I, recently, had an opportunity to interview April Tara of Advantage Online Solutions, a Virtual Assistant firm. April is a true inspiration for anyone who wants to start a business. In less than a year, April has built a business from ground up to be a success. So, get yourself a cup of java and learn more about April Tara.
Please tell us about yourself, your family, where you live, pets, hobbies, inspirations, etc.
I’m a single mom to three kids. My daughter is 18 and has recently had her first child. My son is almost 16, and my youngest daughter is 6. I grew up in a military family so I’ve lived in some exciting places. I live just outside of Omaha now but I consider Georgia home since my family is from there and I spent most of my childhood there. If you follow me on Twitter, you’ve probably heard me complain about one of my cats! LOL I actually have 2 cats and 2 degus (they’re like miniature chinchillas) and I want a dog really bad but that will have to wait until we can move to a new house. I love to read, mostly non-fiction about philosophy, psychology, law, and spirituality. And if you wanna know a few random things about me, here ya go: I’ve been an amateur boxer, a roller derby chick, and I am obsessed with Wonder Woman!
Q: What is the name of your company and when did you start it?
A: I launched my business on July 1, 2008 under the name Advantage Virtual Assistant but after making some changes to my services recently, I changed the name too and my business is now Advantage Online Solutions.
Q: What was the motivation behind your company?
A: I’ve wanted to be a work at home mom since my youngest child came along in 2002 but I didn’t know enough about online businesses at the time so I decided to go back to school to finish my Paralegal degree instead. After losing my job at a law firm in 2007, I started the work at home search again and found a job doing transcription. I loved working at home but wasn’t happy with the company I was working for so I decided to start my own business.
Q: How long did it take you to earn a profit from your business?
A:It took me about a month to get my first client but when you figure the money I’d spent on updating my computer, purchasing my domain and hosting and other start up costs, it took about 3-4 months before I was actually profiting.
Q: Now that 2008 is behind us, what obstacles (if any) did you face during 2008 & how did you overcome them?
A:Honestly, I was my own biggest obstacle. I wasted too much time worrying about why I wasn’t getting anywhere and feeling sorry myself. That negative attitude and self-sabotage was really holding me back.
Q: Did you ever feel like just giving up at times? If so, what keeps you going?
A: Oh yeah! I even went so far as applying for “real” jobs and going on interviews. I was going to throw in the towel and just go back to a cubicle, commuting, daycare, the whole bit. The biggest thing that kept me going were my friends online encouraging me not to give up and helping me work through it by figuring out what I could do differently. I surrounded myself with positive, supportive people, changed my own attitude, and as time went on it became easier and easier to stay optimistic.
Q: What qualities (i.e., family support, discipline, time management) do you think are necessary for a women entrepreneur?
A: Focus, focus, focus! There are so many opportunities available and so many people trying to sell you the latest thing that its easy to get distracted and wonder if you’re in the wrong industry or niche. You have to learn how to tune out all the noise, do some soul-searching, get some feedback from people you trust, settle on an idea and stick with it. Once you’ve seen it through, you can add in some other stuff and diversify but don’t try to do it all at once.
Q: What is the one thing (book, website, coach, tool, blog, service, etc) that you value and can say has contributed to your success?
A: I actually have two: Mom Masterminds (there’s a button on www.AprilTara.com that will take you to MM) and Twitter where I’ve made a lot of connections, both personal and professional, especially Lynn Terry, Kelly McCausey, and Alice Seba.
Q: What is your favorite quote, saying, Proverb, or scripture?
A:I have a few favorite quotes that are basically all variations on the same theme: nothing ventured, nothing gained. You have to take risks, deal with setbacks, and experience failure a few times before you can succeed.
Q: What advice would you give to someone just starting out in business or thinking about taking the leap into entrepreneurship?
A: Surround yourself with supportive and encouraging people. If not your family, then look online. I’ve heard from a lot of women that their family doesn’t take “this whole Internet thing” seriously and if that’s the case then connect with other entrepreneurs…then prove your family wrong!
Q: Looking into 2009, what are a few goals for your business this year?
A: I have quite a few goals, some specific and some general. I’ve got plans to produce an ebook and seminar, maintain a steady client base and earn a certain amount of income, hopefully enough to hire both my mom and my daughter to work with me. My biggest goal for the year, though, is to help at least one other woman start her own business.
Well there you go. April Tara is truly amazing! Please connect with April Tara online and let her know that you read her interview here on BriefcaseDiva.
Thank you, April Tara, for allowing me to interview you. My prayer and hope is that you continue to find success and prosperity in 2009.
Until next time…wear your heels well!
January 12, 2009
Categories: Outstanding Woman Interviews . Tags: alice seba, april tara, kelli claypool, kelly mccausey, lynn terry, paralegal, single mom, virtual assistant, work at home mom . Author: krclaypool . Comments: Leave a comment
krclaypool
Woman
In addition to her gig as a military wife, Tammy is a mom of 2 daughters, runs a profitable business, 
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