Larry on Business: Virtual Assistants Save Time & Money

Enrich the discussion. Share your stories about working for, or as, a virtual assistant

Frequently, business owners need to focus on delivering the product or service their 1-person company offers. The billing, correspondence, updating a web site interfere. Many plan on doing those tasks during their “free time”, or having a family member do them on the side. As the business grows, however, neither the family member, nor the free time prove adequate. The business usually cannot support hiring even a part-time assistant to help at this time.

Virtual assistants provide a wonderful and less expensive bridge allowing you to focus on the business, not the paperwork.

Robin’s Story

Robin started an interior design business 9 years ago. In the beginning, she could easily balance meeting with potential clients, designing the spaces, buying the materials, and all the paperwork to keep it running. As the business grew, she found herself spending more and more hours “after work” doing the paperwork. It wasn’t enough to hire someone, but enough to irritate.

Robin met Donna at a community business organization they both attended. Donna, a single mother, with 2 young children ran her own virtual assistant business. She wanted more clients to serve. Her BA qualified her to do accounting work and all other administrative tasks. It took a couple of months to commit, but Robin eventually contracted with Donna.

For three years Donna would stop by Robins place once a week. She would deliver hard copies of the items that Robin wanted: contracts, proposals, etc.. She emailed most items during the week to a special email only Robin saw, because Donna screened and answered 90% of Robins emails. She would file everything for Robin. She highlighted the items Robin needed to act on. She did all the other things that had to be done in the office. After, an hour or two Donna would pick up all the things she needed and took them home to work on them. The only administrative task Donna did not perform for Robin’s company; she did not answer Robin’s phone.

Robin’s business thrived now that she could focus on the service delivery. Donna kept her appraised, but did not interfere. Robin’s business grew. After 3 years she tried to hire Donna full-time, but Donna loved her life as a virtual assistant. So, Robin hired a full-time administrative assistant. Donna accepted a new client that another client referred to her.

Both benefited quite well from the new arrangement.

Benefits of a Virtual Assistant

Virtual assistants reduce the amount of time you need to spend on clerical, bookkeeping, and administrative tasks
They allow you to hire someone—as needed—without making a commitment for a specified number of hours
They work as you need them to work. You only pay for what you ask
You share the costs of a workstation, computer, or other office equipment and supplies with the other clients

Virtual assistants provide a variety of services. I copied the following from Donna’s web site Busy Bee Virtual Assistance:

“A partial list of what we offer:

Database maintenance
Invoicing and collections
Translation services
Creating Power Point presentations
Bookkeeping and bank statement reconciliation
Transcription (charge is by audio hour)
Proofreading services. Never send out another mailing with embarrassing misspellings again!
Website maintenance. We can keep your website up to date and your content fresh.
Newsletters and e-zine campaigns.
Grow your business
Keep in touch with your clients on a regular basis!
Correspondence handling. We can manage both your snail mail and email correspondence, respond to routine requests, and forward items to you that need your personal attention. You save time and money!
Creating and sending out bulk mailings.
Assisting with special projects and seasonal/periodic work overflows.”

How to Find Virtual Assistance

You can find virtual assistants many ways:

Google the words Virtual Assistants or Virtual Assistance: your response will show mostly virtual assistants working outside the United States for as low as $6.00 an hour. While this provides the lowest costs, you must balance the pros and cons with an off-shore assistant.
VANetworking.com impressed me. They bill themselves as “Social Networking for Virtual Assistants and their clients”.

They provide good informational information about what Virtual Assistants can do for your company.
They also offer an easy to use search engine to find a virtual assistant near you.
They provide training and tools if you want to start a Virtual Assistant Business

Entrepreneur magazine published an article in 2004 about the phenomenon. While some of the links at the bottom are dated, they still provide access to virtual assistants throughout the world. (The article is also informative for those interested in become a virtual assistant.