Only 13 days remaining to register with the Early Bird discount!
Here are our Top 10 Scholarship Applicants. Vote for your favourites below!
Contestant: Fran McCully
How long have you been in business?
Who is your target market and niche?
Small established business owners with up to 20 employees or consultants. I target Coaches, Lawn care industry, Communication, contractors and small chiropractor businesses.
What services do you offer?
Full Charge bookkeeping, A la Carte bookkeeping, Shoe box accounting, Business plan development, and general admin services built into bookkeeping packages.
I have a unique server that houses the clients QuickBooks software that provides easy access for the client to log into from where ever they are as long as they internet access.
What did you do for a living before becoming a VA?
I worked for 20 years at a local university in the capacity of Executive Administrative Support to Directors and Chairman for a variety of departments.
Along with the above I supported my husbands businesses as a full-charge bookkeeper.
What are your goals for your business? How do you see your business in 1 year? In 3 years? In 5 years?
My goals over the next year is to become consistent in marketing my business. To have a more steady income of at least 6000.00 a month. Rather than the up and down income that I currently have – which can be anyhere from 3,000 to 6,000. I plan to add at least 3 products between now and the next 3 years – which will provide the additional income I lack now. Product 1 an ebook is about 1 month from completion. In 3 years I see my business at a steady pace of 7,000 to 10,000 a month as my reputation and marketing will thrive at a steady consistent pace by then. By year 5 my income will be well over 150,000 which will be a combination of services and products. By year 5 I plan to begin merging into more product based business and clients with either be handled by VA support or eventually all subcontracted out.
Why do you feel attending live events is important for your business?
To jump start and excite my business and to learn more about how to produce these products. To learn to market my self in the right way. Most of all to meet my peers that I have followed for so long. I love to learn and figure out how to grow my business. It’s time to get serious about growth. I am intrigued about the set up of this conference and am anxious to see the outcome as presented in a different way. I have attended other VA conferences and welcome the excitement about meeting others, talking shop and face to face networking and learning. There is nothing like being with others that are in the same boat and understanding their issues and concerns as compared to mine.
How do you feel ACCELERATE! Live will catapult your business into further success and growth?
I feel it will help me become steady consistent in my marketing, Show me the way to further my success and give me the opportunity to work through my issues while on site rather than waiting for my return. Seeing and meeting my peers and just the face to face issues that come up in a VA business that no one can relate to except us!!! Meeting new people – that may potentially be new clients and most importantly at this stage in my life is to learn, learn and learn.
Ok, here’s your chance to really shine… Why should we choose you for this scholarship?
To enable me to help myself my business and the growth of my future. To be a part of growing my future and professional life. I have had some personal financial issues starting with the decline of the recession in 09, however, have partially recovered from that and increased my client load. I am yearning to increase my revenue and know to do that I must learn to be consistent and persistent and I think that this conference speaks to me in the way that I will grasp the energy and education needed to jump start my business with the increased revenue I desire and need. I have signed up using the monthly payment option which will be a hardship as I am the sole support for our family- to get a scholarship would help my financial position greatly. With that being said I know that there are probably a lot of deserving individuals out there some more deserving than I and I trust you will pick the most deserving person – someone who really needs to be there and can’t make it without the scholarship.
Also, I’d like to thank you for putting me through the process of filling out this form. One more thing that has already helped me with my goals! Thank you for that!
Contestant: Sara Carbaugh
How long have you been in business? 2 years and four months
Who is your target market and niche?
Creatives – or more specifically authors, artists, actors or just about anyone fun and ready to get their creative business online.
What Services do you offer?
I offer Torture-free online marketing strategies, as well as project management and general virtual assistant services for my clients.
What did you do for a living before becoming a VA?
Let’s see, I’ve been a juvenile probation officer intern, a law clerk, a retail security supervisor and a dancing/singing waitress.
What are your goals for your business? How do you see your business in 1 year? In 3 years? In 5 years?
