Virtual Assistants: What Are They and How Can You Use One?

by Joan Friedlander

As far as I'm concerned, a virtual assistant is a godsend to any solo-entrepreneur who has been doing it all herself/himself and recognizes that this is no way to run a profitable business, at least not in the long run. If you have determined it's time to hire someone to take on some of the things you've been doing yourself, a Virtual Assistant (VA) may be just the solution for you. Often, when I speak to people who do recognize that they would like to hire someone to help them, they think in traditional terms and respond in one of three ways:

1. I can't commit enough time and/or money to someone else to hire someone on a regular basis.
2. I don't have room in my tiny home office to bring in help - I'd hate it.
3. I've tried to hire people before and I can't find anyone good, or someone who stays with me long enough to make my investment worth my time.

Yes, that is quite possibly true. And that's what may make a VA the perfect solution.

A VA lives and works somewhere else. That somewhere else is their home office.

VA's are in business for themselves, just like you are. This is good for you. It means that, as a general rule, they have high standards for their own performance expectations. It means they understand business ownership because they are business owners.

Their strengths shine in this profession. If someone goes into this business, it also means they've identified their strengths as those that are well-suited to this business. Nice marriage if you think about it. Your weaknesses are their strengths. Or, if not your weaknesses, certainly their strengths are in business areas you have determined you would be wise to delegate (see earlier articles in this series for more about deciding what to delegate).

They serve multiple business owners. They set their own hours. What does this mean to you? It means that they are not solely dependent on you for their survival. Addresses worry #1.

Because they are in business for themselves, hiring a VA will cost you more per hour than hiring an assistant to come into your office. The cost per hour range for a VA is $30 - $50 per hour, which can seem like quite a bit at first. If you are gasping, consider the following:

They are 1099 contractors so you incur no associated employee or payroll costs and you don't have to purchase additional equipment because they already have it. You can commit as few as 5 hours per month for most VA's, and many will allow you to hire them on a project by project or hourly basis. The normal compensation for this arrangement is an additional $5 per hour.

My experience hiring a Virtual Assistant

When I recognized it was time to hire a VA, I decided to send out an RFP through www.assistu.com. Assist U is an excellent resource for VA's because they offer a training program and certification for those truly committed to excellence in this business.

The RFP form took 45-60 minutes to fill out (on-line) but was well worth my time. It gives you an opportunity to indicate the exact nature of the work you need done, the personal qualities you are looking for, and the experience and education level you want. You are also asked about your quirks so that those who respond to your RFP can take your personality into account. How great is that? I was able to acknowledge that the biggest challenge with me would be getting the work out of my hands! (I'm one of those people who is able to do many of the things I delegate to my VA, but know it’s not the best use of my time.)

To read more about my experience, link here.

 

by Joan Friedlander, © 2004. All rights reserved.