Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Kimberly Hamilton. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Kimberly , thanks for joining us today. Often the greatest growth and the biggest wins come right after a defeat. Other times the failure serves as a lesson that’s helpful later in your journey. We’d appreciate if you could open up about a time you’ve failed.
As a life-long overachiever and perfectionist, failure was not something that I had considered when I started to pursue my initial career choice of teaching special education at an elementary school level. I had known for most of my life that I wanted to be a teacher. What could go wrong?
So from 18 to 23 I did what I was “supposed to” do – I kept my head down, worked hard, and got my degree in Child and Adolescent Development and a special education teaching credential. I eventually landed my dream job in my dream school district.
But, when I stopped and looked around, it all felt… wrong. What I had been working toward for years didn’t feel like it was a good fit for me. And when I thought about staying in this career for the next 25 years it filled me with dread and with panic.
I felt like a true failure. I had spent all of this time, money, and energy to do something that I no longer wanted to do.
Here I had a choice – I could either dwell on this failure and force myself to do something that wasn’t in alignment with my true desires… Or I could take this failure and use it to propel myself into my next level.
I looked at what I perceived as a failure and used that to ask myself some thoughtful questions…
1. What did I really, truly want to do now?
2. How could I use the skills I learned as a teacher in a different job field?
3. What aspects of my career were most valuable to me? (Examples: time freedom, location freedom, the ability to be creative, etc).
This “failure” lead me to where I’m at now. I currently run a thriving virtual assistant business that gives me everything I was looking for in a career. And I don’t think I would have gotten here without failing at my first shot!
Kimberly , love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
As a virtual assistant I work with high-level female entrepreneurs. I help them to get their business working like a well-oiled machine and get their message out there so that they can focus on what truly matters to them, while increasing their influence and impact.
I think what sets me apart from others is my work ethic. I work tirelessly to make sure that my clients receive the most top-notch service, and truly treat their business like it’s my own.
What I am currently most proud of is the course I recently launched. As someone who was able to pivot careers and build a sustainable business, I want to pay it forward and teach these skills to others so that they can do the same. The “Booked and Busy Virtual Assistant Course” gives people all the tools they need to start their business and build it to last.
You can view all of the course details here: https://mailchi.mp/1cc1d00ecad3/thebookedandbusyva
How did you build your audience on social media?
I built my audience on social media by sharing my authentic journey. My social media is a “one stop shop” for my audience to learn about business, fitness, fashion, military spouse life… you name it! My audience can always count on me to share my real life… all the ups and downs included.
Can you talk to us about how your side-hustle turned into something more.
When I started my virtual assisting business it was very much a side hustle! Much of my time was spent learning the tools I needed so that I could grow it into a full time business.
I gave myself permission to be a beginner and learned as I went. I showed up for my clients, and made it so that they could trust me and felt good about giving me larger projects and more responsibility.
As I built my skill set and rapport with my clients, I was able to take on more projects and eventually created a full time business.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://mailchi.mp/1cc1d00ecad3/thebookedandbusyva
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kimhamiltonn_/
Image Credits
Alex Yang Photography – green dress image Hutson Photo Art- image sitting in the tree Sara Barrett – images in white dress