virtual office
“Do I really need a virtual assistant”? “Is it really worth it”? “Why would I hire a virtual assistant instead of a regular employee or temp”?
These are questions you may have pondered recently. Your business is going well, your client base is growing slowly, but surely and you’ve begun to realize the powers of social media marketing. You may have seen several tweets referencing virtual assistant after virtual assistant, but you’re not 100% sure you even know exactly what a virtual assistant does!
Sound familiar? I find this to be a pretty accurate representation of how alot of small business owners and/or entrepreneurs view the virtual assistant industry. I don’t blame them. The virtual assistant industry is still relatively new and not suprisingly there are lots of folks who don’t know what we are or have a clue as to how we could be an asset to small business owners and/or entrepreneurs. The definition of a virtual assistant is someone who is highly skilled in administrative and other business support services who provides off-site assistance. We are NOT employees. We are Not temps. We are independent contractors who operate our own small business providing assistance to you.
The economy is changing. Some small or home-based businesses, as well as many large corporations, are feeling the clinch of this economic crisis. The large corporations especially, are ready to consider non-traditional ways of managing their workforce and reducing their overhead costs, while still producing quality goods and services. This generates the perfect opportunity for a virtual assistant. There are many advantages to hiring a virtual assistant that could be very appealing to today’s business owner:
- no hiring or recruiting costs
- no benefits to be paid
- no payroll or tax issues
- no need to buy equipment or software
- no need to make space
Both large companies and small/home-based business owners recognize that outsourcing certain aspects of their business may be the way to go. By partnering with a virtual assistant, they have more time to focus on the big picture: growing their business.
For the new small business owner with a limited budget , a virtual assistant is a good alternative. According the U.S. Small Business Administration, small business owners spend up to 40% of their time on routine administrative tasks. A virtual assistant can handle some of these tasks:
- basic bookkeeping – invoice customers, collections
- marketing support – help with creating eye catching promotional pieces
- basic clerical duties – manage your schedule, monitor your email
- social media networking – set up profiles on Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIN
The possibilities are endless! For a free report titled “How Can a Virtual Assistant Help Me Grow My Business”, please visit http://www.bizsupportassociates.com. This reports illustrates more than 4o unique ways to utilize the services of a virtual assistant. Some you may have never even thought of.
About the Author:
Shelley Graves, a Virtual Business Support Specialist with over 15 years of administrative and project management experience, is the owner of http://www.bizsupportassociates.com. She specializes in providing virtual business support and administrative assistance to small business owners and other freelance professionals. Visit the website today for your FREE business support assessment.
