Why I love my Virtual Assistant: Meet Emily

Last week I shared some thoughts on one big question: Should you hire a Virtual Assistant?

Today, I’m telling you a bit more about mine!:)

Seriously, y’all, I have no idea what I did before Emily entered my biz world.

Because of her, I am more productive, more profitable, more motivated and more on fire for my biz than ever before.

Dang, Kat, who is this girl?! How can ONE PERSON do ALL of that for you? Does she have magical powers and is she accepting clients?!

She is one of the most detail oriented people I have ever met. She works willingly on some of the most mundane tasks, but does it with a smile. She puts her whole heart into every single thing she does – and it shows. She has an amazing work ethic, is quick to “get it done” and not afraid of trial & error. She takes the initiative and treats my business & my clients like her own.

She also has the biggest heart.

Last year, at our C@H Annapolis conference, she spent hours (yes, HOURS) sweeping up glitter from the Late Night Treat room. She’s loved on my On The Road attendees like they were her own, organized Round 7 payment plans & contracts and is the best webinar assistant! She also got me through one of the worst days of my life – the day I began miscarrying our second baby was the day we were driving 8+ hours home from C@H Memphis. She kept me occupied & distracted in that moment when I needed it most, and became a stronghold for my biz when I needed time & space to breath.

After our C@H webinar 2 weeks ago, she cried. She cried because she believed in me, believed in C@H and was so stinkin’ excited for how amazing registration was going.

She cried for me then – and now I’m crying as I write this post, ha!

This is my little love letter to the best investment I’ve ever made in my business. An investment that’s turned into a wonderful friendship. From Hallmark Movie texts to late night “I won’t judge you because of the time stamp on your email” – she’s more than a VA. She’s the cheerful heartbeat behind my brands.

Because of all she’s done for me, today I want to spread the love back to her. Today is her official LAUNCH DAY and y’all, I’m excited for her! She’s been hard at work curating a brand, website & service that speaks to who she is and what she loves! So today, will you hop on over to her site & take a little looksie? Will you comment on her blog and give her a big “Hey, girl, I see you rockin’ this new look! I love it!”!! I’d love your help in encouraging her today!:)

And PS. here’s a little q+a so you can get to know her even more!!:)

1. Emily, what does a day in the life look like for you?! Every day is a blessing, but no two days are ever the same and I love that. I am a wife and a puppy mommy, so I start everyday making sure my family is taken care of — a walk for Abbie and breakfast times three! Breakfast for me is usually a smoothie and TV time. I am TV-obsessed so I allow myself one episode of whatever I’m currently binging while I have breakfast (and I sometimes repeat this for lunch). I’ve found that this rule helps me to be more productive and focused throughout the day. The rest of my day usually consists of countless emails, Honeybook and social media management, a little bit of design work, lots of beautiful, color-coded spreadsheets, and multiple walks with my sweet girl!! Abbie usually doesn’t let me work much after 4:30 (literally she’s figured out how to turn my computer off or knock my phone down) because she knows her daddy will be getting off work soon and is ready to play! We have family time until bed and then, depending on the day, I’ll get back to work after they’ve gone to sleep. While that may not seem like the best work-life balance, sometimes I get my best work done with headphones in and my family asleep next to me. The freedom to step away and then back into my work zone when I feel most creative is such a blessing

2. You went from wedding planning to creative planning & VA services – are you happy you made the transition? What is your favorite thing about being a virtual assistant? A lot of people don’t know this about me but I actually have my MBA, and I planned weddings during school to pay for my grad school loans. Instead of following my dreams to be a full time planner, I did what I was “supposed to do” after graduation and got a job as a banker (the perfect career for someone who had to get a tutor to pass accounting and finance, right?). I spent the next 4 years learning a lot, but dreaming even more. Thanks to Matt’s encouragement and lots of prayer, I finally quit my job and bought a ticket to attend C@H. While my experience was completely a blur because I couldn’t believe that something like this actually existed, I brought home so much with me, most notably my notes from Shay Cochrane’s talk on “Finding Your Niche.” It wasn’t until I heard Shay do her talk again in July at C@H that everything I had been working towards clicked and I knew wedding planning wasn’t the path I was meant to go down. It’s so funny how things come full circle, and I’m so grateful that Matt gave me the opportunity to figure it all out. I didn’t wake up one day thinking, “I want to be a Virtual Assistant” haha but I knew I was crazy detail-oriented, super organized, loved planning and cared for others work like it was my own. Being able to serve creative small business owners was never on my radar, but by taking the time to understand my strengths and my weaknesses, I’ve found myself exactly where I’m meant to be.

