Today we’d like to introduce you to Lashun Shipman.
Hi Lashun, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My story starts as far back as a little kid. I started seeing a path for myself in 3rd grade. I grew up seeing my dad always using his skills to work for himself. He would fix houses, repair cars, build things, take things apart and put them back together. He’s a man of many hats. He always seemed free and happy to be able to make money using all of his skills. For me, I realized that I wanted that for myself. I wanted to work hard, own businesses, and travel the world. I would always tell my parents that when I got older, I would go to business school, get out of our small town of Hollister, NC and travel the world while running a business. I also loved to cook, I still do. I would sit in my room drawing logos of my restaurant that I dreamed of having. I would have so many big dreams, but it always consisted of me working for myself and being able to travel whenever I wanted to.
Growing up, I did not like school at all. Like many other kids, I experienced bullying in school. I would get bullied for my clothes, where I lived, and also for my sexuality. It made me want to start on my dreams even sooner, just so I could get away from everyone and find my place in the world where I felt free and accepted.
Just like my dad, I began to use my skills to make my own money. I would cook, clean houses, detail cars, repair phones, do yard work, babysit, and help plan events. I really enjoyed repairing phones and doing anything that involved computers and tech. Once I finished high school, I went off to Chowan University to study for business and concentrate in Information Systems.
I still did not like school at all. So, I left college and began working again. Education is definitely important, but I felt that for me, I could still make my dreams possible if I just worked hard enough and networked with the right people. I felt like continuously learning new skills would be my “education”. I’ve had jobs in Customer Service, Retail, Food Industry, and Office Administration.
I think my true pivot point in my life that ultimately allowed me to start living out my dream started in 2016. I was working at a call center but did not feel fulfilled at all. The person I was dating then started traveling for work. I went to visit him in Wilkesboro, NC where the company he worked for was starting up a new location. He became friends with the HR Manager. So, while he was working I would go in the office with her and help her with things. I realized that I really could see myself being in HR and it would help me gain valuable skills for business. I remember having a risky “aha” moment. I decided to quit my job, change careers to the Sanitation Industry, and relocate to that area. I was determined to be in HR, so I strategically networked and was able to get my foot in the door.
I pushed every day to observe, learn, and showcase my skills to the right people. I was able to move up from a regular team member to becoming an HR Divisional Manager in the span of three years. It allowed me to begin partially living my dream. I got to travel and feel like I was running a business because I was managing a team and multiple locations across the East Coast.
I noticed that even though it felt like I was running a business, I wasn’t fully living my dream because I was not building my own business, I was helping someone else maintain theirs. So, I left that job to get into Real Estate in 2019. While working in Real Estate, I discovered the Virtual Assistant Industry. This was my chance to take all my skills, build a business, and offer services to other businesses.
It took me two years to launch my business because I didn’t know what niche I would focus on and I was afraid. I relocated to TN in 2021. I didn’t want to work for anyone else and I couldn’t work as an Agent in a new state. So, I had no choice but to start my Virtual Assistant company.
I spent hours creating a contract, writing policies, registering my business, and trying to figure out my niche. AJ, good friend of mine, introduced me to my first client, Kesha Hayes. I was also able to work with Five Pillars Realty Team as a Transaction Coordinator. Things began to pick up with my business rapidly after that. I was so excited! The Real Estate Team decided to change their structure by August of 2021. This meant that the team would no longer be paying me a “Salary”. Each agent would now have to individually hire me for my services which opened up an opportunity for Core Vassist, LLC, my Virtual Assistant company, to be more focused on a niche and make more money.
I quickly started investing in systems, working late to build them out, and tweaking my policies to officially offer Real Estate Transaction Coordinating to any Realtor instead of just one team. August of this year will be my full-year offering this service. With the skills I gained from my HR career and mentorship from great friends, I’ve been able to grow my company into a team of 4, serving over 25 Realtors. I’m blessed to be able to fully live my dream now. I’m operating my own company that’s remote and allows me to travel anytime I want. So far, I’ve been able to see parts of the US and travel to Belize. I’m looking forward to making many more parts of the world my “office” while also being able to enjoy beautiful places on my own terms.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has not been a smooth road. I’ve struggled with being inside of my own head and doubting that I’m not doing enough. Imposter syndrome is definitely real when you’re an entrepreneur. I still deal with it, but I’ve learned to speak affirmations to myself to remain positive. I’ve also struggled with leveraging tasks. I’m very headstrong and like to do things on my own. The biggest part of growing my business has been learning to let go and trust my team that I’m building.
I also struggle with managing my own social media accounts. Marketing is not my strong suit.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Core Vassist, LLC?
Core Vassist, LLC is a Virtual Assistant Company that helps entrepreneurs implement systems, manage projects, and manage tasks to help their businesses run smoothly.
We are currently focusing on providing services to the Real Estate Industry by managing their Contract to Close process. So, once an agent goes under contract on a home, we take it from there. We communicate with their clients, attorneys, lenders, schedule inspections, and really manage the closing process for the agent. This allows agents to focus on meeting more buyers and sellers without worrying so much about the administrative/behind the scenes tasks.
We also currently serve one client as a Virtual Assistant. We help manage her calendar, complete research, plan events, and implement systems to help her business operations run more efficiently. We will be growing this service next year.
Alright, so to wrap up, is there anything else you’d like to share with us?
Don’t be afraid to adapt and take necessary risks to reach your goals. Be comfortable with being uncomfortable. It’s definitely helped me!
Pricing:
- $400 per Buyer or Seller File We Manage
- $550 if we are managing both sides for the same agent
Contact Info:
- Email: info@corevassist.com
- Website: www.corevassist.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/corevassistllc/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pg/corevassistllc/posts/
Image Credits
Life and Lens Media
