by Caroline Mueller
As many college seniors can attest, thinking about post grad life can be very daunting.
CofC alumni Caroline Murray knows that an undergrad degree does not dictate the rest of a career, but the experiences and lessons learned in college will stick forever.
“I loved the College of Charleston. It was so much fun for me. It’s kind of corny but the whole “know thyself” piece really inspired me. I believe that if you don’t know who you are that’s going to impact your entire life,” she said.
Murray is the owner of Virtually Possible, a virtual assistant business that helps owners manage their companies seamlessly.
The online management service specializes in assisting busy professionals with program implementation, webinars, website content management, training, marketing and more.
“I target small business owners…a lot of times that looks like me managing their email, their calendar, running their social media account, communicating with clients and trying to keep them organized,” she explained.
Virtually Possible is proving itself as a helpful tool for the modern day, multitasking professional.
Murray described her game plan with Virtually Possible, “The tasks are customizable,” she said.
Megan Moran, one of those multitasking professionals, has really found the service useful.
“I enjoy Caroline's service because it allows me to focus on my actual job of teaching instead of the other mundane tasks that come with working for yourself,” she said.
“I'm a busy mom of three, and my husband's job is very demanding, so Caroline's services allow me to prioritize my family without worrying about other details,” Moran added.
Moran can attest to the helpfulness of having a multifaceted virtual assistant.
“I am a yoga instructor who hates social media, so I knew I needed some help keeping my accounts updated. I also hate cold calling looking for gigs, so Caroline has a wonderful asset in booking jobs too,” she said.
Virtually Possible is on the incline right now, however Murray’s college experience set her up for a different career path.
Prior to starting Virtually Possible, she was a teacher.
Graduating in 2015, Murray worked in education for over six years before deciding to pursue a new path that she didn’t dream was possible for years to come.
“I really had it on the back burner for the future…I kind of hit the ground running with no preparation. I didn’t have a website, I didn’t have pricing, I didn’t have anything. I started it part time while I was teaching in January,” she said.
“I was pretty burned out and had long hard discussions with my husband and we said let's do it full time. So I quit my job, and here we are."
Murray’s experience at the college sheds light on her business strategies.
She was involved in multiple organizations at the College of Charleston and held leadership positions in her sorority, Kappa Alpha Theta.
“I was the Ritualist in Theta and then I was the Chief Education Officer,” said Murray. “Being on exec gave me a lot of skills. Managing and leading others while also having to come to that round table and work with a team and look at the bigger picture of things stuck with me the most.”
The transition from education to entrepreneurship is not a simple one, but Murray found a constant in her work style through each position.
“When I was a teacher my No. 1 priority was making strong relationships with my students and their families. That’s always going to be the top priority in my life -building strong relationships with others,” she said.
Her passion for transparent communication is clear.
“Building strong relationships with clients and also all the people you interact with on behalf of their business is so important- the better your relationship is with them the better their business will go. I’m all about building relationships, keeping people happy and laughing,” she said.