3. What’s it like being Kat’s Virtual Assistant? Oh my goodness: #dreamjob – Kat Schmoyer is not only the biggest dreamer that I know, she also has one of the biggest hearts. No two days are ever the same but (as you would imagine) not a day goes by that she doesn’t have a new dream. And not the “omg not again” kind of dream but the “Kat Schmoyer sized, I need to get another notebook” kind of dream. While I had been working for Kat in a different capacity for about 8 months prior, I started as her assistant in August 2016. In that time, I’ve seen Kat face so much adversity and even more heartache. A lot of people would have completely shut down after the kind of year she had, but it has been the highlight of my job to watch her rise up. I remember our phone call where she “brain dumped” all of her ideas for C@H round 7, and I remember hanging up the phone and praying. Praying that the strength she had found in those dreams to overcome so much would change a life, just like her dreams had changed mine. Fast-forward to the night ticket sales opened for round 7. We were video chatting prior to the webinar and before Kat even started talking at 8:03p, 18 tickets had already sold. She told me not to tell her, so I didn’t, but I spent the entire webinar refreshing the ticket page and watching the number of available tickets get lower. The lower the number got, the more tears I cried. As most of you probably already know, tickets completely sold out. And to think she could’ve given up. Kat Schmoyer inspires me, she makes me want to do better work, and she always makes sure that I’m still achieving my dreams, while helping her achieve hers. Best boss-lady ever!

4. You’re super detail oriented and love to be organized – will you share your top 5 apps or tools for getting organized & staying productive? What do you use on a regular basis as a VA?

Google’s G-Suite (love!)
Trello (!!!)
Toggl (a time tracker and absolute must!)
Tiny Scanner (You can take a picture of a piece of paper on your phone and it turns it into a PDF that you can then email to yourself. Obsessed!)
Planoly (IG planning) & currently trying out Plann (for IG planning)

5. Your gorgeous brand and website launched today – hooray!! Tell us a bit about it!! What was your inspiration & why? YAY!!! With Grace & Gold = dream team!! Kelly & Andra took my vision and completely brought it to life!! My business was built on the foundation of love, the comforts of home, and my desire to serve creative small business owners; and I wanted Emily in Love to mimic all of those things. I want my clients to feel warm, welcomed, and so loved when they work with me; and the new Emily in Love sets that tone beautifully.
6. If you had one piece of advice to offer someone who is looking to become a virtual assistant, what would it be? Start small – maybe even start as an intern if you can. I did, and I was 29 years old with my MBA. My family and friends thought I was crazy, but now that I’m no longer the intern- I set my own hours, I work from home, and I could not be happier. Taking the time to learn and better yourself and your skills is so valuable. No matter where you are in life or how hard you’ve worked to get there, changing directions is okay, and in my experience, is absolutely vital to your success and never gets old.

7. Are you currently accepting clients for 2017? Where can they find you? My clients are more like my best friends, and it’s so important to me that I give them the same amount of love and attention that I would my family. SO, yes I am, but I am only accepting a few more clients for spring 2017.

My virtual assisting services include: project management, client software management, client experience, email management, calendar management, and social media management. If you’re looking for someone to bring on to your team, I would love to chat with you to see if I’m a good fit!! 🙂

Web : emilyinlove.com /// Email : hello@emilyinlove.com /// IG : @emilyinlove_