| Our freedom is one of the most coveted rights | | | | 100%, purely, totally, and undeniably virtual. The |
| we have as Americans. Yet we tie ourselves to | | | | company has but two employees - me and my |
| offices and desks and towns and schools and so | | | | husband and we both work from offices located |
| on. Why? Why not enjoy more freedom? Why | | | | in our home. Because we both talk so much and |
| be tied to all of those things if you don't have to | | | | so loud, yes, we have separate offices or I'm |
| be? Why wish; why not do? | | | | afraid we'd strangle each other! As for our "core |
| How often do you wish to be freer? Living in | | | | staff" as we refer to them, they're located all |
| America, we're afforded more freedom than in | | | | over the country and work from their home |
| any other part of the world. We can go | | | | offices. They're contracted - not employees and |
| anywhere we want without asking permission of | | | | they work in places like Florida, Missouri, California, |
| our Government. We can hold any job we want | | | | Idaho, Wisconsin, Michigan, New York, |
| for anyone who will hire us, as long as it's legal of | | | | Pennsylvania, Ohio, Arizona, and many other |
| course. We can marry or cohabitate with anyone | | | | states. So true to what we preach as a virtual |
| we want - gender regardless. We can start and | | | | staffing agency, we are 100% virtual. |
| run businesses. Our freedom is one of the most | | | | To facilitate the virtual atmosphere and the virtual |
| coveted rights we have as Americans. Yet we tie | | | | working environment, we utilize virtual phone |
| ourselves to offices and desks and towns and | | | | systems, virtual fax systems, online accounting |
| schools and so on. Why? Why not enjoy more | | | | programs, online CRM programs, and rely heavily |
| freedom? Why be tied to all of those things if | | | | on email, instant messenger, and the telephone to |
| you don't have to be? Why wish; why not do? | | | | communicate and carry on our day-to-day |
| Almost 14 years ago, Jim, my now husband and | | | | business. Editor's note: If you'd like more |
| business partner and I were married in the | | | | information on the components Team Double-Click |
| beautiful little mountain town of Ouray | | | | uses to facilitate their virtual office, such as fax |
| (pronounced you-ray) in Colorado. I'd seen the | | | | and phone systems, check out Gayle's article |
| town and fallen in love with it when I was a | | | | Setting Up Your Virtual Office at |
| teenager and I somehow convinced him to get | | | | So what all of this virtual stuff means is that we |
| married there, site unseen. Well, he fell in love with | | | | can very easily go to conferences and work while |
| the town too. Since that day 14 years ago, it's | | | | we're away - provided we have an internet |
| been our dream to live in Ouray. For many years | | | | connection. When we were in the process of |
| we couldn't do it. We were tied to typical | | | | moving, we kept in touch by stopping along the |
| corporate jobs, desks, land line phones, a business | | | | way to check email and of course we spoke to |
| that at the time wasn't mobile, and all of the | | | | our staff via cell phone regularly. We can easily |
| other things we Americans tie ourselves to. It | | | | vacation most any time we'd like (though we tend |
| just wasn't possible. | | | | not to because we enjoy our work), again |
| Last year, while vacationing in Ouray, it was | | | | because we can connect anytime via the internet |
| nearly unbearable for us to leave. Our business | | | | and phone! |
| was mobile (I'll get to that in a minute) so our | | | | The virtual aspects of our life are so liberating and |
| biggest problem with making a cross country | | | | so freeing because we can literally pick up and go |
| move such as we were proposing, was to find a | | | | anywhere, anytime we want to without worrying |
| school for our daughter who would be entering | | | | about phones going unanswered, about who will |
| 6th grade that fall. | | | | open the office, who will do this and who will do |
| We started looking into home schooling and any | | | | that. Our virtual-ness also made our move from |
| other options we could find. We found an online | | | | Wisconsin to Colorado a breeze! |
| (virtual) grade school, middle school, and high | | | | If you're at all hesitant about making your |
| school called Christa McAuliffe Academy We | | | | company "virtual", or working virtually, any one of |
| enrolled our daughter and started making plans to | | | | our core staff members, virtual assistants, or |
| move to Colorado. | | | | clients would be happy to tell you how great and |
| So in addition to our business being "virtual" our | | | | how freeing it is. Additionally, our core staff are |
| daughter's school is virtual as well. Heck, we're a | | | | more than happy to help you take the steps to |
| totally virtual family! We could work and school | | | | make it happen and show you the ropes. I |
| from Timbuktu if we wanted to, if they had | | | | encourage everyone to start enjoying the added |
| internet connection there of course. | | | | freedom you deserve as an American and work |
| Back to our business being virtual. What many of | | | | virtually! |
| you may not know is that Team Double-Click is | | | | |