| entrepreneur and small business owner, | | | | business, it may work for yours. In addition, your |
| you’ve probably heard the term | | | | VA becomes familiar with how you operate your |
| “Virtual Assistant (VA),” but you | | | | business; as a result, s/he can help your business |
| are still not quite sure exactly what a Virtual | | | | operations run smoothly. |
| Assistant is or what they do or don’t do. | | | | The benefits you reap as an entrepreneur from |
| Think of a Virtual Assistant as your online | | | | this type of business relationship outweighs any |
| administrative assistant. However, there are still | | | | fees that you may perceive as being expensive. |
| misconceptions that exist. I’m going to | | | | If you choose to work with offshore virtual |
| attempt to clear those up. | | | | assistants to save a few bucks, you will not |
| “A Virtual Assistant is a professional who | | | | receive this type of value-added service and |
| specializes in providing administrative support and | | | | expertise, mainly due to cultural differences. |
| expertise,” says Danielle Keister of Virtual | | | | If you are trying to decide if it is time to retain |
| Assistant Chamber of Commerce. The business | | | | the services of a Virtual Assistant, it depends on |
| community is still conditioned to think of virtual | | | | whether or not you find yourself spending more |
| assistants as employees. This type of thinking can | | | | time working in your business rather than working |
| devalue the true worth of a VA; as a result, | | | | on your business. If it is the former, you should |
| potential clients tend to focus on the cost of the | | | | work with a VA. S/he can assist you with those |
| services rather than the value a VA can bring to | | | | daily, time-consuming tasks, which divert your |
| the table. When you pencil out the benefits you | | | | focus away from working on your business. |
| reap from working with them, you will realize that | | | | Working on your business requires just as much |
| they are not as expensive as you first thought. | | | | concentration and is necessary if you want to |
| Since VAs are professional entrepreneurs, they | | | | grow your company. |
| are quite versed in business operations. You | | | | There are several VA forums that have |
| won’t have to worry about | | | | directories listing their members and how to |
| time-consuming tasks; such as, e-mail marketing | | | | contact them. You can start your search at |
| campaigns, maintaining your website, following up | | | | VAnetworking, Virtual Assistant Chamber of |
| with your clients, bookkeeping, creating a new | | | | Commerce, Search4VAs, Virtual Assistant |
| blog, updating your blog, to name a few. As | | | | Forums, and International Virtual Assistants |
| Danielle points out, a Virtual Assistant can help you | | | | Association, to name a few. |
| move your business forward. | | | | Although the VA industry has existed for nearly |
| The qualifications and skills that they possess as | | | | 10 years, due to workers becoming business |
| VAs enable them to be experts in their fields, as | | | | owners because of downsizing and layoffs, VAs |
| well as in their profession as entrepreneurs. You | | | | are suddenly in high demand. However, potential |
| receive more than administrative support, you | | | | clients, and some VAs, need to recondition their |
| have someone you can consult with, bounce ideas | | | | concept of what a Virtual Assistant really is and |
| off of, brainstorm with, as well as utilize some of | | | | what they do and don’t do. They are |
| their business practices. If it works for their | | | | independent contractors not employees. |