When I was a little girl, I dreamed about being a teacher. I remember setting up my bedroom like a classroom, creating worksheets, and even forcing my younger sister to sit through a few of my lessons. (Sorry, Sis!)
And, it happened. I was an educator for over 15 years in public schools and worked in various childcare and outdoor education settings as well. But my dream was never to stay for 35 years in education as a classroom teacher. I always knew this would just be a step on the path to more.
Over the years, I thought about so many different businesses and how to get out of the 9-5 way too much. My husband was building his business and we were growing our family. I wasn't at a point where I could leave teaching because I was the steady income and health insurance for many years. We were not at a place where I could do my own thing but thought about it nearly every day and even developed a few products but never took action.
During my time in public education, I trained teachers, was team leader, consulted on district projects, and really enjoyed the work and challenges. But there was always something else in me that saw more. I wanted to run the show. I just hated the feeling of the 9-5: being "stuck" at work and not having the flexibility I desired. All this really hit home when I became a mother and started missing out on important events with my little ones.
After we had the twins, I returned to the classroom that year. Call me crazy! I was juggling two infants, a preschooler, and a kindergartener. We had a nanny and help at home, but it was a lot. Our business was growing and my husband needed to work more. And, we now had 2 more little additions to our family! I began to feel pulled in too many directions and overwhelmed all the time.
I called my husband one afternoon in the spring and told him that I could not do this anymore. He was supportive and told me that their coordinator (who worked from home with her 6 kids) had just quit. And like that, I would soon be working with my husband and his business partner for the next 6 years.
The business grew rapidly over the next 18 months. I worked my "you know what” off for the next few years. While my husband and his partner were both acting as Visionaries, I jumped quickly into the Integrator role.
People, Processes, and Projects - they were my middle name. And I LOVED it. I was definitely in my zone. I learned more in these 4 years than I had in a long time.
Fast forward 4 years and the business needed more of me and my time. Something I wasn't willing to give it, because I was spending less time with my kiddos - and that is where I wanted to be. So I started searching and ran across virtual assistance. My husband and I had worked from home for years running our business, and I knew that many businesses had virtual teams.
And then... I ran into Sarah Noked and Tina Forsyth on the great wide web. Mic drop.
So, I began researching and learning all things OBM, digital marketing, online business, and such. I found where I belong and I was hooked!
Soon enough, I made the decision that I wanted to do this. I had been working as our DOO running operations, HR, managing projects for our growing team of 190+ remote staff. I knew that I had pushed through so much before and that I could do it on my own.
So in 2018, I made the jump, or should I say leap into virtual assistance, and then worked through the OBM certification process in 2021.
Now, I have my own business with the freedom and flexibility I desire, helping entrepreneurs manage the people, processes, and projects in their businesses so they can make more money and be the leaders they always envisioned.
Dana Hitchcock is an Online Business Manager and a People - Processes - Projects Strategist. She helps entrepreneurs organize, strategize and prioritize their business to go from overwhelmed to streamlined and fancy-free!
After over 20 years in education and a decade as a successful entrepreneur, she launched her own business to help entrepreneurs clean up the back end of their business. She is a Certified OBM and HR professional. In her spare time, she loves watching Food Network, especially Alton Brown, and cooking up new things.
Dana is also a wife, mom of 4 with dreams of traveling the world and seeing it all!
Book a free call to talk more about your business goals and vision. Let's see if hiring an OBM is the right fit for you and your business.