Are you Comfortable?

I wonder if anyone who starts their own business realizes how significant they will be stretched outside of their comfort zone?

During my years in corporate America, I felt a sense of confidence that was built upon the foundation of the company I represented. Because I knew I would only be a spokesperson and salesperson for an organization that I believed in, once I choose who to work for, my focus became what I was good at...strategy and relationship building.

When I drove away from Massachusetts "wondering what was next", I knew I had a business idea coming to life in my mind, but I didn’t have any idea what was ahead. I knew I was going to be in a new place, surrounded by new opportunities, but I didn’t know where, what, who, when, or how.

Honestly, from where I stand now, it seems like it was a bold move. I understand today I made that move from my former place of success and confidence. I knew I could work harder than anyone else I knew. I knew how fast my mind could think about how many moving parts can move together to create new solutions. I trusted in my ability to discern what was needed and how to get there. I expected some bumps in the road, but I knew I would be successful in launching a successful business.

What I understand now, that I didn’t understand before, is that successfully developing your own company is 99% personal development.

Corporate America has a layer of insulation built into it...we were taught NOT to share who we were....we were taught to hold and maintain boundaries that did not cross the line of mixing personal relationships with business relationships. We were certainly friendly with our "business contacts" but there was the decorum of a professional boundary in place most of the time. This insulation afforded me "personal protection", allowing me to be successful without having to share my personal challenges and anxieties.

As I brought HerQuest to life, what caught me off guard was realizing I had layers of self-protective walls that had developed over the years. I found myself discovering parts of me I had forgotten about...the thrill of wishes and dreams, but also fears and doubts that I didn’t have to face in the corporate environment I had so comfortably acclimated to. Truth is, I was rattled by some of my personal discoveries and it impacted my ability to believe in myself the way I had previously.

As I tried to juggle design, development, promotion, and implementation, I kept getting hit with these waves of overwhelm that left me stunned. Work was where I always had been my best! Work was where I went and hid out when the stuff at home felt too hard to "deal with". Work was where I re-stabilized, not the place that made me crumble into tears! What was going on?!

I found myself starting and stopping. I found myself procrastinating. I found myself doubting myself over and over again. Each time I felt doubt, I tried even harder. As a team of one, I simply couldn’t keep up with the introductions, the product development, the social media, the communication tools, the networking, and the follow-up, it was endless. Facing the need to learn the technology, simply put me over the edge. I started to believe I would never learn it all and tried to work with some virtual assistants in hopes they would be my solution. The truth was because I didn’t understand what I needed or why I was unable to ask for help in a way that actually achieved what I was after.

This "contrast" of not achieving what I wanted, was the catalyst to a HerQuest business model that blends strategic business plans with "done for you" virtual assistant services.

As businesses evolve from an idea stage and into product/service launches, there is a need for validation, social proof, branding, communication tools, marketing plans, social media presence, etc.

As customer feedback is shared, products and promotional strategies need to be refined and fine-tuned.

As relationships are developed and the desire to accelerate the path to success grows, alliances and collaborative efforts begin. This too causes the need for even more marketing and more time invested in ensuring any contribution is high quality and meets the needs of the collaborative effort.

Can you imagine having the ability to outsource any piece of the "to-do" list that causes feelings of self-doubt, frustration, or overwhelm? How quickly would you accelerate the growth of your business if you didn’t have to do it all alone?

For many entrepreneurs who are eager to grow, scale, and succeed, the fastest way to get there is to strategically utilize a proven virtual assistant service. When you can leverage this VA solution within a like-minded community of business owners who have realized the value of their personal growth and are eager to bring their "best self" to each day, it is likely you’ve been led to exactly what you have been asking for.

We understand you likely receive many invitations to join social media groups and want to be sure we are the right fit for you. We have designed a series of social media posts to help you discern if this community is the best fit for you. We encourage you to consider the questions so your personal intuition has a chance to influence you rather than any skepticism that could be triggered by past disappointments.