We had the good fortune of connecting with Shelby Bartrug and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Shelby, have there been any changes in how you think about work-life balance?
When I first started my Virtual Assistant business, I was still working a full time job. I was squeezing in work for my clients whenever and wherever I could. While getting ready for my 9-5, during my lunch break, from the moment I got off work until I couldn’t keep my eyes open any longer and the entire weekend.

So essentially I had zero work life balance at that point.

Once I made the decision to quit my 9-5 and work on my own business full time, I knew that my ways needed to change in order to avoid getting burnt out.

It’s very hard as a business owner to stop working especially when you know there’s stuff that could be done or if it’s something that you’re excited about working on.

I’ve learned that I’ve got to give myself time to refresh and recharge in order to support my clients in the best way that I can.

Now, I have my phone setup in a way that I don’t even receive any business notifications (like emails, messages, Instagram, etc.) outside my set business hours.

Out of sight, out of mind!

Work life balance was actually one of my driving factors for creating my own business. I wanted to be able to define my own hours and have the freedom to do whatever I wanted whenever I wanted. Now that I have a successful business, it’s definitely easier said than done and there’s a lot of learning that comes along with creating that balance.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Pure Virtual is a Virtual Assistance business for coaches. We support life coaches, business coaches, and all the coaches in between!

Our number one goal is to alleviate the stress of day to day tasks for online coaches by providing support through streamlined processes and systems. Essentially, we make their lives easier by taking care of the behind the scenes part of their business.

We provide admin support, help with launches, manage social media, setup systems, and build websites while having the MOST fun!

In January of 2021 I was having to drag myself to my corporate job. I was dreading every day and knew that there was something else out there that I would actually be excited about doing every day. This was when Pure Virtual was formed.

Starting a business definitely comes with its challenges: money, finding clients, burn out, boundaries, and firing clients. Just to name a few…

I truly had to think about what I envisioned my business to look like, the clients I wanted to work with, and the work/life balance that I wanted to achieve in order to overcome a lot of those challenges.

I had to trust that each decision I made was the right one and if not that everything would be okay either way.

I’ve learned to not lose sight of why I started my business in the first place. It’s so easy to get caught up in the sales and wanting to expand your business that you start to lose yourself in it.

Pure Virtual is so much more to me and my clients than just a virtual assistant business. All of my clients have become close friends and we work together to create a system of success that will allows their businesses to function seamlessly.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I’m a Fort Worth woman at heart, so of course the Stockyards are a must! Billy Bob’s is always a must-go for me. One of my favorite Fort Worth activities is kayaking or paddle boarding at Panther Island. There are so many fun things to do in the area!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I truly could not have created Pure Virtual without the support of my lovely boyfriend, Tanner. We hadn’t even lived together an entire year when I started researching the Virtual Assistance industry and contemplating starting my own business. Which meant that we would no longer have free rent (it was a perk of my property management job that I had at the time!) I was very weary of starting my own business, but Tanner pushed me and encouraged me every step of the way. Over a year later and he is still my biggest supporter in everything I do!

And of course my family! My parents and sister have always been one hundred percent supportive of me and my business!

Website: www.purevirtualsb.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/purevirtualsb/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/pure-virtualsb

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/purevirtualsb

Other: Blog: https://www.twentysomethingentrepreneur.com/

Image Credits
Regan Harper

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