Mt. Kisco Woman Finds Success With Own Business
For 25 years, Donna Cravotta spent plenty of time commuting and even longer hours as an executive assistant and project manager for several global law firms.
To a large extent her life revolved around work, but as her now eight-year-old son was getting older and wanted her closer to home, Cravotta, a single mother, could no longer afford to spend up to 80 hours a week at an office in Manhattan.
While Cravotta didn’t know if she could afford to relinquish the security of a steady salary and benefits, she also realized her situation was becoming increasingly untenable.
“I was in the city and I couldn’t do it anymore,” she said. “I knew I couldn’t continue to do that for any length of time. I made the change out of necessity.”
The change Cravotta made was to leave her job in late 2005. After searching for viable alternatives closer to home, she learned of the virtual assistance industry. She figured she had the skills to make it work and planned to take a year to try and build a business. But one night decided to leave her job the next day.
By the following year she established Virtual Management Concepts, a firm that helps a variety of entrepreneurs and professionals adapt to the modern workplace.
Cravotta, 46, uses all the technology at her disposal to assist her clients with social media setup, e-mail and online marketing and public relations. She works mostly with small business owners, consultants, independent professionals and authors to help grow their ventures and help them get the word out about their products or services.
“Most people are aware of some of the possibilities for them but I try to make them aware of all the possibilities that are out there,” said Cravotta, who grew up in Brooklyn and had lived in Riverdale and Hawthorne before moving to Mount Kisco about five years ago.
Like many of her clients Cravotta works at home in her basement office. With her trusty laptop she can take her work almost anywhere, including outdoors, when the weather gets nice. So far, the arrangement has worked just fine for her. She still keeps long hours, working while her son, Matthew, is in school. Then Cravotta said she has time for him and his activities until he’s ready to go to sleep. Later on, she works some more before turning in for the night.
“I do work a lot of hours but it’s around my son’s schedule,” she said.
Not only has Cravotta been able to help herself change gears in her life, but she also hopes to increasingly help other women who find themselves in difficult situations realize their dreams and potential as well. Last year, Cravotta was one of the women whose stories of perseverance was highlighted in the best-selling book “A Juicy, Joyful Life: Inspiration From Women Who Have Found Sweetness in Every Day.” She was one of the 41 contributors who came forward to tell their story of how they made a life-altering change in the face of adversity.
Like many business owners, Cravotta hopes over time she can expand her operation, to have several people working for her. Despite the tough economy, which has put squeeze on so many businesses, she has been able to survive and thrive with a steady trajectory.
Looking back, Cravotta acknowledged the move to head out on her own was terrifying–there were nights when she resorted to eating ice cream for dinner–but the tough times have made her appreciate her successes. After all, it was her son who was the inspiration behind her taking the leap of faith.
Martin has more than 30 years experience covering local news in Westchester and Putnam counties, including a frequent focus on zoning and planning issues. He has been editor-in-chief of The Examiner since its inception in 2007. Read more from Martin’s editor-author bio here. Read Martin’s archived work here: https://www.theexaminernews.com/author/martin-wilbur2007/