How it all started for The Virtual Organiser
I had a thought, almost a light bulb moment, Eureka…”why don’t I write my own blog”!!!! But about what!!!
This is all while I was hanging out the wet clothes on the clothes horse at 9pm one night. What about, I thought, maybe I could write about, “what’s it like to be a near 40-year-old young girl setting up her own business”. Would anyone be interested in the fact that it has been nearly 4 years since she has used her intellectual brain??? I am sure there has to be someone out there that might want to read about my start up butterfly’s moments and the self-confidence struggle of “can I really do this”???
Let me start by telling you a little bit about myself. My name is Geraldine or Geraldine Anne if my mother was introducing me or Deanie if it was my siblings. Ger is also a name I trade by, with my in-laws and all those who know me from my Cork days.
Geraldine, Geraldine Anne, Deanie, Ger, well she is just 40 (yikes and just don’t go there) and has a business degree along with years and years of experience working in the real world as a Recruitment Administrator, Recruitment Consultant (in the good old days of the Celtic tiger years), Receptionist, Office Administrator, Office Manager and (drum roll) a Personal Assistant.
I might as well throw in the little big fact that I am married to Wally (Walter Junior) and we have 4 beautiful children because they just are beautiful. Anna (Anna Marie) 13, Laura (Laura Rose) 9, Sarah (Sarah Grace) 7 & finally but no less least Tom (Tom Walter and not Walter Junior Junior) 3. There are enough Walter’s living down one lane and to add another Walter into the confusion mix, just was not worth it. Oh and did I mention, Wally is a farmer, a dairy farmer at that.
Back to the drum roll moment…Yes I was a Personal Assistant up until December 2013. I then took redundancy and 3 months later or so Tom (Tom Walter) arrived. Obviously I have been very busy in the last four years since…mammy busy…which can be just as demanding as any boss!!
I hadn’t been really given any thought to using my intellectual part of my brain until recently enough. The “summer strains” were to starting to show and I am sure you are wondering what the heck does she mean by “summer strains”. The “summer strains” for me was having all 4 kids at home in the one house at the one time 24/7…..do not get me wrong any mother who stays at home knows what I am saying. We all feel the same …if you don’t, your just not admitting to it to yourself, just yet. Anyway this “summer strain” look must have been written all over my face by all the new wrinkles and pounds appearing on my face, boobs and ass. Sprinkle some fairy dust magic and along came by entrepreneur sister, Angela (Angela of Lodge Road Therapy Fame – if I used her second name she would never talk to me again!!) who runs a very successful local business networking group for small business owners (Better Business Breakfast Group in New Ross). Angela invited me to one of those meetings because she thought maybe I might find it interesting. OMG what the hell would I have to offer the group but hey I am not one that is going to throw away an opportunity to help eliminate my summer strains and even better tap into a part of my brain that had not been used in some time……..