Submitted by Jackie Nees on | 0 Comments
Get to know Jackie Nees....
I imagine what it must feel like as an Olympic diver steps onto the diving board, walks up to the edge and thinks of nothing else but what he’s about to do. He gets in position, takes a deep breath and jumps. I know that feeling well. I’ve done it several times. No, I’m not an Olympic diver, (heck, I can’t even swim) I’m an entrepreneur!
My background is in office work, admin assistance and office management and somewhere along the line I threw in a degree in graphic design for good measure. I enjoyed certain components of all of these things but was miserable being under someone’s thumb, and most of all being told over and over that I wasn’t “qualified” to do this or that because I didn’t have the right background or degree. In 2008 I discovered the Virtual Assistant industry and my first business, Integrity Office Solutions was born.
I loved working as a VA and realized I was really good at a lot of things I didn’t know I was good at. The more I did, the more I learned, the more visible I was becoming to online entrepreneurs everywhere. I dipped my toes in the Social Media pool and gained a following very quickly.
People were beginning to refer to me as, dare I say, an expert in areas like online marketing, social media and virtual assistance. I was working with some of the top internet marketing gurus and soon I started getting invites to be a guest on radio shows, do guest blogging articles and JV opportunities. I felt like a virtual rock star. But like many rock stars I began to burn out. I found myself dreading my inbox, procrastinating on projects and spiraling downward into a deep pit of depression. My work wasn’t fulfilling anymore and I felt like I was being pulled in a million directions.
On March 2, 2010 I sent an email to my clients announcing I was “closing my doors” and leaving my business. (I have to note the irony of this date because today is March 2, 2011). I had a meltdown for lack of a better word, questioning what business I had even being in. For a brief moment of insanity I decided to take a “real job” because I thought that earning a steady paycheck and doing mundane work would be a refreshing change.
That lasted all of about two months and I found myself missing my business, being my own boss and working with amazing people. I realized that it wasn’t my business that was the problem it was me doing work that I didn’t enjoy so I took a bit of time to get clear on what services I really enjoyed as well as the kinds of people I enjoyed working with. I decided to re-launch last Spring under my own name Jackie Nees | Virtual Assistant. I designed a new website and told everyone I could think of that I was back. The response was overwhelming. They liked me! They really, really liked me!
Business is great and I’ve been working with some phenomenal people, but my entrepreneurial wheels never stop turning. A few months ago I started realizing that I wanted to help people on a bigger level but didn’t quite know what that looked like. At the same time I was noticing that a lot of businesses in my community were in the dark ages with their marketing. Most have no online presence whatsoever and rely only on a small phone book ad, if that. I knew I wanted to help change that somehow.
The lightbulb went off not long after and I decided the logical next step was to offer marketing consulting services. Initially I thought of having two separate businesses but then realized the VA side and the consulting side were a good match so I am now in the process of revamping everything including forming an LLC, new name and new services. I’m so excited about this growth and evolution of my business and am excited to share my journey with the Tin Shingle community!
