Just What is a VA Anyway?

I recently started my own business as a Virtual Assistant/Contract Administrative Assistant. I have been so excited to tell all my friends and family about it, but when I shared what I would be doing I got a “congratulations,” with a big question mark at the end. Some of them have come right out and asked, “What the heck is a Virtual Assistant?” So, I decided my first blog for the business should explain what I will be doing.

What is a VA?

Wikipedia defines a Virtual Assistant as follows:

A Virtual Assistant (typically abbreviated to VA, also called a virtual office assistant) is generally self-employed and provides professional administrative, technical, or creative (social) assistance to clients remotely from a home office.

I didn’t know the full extent of the things a VA could do for a business until I stumbled upon a fantastic course called "30 Days or Less to Virtual Assistant Success" by Gina Horkey. Before I took this course, I thought I would maybe do some bookkeeping, filing, creating invoices, et cetera for my clients, but she really opened my eyes to a whole new world!

Apparently, there are some negative connotations associated with Virtual Assistants. When some people hear the term “Virtual Assistant” they think of a person working for five dollars an hour and having to struggle with a language barrier. While there are certainly Virtual Assistants out there who fit that particular bill, there are also a WIDE variety of other options. There are some AMAZING VA’s out there who are highly educated and some are commanding up to one hundred dollars per hour.

What Can a VA Do For You?

Let’s just say the list of possibilities for Virtual Assistant work is quite extensive. Gina compiled a list of 150+ services a VA could potentially offer. Obviously, the + indicates her list isn’t all-inclusive. It really just depends on what the client needs. There are so many VA’s out there, each with different areas of expertise. I think it’s safe to say that you could find an expert for whatever your heart desires.

The most important thing I learned is that a VA can not only help you with the administrative duties of your business, but they can actually be very instrumental in helping to grow your business! How cool is that?

What You Should Look For in a VA

Gina also lists the characteristics which are important for a successful VA. They are as follows:

1. Organized (finally a good place to showcase my OCD tendencies in a positive light!)

2. Open to learning

3. Naturally curious

4. Communicative

5. Not afraid to take charge

6. Has a positive attitude

I agree wholeheartedly with these characteristics. I would add to this – disciplined. Working at home can be a challenge when you have so many things vying for your attention so one must be disciplined enough to focus on the tasks to be accomplished for the day.

Once you find someone with the abovementioned characteristics (like me for example), you should consider a trial period to decide on the scope of work you would like them to perform. Once both parties are happy with the arrangements, a more formal contract can be drawn up to solidify the relationship.

Conclusion

A Virtual Assistant is someone who can assist you with a variety of tasks within your business. Really it all boils down to deciding what you need – whatever it is, you can find a VA to assist you. A Virtual Assistant should possess certain characteristics to be able to grow with your ever-changing needs and help you move your business to the next level.

If you would like to work with someone who can help you expand your business without the usual headaches associated with hiring an employee, please feel free to contact me via email. Please take a look around my website to find out more!

I would love to hear your comments. Unfortunately, Google doesn’t allow comments on these websites so please feel free to send me an email with any comments or questions.