Aide de Camp is a title most commonly known as a personal assistant or secretary to a high-ranking officer in the military. The literal meaning of the French term is ‘assistant in the field.’
I found Aide de Camp to be a fitting title for my business as a Virtual Assist although my mission is to serve entrepreneurs and business owners, not general officers. Well, not anymore.
After enlisting in the United States Marine Corps and being groomed into a sharp Intelligence Analyst, I found myself working as a staff member for an office housing not one, but two general officers. During this time I learned a lot of necessary skills in writing, research, analysis, business administration, and marketing. Wait… Marketing? Yes, Marketing!
If you don’t think that it takes a level of marketing, backed with research and analysis, to persuade a group of young men who are well trained, well armed and feeling invincible to take any sort of precautionary measures, you are wrong!
Although tangible skills are important, they can be taught to anyone. The values that stand behind Aide de Camp are irreplaceable. You can’t pay for competence, respect, reliability, trustworthiness or a sense of humor.