The Challenges of Working with a Small Person at Home with You

I started my Virtual Assistant business when my son was about 8 months old. I remember doing my first transcription job with him in the highchair next to me. He napped several times a day (honestly, I don’t remember how much now, but it was enough that I could do most of my work while he slept).

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The thing is, 8 months is a baby age. And babies tend to get bigger, more mobile, and more demanding. And he did.

• A point came where I knew I could only schedule calls for when he was napping or there was another adult about to be with him.
• Transcription became a nap time only job because his fascination with the keyboard was (and is!) problematic, so I had to be conscious of how much I took on in relation to the time I had available.
• Nap transitions. Seriously, these may have been the biggest challenge to navigate. When I knew with reasonable certainty that he would nap for x amount of time a day and usually at such and such a time, I could plan with that time. But each nap that was dropped led to a re-evaluation and rejigging of my work day. On the upside, he’s now old enough to entertain himself for short periods while I work, so I can see how we’re at the beginning of increased flexibility again.
• Starting daycare was interesting. Since he started daycare I have more time for my work, and that’s part of why I now have some capacity I’d like to fill! But the period of getting him settled meant having to work even more closely than usual with my clients to make sure everyone was happy and everything was covered. My clients were amazing and it really helped that we already had really good relationships so we could all be honest about what we needed
• Being up front about having a child at home. I don’t know if everyone would agree that I should be open about having a little one at home with me. I can understand the fear it would put clients off. For me, it was just necessary. It meant that I was able to be clear about my need for flexibility around when I worked – and as it turned out, this has actually benefited clients as it meant there was often a shorter turn around time than if we’d had scheduled work times.

So, is it possible to run a VA business with a small child at home? Yes. Is it easy? Not really, and each phase of a small child’s life presents different challenges to be met. Is it worth it? Definitely! I’ve loved running and building this business and I’m glad I was able to find my way through at the same time as caring for my little boy.

And now? He’s coming up on three years old. His increasing independence and time in day care is moving the business into a new phase. One where I will have more time, greater predictability, and the ability to expand and explore new and exciting things (which is the topic of next week’s post!).

A reminder on my special offer for May: Any one off projects booked in during May will get a discount of £2 an hour, or 5% off a package rate (e.g. mailing list setup). This will apply even if the work is to take place after May is over. And the good news for my current clients with whom I have an ongoing arrangement, I will honour the £2 an hour discount for charges incurred throughout May.
So, if you are looking for some help, let’s have a chat! And in any case, I’ll see you here on the blog again next week!