Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Micaela Young. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Micaela, appreciate you joining us today. Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?

Having worked over 10+ years in the Corporate Fashion Industry in the UK taught me so much, one of the main things being resilient to change and challenging myself to always go above & beyond in whatever I do. As much as I enjoyed working for prestigious companies such as Jimmy Choo & Coach, I always felt something was lacking. As cheesy as it sounds, I always wanted to feel like I was giving back and at times being in the corporate world, my job made me feel meaningless. Being the daughter of immigrant parents who came to the UK from Portugal for a better life, I felt like i wasn’t giving back to the community as much as I wanted.

Rewind to 2017, when I met my future Husband Dominick, serving in the United States Air Force, it was a match made in heaven (cheesy I know). Anyhow, eventually in 2022 I took the biggest leap of my life and dropped everything to move to Shreveport, LA to reside with Dominick and take on the world as a Military Spouse. I had no idea what I was about to encounter and the challenges that came with this role. One being, the world I knew before of working so hard to get to be in a senior position in the corporate world was no more, it was scary. But this also offered me the opportunity to explore new opportunities.

Whilst waiting for my greencard and legally being allowed to work in the USA, I was brainstorming what I could do. Being completely honest Shreveport didn’t exactly have a lot of opportunities for me, so it was like I was right back at square 1 when i first graduated college. I had a close friend, who was a therapist and owned her own practice, she needed help with creating content for her social media platforms, with me being unemployed, I was happy to help out, completely free of charge. With that, came the idea, I could actually create my own business and do this for a living, helping small businesses with social media content, and take on other roles such as administrative tasks, billing etc allowing small business owners to focus on what they do best. Fast forward September 2022 and my work authorization finally arrived and I launched my very first business: Micaela Solange Virtual Assistance, LLC.

I vowed that by having a business I was only wanting to work with small businesses I am passionate about, that are working to help people. That’s where my niche comes in, I work with healthcare professionals mostly, Small Practices such as Rose Junie Therapy & Empower Marriage & Family Therapy. Through my work, I feel essentially I am finally giving back to the community and my role has a purpose. May it be my content reaching individuals on social media or speaking with a potential client on the phone, listening and providing assistance. It’s like a dream come true and I still pinch myself everyday, I have my own business, I am my own CEO and most importantly, I do what I love.

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

My name is Micaela, I am Portuguese and grew up in a small town just outside of London, in the UK. I worked in the Corporate Fashion industry for 10+ years straight after college until I moved to the USA in March of 2022, to reside in Shreveport, Louisiana with my husband Dominick, who is active duty Military (Air Force).

Moving to the US, offered me the chance to start over, explore a different industry, do something that felt more rewarding than I had done prior. I worked from 20-31 in the Corporate Fashion Industry and whilst that was fun and introduced me to so much, I knew it was time for a change. Whilst being 7 months unemployed in the US due to waiting on my work authorization/greencard I had time to think what was i going to do next. I was a workaholic and had never not worked since the early age of 15 so this was a challenge in itself.

Being a Military spouse has its benefits and challenges, one being you are guaranteed to move every few years to a new location so trying to take on a career which I could grow in was hard. Also being in Shreveport, I felt for me I didn’t have many opportunities in terms of doing something I knew I was going to enjoy. Believe or not, when I first started job hunting, I was told various times I was “too qualified and experienced” for roles which was so frustrating!

I had a friend, Junie, and she had & has her own small private practice in Long Beach, CA. At the time whilst I was waiting on legal documentation to be able to work, she had asked me, do you know anyone who could help out with my social media content? I said no, but that I was more than happy to help (for free) since I wasn’t doing much at the time whilst waiting on the greencard. I started working on creating Instagram posts & reels for her, and I found that I was really enjoying it, it was fun and mostly importantly the content was about something I was truly passionate about: Mental Health.

Through that experience, an idea sparked, I could create my own business and do this for other small businesses. So as soon as I got legal authorization to work in the mail, I submitted my request for my own LLC in Louisiana as a Virtual Assistant. My plan was to work for small businesses throughout the United States supporting with the following:
– Social Media Content creation & engagement
– Logo, flyer, brochure designs
– Administrative support
– Social Media management

I work mainly with Healthcare professionals such as therapists and some doctors and truly love it so much. Right now I work a full time job whilst also working on my business. My long term goal is to make my business full time and take on additional clients.

Being a virtual assistant allows me to help small business owners maximize their potential. Having a virtual assistant is cost-effective and flexible for both me and the small business.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

I think the biggest factor that helped me gain new clients was word of mouth. I work mainly with healthcare professionals and therapists. With each new client I took on it was because I was recommended by a fellow therapist/peer. Whilst social media and advertising is great, something I am still tapping into and growing, I find that there is nothing better than word of mouth plus its free advertising!

For small business owners hiring someone such as a Virtual Assistant is a big move, its scary, this business is your baby and you want to make sure everything is perfect. Having a peer recommend someone is even more reassuring because you feel safe taking that additional step.

I also find that networking is a huge factor when growing a business. My very close friend is a doctor at LSU, I would sometimes go to LSU’s events and just network and speak to healthcare professionals as well as ensuring they received my business card which lead to additional new clients!

How do you keep in touch with clients and foster brand loyalty?

Being 100% virtual has its pros and cons, but one of the cons is really not having that in-person interaction with your clients. How I manage this is really by ensuring regular weekly zoom calls, going through goals & objectives, what can be improved, etc. I offer clients the freedom to contact me whenever they want (whilst also setting boundaries when to be OOO).

Also, one of the biggest pros of being virtual is being able to work from anywhere, anytime. I love to travel so if I am visiting a location where I had a client nearby, I always make the effort to ensure I meet with them in person, even if its for a quick coffee. Showing that you go above and beyond only helps reassure clients they have made the right choice to hire you but build that relationship even more. Communication is everything!

Contact Info:

• Instagram: micaelasolange.va
• Facebook: Micaela Solange VA
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/micaela-pereira-young-9813b159/