By the end of the year I want to be at a place in my business where I can do the fun stuff and have someone else do the client work that doesn’t necessarily light me up.
In 3 years, I’m hoping to get into a good blogging routine to be known for more than just my services and will be at a place where I am looked at as a good source of knowledge on helping creatives get online and make it work. This would include a kicking blog and social media presence along with some great products and training courses to help newbie creatives.
In 5 years, once I get in a good position where I am able to be a good resource to creatives, the plan is to have my business be focused more on e-courses, online products, webinars/teleseminars and more in-person speaking events rather than focused on all service based income to allow my schedule to be more flexible while my daughter, Aerith, starts school.
Why do you feel attending live events is important for your business?
Live events are vital for my business because they are where I get to recharge my business. On a normal day I feel very isolated sitting at my desk all day, staring at a screen, promising to get to those goals I have written down somewhere… BUT at a live event it forces me to really think about my business with a whole new group of colleagues who “get it” and are on the same track as me.
Plus, a live event allows me to showcase my unique personality because online it’s hard to grasp the humor and sarcasm that I bring to a normal conversation that has really helped me grow my business and attract the kinds of fun clients that I really love.
How do you feel ACCELERATE! Live will catapult your business into further success and growth?
ACCELERATE! Live sounds like the perfect blending of education and action. Most conferences and networking events are only focused on cramming you full of as much knowledge as you can hold and then when the conference is over, there’s nothing tangible to take home.
The ACCELERATE! Live system sounds like it will be a great blending and will allow me to actually make some dents in my goals and projects while I’m at the conference instead of leaving me to my own devices back in the wonderful world of daily business.
Ok, here’s your chance to really shine… Why should we choose you for this scholarship?
I would love to receive this scholarship because I really love my business. I have big, big plans for her but, unfortunately, there’s a lot of things that go into being a business owner that have nothing to do with actually growing your business. Having the opportunity to get away for a week and focus just on my projects and goals would be a fantastic opportunity that I would not want to waste.
I feel like I’m right on the edge of making a major breakthrough so getting this extra push and the opportunity to sit back and really focus in on the “Hows” to all my “Hey I could…” ideas would be rather awesome.
Oh and speaking of awesome, I’m a pretty awesome chick so I would definitely be a super fun addition to any conference, social gathering or children’s birthday party – so keep that in mind as well. 
Contestant: Jeannine Clontz
How long have you been in business? 13 years
Who is your target market and niche?
REALTORS, speakers/coaches/consultants/authors
What services do you offer?
Marketing and Social Media support, training, consulting and implementation.
What did you do for a living before becoming a VA?
I was a fresh/frozen seafood buyer for a local fish house that provided seafood to local restaurants & institutions.
What are your goals for your business? How do you see your business in 1 year? In 3 years? In 5 years?
I have just revamped my multi-VA practice; will be taking on a few more subs and have hired a project manager to free my time to focus more on marketing and growing the business – in 3-years I will be totally systemized and not handling much, if any of the project work, in 5-years, my business will be totally automated and I will not be doing any project work.
Why do you feel attending live events is important for your business?
I am a lifelong learner. In our industry you simply can’t stay current with the technology and advancements in the services you provide without continually exposing yourself to new things and business options. Conferences such as this are the best forums for learning and building relationships!
How do you feel ACCELERATE! Live will catapult your business into further success and growth?
I think the topics are right in line with where I see myself moving my business and this event will re-energize me and ultimately my business. I plan to be a big ‘ole sponge!
Ok, here’s your chance to really shine… Why should we choose you for this scholarship?
