Far before this time, Michelle started her career working as a paraplanner in a financial services office. She always knew that she wanted to travel though; her primary objective was having the freedom to work from anywhere, at whatever times suited her – and during this particular job, these ideas took root, eventually causing her to change her life radically.
“It was 2005, so I was quite limited in what I could do, it had to be administration so I came up with this concept of providing basic admin services online.”
Firstly, once she was in Egypt she learnt how to build very basic websites and work online, including communicating with people and businesses virtually. Around this time, the idea of Virtual Miss Friday was born, and it’s been a real journey!
All this was happening before social media became a way of life and normal communication for people. As technology advanced, and as the internet became more readily available, the scope for the possibilities involved in providing services online also grew immensely.
In the beginning it certainly was a struggle at times, but Michelle’s unwavering focus on her definite goal drove the business development forward daily. As new technologies were appearing, this of course was allowing people to collaborate online more effectively, which resulted in businesses expanding and exploring different technologies.
Eventually, VMF evolved into providing a ‘fully managed’ online business service for its clients, to the extent of providing strategic planning, website development, marketing as well as running day-to-day operations, along with digital products like membership sites & more…
Michelle set out to achieve lifestyle goals which are built around running her VA business with the 1nSourcing business model, so she’d never be a slave to the 9-5 again, and although of course there are pressure points at times, it’s nevertheless been her passion to achieve this in her daily life. Not surprisingly, she also provides support to clients with building their own businesses around their personal lifestyle choices.
Michelle has lived in many countries over the years – and travelled to many more, although she currently resides in Egypt, with her five children between the ages of 1 and 16.
She tends to think her kids live an idyllic lifestyle with a villa, pool and lots of sunshine… Education for them all has been a mix of public, home, online and international school. They’re all happy, but she thinks her teenagers are becoming curious about the colder weather in England and further afield, wanting to know what it’s like to live and travel to other places.
Michelle is sure they will find their own way, and will likely come to realise when they go out into the real world, that they’ve had quite an extraordinary childhood.
Being a mother of five is certainly keeping her young.
“Life can be very hectic and chaotic having five kids but I don’t really know much different now. I always imagine you think to yourself when your kids have left home and you’ve got all this free time and you can do whatever you want, you know that would be really nice, but I think I’d probably sit here just wondering what to do most of the time.”
Michelle is a proud mum, with two of her children already taking steps as entrepreneurs, and also quite rightly very proud of herself as a business owner fulfilling both roles and make her dream come true.
Take a look at Virtual Miss Friday here
