Sharon Broughton

Resume

I live in sunny Sacramento, California. I was born and raised in California so I truly am a California girl. I have a wonderful husband, Tim, who works for the State Legislature as a computer hardware/software specialist. He helps me solve all my computer woes. I also have three wonderful children—my son Casey (14y ears old), and my daughters Lisa and Emily (12 and 8).  We live in a beautiful area with lots of room for gardening and playing. My house is never clean but we sure have a lot of fun.

Choosing virtual assistance for my profession has allowed me to do what I enjoy most—working with dynamic individuals with a thirst for adventure and a desire to have it all.  It also allows me to be home for my family when they need me. Just the fact that I don't have to call a boss and explain why I can't come in today because one of the kids is sick—is wonderful (although it rarely happens). My hobbies include: gardening, cooking, sewing, scrap booking, reading books, staying on top of industry trends, and laughing with my children.

My experience in the corporate world has ranged from executive assistant for a company CEO to working in the retail jewelry industry.  I am a certified legal secretary (Heald Business College).  I worked for several years as a telecommuter for two different companies and this is what first got me interested in working at home. One of the companies was located in Oakland, about 2 hours away, and I had to go into the office once a month. The rest of the time I worked out of my home office.  The other company was located in Los Angeles and I flew down to the office about twice a month. I sure enjoyed those frequent flyer miles! I decided to go out on my own when I was layed off for the third time. I didn't want to be dependent on anyone else ever again.  Since I had been working at home and was enjoying the benefits of that, I wanted to find something that was similar.

I remember my "ah ha" moment when I discovered virtual assistance.  I was getting ready to go on vacation and wanted a couple of books to take with me.  I was at the bookstore browsing when I saw Cheryl Richardson's book "Take Time for Your Life." I remember the feeling of picking up the book and knowing that it would change my life.  I read it on the trip in the car and while we were at the swimming pool. I could not put it down.  When I came to the part about virtual assistance, I was stunned. Here was the name for what I had been looking to pursue—a career working at home using my administrative skills. As soon as I got back home I checked out the resources for virtual assistance in the book (AssistU) and signed up for the program.  My training began in November 2001 and I graduated in June 2002.  My practice is thriving and I haven't looked back.

I truly love what I do and wouldn’t trade it for anything! Feel free to drop me a line to say hello—I enjoy meeting new people.