What is a VA?

A Virtual Assistant (VA) is an entrepreneur who provides administrative support and/or specialized business services. These services are typically provided from his or her home office, utilizing phone, fax, instant messages, e-mail, snail and overnight mail, portable media storage and even cassette tape. And, Virtual Assistant's provide their services without ever having to physically enter their clients' offices.

A Virtual Assistant is not an employee of your company; they are small business owners. Virtual Assistant's are interested in developing strong working relationships, creating a purposeful and collaborative partnership.

A Virtual Assistant's success is directly related to the success of their clients, which means they have a vested interest in the growth and success of their clients' business.

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Is there any benefit to hiring a VA?

VA's...

• do not require office space.
• do not need to be managed, as do employees.
• do provide their own office space and equipment.
• do provide your business support needs; working your agenda, and often support many personal needs as well, such as personal/family appointments and events, and reminders and preparation for special occasions.
• do get paid for time on task, not time spent at the water cooler - this means you pay only for that time which is spent on your work.

Client's...

• do get to work with the same person every time, unlike temporary employment service agencies.
• do get to work with another professional business owner (the VA) who wants to find solutions to overcome challenges and take advantage of opportunities to help with growth and success.
• do not spend time on employee related administration.
• do not pay associated benefits, holidays, insurance, paid vacations, payroll taxes, sick leave or Social Security.
• do not need to know and adhere to federal and state mandates; i.e. OSHA, Federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), and Employee Retirment Income Security Act (ERISA).
• do not pay someone, an employee, to administer the federal and state mandates.
• do not have the hassle of dismissing an employee - if you are not satisfied with the work, do not renew the contract.
• do not have the expense and down time associated with employee turnover and new employee training.

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What costs are involved in hiring a VA?

A Virtual Assistant is not an employee of your company; they are small business owners. Virtual Assistant's are interested in developing strong working relationships, creating a purposeful and collaborative partnership.

A Virtual Assistant's success is directly related to the success of their clients, which means they have a vested interest in the growth and success of their clients' business.

As with many service professions, cost is typically based on the experience and skill levels of the Virtual Assistant, as well as the level of service provided. Costs can range between $30 through $150 hourly.

An experienced Virtual Assistant starting a new practice and having great skills could expect to start with an hourly rate of $30. A highly skilled Virtual Assistant with an established practice may have an hourly rate of $50 to $70. Professionally certified Virtual Assistant's have hourly rates starting even higher. 

Many Virtual Assistants will also offer a flat fee per project and/or services under retainer. The project fee or retainer services are beneficial to clients for almost any circumstances, especially for long involved projects that require many hours of dedicated service. The benefit for the client is knowing the Virtual Assistant will be committed to providing the client the services needed, meeting deadlines and providing consistency in the work product. The benefit to the Virtual Assistant is the new challenges the projects provide, and also the consistent established income during such projects.

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Who hires a VA?

Many different types of people, small businesses and corporations frequently find the need to hire a Virtual Assistant.

Among those people, you will find accountants, authors, celebrities, coaches, consultants, financial planners, professional athletes, professional speakers, recruiters, therapists and writers.

Many small businesses with limited space and resources find partnering with a Virtual Assistant to be effective, with great advantages and very little cost. Certainly, the cost is minimal, in comparison for the need to lease space, provide and maintain equipment, and hire a full time or part time employee, which may include benefits, when there is not a need for that level of staffing.

Many corporate businesses find an advantage to hiring Virtual Assistants for a myriad of administrative services. Corporate businesses often find it much more efficient and effective to hire a dedicated Virtual Assistant for major projects. This allows the business to meet its goal with the project, while maintaining high morale with its employees who are relieved they are not required to find time to complete one more project when they are already working at full capacity.

Though it may seem surprising to you, many busy families are now utilizing Virtual Assistants as a way to enable them to have valuable, quality family time together.

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Can you work with a VA?

Good question. Let's be realistic here. The client/VA relationship is a unique relationship, requiring trust and both parties working together to ensure effectiveness and productivity.

If you need to:

• frequently monitor progress 
• continually be in contact with your Virtual Assistant 
• are unable to trust others to complete tasks 
• are unable to delegate 
• are so disorganized you cannot assign tasks to a Virtual Assistant 
• uncomfortable using technology for assigning and receiving work

...then you would have difficulty working with a Virtual Assistant.

On the other hand, if you: 

• do not need to frequently monitor progress, but can agree upon specific update time frames
• can accept that the Virtual Assistant will call you if there are questions 
• are comfortable using technology for assigning and receiving work

...then you would enjoy working with a Virtual Assistant.

So, if you are the type of person who can work with a Virtual Assistant, hire one, start out with small responsibilities to ensure you get to know the Virtual Assistant's work style, and yours is learned by the Virtual Assistant. Once you and your Virtual Assistant have begun establishing your partnership, turn over your next big project. Then stand back and let the Virtual Assistant do the job. Who knows, you might find that not only do you have time to promote your business, you have leisure time too. (What a novel idea!)

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