Today we’d like to introduce you to Meghan Bichard.
Hi Meghan, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I started MB Virtual Management shortly after graduating from the University of Central Florida with my BA in Journalism. My original intention after graduation was to work at the local newspaper and shine a light on small business owners and everyday heroes within our community. However, the first week of my final semester, my now husband and I welcomed our son Mason into the world. As managing editor of our collegiate newspaper at the time, little Mason and I became quite the journalistic duo. Mason entered his first newsroom when he was just one-month-old.
When I graduated that May and Mason was only four months old, I decided to take a break and spend the year with our little man. Free of deadlines, interviews, and technology, I truly loved watching Mason evolve over the next year. I still wanted to put my degree to good use, and so while I was on hiatus, I did some research on what I could potentially put my skillset toward while still being a stay-at-home mom. It didn’t take long into being a mom that I had completely changed my mind about working outside of the home. I wanted to soak up all the mom snuggles I could as it is seriously the best thing ever. I dipped my toe into a variety of courses while at UCF, hoping that once I was an independent journalist, I’d have the skills to not only write my own story, but photograph it, do the digital marketing for it, and edit everything all my own.
So, I made a list of my skills and started doing little side jobs here and there. I started with logo creation, branding, writing blogs, etc. Just enough to add to my collegiate portfolio and really hone in on what I wanted to do specifically. Anyone that knows me personally knows that I have just a touch of OCD, so keeping things organized and color-coordinated is my jam. My work history before and throughout college also provided me with amazing administrative and customer service skills. Once I had my list of skills, my resume, and portfolio together, I started doing research on work from home companies that may be hiring. I’ll be honest, I wasn’t really thrilled with the choices. Until one day, I happened across a Facebook page for Virtual Assistants. Reading through the description of the group and having done more research on the position, I knew I had found my calling. It truly feels as though this job was made for me. In July of 2019, I decided to dive into it and created my company. My first lead came from my high school Facebook page. That client referred me to another, and so on and so forth. It’s truly been an amazing journey thus far, and I adore being able to be home and make my own hours to watch our son Mason turn into the coolest kid ever. I absolutely love this job and my little family and encourage anyone who is trying to start up a business of their own to just go for it! Do your research, ask a lot of questions, join a ton of forums, find free classes online, but most importantly do what you love and what makes you happy.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It’s truly been a great ride so far. There were a few hiccups here and there when COVID-19 began last year, but I really saw an uprise in clients, which was surprising, but with everything going online and people having to book a lot of their appointments virtually and just trying to stay relevant on social media, I kept pretty busy during that time. Now, working from home with a 4-year-old who is just as curious as his mother can get a little crazy. He’s always asking questions trying to learn about everything, so multitasking is definitely my strong suit. And there can never be too much coffee. But I wouldn’t trade it for the world, I’ll stop what I’m doing to build a LEGO dinosaur with that kid anytime.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I think one of the things I love most about my job is the variety of clients I’ve had. I have worked with several types of small businesses including Etsy shop owners, realtors, branding companies, veterinarians, electricians, watercolor artists, and even bakers. Primarily, my client base, however, is photographers. I work for an amazing group of local Central Florida-based photographers who specialize in family and wedding photography, and I love being able to free up their time running the backend of their business so they can go out and be their amazing creative selves! My services for my clients range from social media management, client relation management, email management, booking clients, creating monthly newsletters, website builds, CRM builds, logo and branding creation, and more. July 1st will mark two years of being a small business owner, and I am proud to say that in my two years, I have helped over 35 local small businesses get organized and excel as entrepreneurs themselves!
As far as what I’m proud of, there are a few things. Myself for one. There have been a lot of trials and tribulations throughout my life, but I can honestly say that it never stopped me from doing what I set out to do. I wanted to go to college and be an example for my younger family members, and show them that no matter what happens, as long as you are true to yourself, work hard, set goals, and never stop learning, that you can do anything you want in life. And I’m thankful to have found a person who shares the same driven mentality that I do so that we can work toward our goals as a family. I’m also incredibly proud of my clients. There are so many accolades I could mention about the amazing things they’ve done over the course of the last two years, and I’m super thankful that I was able to be apart of it. I wouldn’t be where I am today if it wasn’t for their confidence in my work and I’ll be forever grateful to them for that. What sets me apart from others in my field is that I didn’t niche to one thing. I like to think of myself as a jack-of-all-trades virtual assistant. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been told by my peers that I should pick one thing and excel at it, but honestly, I don’t want to. I’m always finding new ways to further my education on subjects I already know and a lot that I don’t. I come from a family of lifelong learners and having that mindset instilled in me at a young age, it’s not in my nature to focus on just one thing. I want to learn all the things, and I want to teach my clients what I’ve learned so we can all move forward together.
Who else deserves credit in your story?
My friends and family have always been big supporters! My clients, too, they’re always putting my name out there and praising my work so it makes me super happy that I’ve got an amazing community behind me. I owe a lot to my husband Matthew, who is seriously the most supportive man ever, he never once doubted my ability to do this and I love that he is always so ready to help in any capacity he can to see my business succeed, even when it means cooking dinner when I’m working late one night. He’s honestly my biggest supporter, and he’s always on board when I want to try something new with my company.
Contact Info:
- Website: mbvirtualmanagement.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mbvirtualmanagement/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MBVirtualManagement
Image Credits
Photos: Devin Jae Photography Logo: MB Virtual Management
