It’s time for another Student Success Story here at Horkey HandBook!
We love featuring the journeys of our 30 Days or Less students and sharing what it can ‘look like’ when you put learning into action.
Today we’ll be featuring Sarah Bowman and her thriving VA business – she even has a waiting list!
This SAHM decided to go for it and “do it scared”, and things are definitely working out well for her – very well.
Ready to hear how Sarah went from student to success story? Let’s do this!
Name: Sarah Bowman
Short bio: SAH Wife and mom of one (plus a dingo) turned kickass virtual assistant
Location: Pueblo West, Colorado (USA)
Website: www.Sarahbowmanva.com
Date hired by first client: 3/7/18
Return on course investment:3/7/18
Average hours worked per week: 20-25
Average monthly income: $1200
Services offered: Social media management, Course/membership site and community management, general administrative services, customer service
Hi Sarah. Can you tell us a bit about yourself?
Hi, I’m Sarah Bowman from southern Colorado! I am a married mama of one precocious little girl and a dingo with a larger-than-life personality.
I enjoy spending time with my family outdoors and Netflix binging with my husband at night. In my spare time I enjoy crafting and making Target runs.
I graduated from Colorado State University-Pueblo with a Bachelor’s of Science in Business Administration where I majored in management and minored in marketing. While in college, I fell in love with marketing and knew it was my passion.
After becoming a mom in 2016, I decided it was time to follow my dream of becoming a marketer. I wanted to continue to stay home with my daughter, so I turned to virtual work.
How about your business?
I launched my business, Sarah Bowman Assisting, in February 2018, with the intention of creating a business that would fill my cup while my daughter slept. I wanted something that would loosen up our family budget a bit and would help to save and provide for our future.
Why did you decide to start a virtual assistant business?
After being a stay-at-home mom for 15 months, I realized that in order to be the best mom I could be, I would need to go back to work. I absolutely love being home with my girls; however, I really missed working.
I was at the point where I was willing to try just about anything, when I came across the idea of becoming a virtual assistant. At first, it felt like it was too good to be true. I could work from home, for a few hours a day, and make some decent cash on the side.
After getting on Pinterest and reviewing a few different people’s monthly income statements, it was a no-brainer. I was SOLD! I had to give this a try!
What was holding you back from starting your business?
A few things actually. First, I was scared. Scared of failing, scared of wasting money, scared of what others would say or think of me. I was concerned that if I launched my own business, I wouldn’t be the mom I wanted to be.
Sometimes it’s to a fault.
When I was going through the process of launching my business, I wanted to be ready to do everything on day one and kick ass right out of the gate.
I have to constantly remind myself that it doesn’t always happen that way.
What was the most challenging part as you got started?
I would say information overload for sure. There are so many different ways to do the same thing.
I wanted to know how to do it all before I started. I also had to learn that everyone is trying to sell me something.
I quickly learned to be successful, I need to put my blinders up and my head down.
How did you overcome information overload?
I made myself slow down and set some realistic expectations for myself. I tell myself that I am human and I cannot and will not know everything on day one.
I need to give myself a break because I am still learning. I take every experience that I have, both good and bad, and I learn from them. I think of ways as to how I could have handled it differently and better next time.
What has been your biggest success since you’ve started?
Every day that I have been in business has been a success and a dream come true. I have loved every minute of it.
I would say my biggest success is having someone in the marketing world (someone I looked up to, mind you) approach me to join their team. They were so impressed by my work and my work ethic; they had a feeling that we would connect well and I would be a total rockstar on their team.
I was so humbled by the message she sent and I feel honored to be working with her today.
I honestly can say I am so thankful that I decided to try and “do it scared.” This business and my clients have truly been the biggest blessing and answered prayer that I could have ever asked for.
Can you tell us about your favorite client or project?
I love all of my clients. I have been involved in so many amazing projects.
I would say my favorite is actually the largest project I have worked on, to date. It is still in progress. I don’t want to give too much away, but I have been working on a giant campaign that is not only helping female entrepreneurs to learn how to create video content for their business, but they are also learning how to repurpose the content to promote their business in various ways.
It’s been an awesome experience and I have been able to meet so many amazing and powerful women who are as beautiful on the inside as they are on the outside.
It’s been extremely empowering for me.
How are you working on growing your business currently?
I currently have a full roster of clients with one waiting to start. My family is in the process of relocating to North Carolina, so in the interim, I am maintaining my client base and opening the door to new potential work in the future.
Once we are moved and settled, I will begin to create my systems to start expanding my business.
What are you most looking forward to over the next 12 months?
Learning and expanding my business. When I first launched my business, I came in with the intention offering two or three services and that would be it.
My eyes are opening up to the possibilities and I realize the services I offer could be endless.
My ultimate goal is to create and run a small agency. I would like to offer various services and become a one-stop marketing shop for course creators. More to come on this in the coming months!
Sarah Bowman is a virtual assistant offering social media management, content production and membership site management services. She graduated from Colorado State University-Pueblo with a Bachelor’s of Science in Business Administration with a major in management and a minor in marketing. You can connect with Sarah on Instagram, LinkedIn, or her own website.