While 2010 was still a good year for my business, I faced quite a few health challenges and hospitalizations. I have been home-bound (unable to drive and wheelchair bound) since last August and am working on getting stronger and finding more ways to be in CHARGE of my health and get my life back. I have been overwhelmed with medical costs (one of my hospitalizations was when my husband was out of work and we had no insurance) and my budget for live conferences this year was very limited (I attended the Summit in Portalnd), making it impossible for me to find the funds needed to attend this live event. It is my intent to be in a better position to do so by October, and this would be a perfect opportunity for me to get out and travel and be with my peers (well actually with adults would be nice – all I have at home is the cats! I will also be able to share some of my own wisdom with others who ar! e just starting out and can use some additional support and guideance to improve their businesses and ultimately the VA industry. This scholarship would allow me this opportunity and I am hopeful you will choose me for this honor!
Contestant: Kelly Morrison
How long have you been in business? 3 years
Who is your target market and niche?
I currently do not have a niche, but typically my target market is mico-business owners who have been in business at least 3 years and who do the majority of their business online or virtually. My target market definitely needs some refining!
What services do you offer?
I love to support my clients by offering the following services:
- Customer Service Support (client follow-up and support, email management, phone calls, etc)
- Social Media Marketing (implementation and management)
- Email Marketing
- Traditional Administrative Tasks
- Scheduling & Invoicing
What did you do for a living before becoming a VA?
I started my VA business right after graduating from college from LSU (Go Tigers!) in 2008, so I don’t really have that long of a work history. I worked for 6 years at the first job I ever held as a cashier at a garden center. I absolutely loved working as a cashier because of the customer interaction and I think that’s why a large portion of my VA business is customer service support centered! I also worked for a year at Bed, Bath and Beyond. What I loved most about this job, aside from all of the great people I worked with and interacted with on a daily basis, was the employee discount. Even though I don’t have a “typical” administrative background, I feel the experience I gained in the retail industry has added to my success as a Virtual Assistant.
What are your goals for your business? How do you see your business in 1 year? In 3 years? In 5 years?
One of the main goals I have for my Virtual Assistance business is to be the go-to VA for business owners in my local community and in my business network! I’d love for my contacts to think “Kelly Morrison” or “The Virtual Peacock” when they think of needing administrative support for their business. I’d also love to have my business structruected so that I only work Monday – Thursday on client work and have Friday’s reserved for a day off and/or working on my own business.
In one year, I see myself as having solidified my business service offerings so that I’m offering a select amount of services instead of saying I can do everything under the sun (LOL). I’d like to be doing client work Monday – Thursday at this point and reserving Friday for working ON my business. Ideally I would be working 90+ hours each month at this point so that I have the income I’d like to be making at this point in my business. In three years, I hope to be working 120 hours each month, Monday – Thursday, with Friday’s still reserved for working on my business. It’s really hard for my to envision my business in 3+ years because it’s changed so much just in the first three! I know I want it to be successful and I know I need to work on defining more in depth what my long-term goals are!
Why do you feel attending live events is important for your business?
I think that attending live events is VERY important for myself and for VAs in general. Just because we work at home alone, doesn’t mean we don’t need the support and encouragement of others in our industry! I’m always inspired by my VA colleagues that I’ve met, both virtually and in-person, and there’s been times when someone I met at an in-person event was able to help me with something in my own business! Sometimes just meeting someone who has been successful (rather it’s in their VA business or in a different industry all together), is a big encouragement to me because if they did it, so can I! 
How do you feel ACCELERATE! Live will catapult your business into further success and growth?
I feel that I have a great VA business but that I haven’t reached my full potential as a VA (yet!). I know my business could be so much more than it is now, and that’s where ACCELERATE! Live comes into the picture! I think the workshops on financials would help me solidify what my income expectations are for my business and how and what I need to do to get there! I also think the marketing workshops would help me nail down a concrete marketing plan for my business so that I’m not all over the place with my marketing (which seems to be my current strategy- LOL). I’d love the opportunity to learn from those who have been successful in the VA industry!
Ok, here’s your chance to really shine… Why should we choose you for this scholarship?
The top three reasons I’d like to be chosen for this scholarship:
1 – What happens in Vegas…..won’t stay in Vegas! I’ll take everything I learn at Accelerate! Live and bring it home to Louisiana to help grow my business into the success I know it can be!
