My Story:

The Business I built Between Appointments, IEPs, and Bedtime (Part 1)

At the heart of my decision to start my own business in 2022 was a deep need to contribute financially to my household and be fully present for my kids. I have five kids, now ranging in age from 15 to 28. My two youngest have significant extra needs, which has made holding a traditional job incredibly difficult—even after they started school.

During their kindergarten years, I spent an enormous amount of time on the computer. I didn’t have the words for it at the time, but what I was managing was the “mental load”—the behind-the-scenes labor of parenting that isn’t always visible. I was emailing teachers, researching doctors and therapists, applying for services, and diving deep into topics like sensory processing—terms I hadn’t even heard of before 2014. And just when I thought I had learned what I needed to know, I realized that what helped one child didn’t apply to the next. Their needs were completely different.

Meanwhile, I still had three older kids with their own schedules and events—school parties, band concerts, field trips, birthdays, dance, gymnastics. Life was full. Full of joy, yes—but also incredibly demanding.

It wasn’t until my youngest was in second grade that I finally felt like I had enough breathing room to get a paid job outside the home. I landed an office job, a familiar environment thanks to my pre-kid experience (bet you didn’t know I was the student body secretary in college). And, it turns out, running a busy household for a decade had taught me some pretty valuable skills—like organizing, planning, and keeping everyone’s calendar straight. I worked part-time for five years and genuinely enjoyed it.

But in 2020, things took a hard turn. Like many families, ours faced some intense health challenges during that period. Between late 2020 and early 2022, three of my children had a total of eight (EIGHT!) week-long hospital stays. It felt like the early years all over again—only magnified by a hundred. I was making endless calls, managing appointments, keeping detailed notes, and doing nonstop research—while still working over 25 hours a week. I could feel burnout creeping in fast.

In the fall of 2022, my employer let me know that my position would be dissolved by the end of the year. I was sad—I'd truly loved the job—but to my surprise, I also felt… relieved. Just weeks before, I had told my husband how burned out I felt. Something had to change.

So I took the rest of 2022 to regroup. I strategized, planned, and ultimately made the decision to start my own business as a Virtual Assistant. I wanted the flexibility to work around my kids’ appointments, manage my own schedule, and adjust my workload as needed. I dove into learning—joining online groups, watching videos, listening to podcasts. I even bought a $100 starter kit to help me get up and running.

By early 2023, I had formed an LLC, set up my social media pages, and landed my very first client on a small package—just 5 hours a month. That might not sound like much, but for me, it was the perfect start. I needed time to recover from everything we’d been through. And I needed to be present for my kids.

Over the course of that year, I continued to show up on social media, networked with small business owners, and gradually grew my business. I gained a second retainer client and took on a handful of one-time projects—just enough to keep learning and building. By the end of 2023, I landed my biggest, highest-paying client yet—an opportunity that gave me the confidence and momentum to step into my second year feeling like I’d truly found my footing.

(stay tuned for part 2: making the shift from VA to OBM)