"How I Got Started..." with Virginia Franco, Founder/Owner of Virginia Franco Resumes
Virginia Franco is the Founder and Owner of Virginia Franco Resumes. Virginia helps job candidates articulate their unique stories and market themselves in ways that resonate with hiring managers.
We are so grateful to have had the opportunity to learn more about Virginia's career path and how she has refined her skills over the years.
Q: Where are you from?
A: I immigrated from Montevideo, Uruguay as a baby and was raised in the D.C. suburbs. As an adult I’ve lived in Baltimore, Richmond and now Charlotte.
Q: What are you passionate about in your personal life?
A: I love to read, walk and my guilty pleasure is TV binging – anything from reality TV to soaps to historical fiction, comedies and sci fi.
Q: What college did you attend and what did you study?
A: I earned my B.A. in Journalism from the University of Richmond and a Masters in Social Work from the University of Maryland.
Q: Tell me about your early career.
A: My earlier career includes roles as a healthcare social worker, in Corporate Communications and as a freelance writer. I wrote resumes for friends along the way gratis. I had no idea back then that anyone did this for a living!
Q: In your words, what is Virginia Franco Resumes?
A: I translate job seeker’s career story into marketing collateral (resumes to cover letters, LinkedIn profiles to bios) that compels hiring managers and recruiters to reach out for interviews.
Q: How long have you been in business?
A: I founded my company in 2010.
Q: What was the transition from your career to entrepreneurship like? What sparked you to start your company?
A: I’m an accidental entrepreneur. When the recession hit we were facing a massive pay cut. I had 4 children and only 1 was in elementary school. The truth is I needed a way to bring in income without spending half of it on childcare.
Q: What was the biggest surprise as a business owner from working as an employee?
A: While I had confidence in my writing and interviewing skills, there was so much I needed to learn about sales, social media marketing and about the work it takes to get your name and brand out there and to keep the sales pipeline full!
Q: What have been the biggest challenges in growing the business? What have you done differently as a result?
A: When I first started I was fundamentally terrible at articulating my value to prospective clients. As a result I either wouldn’t close on sales or close at a pitiful poor hourly rate. I wound up working with a sales coach who helped me to grow my business!
Q: As a successful business owner, do you have work / life balance? How have you managed to improve the joy and fulfillment in your life?
A: This is still a work in progress. While I still work more hours than I’d like, I’ve been able to work exclusively from any location I choose and have extreme scheduling flexibility. I’ve also been able to be there for my family and volunteer in a variety of capacities. I always remind myself that I’d rather work 50 hours flex than 30 hours set in stone.
Q: What can we and others in the community do to help your business grow and be more successful?
A: I welcome feedback on my website and social media sites!
Q: What advice would give other entrepreneurs / small business owners?
A: Be clear on your dealbreakers – whether a minimum salary to maximum number of hours. For me the dealbreaker was I was not going to pay for childcare.
“How I Got Started...” is a blog series that spotlights the entrepreneurial and life journeys of various small business owners and professionals. The content of this blog was curated by members of the CreativeMktGroup team.