2 – I’ve love meet, in-person, the great trainers that are going to be leading the VAs at this event! I know just being in a room full of some of the best leaders in the VA industry is going to be great for the VAs attending and I’d love to be one of those VAs!
3 – If I win a big jackpot while in Vegas, I’ll split it with you.
Thanks so much for this opportunity and best of luck to all the VAs entering!
Contestant: Patty Dost
How long have you been in business? 5 years, 4 1/2 months
Who is your target market and niche?
My target market is Virtual Assistants.
What services do you offer?
I provide a variety of services that include administrative services (i.e., word documents, excel spreadsheets/charts, PowerPoint presentations, calendar updates, etc.), website updates, blog posts, article submissions, newsletter updates/broadcasts sent via various software, 1SC assistance, and many other services.
What did you do for a living before becoming a VA?
Prior to owning my own business, I worked for a manufacturing company. I was an Administrative Assistant to the General Manager, Administrative Assistant to the Human Resources Manager, assisted with benefits, sales and the reception area.
What are your goals for your business? How do you see your business in 1 year? In 3 years? In 5 years?
Goals for my business include growth. I would like to see my business grow yearly at approximately 10-20%.
Why do you feel attending live events is important for your business?
I enjoy meeting people face-to-face and feel more of a connectivity when I attend live events. I enjoy conversations, friendships, and information that you see at a live event.
How do you feel ACCELERATE! Live will catapult your business into further success and growth?
ACCELERATE! Live would assist in catapulting my business because I would learn more about the legal and financial side. I also do not do a lot of marketing and this event would show me various avenues. The Technology Day (Day 3) would show me more tools to assist in the growth of my business or different ways I can use the current tools but in a much better way.
Ok, here’s your chance to really shine… Why should we choose you for this scholarship?
Since I work with a variety of Virtual Assistant teams, you should choose me so that I not only grow my business but grow the business of the teams I work with. Another reason is that I like to share what I know with other VAs so I would be able to share how great ACCELERATE! Live is, plus I would be able to share what I’ve learned through the event.
Contestant: Kim Larocque
How long have you been in business? 2 months
Who is your target market and niche?
What services do you offer?
What did you do for a living before becoming a VA?
What are your goals for your business? How do you see your business in 1 year? In 3 years? In 5 years?
I am just starting out part time but my goal is to quit my job and jump into my business full time within the next 3 months. Within 1 year I see myself with a full roster of clients and providing those clients with the services I have set out to offer. In 3 years, I will have completed all of my training goals and be an expert in my field. I will be working with my “ideal” clients and starting to build a VA team. In 5 years I plan to have a full team of VA’s and be an online business manager.
Why do you feel attending live events is important for your business?
I think it is imperative to meet and establish concrete connections and friendships with other VA’s and potential clients in order to succeed and that can only happen in person. Networking is the best way to get to know people and to really let your personality and traits shine through.
How do you feel ACCELERATE! Live will catapult your business into further success and growth?
This is an event targeting VA’s and I am very eager to meet others in the industry and to really connect with them and truly learn how each runs their business, how they got started, their opinions on training, etc. I want to meet successful VA’s and find out what makes them tick and wrack their brains! I am very excited about the direction I have decided to take in my career and I am so eager to learn and meet others who are successful. I think this event is very inspiring. I believe I would walk away with more confidence and a clearer picture of the industry as a whole.
Ok, here’s your chance to really shine… Why should we choose you for this scholarship?
I have the passion and drive to succeed in this business. If you were to speak with me on the phone you would hear the excitement and determination in my voice. I know that I will be successful yet what I really need right now is the support and advice from other VA’s on a personal level and I am finding it difficult to establish relationships online. I am doing what I can (attending online events, participating in forums and social networks, attending our local VA coffee meeting) but nothing compares to the kind of relationships that are created face to face. I am fun, outgoing, truly personable and I know that attending an event like this is what will set the foundation I need in order to blast off!! If chosen, my career will undoubtedly accelerate as I walk away with the tools and clear direction to reach my goals. This is what I want!
