This is another question asked at Quora and here is the answer I shared there. The most important thing for you to be aware of is that each and every Virtual Assistant (in the western world) are self-employed business owners. Therefore, they have your business at heart because without helping you to become successful it’s hard for them to be successful. Consider it more a partnership than an employer/employee type role. As already mentioned there are many (thousands) of stand-alone VAs and … [Read more...]
How do you set a realistic budget for engaging a VA?
I was asked this very question at Quora recently and thought I'd share my answer here. A ‘realistic’ budget can be different for every business owner. But let me put it this way. Have you assessed what it is you’re doing that isn’t earning you money, that you could outsource to a VA? The reality is that a VA will, most likely, do it in a much more timely and efficient manner than you. Example: If you have 100 business cards that need to be entered into your database and then imported to your … [Read more...]
Things that VAs don’t do
It may come as a shock to you but Virtual Assistants (VAs) don't do everything! Despite what you read out there. Take it from someone who works inside the industry and has done so for over 20 years. VAs don't do everything individually, but we do a lot of things collectively. Originating from the administrative/secretarial field in the 1990s, the Virtual Assistant Industry evolved with the introduction of the Internet and the development of new technologies. Consequently today you'll find … [Read more...]
How much does a VA cost?
"How much does a VA cost* and is there normally a minimum number of hours? E.g. could you get someone to do an hour every now and then / as you can afford it?" This was asked at a forum I participate in recently and it is a common question. I thought I'd share my answer with you all. There is no set hard and fast rule with VAs. They originally came from the home-based secretarial field and have evolved from there. Some work with an hourly rate, some work with monthly retainers. Some … [Read more...]
Calling all NFPs
NFPs or Not-for-Profits are usually run by a group of volunteers who take on the role of committee members with an executive: President, Vice President, Treasurer and Secretary as well as a number of general committee members. Last time I looked at an Association Directory there were over 800,000 such groups here in Australia alone. There comes a time when some of these NFPs feel that managing the association gets too much for the volunteer committee and they have to bite the bullet and employ … [Read more...]
Do you suffer from Admin Overwhelm?
'Admin Overwhelm': So many business owners are overwhelmed with the amount of admin and paperwork that needs to be done to keep their businesses running. I regularly chat with other business owners via phone, email, online forums and also face-to-face networking who tell me they are drowning in paperwork and struggling to develop systems to manage the overload of administrative work that arises through the day-to-day activities of running a business. It seems to creep up on them and suddenly … [Read more...]
What is a typical client for a VA?
A question that was asked at a forum I participate in recently. Good question and one that is important for both VAs and clients alike. The answer is, there is no typical client profile. It really depends on what the VA does and offer as to what a typical client might be for that one particular VA. And it can be based on service offerings or industry niches. For example, a VA may decide to specialise in one or more of the following services: digital transcription bookkeeping phone … [Read more...]
Worried about engaging an Aussie VA?
A business forum I belong to online had someone asking about engaging a VA in an Asian country. When they were queried about engaging someone in Australia instead (as that is where they live) they came back with the following comment: I have been told that legally if you contract a subcontractor in Australia on a regular basis then there is the possibility that the govt will go after you for rorting the system, to try and stop people getting around employing people part-time/casual. I found … [Read more...]
Being friends with the client
A couple of my VA team members have contacted me recently about past clients and shared some insights with me and their experiences. We all thought that this might make a good topic. It's probably something you don't think of when you're new in business and I'm sure it's probably something that has happened to many who have been in business for some time. What am I talking about? The client who takes one step closer and decides that you've become their friend. As such they'll start sharing all … [Read more...]
