We recently connected with Claire Click and have shared our conversation below.

Claire, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Alright, let’s take a stroll on memory lane, back to when you were an apprentice or intern. What’s a memorable story from that time that you can share with us?

To start my Virtual Assistant journey, I did a course called “90 Day VA,” a virtual assistant internship that is designed to give you all the tools and training you need to offer services in 90 days. I was still working full time in healthcare when I enrolled, and would do the trainings and assignments when I could. Typically, this meant cramming in an hour after or before work, or on weekends when I didn’t have plans. With the pandemic in full force, my weekends stayed pretty open, so that helped! It ended up taking me over a year to finish the course and start looking for clients, so definitely longer than 90 days. BUT, I did it, and I think it’s so important to share this part of my story to remind people that slow progress is better than no progress. It’s okay to go at your own pace. You’ll still get there, as long as you don’t give up!

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

I’m a dog and cat mom from the midwest, Illinois to be exact. I have a degree in Communications with a concentration in Public Relations, but I never used it much – until I discovered what it meant to be a Virtual Assistant! It was the perfect way to take my education and bring it into the age of social media, email marketing, and more.

In February of 2021, took a part time role with my first client, a local tattoo artist. Since then, I have expanded my clientele to include a restaurant, a brand strategist, a lifestyle influencer, and a real estate agency – among others! I love working with all types of small businesses – taking virtual tasks off their plate so they can focus on the more exciting parts of their adventures, like running their companies.

My skills include Social Media Management (content, engagement, etc,) Email Management and Newsletters, Copywriting, Software Research, and more. I’m also a figure-outer, and if my client wants help with it – I can almost always find a way to get it done!

If it can be done virtually, I’m here to help. I love when my clients tell me they can finally breathe a sigh of relief when I take on a task they’ve been dreading, or they just don’t have time for. It’s the most rewarding part of my job!

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

I am continually building a social media presence for both myself and for others, and the key part of the strategy for ALL these accounts can be boiled down to one word: engagement. Engaging with other accounts is SO important. It humanizes you and allows you to really connect with potential clients and customers. Now, I don’t just mean putting a heart emoji in the comments of 100 accounts a day. Please don’t do that. I mean fostering true connections with both your ideal clients and others in your niche. It makes such a huge difference. Even if they aren’t ready to spend money now, this sort of engagement keeps you top of mind for when they become ready. The bonus is, I make some awesome friends in the process.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

When I think of resilience, I think of working in healthcare during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. While I knew for awhile, on some level, that I wanted something more than my position at the local clinic, I wasn’t sure what that looked like so I didn’t act on it. But when COVID-19 hit, healthcare became such a traumatic and scary place to be. Having patients throw things at me over masks, constant policy changes, no hazard pay, limited communication from an administrative staff that got to work safely at home… all that brought my feelings to a head and I knew it was time for a change. I was not in a good place mentally (were any of us?) but managed to research my options, learn what a Virtual Assistant was, and create a plan for a whole new career and, frankly, a whole new life regardless. It was a bumpy road and did not happen overnight by any means, but I’m proud that I didn’t give up and stay where I was. I kept pushing.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://msha.ke/claireclickva
• Instagram: @claireclickva
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/claireclickva
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/claireclick

Image Credits
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