Tracey Turavani

Sensible Office Services
Niagara, Ontario

At what point in you career did you make the decision to become self-employed?

I moved toward self-employment after the birth of my second daughter.  As a family we needed a more flexible childcare arrangement than the conventional work force could offer. After much thought and discussion, I decided to launch an office support service for people who either lacked administrative support, the necessary skills or time.  At the time I thought I was unique in my thinking, but upon the implementation of developing a business plan I quickly learned that in Canada alone there were 1.5 million people doing what I was planning to do.  I found this both shocking and reassuring.  My original Idea was not that original after all,  yet my idea was a workable one as there were 1.5 million people making a living…and so could I.

What was the driving force behind that decision?

Ultimately, I believe becoming a parent was the driving force behind me starting Sensible Office Services.  I realized I needed flexibility in my schedule and my current job did not enable that.   I decided to draw on my strengths and I created a position I enjoy and it is something I am good at. Years previous the thought of running my own business would creep up now and again.  I had always wanted to start an organizing business. For as long as I can remember I have been helping friends and family organize their homes or I have helped them with strategies to manage their chaotic and hectic lives. Organizing to me is fun, where for other people it is intimidating. I did not want to get into organizing strangers home and lives, so I decided to meld my two strengths, of organizing and office support together.

Describe the greatest challenges you faced when making the transition.

I would say that being a business owner has been the hardest job I have ever faced.   I am somewhat of an introvert by nature and originally when I began my business I thought I would plug away on my computer and my client contact would be limited to emails and phone calls.  I learned quickly that unless I get out and networked with other businesses then no one was going to know who I was and no one was going to be hiring me for anything.  Being that I am a reserved, introvert, I can say that networking for me was very challenging. I remember my first networking event where I was to speak for two minutes and tell people about my business…I practiced and planned and had my notes written out…I was nervous…so nervous.  I think when I finished I was about four different shades of red.  I even had my sister-in-law come with me because I was scared to be there by myself.  How that has changed…since that time I have been a presenter many times over, talked about my business countless times and the nerves and the jitters are all gone.  I have learned to bring out the extrovert of my personality in order for me to network.

Which skills did you need to develop in order to become effective in your role as an entrepreneur?

When I first started Sensible Office Services I wanted to hand over my sales to someone else – anyone else.  As long as it meant that I could do the work and they could do the talking… I thought that someone - anyone would be better at selling Sensible Office Services than me.   As with life…having a business has been a learning experience; with that being said I have learned to be more comfortable talking in front of people and with people and selling my business when needed. I must say there were other things I needed to learn too.  I was great at what I did, but lacked the skills and knowledge to run my business as a business.  I knew nothing of government regulations and requirements, registration and all the other behind the scenes stuff that as consumers we generally do not see or experience.  Thanks to Niagara College I was able to learn the necessary skills to run and manage my business. The skills I had learned there has also helped me with the management and running of  my clients businesses.

Which networking groups do you belong to?

I network all the time. As a business owner you have to.  I may network while sitting in a waiting room for one of my girls classes; or while in the grocery store or at office supply outlets. I find it is important to be prepared as you never know who you may meet or when. As for a “proper” networking group, I have been participating in NABWN (Niagara Area Business Women’s Network) since I began my business.    In previous years, I had been on the Executive and for approximately four years I have been generating and producing the monthly newsletter for the group. When I first began my business I became a member of the St. Catharines Chamber of Commerce, Small Business Club and Women in Business.  In order to effectively generate clients from these groups you need to attend the business functions; unfortunately, my time is limited and I opted to end my memberships with those groups. I do still attend the odd function or event that they put on and I pay the non-member pricing. I am actively involved in my daughters' school and volunteer as their pizza coordinator. Additionally, this year I am the Co-chair of the Parent Council. As with all networking it only works if you participate and since my time is limited by family, work, volunteer work, and well life…I have opted to just stick with this for now.

What is the best business book you have ever read?

When I was stressing out over sales, way back in the beginning of my business I had a business associate who is in sales sit with me and offer some advice.  One of the best pieces of advice was a book called, “You Can’t Teach a Kid to Ride a Bike at a Seminar” by David H. Sandler. In the past when I was first starting out, I would find myself through the course of a conversation, offering free professional advice to people…unwittingly giving away elements of one of the core services of Sensible Office Services - consulting.  I was under the impression that if I could offer them some guidance they would hire me. What I discovered was that they would take my ideas and tried and true processes and get someone less qualified to implement them at a lower cost. This book provided me with the insight and knowledge to avoid that costly mistake.

What does the future hold for your industry?

The virtual assistant industry is just on the cusp of its evolution.  Many businesses are discovering the value of having a support system that does not need to be in the same physical location. The advantages of having someone who understands your business, has the tools and the knowledge to do the things you might not do well or as quickly is priceless.  As time and money continue to become more limited resources, people will start looking for more cost effective ways to run their business and people like me may become even more popular. One of the key items I find to being successful in my field is constantly staying abreast of changing technology, learning and discovering what will benefit me and my clients.

How do you feel about the current status of women in the workforce in Canada?

Women in Canada are starting to become the lead workforce in Canada. With fewer and fewer manufacturing jobs and the need for less technical positions available, the ingenuity and initiative of women has begun to take the lead. According to Small Business Canada the number of women owned businesses has doubled in the last fifteen years. I feel this trend will continue as more and more women are seeking to find a work/life balance.

When you are featured on the cover of Time magazine, what will be the headline?

“This Virtual Assistant Has Been Virtually Everywhere”