January 2004

The First Virtual Assistant

Sharon Broughton

by Sharon Broughton

The founder of AssistU, (Stacy Brice) once told me the story of how the term “virtual assistant” came about. She worked as a travel agent for many years and found that she would typically help her clients with more than just their travel. At one point she decided to start a business doing the things that she had been doing for these travelers. She wasn’t sure what to call herself. Thomas Leonard, who founded Coach U and later Coachville, hired Stacy and called her his “Virtual Assistant.” Thomas Leonard was a nationally recognized coach and speaker who bought a Winnebago and traveled all over the US from meeting to meeting; and therefore, no longer had a brick and mortar building. Before he passed away in February 2003, he had worked with several Virtual Assistants—most, if not all, he never had the pleasure of meeting face-to-face.