Virtual Assistant, A Team Member Who Works Remotely

What is a virtual assistant? A virtual assistant is a team member who happens to work remotely.

For the most part, virtual assistants are self-employed. They work from their home office. A virtual assistant (VA) maintains their own work space, equipment, hours, and taxes.

I formed my virtual assistance business, Reliance Outsourcing, after some deep thinking. First, I hired a life coach that helped me to focus on my strengths, on the positive values I brought to the lives of others. Then, a second business coach guided me towards thinking about what I really wanted to do in my work life. Did I want to remain employed, or was there a business in my future? I have reinvented myself several times, with a number of businesses under my belt, so I was not surprised that I chose to serve others through my own business.

I made my final decision after watching a video of a young woman who started and grew a virtual assistant business from her home after her first child was born. Her value system was similar to mine, and her main focus was what she believed to be her calling, to serve others, to be the right hand to business owners so that they were freed up to work on the core of their businesses.

Reliance Outsourcing was born. I mentioned to my long-time friend, Kayla Fioravanti, of Selah Press, that I had started a virtual assistant business, and much to my surprise she had a need. She directed clients to me that needed assistance beyond what she could offer at that time. We were a good match. We shared in similar values and beliefs, and in Kayla’s words, “They needed someone who could speak for them online.”

What a virtual assistant can offer is vast, we:

• Take on the small jobs that you may not like to do
• Take on tasks that you never find the time to do
• Complete tasks that you do not know how to do
• Free up your time so you can work on your business, not in it
• Help you to be better organized through outsourced administrative services
• Give you a second voice by taking on scheduling, calling, and even invoicing — Customer Service

Have you ever said you wished more hours could be added to your day? Well, this is the value of a VA. You need another hour, call your VA. You need a project to be completed that you cannot get to, call your VA. If we cannot complete the job, we’ll assist you with finding out who and how to get it done.

We, VA’s, are also resourceful. We listen and we advise. We don’t step on the business owner’s toes, nor into their businesses, but when they have questions, or need direction, we are always there. That is our job.

As a virtual assistant, I help business owners grow by doing what they cannot do, do not want to do, or do not have the time to do.

Kayla Fioravanti, of Selah Press, and I are both on the same Blog Challenge. We’ve coordinated our thoughts from different sides of the fence. She has hired her own Virtual Assistant, and shares her thoughts and experience through her post, Top Ten Reasons to Have a Virtual Assistant.