Conversations with Laura Gibbs

Today we’d like to introduce you to Laura Gibbs.

Thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, how did you get started?
I graduated college with an elementary education degree, and after 2 years of teaching and more job searching, I knew I wanted to move in a different direction. My passion for photography and the push from a good friend drove me to start my business as a Virtual Assistant in the early summer of 2021. I knew it was the perfect fit, so I worked every second I could outside my current job to build my business. In just 3 weeks, I quit my other job and was all in with my business. Throughout the last (almost) 2 years, “Virtually Laura” has become my full-time job and more! I have had the honor to work with photographers spanning the country and, even more recently, the world! The connections I’ve made, the fun I’ve had, and the growth I’ve gone through have been the most challenging and exciting career journey of my life. I am so thankful for every part of it!

We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It has not been smooth sailing the entire time. Building a business from the ground up is one of the biggest challenges. You are starting something new and asking friends (and strangers!) to take a chance on you and trust them with a part of their business. There were times at the very beginning when I wasn’t sure I’d have the ability to grow enough to sustain myself or mess up and fall on my face. I’ve learned that it’s all about learning and doing your best every step of the way. There are times I’ve made mistakes (and still do!), but I have to keep my head up and remember all the good that has come from this little dream I had. Finding a group of friends and family who believed in me has also been a massive part of the journey. Sharing struggles, wins, fears, and excitement with those closest to me helped get me through the challenging parts of the road.

Thanks for sharing that. Can you tell us more about your work next?
I am a Virtual Assistant for photographers, providing outsourcing within online platforms, specifically Pinterest and Blogging. My job is to take the beautiful photos my clients create and share them with the world! I’ve always had a passion for writing, so blogging is an enjoyable part of the job. I hear couples’ stories through their photographer’s eyes and create blogs based on their words, total SEO (search engine optimization), photos, and stories. As we all probably do, I love finding inspiration on Pinterest for everything in life, so it’s been such a fun learning curve to become the one behind the scenes, creating those pins for others to see. My biggest goal in this work is to create a relationship with my clients, resulting in an authentic representation of their work through online platforms so that they can book their dream clients. This is what sets me apart from other Virtual Assistants.

The crisis has affected us all in different ways. How has it affected you, and any essential lessons or epiphanies you can share with us?
My life changed big time because of Covid! It’s completely altered the way I think about what a job can look like. The online world is powerful in marketing, selling, and business. There’s so much I can do from my kitchen table with coffee in hand! My entire business is virtual, and it changes the way I live my everyday life.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://virtually-laura.com/
• Instagram: @_virtuallylaura
• Other: https://www.pinterest.com/virtuallylaura/

Image Credits
Photos taken by Photo KC