Both Entrepreneurialism and Virtual Assistance are on the rise in the USA (and throughout the world). In fact, Virtual Assistance is one of the fastest growing remote career categories. In knowing this, one can deduce that together, entrepreneurs, accompanied by VA's, could make a great and prosperous pairing! Businesses are benefiting immeasurably by hiring Virtual Assistants. Industries such as healthcare, computer/IT, education/training, sales, customer service, finance and travel/hospitality get it. They are the leaders in the trend of virtual workforces. This means, they only connect with each other outside of a brick and mortar office, digitally. These companies are on the cutting-edge and are embracing this new way of working.

Is hiring a VA right for you? Are there items on your task list that you haven't gotten to for over 2 weeks? Are you losing sleep, sweating over the small stuff? Are you not financially able to hire an in-house admin that requires benefits, sick days, office space, etc.? If you could take back those 10-20 hours a week of your time that you work on researching things, social media posts, answering customer requests, booking travel (the list goes on and on of the things you do that DO NOT produce you or your business immediate income)... then YES!, you can and should hire a VA!

Although VA Services have now been around for several years, maybe even a decade, most people you meet do not know that. They think a VA is AI, but they definitely are not! They are real people with real thoughts, ideas, and skills that AI could never offer. People may also think a VA is only found in an overseas offshore type of company. Not true. (Although, other countries have led the charge in this field). Legitimately, there are hundreds of independent VA's and VA firms in the US. These are career minded, results-driven individuals that thrive in a virtual environment. Some are stay-at-home mom's that have come out of the traditional workplace to raise their children, some are winding up their careers, but have not yet reached retirement age, and some, entrepreneurs, that wanted to take the skills and knowledge they've acquired in an office to the next level, by working for themselves or starting their own company from the comforts of home.

For some people, it's a no-brainer and they can see the immediate benefit of a VA. If that's you, here are some additional tidbits for you when you call that person or VA firm to hire your first VA. First off, be sure you are prepared for your intake meeting. Provide the VA or VA firm with an SOP (Statement of Procedures). This will contain all the details of how you work. The days you like to have meetings, logins, passwords, your frequent flyer numbers, your dining preferences and hotel preferences. It should also contain the tasks you'll want your VA to perform on a regular basis. It should set clear expectations. In the beginning, start slow and allow them at least a 60-day learning curve. It will take a bit of time to get to know you and the way you operate. Be patient. You can even "test" your VA at first. Send them 3 or 4 tasks to complete, e.g. set up a travel itinerary for you to multiple locations with air, hotel, car, directions, et al. See how they operate and give them feedback on what you like and don't like, or you could tell them you need a gift for someone and loved the sheets at the last hotel you stayed at. Tell them to find that brand of sheets.

You get what you pay for! You may find VA's out there that charge as low as $5/hour, and has high as a $100/hour. The hourly fees can vary tremendously! Be cautious, and do not waste your time! It's a precious commodity. Bottom line, hire someone you like to work with. You may need to go through more than one VA. That is where VA firms may be your best route. They can help you find one of their already set up/trained/educated VA's that'll be a better fit. Just remember, a VA can save you so much time to focus on your business, make your life so much easier, and you'll be surprised at what a good job they can do! Oh, and a VA is not just a "secretary" doing standard administrative tasks. Check out the page on our website that lists 101 Things a VA Can Do.