary school teacher for seven years, but started to fall out of love with the profession. I took on my own “side hustle” as a Virtual Assistant, and eventually decided to take it on full time!

As a Virtual Assistant, I help business owners with a variety of tasks. The fun part about this work is every client is different, so their needs vary, and therefore no client is ever the same! A lot of people ask what type of work I do as a Virtual Assistant. Well, imagine this. You know that to-do-list that bogs you down at work and you keep putting it to the side? Well, I’m the person who takes the to-do-list and checks off all of those items for you as efficiently as possible! My goal is to give business owners more of their time and sanity back, so that they can focus on their craft, and also spend quality time with their families.

Because every client has unique needs, we create completely customizable packages. Some projects are on-going, while other are short-term or one-time projects. I work closely with each client to create a plan that will help ease their stress! Some of the common tasks I help clients with are inbox management, social media management, client relations, scheduling, and event planning. Virtually Possible is perfect for the busy entrepreneur who simply needs more time back, but may not be able to hire on a full team of employees.

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

One of the best pieces of advice I ever heard was to envision who your “perfect client” is, and then go from there. You don’t want “just anyone” to be your client; you want someone that will be a good fit for you as well, and someone whose values align with yours. For me, I have been able to get connected with some amazing ladies simply through Facebook groups filled with female entrepreneurs. From there, I really rely on referrals. When someone hears their friend say, “Oh yeah, I just had my assistant do that for me” — people’s ears perk up! They want to know more and how it works. I am so grateful for all of current and former clients, because they are truly the best way to grow my clientele! In addition, I’ve learned to not be afraid to market yourself and talk about your business to others! I’ve made amazing connections just from talking to people at weddings or social events. It can be difficult, but you have to advertise yourself as often as you can!

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

Building your presence on social media can be very very scary, and honestly, a little “cringy.” It can be really uncomfortable to talk about yourself, advertise your business, and ask people to promote your business. For the longest time, I was keeping my business profile separate from my personal profile. To be honest, I was afraid what people would think about the new business I started, and I was fearful of the judgmental eyes on the internet. I finally ripped the Band-Aid, and shared my business profile on my personal profile — this seems like such a small thing, but for me, it took a lot of guts! I was immediately amazed at how much support I received from this. I received tons of new followers, new clients, and eventually new employees.

I work with a lot of clients who also struggle with this, which is why I manage a lot of social media accounts! People feel uncomfortable talking about themselves and their businesses. However, I recommend trying to shift your mindset: be proud of who you are and what you’ve accomplished; you deserve to share your light with the world!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.vpossible.com
• Instagram: @virtuallypossible_cmurray

Image Credits
Stephanie Selby Headshots