How much is your time really worth? Is it worth ?50 an hour or ?100 an hour? YOUR time is most valuable because it is your responsibility to generate new revenue for your business. Doing small and often trivial admin chores yourself does not really add value to your business and the sensible solution is to delegate those less profitable tasks by hiring someone more than capable of carrying them out, but who's hourly rate is somewhat less than your real financial worth. So what's stopping you?
You may have a multitude of reasons that prevent you from hiring a full time personal assistant. You may not need a full time, or even part time employee but just require someone for occasional or limited hours. Then there are the employers responsibilities, employees are entitled to sick pay, maternity leave and paid holiday and often seek generous benefits packages. It is estimated that the true cost of an employee is over double and often up to triple the cost of their annual salary in terms of benefits and liabilities.
Significant for some potential employers is also the loss of privacy and space - are you working from home or have limited office space? You may not want an employee working from your home or simply not have the room for an additional employee in your office or all the equipment they may need.
Wouldn't it be perfect if you had an assistant that was always ready to work for you, but only when you need them? Working from their own home or office, using their own equipment? Meet the Virtual Assistant (VA), an invaluable new work force that provides a practical solution for small businesses owners. A VA frees up your valuable time so you can concentrate on the important things that only you can do in your business.
There is no need to share office space or even for your VA to live in the same town or city. Work assignments are communicated through email; telephone, fax or post and Web-based tools such as instant messengers and online calendars and planners are also often used as a means of keeping in touch.
Because your VA is self-employed, and invoices you only for the actual hours worked or by tasks completed, and is dependent on referrals and steady work flow from existing clients, s/he can be the perfect solution for a busy small business or entrepreneur. When you hire a VA you get all the benefits of outsourcing - no employer liabilities, tax and benefits issues, coupled with the loyalty and steadiness of a company employee. With a VA, you have someone to whom you can delegate. Your VA can return telephone calls, answer e-mails, and draft letters for you. They can take your telephone calls, filter your email, deal with your post, book your doctors appointment and even remind you of your wife's or mothers birthday and source the perfect gift if necessary! VA's are already computer trained, and can assist with your specific needs from traditional office support services to highly specialised areas including Web page design. You can also equip your VA to go beyond administrative support to client development and marketing support.
You can easily justify a virtual assistant in terms of your greater productivity and your greater efficiency. You need to be the leader in your business and your VA will insure that you focus on what is important, rather than urgent. Your VA can also lend "size" to your company, which will impress potential clients.
As more and more businesses move their marketing and communications to the Internet, VA's are becoming the obvious solution to staffing issues. For an hourly fee often less than the cost of temps or the real cost of employees, businesses can take advantage of professional assistance and a variety of skills at the click of a mouse.
Justine Curtis is the founder of My Virtual Assistant, a virtual office service operating across the UK, providing virtual office support, personal assistance, secretarial services, administration and telephone answering services remotely from its UK based office. For more information about Virtual Assistants visit http://www.my-va.com
Oswego taxi to Midway ..Every business starts with an idea or a dream. To... Read More
Most small businesses incorporated in 2005 will fail by the... Read More
Start thinking about buying an established business if you want... Read More
If you have a busy private practice, chances are you... Read More
Have Some Time to Yourself One of the most important... Read More
Don't let your customer satisfaction research initiative collect dust on... Read More
It is imperative to have your business legally prepared. How... Read More
Why do you need an account plan?When you first decide... Read More
Technical writing services are employed to explain the details of... Read More
Traditional advertising methods are still being used for almost 90%... Read More
If you run a pressure washer business you need complete... Read More
Do You Really Need a Toll-Free Number for Your Business?... Read More
You're pretty proud of yourself! After all, only four months... Read More
For many small businesses, the "S" corporation is the business... Read More
$37.4 million funded from venture capital today. $86.4 million funded... Read More
During the 1980 presidential campaign, candidate Ronald Reagan vowed, if... Read More
As you may already know, asphalt paved parking lots do... Read More
Send handwritten notes. That applies whether you're a guy or... Read More
Shipping materials can be expensive! Even the styrofoam "peanuts" can... Read More
Each day we hear of companies entering the franchising industry.... Read More
You bet it's worth it. Publicity via news releases, along... Read More
When do annoyances in a relationship become too much to... Read More
IntroductionIt is widely recognised that Email and the Internet is... Read More
It has been said that the only constant is change.... Read More
Are you a home or small business owner and you're... Read More
shuttle from Midway Morris ..One of the most common horrific mistakes a business can... Read More
Business checks are available in many styles and varieties. They... Read More
Consistency is a huge word when operating your business. I... Read More
Like most regulatory bodies in the United States, the Federal... Read More
To have one of the popular in home daycare businesses.... Read More
You'd like to go into business for yourself, and believe... Read More
A corporate shell could be liken to a house that... Read More
If small business had no important outside audiences, it wouldn't... Read More
You've heard marketing and advertising gurus quip, "Sell the sizzle,... Read More
Congratulations, you are starting a small business! You are taking... Read More
Do you have all the customers your business can use?The... Read More
One major issue not being addressed right now in the... Read More
Imagine that you have operated a successful franchise business for... Read More
Whether your target audience is in your neighborhood or across... Read More
How far away is the person you need to meet?We... Read More
The Customer Analysis section of the business plan assesses the... Read More
New Franchisors and Entrepreneurs need to watch out as they... Read More
I have a confession to make. My name is Caroline... Read More
As small business managers, we juggle limited resources in a... Read More
If you ask most small business owners what priority CRM... Read More
Does your company have a community relation strategy? Have you... Read More
You make the decision to go into business and for... Read More
"Inch by inch, row by row...that's the way my garden... Read More
Outsourcing is the strategic use of outside resources to perform... Read More
1. Look Over Your Shoulder ? Of course, Punxsutawney Phil... Read More
Small Business |