Carrie sat down at her desk and glanced at the clock. It was 9 pm, time to check emails, pay bills, send out invoices, and order supplies, along with a host of other tasks she hadn’t had a chance to do earlier in the day. Her day started at 5 am, and she’s exhausted.
Carrie is a small business owner of a convenience store in Frederick, Maryland, she has three employees. Although they help run the store during the day, Carrie is responsible for all the administrative work. She spends most of her day managing her employees, helping customers, talking with vendors and overseeing deliveries. Therefore, the administrative work is left for Carrie, late at night. She is completely overwhelmed and not sure where to turn for help. Her friend, Shell, comes in to grab coffee one morning and suggests working with a virtual assistant. Carrie is excited about the potential benefits of hiring a virtual assistant to free up her time.
What are Virtual Assistants?
Virtual Assistants (VAs) are professional administrative assistants who provide services without being physically present. VAs work with small business owners via the Internet, fax, and phone to provide support remotely, collaborating with their clients to meet their business needs without the burden of overhead costs. Unlike temporary employees, VAs are business owners themselves, and they relate to the needs of their clients.
What do they do?
Virtual Assistants provide a wide range of business and administrative tasks for their clients. VAs manage schedules, make appointments and travel arrangements, handle bulk mailings, create and maintain spreadsheets, manage email and faxes, and research just about anything. Some have specific skills in website design and maintenance, Internet marketing, copywriting, and more. Most importantly, VAs get it done, whatever “it” might be.
Why work with a VA instead of an employee?
A VA is a popular alternative for the small business owner because payroll taxes, insurance, vacation, or other benefits are not required.. VAs are independent business owners, not employees. They pay their own taxes, employment and health insurance, and any other business costs. The business owner pays only for the time the VA has worked.
In addition, small business owners and home-based business owners may need administrative support but don’t have the work space or equipment to house an employee. VAs provide their equipment, training, and knowledge.
How do business owners find VAs?
Several online companies provide a referral service to connect business owners and VAs. One such organization is AssistU, the premier VA training and client referral organization. AssistU has trained hundreds of VAs around the world, and the referral system matches clients with VAs.
Business owners who are ready to work with a VA should consider what they can outsource. What can only they do versus what can be done by someone else?
Remember Carrie? She started working with a VA, and her life has changed dramatically. She still gets up at 5 am, but now goes to work out at the gym before she heads to the store. She leaves the store at 4 pm, and she’s done for the day. Her VA handles all the administrative tasks that she used to have to do late at night. Her business is thriving, and she’s considering opening up another store across town.
What can a VA do for your business?
To learn more about this author, visit Michelle Kelley-Olsen's Website.
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