What is a Virtual Assistant?
vir·tu·al as·sis·tant - A virtual assistant is an entrepreneur who provides professional administrative, technical, or creative (social) assistance to clients from a home office.
Being a Sole Trader or a startup business probably means you are a one man show with excellent juggling skills, enjoy wearing multiple hats and love working long hours. In reality there is a limited number of hours in the day, you do need to sleep and it’s important to maintain some kind of work vs life balance.
Starting your own business is definitely an eye opener for many people. Who would have thought running your own business would require so much time shuffling paper and filling in forms? Are you noticing that you’re spending increasing amounts of your day on time consuming administrative tasks, bookkeeping, marketing, social media management, documenting etc it can be an overwhelming challenge and almost impossible to manage alone.
Your time is too valuable to spend on repetitive, mundane administrative tasks, but you’re business is not in a position to employ permanent resources. Don’t lose sleep or pull your hair out, the perfect solution for you is a Virtual Assistant!
Virtual Assistants offer a wide range of support services bringing years of valuable experience and expertise into your business. If you want to open up your schedule for the more important things in life you should consider using a Virtual Assistant to take over some of your vital non-paying to-do’s.
A Virtual Assistant is a professional administrative / personal assistant that works remotely from their own office to provide a range of virtual business support services. The advances in technology over the last couple of decades have boosted the Virtual Assistant industry enabling them to utilize a variety of technology to communicate with their clients. Products like skype, instant messenger, email, the internet and fax makes sharing information and communicating very easy.
A Virtual Assistant is one of the most cost effective ways to get the help you need running your business as they can provide most of the same services as any permanent in-house employee without the added expense. Some of the benefits of using a Virtual Assistant include;
- Saving valuable time and money, allowing you time to work on your business and concentrate on the elements that bring in the money!.
- No office space, equipment or software required.
- No payroll tax.
- No superannuation, Annual Leave, Sick Leave, Personal Leave, Public Holidays
- Only pay for time on task or per project, so only time actually spent working.
- Virtual Assistants are flexible, you can hire them on a full time, part time, casual basis or for a one off special project.
Here is just a few of the administration tasks a Virtual Assistant can support you with:
- Proofreading
- Creating document templates
- Procedure Manual consultation, writing and design
- Meeting documentation including agenda, minutes & support documents
- Internet research reports
- Data Entry & Database Management
- Bookkeeping
- PowerPoint presentations
- Word Processing
- Spreadsheets
- Payroll Services
- Travel Arrangements
- Diary Management
- Printed newsletter design, postcards & direct mail pieces
- Desktop Publishing Leaflets/brochures (design and copywriting)
- General typing of manuscripts, essays, research and/or documents
- Database and mailing management
- Email and correspondence
- Newsletter design
- Article marketing
- Direct mailing, mail merge letters, labels and emails
- Website maintenance & updates
- Telephone Answering Services
- Social Media Management
- Transcription
- Subtitling
- Translation
To find yourself a Virtual Assistant you can do a google search, check out LinkedIn & Twitter for profiles of Virtual Assistants and of course ask your networks for referrals.
Majority of Virtual Assistants are members of a Virtual Assistant Network. Should a Virtual Assistant be unable to do complete a particular task, provide a certain service or needed extra assistance to complete a project they could call on one of the other members of their network for help. The two largest networks in Australia are:
So when you notice that your paper work is piling up, your databases have contact details that are out of date, you have a speech to write, a presentation to prepare for tomorrow, and you need to organize that business trip to Brisbane today… as well as of course actually doing the thing you get paid for in your business!
Remember that there is a flexible option out there for you, waiting to assist at any time!
Written by Trindy Oakley – Oakenco Administration
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Posted on June 23, 2011, in Business Administration Consultant, Virtual Assistant and tagged Business Administration Consultant, entrepreneur, Office Administration, Small Business, sole trader, virtual assistant. Bookmark the permalink. 1 Comment.
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