Contestant: Kathy Andrews
How long have you been in business? 10 years
Who is your target market and niche?
Participants, both in the listening and talking role, of webinars, training seminars, conventions as well as writers who would rather talk than write their books.
What services do you offer?
What did you do for a living before becoming a VA?
What are your goals for your business? How do you see your business in 1 year? In 3 years? In 5 years?
I would love to produce transcripts for conventions and webinars so that people can use them for many purposes — to refer to and learn from the transcripts, use the information in the transcripts for newsletters, ebooks, etc. In one year I see myself doing webinars and conventions in the Vancouver area. In 3 and 5 years I see myself doing the webinars and conventions throughout the world and also offering database of the participants. In the 1, 3 and 5 years I see myself expanding and having more employees.
Why do you feel attending live events is important for your business?
I have been participating in 4 – 8 webinars a month and have learned a lot on how to get my business to the next level (not just word of mouth work but work received over the internet). I think if I attended Accelerate! Live I would learn so much more and feel empowered by such great people as who are going to be sharing their ideas and knowledge. In attending the webinars I have in the past few months I have found that no matter what the subject, even if you feel it is not what you need, you will take at least one thing from each event. I think this event would just do that and more about ten fold.
How do you feel ACCELERATE! Live will catapult your business into further success and growth?
I feel my business will be catapulted farther than I can imagine right now. I believe the people involved in the speaking roles as well as the people I would be meeting as attendees will assist me in understanding where I want to go next.
Ok, here’s your chance to really shine… Why should we choose you for this scholarship?
Even though I have been working at my business for many years I am just starting to look at my business in a different light. I am trying to expand it now and know that this vocation I have chosen is something that is needed and I need guidance on how to project that need to participants of webinars and conferences. I feel the Accelerate! Live event will bring the guidance I need by just being there.
Contestant: Sarah MacGregor
How long have you been in business? 4 years
What services do you offer?
WordPress website & blog creation & maintenance, shopping cart support including affiliates, Newsletter management, Contact Management systems, Teleseminar event management, customer service solutions
What did you do for a living before becoming a VA?
Software developer.
What are your goals for your business? How do you see your business in 1 year? In 3 years? In 5 years?
I would like to grow the small team that I have within the next year so that I can truly be the CEO.
Why do you feel attending live events is important for your business?
I just attended my first live VA event earlier this year and the info discovered and contacts that were made were great! I’d like to continue to incorporate live events into my learning plan.
How do you feel ACCELERATE! Live will catapult your business into further success and growth?
I need to focus on my future plans and goals, sounds like you guys have the workshops that can help me with this.
Ok, here’s your chance to really shine… Why should we choose you for this scholarship?
I never drink and I hate gambling so I will be the pillar of decorum among all VA’s in Sin City, an attentive and eager student, and a “Super” ray of energetic sunshine for all to enjoy! Nothing says “Vegas” like a morning person who doesn’t drink or gamble, eh? And, think of how much fun it will be to announce that someone named ***** has won the scholarship! Ha!
Contestant: Pat Williams
How long have you been in business? 11 years
Who is your target market and niche?
Realtor teams, overwhelmed owners of small businesses who don’t have time to “figure it all out” and just want their online marketing done for them.
What services do you offer?
Web design, graphic design, social media, project management, consulting, anything that involves technology and marketing.
What did you do for a living before becoming a VA?
Stay at home mom, writer, behaviourist.
What are your goals for your business? How do you see your business in 1 year? In 3 years? In 5 years?
Goals. My business will allow me to have the freedom to pursue travel and work from the road. In 1 year I want a team doing the work for me while I promote and manage the business. In 3 years, I want to be working from a mobile office.
Why do you feel attending live events is important for your business?
Meeting other people in a similar business cycle and sharing ideas accelerates productivity and passion.
