The Story Exchange is an award-winning nonprofit media organization that provides inspiration and information to entrepreneurial women.

Sign up for our biweekly newsletter!

Michelle Myers of My Virtual Paige: An Entrepreneur Finds a Way to Raise Her Family and Build a Successful Company

“We have doubled our business year over year in both 2014 and 2015 and are excited about the growth we continue to see.”

46The Story Exchange
By The Story Exchange

This story is part of our 1,000 stories campaign. What’s your story?

Name: Michelle Myers

Business: My Virtual Paige , administrative support for tree, lawn and landscape businesses

Industry: High Tech, Professional Services

Location: Middleburg, Virginia, U.S.

Reason for starting: In 2008 I lost my corporate-design career and found myself without work, raising two children alone — and we had no idea a long recession was on the way. I ended up losing our home and my car and relocated to my family’s home in Colorado looking for a restart. My sister and brother-in-law were in construction and thought I could help in their business doing drawings, pulling permits and other various work.

January 1, 2010, I decided to begin My Virtual Paige. My primary goal was to work from home while raising my growing toddler. My Virtual Paige now manages tree, lawn and landscape businesses in every U.S. time zone and in Canada. We have doubled our business year over year in both 2014 and 2015 and are excited about the growth we continue to see.

As My Virtual Paige continues to grow, we have also found parallel services that this sector needs, and have aligned ourselves with the Best in the Business “August Hunicke” providing creative services through our newest venture “Arbor Agents.” We will provide web design, social media management, marketing, business management software with Arborgold, answering and admin support through My Virtual Paige, and video production with August Hunicke. We are looking to be the “one place” a business can go to for all of their solutions.

Related: Read about another High Tech entrepreneur here.

How do you define success? Having created a business that supports my family, as I fulfill my primary roles of wife and mother. Continuing to provide at-home jobs for parents. Supporting our amazing clients as they do the hard work in the field each and every day. Allowing all of us to continue to grow.

Biggest Success: Giving work to parents that is manageable while they fulfill their primary roles as parents. Hearing back from an employee, “Happy Monday everyone!!! I hope you all enjoyed your weekends. So grateful to have this job and am able to stay home with my babies! I LOVE it!! Getting great feedback from our clients is also a huge success: “Michelle – you are an amazing boss and have created something so special and helpful. I don’t know what I would be doing right now if I hadn’t heard about your company. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.”

Related: An International Look at Lady Bosses

What is your top challenge and how have you addressed it? My biggest challenge is getting the word out about our business and helping potential clients see that they may be the log jamb in their own business by wanting to handle each and every phone call. Getting them to see the potential for growth once we begin to handle the pipeline with them.

Who is your most important role model? Sir Richard Branson.

[box_light]Website   www.myvirtualpaige.com
Twitter   @myvirtualpaige
Facebook   www.facebook.com/My.Virtual.Paige[/box_light]

Tell us your story!
Read about another High Tech entrepreneur here!

Edited by The Story Exchange