Today, we’d like to introduce you to Jeannine Warrick . Jeannine was introduced to us by the brilliant and talented Colette Martin.
Hi Jeannine , we’re so thrilled to have you sharing your story with us today. Maybe we can kick things off by having you introduce yourself to our readers? We’d love to have you go into your story and how you got to where you are today.
I worked as an office administrator for a commercial general contractor in Alpharetta and was laid off in September 2009 due to the Great Recession. That company was around for 25 years but unfortunately had to close its doors. I immediately started job searches, but few jobs were available especially support positions. I always wanted to own my own business but had no idea what business to start. I am good at what I do, I love helping people succeed, and I knew companies still needed administrative help, but they could not afford it. I had a strong inner feeling that there had to be something I could do. So, I started searching for ways to help businesses by being an independent contractor and how to start a business doing this. Well, low and behold, I discovered there was such a thing, and it was called Virtual Assistants. That was when virtual assistants were hardly heard of, and there was very little info on them. I found a couple of virtual assistants that offered information and tips, and I knew this would be the answer to starting a business doing something I love and am good at. I thought I had struck gold! In March 2010, I created JL Administrative Services. This was perfect because I am passionate about keeping small business owners organized and free to run their businesses. I could assist businesses from home and knew this was a win-win.
I continued to do daily job searches (I searched seven days a week) while I tried to market my business. I was broke and living on unemployment, but I figured I would one day be a success. My shoestring budget for marketing dissolved quickly, and I didn’t know of any way I could get clients and market my services. I finally landed a job in January 2013 for a national residential and commercial painting contractor and placed my business on the back burner to focus 100% on my new job. Over the years, I gained a few clients, but it was very part-time and inconsistent. I continued focusing on my career, which became very unbelievably stressful and started to wear me mentally and physically. I began seeking mental counseling to cope with my job and became physically ill. After waking up from a panic attack on a Sunday early morning, I knew I had to do something to take care of myself. With the support of my husband, I resigned from my job with the painting contractor in June 2019 and went to see a doctor. My doctor said my issues sounded stress related but did tests to rule out anything more serious. All tests came back negative, and he diagnosed it all to stress. After a few months and being able to take better care of myself, I started to get better and no longer have the issues I had while employed.
Again, I had this solid inner feeling to return to the business I started in 2010 to see if I could make it work and help business owners I knew needed my help. I learned bookkeeping and joined a great virtual assistant group to improve my administrative skills. Money was not as big of a problem as when I started, so I started working on marketing again and joined many directories and support groups to learn how to gain clients. I didn’t have a niche, so I targeted any small business needing my help. Since I spent 15 years in the construction industry, I thought, why not support construction trade businesses? I understand the pains of being a business owner from starting my business and the many years of running and managing a small business throughout my career as an administrative professional. I know what contractors need administratively, how to work with residential customers, and what commercial general contractors expect from subcontractors.
For as long as I can remember, I have been drawn to the property management industry and would love to work with residential property managers. Being the liaison between the property manager and the tenant is one of the things that I can offer to take the load off the property manager. I offer a special administrative package built just for residential property managers and those that manage HOAs. I did this to help property managers and relieve them of their stress.
Then in 2019, I started to get several virtual assistants asking me how I started my business, and I spent hours with them to help them grow. I have since added virtual assistant business coaching to my repertoire, and I coach them on how to grow, get clients, mentor them, and teach them how to be great virtual assistants and show them to be great businesspeople and leaders. This April 2023, I will launch a membership where virtual assistants can get monthly tips, attend my masterclasses and masterminds, join a book club, network, and the list goes on, all for a very affordable rate. I aim to help small business owners succeed without charging fees outside of what they can afford. This was birthed because I didn’t have anyone to spend the time to teach me how to grow my business without charging me an arm and leg. I learned on my own, and it was frustrating. So, it feels good to give back.
I am also the founding Alignable Alliance Ambassador for Gwinnett County, GA. This is where I indeed come alive! I get to touch so many small business owners locally, which is how I give back to my community. This is all free of charge to the Gwinnett County business owners. We have two monthly networking events, and the Alignable platform is where members can network and schedule one-on-ones. One event is virtual, where we do speed networking, and the other is in-person, where we support a local restaurant in Gwinnett County and invite speakers to educate us on different topics.
I am so excited to be on this journey, living my dream of being a successful business owner and reaching back to help others.