How do you feel ACCELERATE! Live will catapult your business into further success and growth?
Same reason I feel live events are important.”Meeting other people in a similar business cycle and sharing ideas accelerates productivity and passion.”
Ok, here’s your chance to really shine… Why should we choose you for this scholarship?
Because it would be damn fun to have me there with you – that’s why!!@! And next year I want to be an instructor. 
Contestant: Cindy Opong
How long have you been in business? 8.5 years
Who is your target market and niche?
You’d think that would be an easy question! I’m in a state of change right now and trying to determine where to focus my energies. What my target market and niche *used* to be no longer fit where I want to go with my business. So right now, I’m trying to figure out the answer to this very question!
What Services do you offer?
- Full executive admin services (all the typical VA stuff).
- Social media consultation, management, strategy plans, implementation.
- Call Center script support – creation, editing, testing, QA
What did you do for a living before becoming a VA?
I was a Music Therapist! After working in that field for a few years, I hit burn out mode. I decided that I loved the back end side of the business and ended up as an Admin Assistant in a large corporation. I discovered the VA world after getting caught up in the tech industry layoffs.
What are your goals for your business? How do you see your business in 1 year? In 3 years? In 5 years?
1 year: I’ve determined my new/revised business direction and am solidly on that path. I’m working fewer hours but continue to have my team doing much of the work for my clients. (And hopefully I’ll be preparing for the arrival of a new baby!)
3 years: I’m able to look again at business growth and increasing my hours now that my 2 kids are hitting school age. I’ve reached the 6 figure mark for 2 years now. I have several profitable products available and am increasingly focusing on coaching or higher end consulting work. I’ll start to get back into speaking and workshops.
5 years: I continue to reach well over the 6 figure mark and have a large, solid team that supports many VA clients. My time is focused on new products and services as well as speaking, workshops, and consulting. I’m looking at what the next big thing for my business will be!
Why do you feel attending live events is important for your business?
Oh my goodness – where to start?! Here’s the short list (definitely not all encompassing):
1. Motivation! There’s nothing like a live event, hearing great speakers, and connecting with peers to ramp up my energy and optimism for my business. It’s so easy in the virtual world to get into a routine and become isolated. Getting out of that routine at a conference does wonders for my motivation for months afterwards!
2. Learning. I love to learn but rarely have time to dedicate to it in my daily life. It’s wonderful to have a whole week set aside just for this.
3. Networking! Attending live conferences has by far been the best thing for my business. Early on, it helped me make connections for sub-contracting and receiving referrals (my biggest and favorite client right now came as a referral from a VA I met at a conference). As my business has matured, networking has been vital for brainstorming and getting ideas on how to move my business to that next level.
How do you feel ACCELERATE! Live will catapult your business into further success and growth?
I’m super excited for the dedicated workshops – time to actually work *on* my business! My time is so stretched day to day that I don’t have time to sit down and work on processes, get the “house” in order, or develop new services. Accelerate! Live will force me to do this which will mean better service to my clients, better marketing, expanded services and more… all of which lead to greater success and growth!
Ok, here’s your chance to really shine… Why should we choose you for this scholarship?
Now, I feel so close to emerging and showing the world the butterfly inside… if only I know what that looked like! I’m so close to something great in my business but just can’t quite get my head around it and what it looks like. Several of my VA inspirations are involved in ACCELERATE! Live and I definitely need their guidance and hands on support to help my business reach that next level (butterfly!).
I wish my business was stable enough to attend the conference on my own, but I have to be honest and humble and realize that it may not be possible without a bit of help. It’s not easy to be viewed as a successful past-leader of the industry, yet have to ask for help either financially or in business vision and implementation. I have many more great contributions to make to my clients and the VA industry, but will need a little help to get back there.
Only 13 days remaining to register with the Early Bird discount!
Voting for this round is now closed.
Thank you for participating and don’t forget to get in on the Early Bird Savings by registering by June 30th!
