We were lucky to catch up with Nancy Glover recently and have shared our conversation below.

Nancy, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Is your team able to work remotely? If so, how have you made it work? What, if any, have been the pitfalls? What have been the non-obvious benefits?

I do not have a team. I fly solo with my business and work remotely. There are no pitfalls–all benefits.

Working remotely from home has offered several benefits, particularly for me who is visually impaired and runs a creative services business. I enjoy the comfort and customization of my workspace at home. My workspace is tailored to meet my needs without the constraints often found in traditional office settings. My tools, equipment and technology have been arranged to maximize my efficiency and comfort. My flexible schedule allows for me to work around doctor’s appointments and other personal commitments. Working remotely also eliminates the need to commute, which saves time and reduces the stress and challenges associated with traveling.

My home environment is less distracting than a busy office. I can work at my own pace, expand my client base which allows me to offer my creative services to a wider audience. Also, especially relevant in times of public health concerns, working from home minimizes my exposure to illness, which is an important consideration for me. Remote work is improving my work-life balance, which is crucial for maintaining good mental health.

Working from home reduces overhead costs related to office space rental, commuting, and other work-related expenses. Overall, my remote work is providing me with a highly adaptive environment that caters to my unique needs as a visually impaired individual, thereby potentially leading me to a more successful and fulfilling creative services business.

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 back background and context?

Throughout my life, I have worn many hats of different colors, shapes and styles, depending on the circumstance. Starting at the tender age of six, I was unknowingly being groomed as a caregiver by my mother, as she allowed me to assist and witness her gentle and loving skills while she cared for our sick family members. Little did I know this training prepared me to, later in life, care for her, my dad, my 96-year-old uncle, and my father-in-law, all in my home, as well as my mother-in-law from a previous marriage at her home, until they all passed. To this day, I continue to help senior citizens at their places of residence, as needed, by making sure their bills are paid, ordering clothing, household products and groceries for home delivery. I am a humble and creative soul who finds joy in wearing many hats. My mother saw this spirit in me which set the path for my future. Thank you mom.

During the many years as a caregiver, I was also maintaining a home with my husband, raising three boys and working a full-time job. My professional work history covers the following positions: Executive Assistant to the VP of a Legal Department at an international company, Paralegal, Notary, Engineering Assistant, HR Assistant, Virtual Manager at an accounting firm, and Program Assistant at one of the largest philanthropic organizations.

While I was enjoying every aspect of my busy life, I also participated in a lot of “creative and fun” activities after work and on weekends. During this time, I was a runway model, hat model, Instructor at Barbizon School of Modeling, Model of the Year for the State of Pennsylvania, and second runner-up in the Bicentennial Pageant. I was also honored as one of the Best Dressed by The Pittsburgh Courier newspaper, hosted Mahalia Jackson’s Christmas Special, which aired on a local tv channel, and was selected as Ms. United Way for this charity organization.

The “creative” side of me includes baking specialty cakes, cooking, sewing, clothes design, writing poems and short stories, organizing weddings and banquets. The “handy woman” side of me successfully accomplished the following projects: laying floor tile, hanging wallpaper and borders, installing ceramic tile on a kitchen sink, installing a chandelier, replacing a bathroom cabinet and medicine cabinet with side lights.

All seemed to be going well with my extremely busy, yet enjoyable and fulfilling life, until the retinas detached in both of my eyes. Even though the surgery did not go as well as I had hoped, I still had some vision. However, my vision was not good enough to continue to work so I reluctantly retired at the early age of 66.

This unexpected turn of events with my eyesight was devastating to me. Fortunately, my three boys were grown and on their own, so I was still able to travel with my husband and care for him. All seemed to be going well with my life until July 8, 2020. My husband of 42 years passed.

After almost two years of sadness and grieving the loss of my husband, I decided to use my creativity to produce an opportunity for me to work from home. So, I started a creative and administrative services business.

I offer the creation of personalized business and entertainment flyers, sympathy, birthday, holiday and specialty cards, and funeral and class reunion programs, just to name a few. I also take specialty requests. I prepared a 115 slide PowerPoint presentation for a family reunion, a 48”x24” simulated check for a scholarship presentation at a high school assembly, and several musician award recognition certificates with gold frames. The latest and most unusual request I received was to “bling up” a walker for a lady having a knee replacement. She figured if she had to use a walker during her recovery, she wanted to look stylish and unique. So, I bought several sheets of self-sticking rhinestones and covered the walker. She was well-pleased.

Working from home has offered many benefits for me and my clients. I give personal, efficient, and time-saving attention to each project. If a client requests to see the progress of their project, in-person, I accommodate and serve refreshments as well.

For me, I enjoy working from the comfort of my home. I have tailored my workspace to meet my needs. With the purchase of the latest technology and equipment, including a large screen monitor, I have maximized my efficiency. My flexible schedule also allows me to work around doctor appointments and other personal commitments. Since I no longer drive, working from home eliminates the need for me to commute, which reduces my stress, and minimizes my exposure to illness.

Even though I have experienced many trials and tribulations, being a God-fearing woman has allowed me to weather any storm, pray for the best resolution to any situation and keep calm and focused. If some problems don’t work out, I have learned to always have a Plan B, a Plan C, etc..

Working from home reduces overhead costs related to office space rental, commuting, and other work-related expenses. I can, therefore, pass along these savings to my clients by offering services at a low cost.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

Having impaired vision is my most challenging experience. My creative ability fulfills me and is a way to express myself. My goal, therefore, is to continue to provide unique and lasting memories for my clients that go above and beyond their expectation.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect for me as a creative artist is my ability to provide a finished project that fulfills a client’s need that is beyond their expectation. I personalize each project to make it one-of-a-kind. I use my client’s thoughts, experiences and emotions to create a product unique only to them. All my customers have been 100% satisfied and refer others to me.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: florenveroni
• Facebook: Nancy Glover