Braidley Ayuma is the managing director and founder of Dreams Freelancing Services, a virtual assistance business that offers administration tasks, social media management, and personal support to clients overseas.

Ayuma is also a virtual assistant business coach, with special focus on training women entrepreneurs in virtual assistance business models.

Being in a virtual business, I have managed to juggle between working and raising my son very effectively. I have also managed to build up a tribe of women with whom we share common business growth targets and referrals. I think it is important for women to understand that other women who are in the same line of business as you are not your competition but your plug.

I could have more on my plate and my clients could use a referral, or your other women friends could send you a client as a referral if they are not a good fit for them. We really go wrong by assuming that being in the same line of business makes us enemies.

I didn’t learn VA on campus. I studied a Bachelor of Science Horticulture. I quit this academic line after tarmacking the streets of Nairobi, dropping my CV at every firm that I knew dealt with my line of career, and applying to every other job post without any reply.

I started looking for other ways I could make a living and chanced upon virtual assistance. This doesn’t mean your school papers don’t hold value. They do. But you don’t have to be rigid in pushing for one type of career if it isn’t working.

Network as much as you can. This is very critical if you want to build a brand. It is all about who you know but most importantly who knows you.

Do your due diligence well before making an investment. I had an insurance company mess me up because they could not do a simple deduction from the bank. This got me afraid over how they’d manage my investment if they couldn’t do or facilitate a simple deduction.

I couldn’t trust them with my son’s future. This red flag caused me to walk out of the insurance policy I had taken, and because they refused to give me any refunds, I ended up losing the money I had already invested.

Before you invest in a policy, differentiate between an agent and an old investor. An agent will say anything to get you to invest. But a previous investor will be more likely to tell you the truth about their experience with company XYZ or 123.

When doing business engagements, it is important to have a clear contract in place that holds each party accountable. Failing to do this was a major mistake when I was starting my business. I trusted a stranger without a contract to lay out the terms of us working together.

I was naive and did not have much guidance on how to handle this. I worked without pay for 3 months, not knowing that I was being duped.

By the time I realized, it was too late to hold the person I had gotten into contract with accountable legally. I have also realized that even in the presence of a contract, you still need to be on the lookout for red flags. If you start working and in the first month notice a financial red flag, pause your services until you are paid.

I am still learning how to be a disciplined saver. Among the steps I have taken is having a financial planner from whom I can seek financial advice. I have also been attending her classes to get a better understanding of how personal finance works. I also run a lot of Chamas and I have a goal for each one of them.

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I also use a locked savings account with the bank that limits withdrawals. This has been effective in taming access to cash round the clock. Previously, I used my phone to save money.  This didn’t work because I had easy access to the money.

If I were to start all over again, I wouldn’t try to be Jack of all trades. I would stay in my lane and water it over and over again. I wouldn’t try to do so many things at the same time. My VA business started doing great only after I dropped all other small businesses and focused on it.

You can’t walk alone, and if you do then your vision is small. I have a great support system in my husband, friends, and my parents. In business and in life, you need family, friends, and where it applies, a spouse who cheers you on instead of dragging you down.

A version of this profile feature on Braidley Ayuma of Dreams Freelancing Services was also published in the Saturday Magazine. The Saturday Magazine is a publication of the Nation Media Group.