We caught up with the brilliant and insightful MARIA ENGLEHARDT a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

MARIA, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. So, let’s start with a hypothetical – what would you change about the educational system?

I feel that a college degree does not always ensure high achievement. What makes someone successful includes their will to learn, adapt and find solutions for people/companies. If I could change our educational system, I would ensure high school students were learning basic life skills such as financial courses, cooking courses, career aptitude tests, providing better guidance and play on students’ strengths and guide them on how to strengthen their weaknesses. I understand that not everyone is good at test taking and not all students are the same. There are those students who are great test takers but do not retain what they learn and there are people that do not excel in test taking but have the knack for learning more than the average student. Education isn’t a one size fits all deal. Education is gained by what you put into it. If these courses were enforced for every high school student, I believe our country would have more individuals who are fulfilled with their careers, and not be forced in doing work they don’t believe in. When we have a career that feeds our soul, it shows in everything we do, from the smile on our faces, to how we interact and encourage others to be the best version of themselves.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your background and context?

I’m Maria Englehardt, and I started my virtual assistant business in 2020. I draw on my background in the corporate world – where I gained experience in creating efficiency, setting up structure, understanding others, and leading people – to help busy business owners who are ready to delegate and scale.

I absolutely love helping people get out of the cycle of constantly having to do things and find time to focus on what they’re passionate about. It’s so important to remember why you started your business in the first place and what made you feel alive and excited about your ideas. I want to help you get back to that place where you’re most fulfilled. You keep the passion and let me handle the work!

I offer an array of services to assist small business owners in getting organized and creating processes. A small list of services I provide are the following:

CRM set-up via HoneyBook
Website creation
E-file organization
Process creation
Workflow creation
Email newsletter
Custom signature block
Contact form creation embed
Project management tool set up
Light scheduling
Social media content scheduling
Holiday cards
Bill payments
Ordering
Consultation services, etc.

Small business owners (my clients) often have their business processes in their mind, but a true process has not been created. It is very difficult for small businesses to grow with a process in the owner/CEO’s mind, as it’s very difficult to maintain the same level of quality services, as business is booming to ensure every customer is getting the same level of attention. I work with my clients via a consultation, notate their process, and create an official process out of it with automations, templates, etc. This ensures quality service each and every interaction.

I am an assistant that is passionate about anything business. I am a people person and want to make sure my clients are happy with their processes. I strive to be honest, trustworthy and dependable which is why I work hard to ensure that my clients are more than satisfied! I come from a corporate world where I found myself feeling disconnected from my clients. In my new business, it is my number one priority to build genuine relationships and provide excellent customer service. Being part of the digital age has allowed me to connect with clients not only through e-mails, phone calls, video calls, but also social media.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

I knew I had outgrown my corporate position, and was ready for more. I had little idea of how I was going to make that happen, but was driven to do it. I spoke to anyone and everyone about my business that would listen; including friends, who also had businesses. I asked them all about their struggles, and then capitalized on how I could provide relief to small business owners like them. My first pitch was to a designer in Jensen Beach, FL. She didn’t seem interested as she was looking for an in person assistant; but when I explained that I could help her without being in person, she set up an appointment and cancelled it just days before. After much heartache and soul searching; I decided to sleep on it (and yes even cry!) then woke up with a fire in me that is indescribable, and continued reaching out to other small business owners offering my services on a trial basis until someone would give me a chance! Thankfully after 3 weeks the designer called me back, and became me very first client!

Where do you think you get most of your clients from?

The best source of new clients for me has been word of mouth. The clients that have utilized my services for consultation services, and process creations have truly felt the relief. They are the ones that spread my company’s name like wildfire. I am forever grateful for them.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.mevirtualservices.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/maria_e_virtual_assistant/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VirtualAssistantME
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maria-englehardt-97577b73/

Image Credits
Elena Burley with BandEBranding