Please tell us more about your brand, JL Administrative Services, LLC
JL Administrative Services is a virtual assistance business that provides virtual administrative support services to help residential property managers overwhelmed with administrative tasks and manage their back office. We also specialize in working with construction trade businesses, commercial and residential cleaning companies, house appraisers, home inspectors, junk removal companies, pest control providers, home stagers, and color consultants. Whether managing their businesses’ day-to-day operations or providing administrative assistance, JL Administrative Services aims to help business owners regain their time. Services are done remotely, and we communicate via e-mail, phone, and text while providing top-quality services. My goal is to provide flexibility for each of my clients. We focus on delivering professional administrative support services and making business owners look their best. My team and I desire to develop an ongoing relationship with each of my clients and get to know them and their businesses. What is important to me is their growth in a profitable, professional, and successful enterprise. There are many virtual assistants that a business owner can choose from to assist them. What sets my business is that I have a construction admin background, understand the pains of construction trade businesses, and know how to help them. I understand what contractors need to run the administrative side of their businesses efficiently. I have experience communicating with residential customers and understand what commercial general contractors expect from subcontractors who contract to work with them. VIRTUAL ASSISTANT COACHING JL Administrative Services also coaches new virtual assistants that need help getting clients and growing their VA businesses in the USA and Canada. Being a virtual assistant is a lot of work and requires a specific skill set. Running a virtual assistant business can be even more challenging. For those looking to build their virtual assistance business but who need a little guidance and exposure, I am here to help you on that journey. I help virtual assistants grow and step outside their comfort zone. With 30+ years as an administrative professional and 10+ years as a virtual administrative consultant, I know what it takes to provide professional administrative assistance and grow a VA practice. I am here to help new VAs on their journey to becoming VA Business Owners. I can advise VA business owners on topics such as Business Structure, Contracts and Proposals, Where to Get Clients, Discovery Calls, Positivity Mindset, Social Media Set-Up, and What Services to Offer. Also coming in April 2023 is my virtual assistant membership Virtual Assistant Coach in Your Pocket Membership®! This is a members-only private group where there will be masterclasses, masterminds, a place to network, a book club, and unlimited access to me as their coach. All of this is for a very reasonable price and is a platform for learning, growing, and networking.
Colette Martin and Business In Pearls have been great to us and I know you’ve got a great relationship with them as well. Maybe you can tell our audience a bit about Colette Martin and Business In Pearls and your experience with them.
Oh my goodness, I can go on and on about Colette Martin! She is a fantastic leader, amiable, a strong Christian-led woman, an intelligent lady, a mother, and a good friend and colleague.
Colette Martin is a Certified Life Coach and a PR Marketing & Strategic Business Coach. We met on a networking platform called Alignable. She is one of the great Ambassadors in our group, and she leads the Alignable Alliance of Arlington, TX. I remember when she first joined, she was poised, friendly, and not afraid to speak, and she is a lady in the true sense of the word. I thought, “Hmmm, who is this pretty lady, and I need to know her!” She beat me to it and sent a connection request to join her network. At that time, I was so busy and unable to start building a relationship with her. She was the producer at BizTV and invited me to be on the show Create, Build, and Manage Daily Show and be interviewed by Scott Miller! I was elated and nervous simultaneously, but she made me feel at ease, and we did the live show. I love her soft, calm voice and demeanor; she is smart as all get out! I have never felt pressure from her, which tells me she is just as professional with her clients as in our Ambassador meetings. She loves pearls, and I LOVE them too!
We now collaborate, and she offers professional business services like Detailed SWOT analysis and PR work, including but not limited to Press Releases, research in your Niche, nationwide exposure, local exposure, etc. Social Media content creation, Social Media Management; FB & IG Social Media analysis, Life Coaching, Business Plans; basic & detailed, and Content and Creative writing (pictures are optional). She created this offering because there are things that I do that she does not offer and vice versa. With the business owners I know and work with and my virtual assistant clients, I know people that need her help. The power of many is better than one voice; we get to serve so many more people by partnering.
Colette makes business owners feel comfortable, offers services that business owners need to grow their brand, and listens and genuinely cares about people. Some people are intimidated by business coaches, but there’s no reason to feel that way with Colette. Once she opens her mouth, you will feel at ease and sense that she knows what she is speaking of. She has programs to address life stress and business growth. On top of that, she has a podcast dedicated to improving self in business, health, wealth, and life overall! I have no idea how she finds the time to do all she does, but she balances things nicely.
The rest is history!
Website: https://jladminservices.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jladministrativeservices/
Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/jeanninewarrick
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JLAdministrativeServices
Other: Alignable Profile: https://www.alignable.com/snellville-ga/jl-administrative-services-llc LinkedIn Business Page: https://www.linkedin.com/company/jl-administrative-services
