A Virtual Assistant (VA) is someone who is self-employed that works for you, giving you business support when you or your company needs it. They provide a cost effective solution when there is no budget or the facilities to recruit someone full-time or part-time. They can work from any location; your office, your home or virtually from their own office. They have their own PC, printer and phone so there is no set-up cost. The only cost to you is their hourly rate, which is never rounded up – you only pay for the time that is worked. No sick pay, no holiday pay, no NI contributions to pay, no tax to pay – you can’t go wrong!
A qualified VA will have worked for over 15 years in a corporate background, across different departments, where they have gained the experience needed to support business owners, managers and board level executives across the board. They are able to work under pressure, within tight timescales and budgets, using their own initiative.
A VA will work with you, not for you. They fully understand the value and importance of your business as they are business owners too. Your success means their success. VA’s thrive on supporting other business owners as without you they cannot achieve their business goals.
If you want to take on more work, or a larger client but lack some of necessary resources to expand then you should consider using the expertise of a VA. Using the right VA will give you more time to focus on the things that you should be doing to grow your business. It will also give you your weekend back!
So, what does a VA do?
Office Admin
They can assist you with a wide range of traditional PA administration tasks, such as; diary and email management, meeting arrangements and travel co-ordination. They can take all your receipts and manage your expenses, answer your calls and run your errands, produce your presentations...anything you need!
Marketing/Social Media
Whether it’s producing copy for your website, producing collateral, arranging an event or pushing out your message through marketing tactics such as Blogs, Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn, a VA with a marketing background can work with you to help grow your business.
These are just some of the things a VA can do. Remember, it isn’t all about time. If as task is out of your comfort zone it will take you longer to start, longer to complete and may not be an enjoyable experience for you.
Why don’t you take one aspect of your business that you need help with and recruit a VA, it will be the best business decision you have made.
Soon, the questions won’t be ‘What does a Virtual Assistant do?’ It will be ‘Who is your Virtual Assistant?' 8-)
