What is a Virtual Assistant?

A Virtual Assistant (VA) is a business partner who will tackle the administrative aspects of your business so you can focus on the tasks that are revenue generating or provide much needed life balance. They are highly skilled and work off-site, virtually, usually from their home office.

When would you use a Virtual Assistant?

A VA can be hired for a small one-off project or retained for ongoing support. If you have a significant deadline approaching, and too many items on your to-do list, give your VA a call to delegate some of those time-consuming tasks. Or, for example, have your VA spend a few hours each week maintaining your social media accounts, broadcasting your newsletter or proofreading and formatting your latest blog post.

Why hire a Virtual Assistant?

Depending on how you want to work with your VA and the types of tasks you choose to outsource, the benefits of hiring one are vast (even if it takes some time to build the partnership to a point where you feel comfortable delegating ALL of your desired tasks to your VA). Here are the top motivators for partnering with a VA:

• No need to worry about payroll, benefits or insurance. We are independent contractors and, therefore, pay our own taxes. Medical benefits and insurance are also the responsibility of the consultant.
• As independent business owners, VAs are more dedicated and committed to their quality of work than an employee. They are experts in their field and usually backed by many years of on-the-job experience. They are business owners and your business partner. I have approximately 20 years of administrative experience and am committed to producing the highest standard of results to my clients.
• No need for you to provide office space, equipment, supplies and furniture as VAs provide their own.
• Most importantly, you can free up your valuable time to spend on the most critical, revenue generating aspects of your business.

Who typically hires Virtual Assistants?

More and more business owners are seeing the benefits of outsourcing to a VA. Here is a short list of the different types of professionals who can benefit from a VA:

• Small businesses
• Entrepreneurs or solopreneurs
• Realtors
• Financial advisors
• Coaches
• Authors
• Sales professionals
• Web-based companies
• Lawyers
• Contractors