How the Personal Assistant Network Came To Be

Several years ago, I was lucky enough to get one of my first jobs as a Personal Assistant. I had worked very hard on a career transition. When I finally landed this position, I was thrilled.

Thrilled until I needed to find a new resource. The paper trail from before my time was non-existent, and the boss hated questions. Reality set in. I didn’t have anyone to turn to, to help me find the special vendor that I needed.

I realized there was one person who would know other Personal Assistants in my vicinity — a recruiter who placed household staff. Great! I’ll call them. WRONG. I was assured that most experienced Personal Assistants “held their rolodexes very close to their chest.” And no, they “wouldn’t connect me with other Personal Assistants. Sorry.”

Of course, I found what I needed. If I wasn’t a resourceful sort, I would never have successfully transitioned to Personal-Assistant-hood. Yet, time and time again, I felt like I was reinventing the wheel. I didn’t believe for a minute that there was a group of Personal Assistants walking around keeping their keys to success a closely-guarded secret. And I didn’t believe that they didn’t want to know a few other people who spoke the same language; who shared the challenges and rewards of the profession.

In 2008 I acted on the urge to officially connect Personal Assistants in the Bay Area by founding The Personal Assistant Network. Our mission? Be helpful to our colleagues. Form meaningful connections. Have some fun along the way. Learn. Get inspired. Pretty simple, but that’s it.

Gwyn Waters, Founder